I'm so incredibly sorry I haven't been writing! The Christmas season, as I'm sure you know, can be really hectic!
So, finals went way better than I expected and I ended up with a 3.8 GPA for this semester, hooray! The stress of grades was just enough to keep me motivated- even if I did cheat and post while I should have been studying...and had way to many Facebook and Pintrest visits. But, such is life, right? Every thing turned out just fine!
Since exams I have been to Louisiana to visit my marvelous, crazy, wild and loud family. With all our redneck drama we still manage to get together once a year to see each other. It hasn't been until recently that I've realized how important family really is. I guess it takes part of yours falling apart to realize that the time we have with the people we love can be limited and that every moment and every memory should be cherished.
My family and I have recently "adopted" a couple (the husband happens to be the GM at our place of work) and we got the chance to spend both Thanksgiving and part of Christmas day with them. I am so thankful for them and what they mean to us and vice versa I'm sure. It breaks my heart that people have families that aren't close and don't spend time with each other. But that's why we have come together. I think that every one should have a family. It doesn't have to be your biological family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ so why don't we treat everybody like family anyway? Good question, right?
I apologize that this post isn't the typical "remember the reason for the season" post. I think that since you have been reading my posts and you know that I am in a relationship with my Lord and Savior it goes without saying that there is more to Christmas to me than presents. But there are so many facets of what Christmas really means and I think family is one of them.
Have you ever thought about the fact that Joseph had to make a decision to ADOPT Jesus? He wasn't his child. Mary was the mother and Gabriel said that He was of the Holy Spirit. And even though their reputations were tarnished, he cared enough about the woman he loved that he adopted the Son of God.
I don't know...this post, also, seems somewhat disjointed and confusing. I'm kind of in a confusing place in my life right now. But not to worry, there will be a post in a few days that will reminisce on the past year's successes and failures.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Procrastination
Why do people procrastinate so!? All it does is stress you out. So, in the interest of my stress, I'm going to procrastinate and talk to you guys instead of studying for my finals. Good plan, right? I know.
This is seriously a big problem though.... a lot of times we procrastinate we miss out on such great opportunities (other than making good grades). I guess I'm still thinking about a friend that I lost and a brother that is in need. Do you ever feel like you could have done something more even when you know you probably couldn't have? Or that because you didn't do said action that everything is your fault and even though you've grown as a person since that time and you know you would know better know it still frustrates you to no end?
Well, even if you don't, it sucks. I don't like feeling this way at all. And it's all because I put things off. I always said "oh, I'll put him on the prayer list next week" or "I'll pray about it later" or "I'll give her a call when I get a chance" instead of doing it right then and there. And look where it's gotten me. Nowhere. In fact, sometimes I feel like I have retraced my footsteps. Instead of growing closer to God it seems like I am completely lost and have no idea where to go.
But I know this isn't the case. I know these things happen for a reason, and even if I had done those things that if this is all part of God's glorious plan of redemption of us to His glory, why am I worrying about it? I see all my friends going out and doing great things and being so strong yet I feel like I'm so stagnant an un-moving in my situation.
Timing is of the essence. I get so frustrated sometimes because this has gone on for so long and I just want to know why. I ask God "WHY? Why now? Why this? Why these people?" and the answer is always "wait." Or at least it is for now.
If anybody is reading this and has any encouragement I could really use it about now. I don't know why I get in these little funks. I just had a great night with some great friends. And you know what started it? A picture. One snapshot of a memory of a moment in time when all was (mostly) right with the world and all that mattered at that point was being silly, and being yourself around the one person that understood you for you and who now doesn't even acknowledge what used to be so perfect.
And all this post accomplished was helping me not study for history. But history is gone. It's all yesterday. All we really need to learn from it is not to repeat it, right? And that the good guys always win (or at least that's what my Mommy always told me). Even though sometimes the opponent can put up a heck of a fight and sometimes you just want to lay down your sword and give up. But then....the most marvelous word in all literature. BUT....then all is restored and God will bring glory to your sacrifice and His name through the pain and the suffering that has endured over generations. And sometimes all we have to do is wait.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Motivation
One word.
Exams.
