Chicken Bones….

I've got this really cute puppy- (for reference on her cuteness see pictures…you'll realize I'm not exaggerating.) 

Her name is Maggie and she does all sorts of adorable things. 

She rolls over, sits, stays, loves to cuddle, and, I swear, she understands a whole array of emotions that most humans can't even begin to comprehend. 

I would highly contend that she is, in fact, the most lovable dog in the world. 

Tonight as I was spending time in prayer, God reminded me of something that my sweet little Maggie does quite often. This "thing", however, is not nearly as cute and lovable as her usually well-behaved furry little personality. 

When I'm home, we'll often have a classic, family favorite meal of grilled chicken.

*Maggie loves chicken bones.*

Of course, this meal ends with a stack of chicken bones being scraped on to a plate. 

*Maggie sees the chicken bones & Maggie wants the chicken bones.*

The plate of chicken bones usually sits somewhere in the kitchen until the dishes are done and some lucky winner gets elected to run outside to dump them in the field. 

*Maggie starts devising a plan to get. those. chicken. bones.*

Somehow Maggie usually manages to sneak a bone off the plate and/or stalks the scrap-dumper and memorizes the strategic place in which the bones are scraped in the field. The next time she is let out to go potty, she runs out to the field-geographical coordinates of the chicken bones locked in her brain- and she treats herself to the yummy leftovers. 

And, more often than not, I end up chasing her around the yard attempting to pull the bone out of her mouth. What Maggie doesn't remember in that moment is that she often gets these chicken bones stuck in her mouth; they often break and hurt her; or they frequently have a hard time finding a pain-free path through her digestive system.

I wish I could convince her in the heat of the moment that she has a whole bowl of food inside, that I'd love to give her a healthier/safer treat, and that she really, truly does not need this chicken bone. 

And, yet, so many times, especially right now, I find myself doing the same thing with God. 

I love something.

I see an opportunity to do that something. 

I want to do that something.

And I start devising a plan to get. that. something. 

Never mind the fact that I have more than enough and that God would even throw in more as a treat because He loves me that much. If He's not going to give me the chicken bone, I see nothing else. I have to have it. 

And thankfully, God is so much more patient than I am. He doesn't run around the yard chasing me and whacking me on the butt, grabbing the chicken bone and threatening me within an inch of my life. 

Nope, not God. He just patiently waits and tells me gently, "Lauren, give me that." 

So, tonight I laid down a couple of my chicken bones and I surrendered them to God, knowing full well that I might never see them again, or that He could decide to break them up and give them to me in smaller pieces, or maybe that he would perfect them and make them a little safer before giving them back to me, or He might even hand them right back the way I gave them to Him.

Whatever He decides to do is up to Him, and I'm deciding to no longer run around the yard with my teeth clenched tightly to the misguided treasure that is a mere chicken bone. The ultimate treasure is relationship with Him- my owner, protector, Savior, and loving Dad. Who wouldn't gladly give up all the silly chicken bones in the world for closeness with Him?

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

- Proverbs 19:21

Praising God in the Process...

6:00 am to 11:30 pm.
That's usually about the length of my day.

I wake up.
I get ready for the day (which usually includes inordinate amounts of coffee consumption).
I go to classes.
I leave classes.
I have a meeting or two, or depending on the day, I work in the office.
I get lunch.
I settle in for homework.
I do homework.
I try not to fall asleep (most times unsuccessfully).
I do some more homework.
I get dinner.
I go back to doing homework.
And more homework.
Before I know it, it's eleven o'clock (lately, it's been more like midnight, or one o'clock) and I can barely keep my eyes open to do one more assignment, paper, or problem.
I brush my teeth.
I fall in bed.
I sleep.
I repeat.


My life has fallen into this depressing little pattern I'd like to call the mid-semester blues.
Most days I feel like I have just enough to give so I can get by and make it through another day.
Most days I feel a little like I'm just trying to stay afloat.
Most days I feel like I'm just trying to do enough for tomorrow instead of being present in the moment's of today.
Most days my prayer is simply, give me today my daily bread. 

Thrilling, right?!
I guess it does get a little more exciting than that some days. Like, last night my roommate and I decided to reward ourselves for our studying by playing a midnight round of Scrabble. It was more stress-inducing that relaxing, but it was well worth it.
Side note: I'm thinking about contracting my current life story out for someone to make a documentary on it. I'm sure it'd make millions. Ya think?

