<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[bestill]]></title><description><![CDATA[Advent People]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:46:17 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[When Vision Changes]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first time I ever got a migraine, I was nine years old. I called it an "eye headache" and spent much of the morning cuddled in my parents' bed, eating Cheerios, and waiting for the sun to go away. Nine years later, these "eye headaches" worsened, and a neurologist quickly diagnosed me with "chronic, intractable, disabling migraines with encephalopathy features" (oh my!). Contrary to popular belief, migraines are not just painful headaches. They are a neurological rebellion—the brain's...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/when-vision-changes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cc22a54c31bb6f64bd8568</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 20:43:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_54cdae75e3bb4345b49a2d6efb1e4c3a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_994,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Climb Back Down]]></title><description><![CDATA[The summer of 2017, my family took a week-long road trip to New England. We tasted maple syrup in Vermont, saw lighthouses in Maine, stood near the Boston Tea Party harbor, and filled  our camera rolls with pictures:) It was one of the best trips I can remember, but the most  memorable part of the trip was our hike up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. My dad found the trail online, and while my siblings and I—ages 7, 9, 11, and 13—grumbled and groaned, he assured us, “The website says it’s...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/the-climb-back-down</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6993a363cf429c4fcb4d5dea</guid><pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2026 23:28:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_5dcf45a0aa994f7cb2d574355f050b57~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_828,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Strangely Dim]]></title><description><![CDATA[O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior And life more abundant and free Our Companions When the movie Inside Out 2 first made its debut, I remember sitting around a room full of people and asking one another, "If I were an emotion, which one would I be?" Immediately, we singled out one of my friends as "Anger." If she was mad, the whole world  knew it. Another friend was obviously  "Disgust." His eyes (bless him) stayed...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/strangely-dim</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6976d0c56e1e6fddb817c943</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:47:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_79984061737f421eb84a833b20bff464~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_968,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Work of Christmas]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, To feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, to bring peace to all people, To make music from the heart. — Howard Thurman (1899-1981) It's the first Monday of the new year, and already, I have a list of to-dos, groceries to meal-prep, and friends...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/the-work-of-christmas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695c6ca97831e3f57104a71f</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 02:57:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_835e1a5d2da440ad9315e0d189abd008~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LOVE: i've seen it]]></title><description><![CDATA["I've Seen It," A Song by Olivia Dean "I've seen it last for thirty years Seen it bloom and end in tears I've seen it after school and in the park Sat right across me on the tube Seen it miss a stop or two Seen it trying not to fall apart I've heard it laced in every song And still the words all come out wrong It doesn't always answer when you call Brings out the worst, brings out the best I understand it less and less I guess I'm not supposed to know it all I've seen it dance with friends...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/love-i-ve-seen-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694e0de8dd47cad8b9f336a6</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2025 04:33:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_5b23eda0cb5b40ad9ee2cb6efca392b8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[JOY: the energy for justice]]></title><description><![CDATA[¡Saludos desde la Ciudad de México! Greetings from Mexico City! This Sunday, instead of sitting in my usual pew at FBCX or lighting candles back at home, I spent the third week of Advent attending worship at the Templo Evangelico Presbiteriano in Xonacatlán, Mexico. It's a weird feeling to be in Mexico these days — to scan my Passport with ease as my Mexican-born partner waits and waits for his tourist visa appointment. To enjoy  travel, while my international friends live in fear of unfair...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/joy-the-energy-for-justice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694185e04d149c1676cf1e29</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 17:58:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_9dd8e504373f46848d4df7ebe7643fe0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[PEACE: be still... there is work to be done]]></title><description><![CDATA[A little over a year ago, I served as the worship coordinator for a summer camp, guided by the theme "Come to the Water." All summer, my team and I experienced God through streams, water fountains, happy tears, ocean waves, and swimming pools. Water was life, and through it, we discovered a deeper understanding of our God. One night in worship, our pastor preached about the story of Jesus calming the storm. In our prayer experience, one of our staffers dimmed the lights. Another played a...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/peace-be-still-there-is-work-to-be-done</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6931c0bba7a4d87bcf1359b7</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:14:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_75c4f4047cf44899ac8f6899731ef97e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_976,h_624,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HOPE: come, all who are weary]]></title><description><![CDATA[This Thanksgiving, after a day full of laughing, napping, and (of course) eating way too much food, my family piled onto my grandparents' couch to watch The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever . Based on the classic children's book by Barbara Robinson, The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever  tells the fictional story of a small town named "Emmanuel," which is known for its annual church Christmas pageant. On its 75th pageant anniversary, after the director tragically  breaks both of her legs, a...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/come-all-who-are-weary</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e54fb693c7286ce1c63ced</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 02:11:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_66b24f67302b4bf89f2298e5cfb6906a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tables of Gratitude]]></title><description><![CDATA[Several years ago, in my college town of Macon, Georgia, the leaders of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Temple Beth Israel, and Mulberry Street United Methodist Church got together to organize an Interfaith Thanksgiving service. Even though this community had its differences, they quickly found that they shared more  in common than they originally thought. They all served the same God, and they were all  called by the spirit of Love... so, they kept meeting:) After its initial success, the...