So, needless to say I am short on nerves and high on anxiety. Also needless to say I probably won't have another post until all this madness ceases and I get back from Louisiana! Speaking of Louisiana, I can't wait to be "home"! I love spending time with my crazy, loud (did I mention crazy?) family. But this is not about family -I'll talk about that later.
Motivation is so hard to come by right now! However, I am so constantly amazed at how people step up when you need them to! Another reason why living in community with an awesome group of girls (or boys...or adults) is so vital and so rewarding! Especially since all of us are about to go through this together! Exams in college are a big deal.....so glad I'm realizing this now rather later! I just realized that I have an over abundance of exclamation marks in this paragraph. Probably because I'm hyped up on coffee (the savior of college students).
ANYways......it's hard to get motivated to study. This is especially bad when a couple of my grades are border line...hmmm. So I will probably be out of contact for the next week or two due to late nights either at work or at the library.
However, a motivating verse for me is 1 Corinthians 10:31. And I'm not going to tell you what it says. Look it up yourself.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Breaks
I'm so sorry it has been so long since I've posted! But it was so nice not being required to do anything for a week! But now it's back to reality. And as I sit here watching the Georgia game and blogging, a million things I have to do are running through my head and I feel compelled to explode. Because breaks are never REALLY breaks, are they? It's a short period of time that man created to fool you into thinking that you don't have anything to do until you get back to reality and are slapped in the face with two papers, translations and math homework to be done in a relatively short amount of time. But what am I doing? Talking to you.
Today's topic? No idea. I haven't really found anything in the recent days that has struck me as important that I haven't already talked about....but I guess I could tell you about random things. Random things are fun, right?
Well, over my "break" I got to see all my best friends from high school! Between bowling (rather badly), a very Panera dinner, abducting people from their retail jobs at the mall, attempting to make Oreo balls and catching up on the latest drama I would deem it a successful break!
Not to mention the insane amounts of food and making some memories with family and those who love us. Isn't it fun just to forget about everything and just enjoy being with people? I love just talking, listening and laughing about everything and about nothing.
I suppose the take away from this rather scattered, random and pointless post could be to spend valuable time with the ones you love because you never know how much longer you're going to have with them. I am so blessed to have the friends and family that I do and never want to take them for granted.
Oh, and Black Friday shopping was an extreme success.
Today's topic? No idea. I haven't really found anything in the recent days that has struck me as important that I haven't already talked about....but I guess I could tell you about random things. Random things are fun, right?
Well, over my "break" I got to see all my best friends from high school! Between bowling (rather badly), a very Panera dinner, abducting people from their retail jobs at the mall, attempting to make Oreo balls and catching up on the latest drama I would deem it a successful break!
Not to mention the insane amounts of food and making some memories with family and those who love us. Isn't it fun just to forget about everything and just enjoy being with people? I love just talking, listening and laughing about everything and about nothing.
I suppose the take away from this rather scattered, random and pointless post could be to spend valuable time with the ones you love because you never know how much longer you're going to have with them. I am so blessed to have the friends and family that I do and never want to take them for granted.
Oh, and Black Friday shopping was an extreme success.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Give Thanks
I know it's still a little over a week away, but I think it's about time to start our Thanks-giving. A few of my Facebook friends have, since the first of November, been updating their statuses each day with something they are thankful for. How great is that? They truly understand the meaning of Thanksgiving.
It's time for...you guessed it! A history quiz! We all know that the Pilgrims came over on the....good job. The Mayflower. And they all wore those cute little hats with big buckles and they had a jolly good time with the Indians and they had turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Negative.
The first Thanksgiving was in 1621. The Pilgrims did in fact come over on the Mayflower and were able to initiate a sort of friendship and alliance with the Indians. But do you remember they year that they landed on Plymouth Rock? It wasn't 1621! Their first winter was devastating. Imagine how discouraged they were to have traveled so long under such harsh conditions only to be greeted with the harshest of seasons. And you do remember why they fled England, right? Religious persecution, A+ so far!
So, their first winter was harsh and unforgiving. 45 of the 102 on the Mayflower died in the first winter, and with other deaths throughout they year there is only estimated to have been 53 people alive to celebrate the first Thanksgiving along with about 90 natives that had befriended them.