Any ways, back to the story here:

I hear people doing fun things outside my window, but I can't join.
Too busy. Too many things to do.
I'm invited to hang out and talk.
Got an exam and paper due tomorrow! Sorry, we'll have to push it back until I'm not so busy.
I haven't held conversations longer than five minutes with some of my best friends here in quite some time.
I'm unable to go home for my sister's baby shower this weekend because of the million and one things that have to get done.
And all day I keep asking God for just enough time to sit down in His presence to rest and talk. 
All day I'm crying out to God for a period of rest, a long period. A season of filling and revelation. A season where I can just spend my day in His presence, physically worship and learning more about Him.

But, right now that's not the season I'm in.
Right now, it's quite the opposite...and I'm thankful that God knows me better than I know myself. He knows what He's doing with me and why He has me here.
He. Knows.

A few weeks ago I was getting in my car to drive home for my sister's (first!) baby shower and I kept thinking to myself, boy, I wish I could just be there already. I've only got a day there and I hate to waste so much time driving. Hurry up, car. Let's get there! 

And, God so graciously reminded me in that moment that it's about the process. There will be MORE THAN ENOUGH time at the destination. But, for now I have an entire drive to praise Him, praise Him in the process.
And so I did just that.
I rolled the windows down, cranked up the worship, and praised God all the way up to Michigan.
The drive flew by, powerful and refreshing, and before I knew it I was there.
And God was right (fancy that!) there was more than enough time.

And tonight, as I walked back from my night class at nine, I was thinking about the unfinished (did I say unfinished? I meant, un-started...) reading due tomorrow which has taken a back seat to the the unfinished six page study guide for an exam I have tomorrow, which has taken a back seat to the research paper and lab project that was due today.
And I started to get a little (and by that I mean ALOT) overwhelmed.

But God is. So. GOOD.
As I sat here staring at the blank second page of my study guide, He reminded me to be a daughter that praises Him in the process, especially when it's a process I don't understand or particularly like. He reminded me of some wise words I heard a while ago: whatever you focus on, you empower.
Lord, help me to focus on You rather than the circumstances.

So, tonight, as it approaches 11:00 pm and I settle in for a few hours of studying and trying to keep my eyes open, I'm going to crank up the worship (hope you weren't planning on sleeping, roomie!) and I'm going to praise God in the process.
I'm going to talk to God about how the electron transport chain leads to the production of ATP and how many substrate molecules an enzyme can process in a second. (P.S. if you know the answers to either of those, you're more than welcome to share. :)) ) And then He and I are going to discuss deep philosophical things as I read and write about a book I have yet to actually start...

It's going to be a beautiful process full of worship, hope, and faith...

Yep, we're going to get there, friends....

A Faith Like Abe's...

"Jeeesuuus."
I find myself saying that a lot lately.

Not in the "annoyed-taking-the-Lord's-name-in-vain" way, but rather in the quiet "oh-I-need-you","I'm-breathing-you-in", "please-hold-me-up" type of way.

What's been going on lately?
One word: change.

So much change. So many new things.
New people.
New job.
New dorm.
New classes.
New church.
New, new, new.

In the midst of all this newness and change I am trying desperately to cling to the same, steadfast, holy God that I know... but even He feels different.
Distant.
Quiet.
Not moving.
Dare I say....stale?
Familiar.

I'm feeling kind of like a dry and thirsty desert plateau right now.
And this is a problem for me....a very BIG problem.

All I want to do is run and jump in a big, cold Jesus puddle and soak for eternity.
I want to go where God is moving and pouring out revelation and I want to be fed.
I want to be a part of a community that equips, trains, and pulls me closer to God and out of this plateau.
I want to be lost in God's presence rather than a mountain of school work.
I want to be able to read and understand the word, dissecting it piece by piece to hear God's voice.

And I simply can not figure out why I am here.
Because a lot of times, it's sure not where I'd like to be.

Please forgive me if this sounds like I'm whining and complaining.
If it helps, just imagine what God feels like when I tell Him this stuff All. The. Time.

But on a less whiney note: the other day I went to visit my sweet friend, Mikayla. We've known each other since we were in diapers and I am eternally grateful for the bond we have. She's one of the most incredible women that I've ever come to know and her love for God and His children is contagious. She interns for a ministry called Break the Grey and lives in a house with like twenty other interns.