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/tables-of-gratitude</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6751f925459d85009f5c4dd6</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:45:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_e7eabc28e109421d89ba2cdeff524262~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_976,h_654,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[And Their Eyes Were Kept from Recognizing Him]]></title><description><![CDATA[About a week ago, I made my first seminary visit to Candler School of Theology (eek!!). Of course, there were many things I loved about the day, but one moment stood out among the rest... On our group tour, our tour guide walked around the chapel and main academic building. She talked about the intentionality behind Candler's train-station aesthetic. She showed us the importance of the removable cross. And finally, she took us to a small room full of paintings by a Swedish-Mexican American...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/and-their-eyes-were-kept-from-recognizing-him-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6908ec6112b86a0f317e0dab</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:54:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_387aa43fcb0f40df9816796b3cadf9e3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_854,h_614,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slow Motion: God's Call to Rest]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the spirit of being an authentic blogger who *occasionally* shares a bit of my personal life (haha), I'll let you all in on a secret: September was a rough month. While the world was full of political unrest, I was on on-and-off bed rest. From the fallout of new medications to the never-ending battle with migraines to weeks  of sickness, it felt like my entire body was shutting down. I was sick, tired, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. Of course, there were pockets of joy in...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/slow-motion-god-s-call-to-rest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c75cf70d13c9ba3a6cdcf8</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 22:14:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_c11306879d3a4c30bd43074c62ec8a13~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_945,h_741,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Calling All Fishermen]]></title><description><![CDATA[¿Qué pasa, Advent People? This semester, I decided to embark on a journey that most students begin — and should  begin — their freshman...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/calling-all-fishermen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68bb2d4498886589b9fed6c5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 01:05:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_32dd27d8015f48089c02ddf7bf0315c8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_988,h_664,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus, Come Soon: A First Thought That Must Not Be Our Last]]></title><description><![CDATA[It feels like overnight, social media has exploded. I can't open my phone without seeing posts about Donald Trump, JD Vance, Charlie...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/jesus-come-soon-a-first-thought-that-must-not-be-our-last</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c36c94761c219f82323a3d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 01:34:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_ffcfef81200c4e98891b522809a6e1f8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_996,h_698,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Sound of Thriving]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wouldn’t call myself a theater nerd, but I do love a good musical:) A couple of months ago, my family decided to celebrate my 21st...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/the-sound-of-thriving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688d5611703020ba46dfd1cb</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:29:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_b4d0721c96d54968bf27750e32292e28~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding God: Reflections from a Camp Counselor]]></title><description><![CDATA[This summer, I met Dios. From late May to mid-July, I served as the Assistant Director of a nonprofit Christian camp called Passport...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/finding-god-reflections-from-a-camp-counselor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6883dc8f24b9ed0d8c633043</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2025 16:37:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_806e8eaac53f4511b68800b1ee3bb508~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Killing Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes, I forget that Jesus was killed.  Crucified?  Of course.  Resurrected?  Well, I hope so!   The cross is burned into my mind....]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/killing-jesus</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ffdedcb78c3292b829a36f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2025 16:20:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_4e907660c7f644049dee6d7af8be0bd5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_982,h_708,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[2025: Mindfulness, Mind Fullness, and Being Present]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's that time of year again! January 1st: the day when we all simultaneously get our lives together. It's a fresh start, a blank page,...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/2025-mindfulness-mind-fullness-and-being-present</link><guid isPermaLink="false">638bb6c01a165f3e797df4e2</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 15:34:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_57732bdb800947af9e222932987de38b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_776,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[LOVE: Of Love and Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today, my heart is full:) I woke up to stillness : warm blankets, peaceful silence, and the sunshine that poured through my...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/of-love-and-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6753043936d7c37699ad2fc1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Dec 2024 22:44:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_be8a718be6444de0a5471a1f1a6114ba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_888,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[PEACE &#38; JOY: The Dust We Still See]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thank goodness Spotify Wrapped doesn’t include December because I would be doomed . I fear my top five would look something like “Mariah...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/peace-joy-the-dust-we-still-see</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66b7bd6d5b975e408971e937</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Dec 2024 17:41:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_c4c6b8fad3cf45e89cf9a11d5b5603df~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_980,h_606,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HOPE: Prepare the Way of the Lord]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gosh, I love it when a new month starts on a Sunday:) After a long (fun!!) week of traveling, time-zone adjusting, cooking, eating, and...]]></description><link>https://sydneyallisonford.wixsite.com/adventpeople/post/hope-prepare-the-way-of-the-lord</link><guid isPermaLink="false">675202496146b4844ac42ec5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 13:58:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7bece1_80caee51d0b34f26b360b038bb6d3a25~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Allie Ford</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>