The point of me telling you this rather dull and depressing side of the first Thanksgiving is to show that we have exponentially more to be thankful for! The past year or two I have struggled to be thankful for anything other than a select few people in my life. I know. It's bad, but I'm just trying to be honest. Sometimes we get in such a funk and we think that nothing else could possibly go wrong and that there is no coming back from this. But let's compare to the Pilgrims. They had fled religious persecution only to be greeted with death. They had only succeeded in building four houses during their first winter to house over 50 people. I think you get the point.
We live in a place where we are free to proclaim our faith without fear of being killed on the spot. While it is becoming increasingly hard, we are in no place to complain, but to rather fight all the more for our Lord and Savior. We have roofs over our heads. 2.3-3.5 million people IN OUR COUNTRY do not have that luxury. How saddening. We constantly complain about not having this or that and comparing ourselves to others and their belongings. 163,000,000 orphans. In the world. Right now. In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul commands us to care for the widowed, orphaned and the sojourners. We obviously aren't doing our job very well, are we?
Be thankful. That's all I ask. I have come to a place in my life where I have FINALLY realized that "all things come together for the glory of God" Romans 8:28. We have more to be thankful for than a roof over our heads and food on our table. Stop being so stereotypical, America. We have a Lord that is reigning and will reign from everlasting to everlasting. We have his breathed and inspired word at our fingertips and we have the ability to freely proclaim it! If we could bring ourselves to the shocking realization that some people are worse of than our spoiled little selves, the number of orphans, the number of homeless would decrease, and the number of blessed children of the kingdom of God would increase.
What more of a reward do we need?
It's time for...you guessed it! A history quiz! We all know that the Pilgrims came over on the....good job. The Mayflower. And they all wore those cute little hats with big buckles and they had a jolly good time with the Indians and they had turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Negative.
The first Thanksgiving was in 1621. The Pilgrims did in fact come over on the Mayflower and were able to initiate a sort of friendship and alliance with the Indians. But do you remember they year that they landed on Plymouth Rock? It wasn't 1621! Their first winter was devastating. Imagine how discouraged they were to have traveled so long under such harsh conditions only to be greeted with the harshest of seasons. And you do remember why they fled England, right? Religious persecution, A+ so far!
So, their first winter was harsh and unforgiving. 45 of the 102 on the Mayflower died in the first winter, and with other deaths throughout they year there is only estimated to have been 53 people alive to celebrate the first Thanksgiving along with about 90 natives that had befriended them.
The point of me telling you this rather dull and depressing side of the first Thanksgiving is to show that we have exponentially more to be thankful for! The past year or two I have struggled to be thankful for anything other than a select few people in my life. I know. It's bad, but I'm just trying to be honest. Sometimes we get in such a funk and we think that nothing else could possibly go wrong and that there is no coming back from this. But let's compare to the Pilgrims. They had fled religious persecution only to be greeted with death. They had only succeeded in building four houses during their first winter to house over 50 people. I think you get the point.
We live in a place where we are free to proclaim our faith without fear of being killed on the spot. While it is becoming increasingly hard, we are in no place to complain, but to rather fight all the more for our Lord and Savior. We have roofs over our heads. 2.3-3.5 million people IN OUR COUNTRY do not have that luxury. How saddening. We constantly complain about not having this or that and comparing ourselves to others and their belongings. 163,000,000 orphans. In the world. Right now. In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul commands us to care for the widowed, orphaned and the sojourners. We obviously aren't doing our job very well, are we?
Be thankful. That's all I ask. I have come to a place in my life where I have FINALLY realized that "all things come together for the glory of God" Romans 8:28. We have more to be thankful for than a roof over our heads and food on our table. Stop being so stereotypical, America. We have a Lord that is reigning and will reign from everlasting to everlasting. We have his breathed and inspired word at our fingertips and we have the ability to freely proclaim it! If we could bring ourselves to the shocking realization that some people are worse of than our spoiled little selves, the number of orphans, the number of homeless would decrease, and the number of blessed children of the kingdom of God would increase.