After an evening of gabbing and driving around Fort Wayne, she and I sat in her closet, trying to get some peace and quiet to talk.
As I began to share my heart and frustrations with her, she pulled out her bible and flipped to Hebrews 11...a chapter God has been taking me to for weeks.

It's a chapter about faith.
Big faith.
Really big faith.

You should take a minute to go read it.
Seriously...go. Read it. I'll even make it easy for you. Just click here: Hebrews 11

Last week my boss read that chapter to me and said, "What would verse 41 say about you? By faith, Lauren.....what?"

And as we sat in that little closet, as melodramatic as it might seem,  God started to show me exactly what verse 41 would say.

By faith, Lauren left her family and friends and followed God's instructions to go to an unfamiliar place for reasons she didn't understand.
By faith, she stayed and invested herself for a year, taking little steps of obedience throughout.
By faith, she returned to her home town, rented a house, and did as God asked her to do for a summer...even though it made no sense to her.
By faith, Lauren packed up once again and returned to a town that was not her home, even though that meant her desires and longings had to be put on hold.
By faith, Lauren took a new job that paid far less money for far more work.
By faith, Lauren is holding tight to God's steadfast plan even though she has no idea what it is.

As Mikayla and I talked she kept telling me I was Abraham and I kind of just shrugged it off.
Yea right. I've read Abraham's story like four times this week, and the promised land and Huntington are two very different places.

And then God hit me with this:

This isn't the promised land.
This is a process. This is the journey to the promised land.
Duh, Lauren!

Abraham didn't just snap his fingers to get to the promised land and receive God's blessing of countless descendants. There was a journey he had to step into first and he spent years pursuing God's promises to him.
Thank you, Abraham, for teaching me such an awesome faith!

If verse 41 were about me, I think it would end a little something like this:
"But, God has yet to show her the promised land. So, by faith, she waits...."



And thus concludes my therapy session for the week. :) I hope it blessed you to read this as much as it blessed me to work through this and write it. And I pray that you find your Mikayla, because life is a lot more fun and a whole lot more bearable when you get to share it with friends like her. :)

The Spirit Knows No Time...

There are few things in this life that I can put all of my weight on, trusting that they're trustworthy and everlasting. In fact, there is only one thing.
And that one this is Jesus.

And, once again, He has reminded me of His total and complete trustworthiness, His adoration of me, and His everlasting patience and grace.

These last several months my heart has been really struggling with feeling out of place. And it only gets worse with time. I am so deeply passionate about intercultural orphan, elderly, and special needs care that walking around, doing very little investing in others and a whole lot of allowing God to invest in me, feels a little pointless and selfish.
Going to an expensive college, even though that's where God has asked me to be, doesn't feel like it is really doing me, or anyone else, any good. And I don't really like that.

These last couple weeks I had actually made up my mind that God didn't want me to go back to school.  I made up my mind and decided that God finally realized He'd made a mistake. He finally realized I would be much more useful elsewhere.  
Thank goodness! The God of the universe had finally come to His senses...

And then the other day I was talking to God and asking Him what He wanted me to do instead of going to school, because obviously He didn't want me there (ya know, because it's not helping anyone and such). And, as we were talking, God told me something really smart. He told me that I was far too invested in this topic and that I couldn't hear Him clearly. He then told me to seek prophetic word on the subject.

So I did.
This last week I had a prophetic couple pray over me without giving them any background and they immediately spoke straight to the issue. And with their prayers came some supernatural impartation of wisdom.

The Spirit knows no time.
My spirit sees a door and knows that door is where God is calling me, but it doesn't operate in time, so it feels out of place. Even though God fully intends to open that door in His perfect timing, my spirit feels like it should be open now and is frustrated that it's not. But, my body and mind operate in the realm of time and they have a journey that God wants to take them through before He opens the door.

So good, right?!
Maybe God has better plans than me after all. :)

And because God is so good, He continues to reassure me that I'm right where He wants me to be.

My daycare job is great for a million and one reasons, but mainly because- as I attempt to lovingly care for lots of little, diapered booties- I find myself continually reminded of how God sees and cares for me as His child.

Yesterday, I was helping one of the little ones do a puzzle. We had maybe four or five of the inside pieces put together and she was trying to fit an outside piece into the picture, but the puzzle wasn't ready for that piece. She kept moving it all around the puzzle trying to force it to fit. And, as I could see the whole picture, I said, "Al, that's not going to work yet. We have to put some of the other piecs in first."

And then God hit me with those same words.
"Lauren, that's not going to work yet. We have to put some of the other pieces in first. Trust me, though, I can see the whole picture and it is going to turn out beautifully."

So, even though I don't understand why the door isn't open and even though I would so much rather NOT be going into debt at an expensive school, I am simply following God's call out of obedience and in fifteen days I will be heading back to a school I'm really trying to fall in love with.

But, in the meantime I am trying to live in the here-and-now. Last night I went to my parents and had dinner with them and my siblings (and my unborn nephew!!). I enjoyed playing poker, laying on the floor talking, and having like an hour long iPhone-lightsaber dual that had me really working up a sweat. (seriously, if you have an iPhone you need this lightsaber app!) I enjoyed having my brother come over and sleep in the guest bed to "protect me with his muscles" from anything that might harm me in the dark of the night. And now, I am enjoying sitting in my pajamas at noon, drinking coffee and watching a movie/blogging with my brother on a lazy saturday morning/afternoon.

Honestly, the here-and-now is looking pretty darn good. Sometimes I just need to readjust my glasses and get a better perspective and I am so thankful that God so graciously reminds me of how to do that.

Now, here's a song that makes me feel so honored and so unworthy all at the same time. Be blessed and encouraged and know that God has memorized you, knows you, and has a perfect plan for you that He is going to unveil at just the right time. He has purposefully put each star in the sky right where He wants it. How much more then will He take care of you?!

Cobwebs & Barn Fires....

I frequently say, "Wow! It's been a while since I last blogged."

But this time, after almost two months away from the blog, it is really called for. 

Wow! It's been a while since I last blogged! 

The lack of blogging is not because God has not been working in my life. In fact, it's quite the opposite. This summer, God has taken hold of me- every last part of my body, mind and soul- and totally shook things up. Honestly, there is far too much for me to even begin writing about, and most of it is a little more personal than I'd like to share with thousands of readers....no offense, of course. :)

This season has become a bittersweet, painful, and tender time of allowing God to clean out the hundreds of cobwebs that have so taken root in my soul. While it is unbelievably unpleasant and at times downright unbearable, God has continued to promise that a beautiful reward lies at the end of this season. I am clinging tight to His promise that He will not leave me in this place of being raw and so miserably undone. In this season, I am choosing to blindly follow Him as he cleans me out, washes me down,  and makes me more like Him. 

It is a day to day walk. 

Each day, God works on something new that has taken up an unhealthy root in my spirit. 

Sometimes it takes more than a day, sometimes more than a week. And some things it's taken two months...and we're still not there, yet. 

But, God. Is. GOOD. 

And I know this season is not in vain. 

Each time one of those ugly roots is cut off, I feel a little more of God's presence fill me. I feel a little less of myself. I feel a whole lot of relief. And I feel God's unrelenting love wash over me like never before. 

He. Is. GOOD!! 

Tonight,  as I was driving home from a trip to the grocery store and a sweet dinner with my brother, I saw large billows of black smoke coming from a road nearby. My stomach dropped. I knew the road well, and knew it had to be a house or a barn. I quickly turned the corner to see that it was, in fact, an amish barn completely engulfed by thick, orange flames. It was a fire bigger than I had ever seen in my life and as we drove by you could feel the heat through the car, even though the fire was over a hundred yards away.

After passing, I slapped a quick turn, racking my brain to see if I could help in any way. Fire trucks were on their way and ten or so neighbors and passerbys were out of their cars and houses filming the scene.

 (just for reference, I fought the urge to go up to each person that was filming, rip their phones out of their hands, throw it into the fire, and then usher them away from the scene...in the most Christian way, of course....but I refrained. Thankfully, God has taught me self-control. ;) )

Anyways, back on track, Lauren. The family of the burning barn was in the neighbors yard, looking miserably overwhelmed and distraught. I thought I could jump out and go comfort them, and just about as soon as I did I looked down the road to see about twenty to thirty amish men, women, and children biking and running to the family's side. My arms rippled with goosebumps as I admired the God-given community come running when their brothers and sisters were in need. 