What more of a reward do we need?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Pain
It's real, isn't it? It hurts like nothing you've ever felt before. It comes in versions of physical and emotional. The funny thing is that when we get hurt, really hurt, our nervous system sort of goes dead for a minute to save our body from the pain that will come later. It's like that moment of slow motion that not quite prepares you fully for the blow you are about to encounter. Doesn't our heart do the same thing? When something truly awful happens our heart, or our head rather, protects us by saying that "it's almost over" or "it's not as bad as you think" or "you don't need them, you can handle this on your own."
It's a lie. This is one thing I just don't like about the human psyche. We trick ourselves into thinking that things aren't as bad as they really are or that things are way worse than they really are. I think I'd almost rather feel all the pain at once than trick myself into thinking that it's all going to be ok when it clearly isn't.
I've learned by now that losing friends is a part of life. Yeah, it's a rather sucky part of life, but a crucial part none the less. Why does this happen? Do people change within a couple of weeks? Is it a gradual, yet inevitable phenomena? Is there such a thing as lifelong friendship? It's all just rather abstract.
I suppose that I'm thinking about this because when you think that someone is going to be part of your life forever, closer than most sisters, it hurts when that tie is broken. And I mean, REALLY hurts. It's worse than a breakup... it's like one day you're chatting over Panera and the next you don't exist. And why? I don't really know. I suppose it was an odd match from the beginning, but I thought that we could make it work because we cared so much for each other. Where did that go? I know I still care, but how are you sure they do?
And as I write I see a quote that states that "true friendship isn't being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes." Well, something changed. To be honest, I don't know what or who it was, but I know I don't like it.
But you have to get over it. You can't let one person hinder you from meeting new people and enjoying where you are. Rekindling old friendships and working on new ones. I have been so blessed to have been in my Lifegroup and we are all quickly becoming great friends and we have a great time together, but I still find myself wishing that I still had that kindred soul.
Oh well. I suppose this too shall pass for reasons unknown to me and what comes of the future will far surpass anything I could have imagined.
Focus on the ends, not the means. We will all end up where we are supposed to be with who we are supposed to be with no matter what storms God takes us through to get there.
It's a lie. This is one thing I just don't like about the human psyche. We trick ourselves into thinking that things aren't as bad as they really are or that things are way worse than they really are. I think I'd almost rather feel all the pain at once than trick myself into thinking that it's all going to be ok when it clearly isn't.
I've learned by now that losing friends is a part of life. Yeah, it's a rather sucky part of life, but a crucial part none the less. Why does this happen? Do people change within a couple of weeks? Is it a gradual, yet inevitable phenomena? Is there such a thing as lifelong friendship? It's all just rather abstract.
I suppose that I'm thinking about this because when you think that someone is going to be part of your life forever, closer than most sisters, it hurts when that tie is broken. And I mean, REALLY hurts. It's worse than a breakup... it's like one day you're chatting over Panera and the next you don't exist. And why? I don't really know. I suppose it was an odd match from the beginning, but I thought that we could make it work because we cared so much for each other. Where did that go? I know I still care, but how are you sure they do?
And as I write I see a quote that states that "true friendship isn't being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes." Well, something changed. To be honest, I don't know what or who it was, but I know I don't like it.
But you have to get over it. You can't let one person hinder you from meeting new people and enjoying where you are. Rekindling old friendships and working on new ones. I have been so blessed to have been in my Lifegroup and we are all quickly becoming great friends and we have a great time together, but I still find myself wishing that I still had that kindred soul.
Oh well. I suppose this too shall pass for reasons unknown to me and what comes of the future will far surpass anything I could have imagined.
Focus on the ends, not the means. We will all end up where we are supposed to be with who we are supposed to be with no matter what storms God takes us through to get there.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Sweetly Broken, Wholly Surrendered
Does anyone else feel like we abuse ourselves? Why do we focus so much on what other people do to us when we do so much to bring ourselves down?! It's ridiculous and we ALL do it about silly stuff.
We give ourselves bruises. We give ourselves constant reminders of how we have screwed up, don't we?
Funny but not so funny story: at Lifegroup I had a bruise on my leg and somebody asked me what happened. Well of course I didn't know, so I sarcastically said that when I get mad at myself I punch myself in the leg. While that was silly and so NOT true it's such an accurate representation of what we do in our heads.
I woke the other morning feeling really down about myself because my roommate are trying to lose some weight together and we had given in to a little late night snack. But of course I didn't feel bad about it until the next morning. And all day I was in a foul mood because I kept reminding myself of my failure instead of focusing on the day and making it better than the day before.
One of my favorite Relient K songs says "yesterday was not quite what it could have been, as were most of all the days before.." How true. We always beat ourselves up about how badly we do throughout the day and choose not to look at what we succeeded at. If the worst you've done all day is had a piece of cake I think you're going to be ok! The next day I started saying a prayer on the way to class for God to give me the strength I need to say no to temptation and to treat my my body like the temple that I know it is. And guess what? It worked!
But back on topic. Instead of beating ourselves up about what we mess up on why don't we just surrender it all to God? We KNOW He will take care of us, don't we? But we all want to prove that we can be in control. But man, that gets so exhausting! Sometimes it's nice to let someone else take care of you instead of having to act like you have it all together.
Instead of giving ourselves bruises why don't we instead think about the bruises Christ endured for us to live our lives to the fullest. When we do that we will become this beautiful picture of a sweetly broken soul that is wholly surrendered to the Lord Almighty.
We give ourselves bruises. We give ourselves constant reminders of how we have screwed up, don't we?
Funny but not so funny story: at Lifegroup I had a bruise on my leg and somebody asked me what happened. Well of course I didn't know, so I sarcastically said that when I get mad at myself I punch myself in the leg. While that was silly and so NOT true it's such an accurate representation of what we do in our heads.
I woke the other morning feeling really down about myself because my roommate are trying to lose some weight together and we had given in to a little late night snack. But of course I didn't feel bad about it until the next morning. And all day I was in a foul mood because I kept reminding myself of my failure instead of focusing on the day and making it better than the day before.
One of my favorite Relient K songs says "yesterday was not quite what it could have been, as were most of all the days before.." How true. We always beat ourselves up about how badly we do throughout the day and choose not to look at what we succeeded at. If the worst you've done all day is had a piece of cake I think you're going to be ok! The next day I started saying a prayer on the way to class for God to give me the strength I need to say no to temptation and to treat my my body like the temple that I know it is. And guess what? It worked!
But back on topic. Instead of beating ourselves up about what we mess up on why don't we just surrender it all to God? We KNOW He will take care of us, don't we? But we all want to prove that we can be in control. But man, that gets so exhausting! Sometimes it's nice to let someone else take care of you instead of having to act like you have it all together.
Instead of giving ourselves bruises why don't we instead think about the bruises Christ endured for us to live our lives to the fullest. When we do that we will become this beautiful picture of a sweetly broken soul that is wholly surrendered to the Lord Almighty.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Keep Your Fork
I was going to write about this a while ago and forgot about until my friend asked me why I had a sticky note on my desktop that said "keep your fork."
It's a cute story, actually. And I have an unnatural obsession with anecdotes (mostly because they tend to put things in perspective).
So there was this little girl who grew up in the South. So every time her and her family were at an event it was centered around food (cause that's how we work in the South). And after they ate her mother would always tell her to keep her fork because something better was coming. Well we ALL know what that means! DESSERT!
So this little girl grew up and learned to always keep her fork because after she ate her "good food" she knew that something better, and sweeter, was coming.
Well every one has to die at some point. But when she did she said she wanted to be buried with a fork in her hands! When the preacher asked why she simply said "because the best is yet to come."
I get chill bumps just typing about it! But seriously, why don't we live like that? Everything we do seems to make the world hang in the balance. But this is just or meat and potatoes. The best is yet to come! So don't lose heart (that's a whole other can of worms!), but if you lose heart you have nothing to live for.
What I'm living for is dessert. Because it will be by ten million times better than the life I'm living now. Why? Because I get to spend every single waking moment for the rest of eternity praising my God and King who was and is and is to come!
It's a cute story, actually. And I have an unnatural obsession with anecdotes (mostly because they tend to put things in perspective).