This fire has stuck with me all night. It's literally tearing me up in side. And I haven't been able to figure out why until just a few minutes ago. 

I am that family. 

I am sitting here watching God destroy a lot of things in His Holy fire. 

I am overwhelmed and distraught, waiting for the fire to just be over, but knowing that even in this He has purpose and is so incredibly Holy and good. 

And the beautiful thing is this: God has placed a community of people around me who have willingly run over the hill to be by my side to encourage, comfort, and facilitate all that God is doing. 

And the even more beautiful thing is this: at the end of the fire, a new barn gets to go up. This time God is the architect who so graciously and lovingly knows exactly what beams go where. He knows exactly where to drill and hammer. He knows exactly what materials I need. He knows it all. And He is promising to make me a new and better barn. 

And, boy, does that sound good. 

Did I Just Get Married?

It's official: my computer has dust on it.
When I'm not on it everyday for classes and whatnot, I just don't really use it...and I hate to admit it, but I start to neglect this pretty little blog that I have.

But, fear not. I have things to share!
For those of you that are frantically searching this post to see if I actually tied the knot, look no further:
No. I did not run off and get hitched. 

But, boy, somedays it sure feels like it.
Except, my new "groom" is a six foot tall, beautiful woman who loves to cook, make her own clothes (she's literally doing that as we speak), and talk about Jesus all. the. time. 

I know this is a strange analogy, but in these last two weeks I've gotten a crash course in what I presume marriage would be like.

I'd just like to preface this blog entry with this: this was tough to write, simply because it's exposing a real struggle that Liv and I are facing. I was very intentional about her being a part of this entry so that we both approved of what was being shared. So, just know that this is not me whining or taking jabs at her, but rather our mutual assessment of what's been going on and who we each are.

I'm sure marriage is a wonderful thing, but I know the first year is one of the hardest for a lot of couples. It's a blending of two worlds and all that mushy-sappy-tough stuff.
But imagine this: my "courting" period was about five months.
We met.
We went to St. Louis to an awesome conference.
We fell in love with God.
God started to unveil a friendship.
We started pursuing Him and ministering together.
And God has been growing our friendship ever since.
And then we got a house and moved in together...

....and we realized how little we really knew about each other....

It has been a blending of two completely different worlds, mindsets, personalities, and backgrounds. In our spiritual walks, Liv and I are so similar and understand each other so well.

But in the earthly realm she's whimsical and I'm calculated.
She naturally makes messes and doesn't mind them, whereas I can't stand them, try to avoid them, and will clean up every small ounce of one if one happens to be made.
She can bounce from topic to topic and I like to process one thing at a time.
I love to think and she loves to verbalize.
She loves to start ten things at once and doesn't mind if some of them don't get done and I have to do one or two things until they are finished.
She gets her rest from an empty house and I can't stand one.
I'm intentional and careful with my words and she says things freely and without much thought.
She's black and white and I'm grey.
And the list goes on...

That's how we would each describe our personalities.
Obviously, they're very different.

God carefully and specifically designed each of us exactly to his liking, knowing just how he would use each of our traits and quirks for His Kingdom. But, we are not perfect. Neither of us has reached a place of Christ-likeness, and we have some serious flaws that God is working on. And sometimes that's hard to remember.
Really hard.

I'll be humbly honest, there are so many moments where I get caught up in the way I'm doing things that I refuse to accept that there are other ways. I get annoyed because we can't communicate effectively. Or I get frustrated because she isn't doing something "right" (which I narrow-mindly define as my way).
For the last week or so the two of us got so caught up in making our lives work and mesh that we kind of forgot the fact that we are supposed to be operating in and for a different, much less stressful realm called the Kingdom.

So today we went out to have some coffee and DTR.

(For those that don't know what a DTR is, it means Define the Relationship. It usually occurs at some point in one's dating relationship and is pretty self explanatory. You sit down and talk about where your relationship is headed. Obviously, that's not really what we intended for our coffee date to be, but it seemed a lot like one.)

As we sat and talked today, we realized how much we had lost the vision. The day to day things had affected our attitudes to the point that neither of us was really putting in much effort. Here God has entrusted us with a house and a summer full of plans and we were selfishly caught up with ourselves and what we each wanted or didn't want, liked or disliked.
Needless to say, our talk was long and full of repentance, apologies, and reassessing. And honestly, I think God's plan looks a lot different than I originally thought, but He is God and He gets to plan whatever He wants. It's my job to follow, not to make the plans and sometimes not even to understand them.

So here we are.
Two really strange and unlikely "newlyweds" who are now at a point that they have gotten over themselves and realized that they are not enough to make this thing work. If this summer is about us, then it's not worth it.
We are ready for God to step in and take control, pulling each of us into something far greater than we could have ever imagined.
As we live in the natural, it's not always the easiest of times...but God didn't call us to live in the natural. He called us to live in the supernatural. He called us to live in His Kingdom, relying on Him rather than ourselves.

Lord, help us as we learn how to do that.

And now, a goofy picture...just because. 

Two Girls and a Lake House...

It's hard to believe that these past nine months are done and I'm now standing in front of three months of summer. I look back on the person I was nine months ago and I chuckle.
She had no idea what God was about to do in and through her.
She had no idea how much God was going to change her and reveal himself to her.

And as I look past these next three months and try to put myself at the end of them I hear those exact same things rolling through my mind.
God isn't done here.
In fact, He is just getting started.

At the beginning of the year-when all I wanted to do was move home, go to community college, and live on the same road as the rest of my family- a lady across the road from my parents passed away and her children put her house up for sale.
I had always adored this cute, yellow lake house and I specifically remember walking past it one day and saying, "God, I want that house. That's all I want. I thought I wanted to go to school, travel and serve you, but really all I want is to live right there in that house."
To which I heard God clearly speak and tell me, "I can give you that, but that's not where you will stop. I have much greater plans for you and that is not where you will stay."
So, obviously, I brushed that off and continued going to school.

Of course at that point, I had no idea what lay ahead of me in the next eight months.
I had no idea that in April I would go to a conference with my friend Liv and that we would both get a vision for us to become interns at my church, get a place together, work, and be active in ministry over the summer.
But that's exactly what happened.
So, as she and I stared at this huge and daunting vision for our summer we started to chip off little pieces.
See if an internship is possible, find a place for her to work, find a place to stay, figure out if we can afford this, figure out if this is rational....and the list goes on....
As things started to fall into place, the only thing that still felt unbearably daunting was finding a place to live. Apartments were incredibly expensive and most wouldn't do a three month lease. People within the church offered to lend an extra room, but we held tight to the vision that God had given us for living in a place of our own.

And then I remembered my conversation with God earlier in the year about the little, yellow lake house. He said "...that's not where you will stop." But, before that He said "I can give you that."
"I can give you that."
"I can give you that."
"I can give you that."

I don't know if you heard me when I said that apartments were expensive and way out of our budget, but I will say it again. Apartments were expensive and way out of our budget.
So the prospect of an entire, furnished house was basically a joke.

I prayed about it for a few days and it continued to rest at the forefront of my mind, so rather than praying about it, we started praying for it. For two weeks Liv and I prayed and fasted for the yellow, lake house. With about a week before we had to move, we decided it would probably be best if we called the owners to see if they would want to rent it, even though it was on the market for sale. And also to see if it was something we could fathomably afford.

So I called.
I never mentioned a price, but we talked for a while and she said she would get back to me. I expected it to take several days before she called back with a decision, but within a few hours I got a call back and we had the house....for half the price of what an apartment would have cost, might I add.
How God did that, I'm still trying to wrap my head around.

So here I am-
sitting in a beautiful, little lake house and waiting for Liv to move in this evening.
All I have is oatmeal, popcorn, tea and about 3,000 spices in my cupboards, but I somehow had enough to feed myself and guests last night. I leave the room when I find a spider because no one is here to kill it for me. I am overly protective of all the antique breakables and I have a mini-panic attack when my sisters daycare kids come storming through the house. I barricade myself in the bathroom when I hear a strange noise, because I'm convinced that a murderer has just broken in.
Honestly, I'm not sure how this is going to go. I'm in some new territory and I have no idea what this summer holds, but I do know that it hasn't even begun and God has poured out His blessing and favor upon us in an incredible way.
These next three months are going to be an adventure, for sure! But I'm pretty confidant in the man behind the wheel.

Now sit back and enjoy this view with me.....