So there was this little girl who grew up in the South. So every time her and her family were at an event it was centered around food (cause that's how we work in the South). And after they ate her mother would always tell her to keep her fork because something better was coming. Well we ALL know what that means! DESSERT!
So this little girl grew up and learned to always keep her fork because after she ate her "good food" she knew that something better, and sweeter, was coming.
Well every one has to die at some point. But when she did she said she wanted to be buried with a fork in her hands! When the preacher asked why she simply said "because the best is yet to come."
I get chill bumps just typing about it! But seriously, why don't we live like that? Everything we do seems to make the world hang in the balance. But this is just or meat and potatoes. The best is yet to come! So don't lose heart (that's a whole other can of worms!), but if you lose heart you have nothing to live for.
What I'm living for is dessert. Because it will be by ten million times better than the life I'm living now. Why? Because I get to spend every single waking moment for the rest of eternity praising my God and King who was and is and is to come!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Regret
We all have regrets. Don't even play like you don't.
This post kind of just fell into place in the past couple of days. It was just solidified by a post on Facebook that said "Life is like photography. It develops from all the negatives." How true is that?! But are they really negatives if we get something glorious out of it?
In Lifegroup (yes...another shout out!) we talked about how sometimes we can be given a beautiful gift of God and mistake it for a curse. How often do we find ourselves in a position that we never thought we would be in? And how often do we chock it up to things we have done wrong (aka: karma) or bad timing or something else ridiculous? Answer: a lot more than we should.
We have all heard the saying "everything happens for a reason." But we really only pull it out when we don't have any other answer for somebody we are having a hard time empathizing with. But, I mean HELLLOOOOOOO everything DOES happen for a reason!
The reason you are where you are now is because you are an anointed and active part of God's redemptive plan! Why do we make all these plans for our lives without consulting the Almighty first? Isn't that kind of silly? One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is that Psalms says "ask and the desires of your heart will be given to you," right? Funny thing, when we start praying and staying in the Word His desires BECOME our desires because all we desire is to do and to be where He desires us to be!
The decisions you make now (or in retrospect) may have seemed like the biggest deal in the world and that if you didn't make the right choice the world may very well stop revolving because you didn't say the right thing, or you did what you knew was wrong, or you made your decision to go to college based on what was easiest and most convenient.
But does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? Why do we put so much time and effort into making such magnanimous decisions when all we have to do is "bloom where you're planted" so to speak.
News Flash: You're going to end up where God wants you no matter what. So chill out and just talk it out with your Abba Father! He always knows what to say.
So if you aren't where you thought you'd be, don't sweat it! It means that God has a bigger, better plan for you than you could have planned for yourself!
This post kind of just fell into place in the past couple of days. It was just solidified by a post on Facebook that said "Life is like photography. It develops from all the negatives." How true is that?! But are they really negatives if we get something glorious out of it?
In Lifegroup (yes...another shout out!) we talked about how sometimes we can be given a beautiful gift of God and mistake it for a curse. How often do we find ourselves in a position that we never thought we would be in? And how often do we chock it up to things we have done wrong (aka: karma) or bad timing or something else ridiculous? Answer: a lot more than we should.
We have all heard the saying "everything happens for a reason." But we really only pull it out when we don't have any other answer for somebody we are having a hard time empathizing with. But, I mean HELLLOOOOOOO everything DOES happen for a reason!
The reason you are where you are now is because you are an anointed and active part of God's redemptive plan! Why do we make all these plans for our lives without consulting the Almighty first? Isn't that kind of silly? One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is that Psalms says "ask and the desires of your heart will be given to you," right? Funny thing, when we start praying and staying in the Word His desires BECOME our desires because all we desire is to do and to be where He desires us to be!
The decisions you make now (or in retrospect) may have seemed like the biggest deal in the world and that if you didn't make the right choice the world may very well stop revolving because you didn't say the right thing, or you did what you knew was wrong, or you made your decision to go to college based on what was easiest and most convenient.
But does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? Why do we put so much time and effort into making such magnanimous decisions when all we have to do is "bloom where you're planted" so to speak.
News Flash: You're going to end up where God wants you no matter what. So chill out and just talk it out with your Abba Father! He always knows what to say.
So if you aren't where you thought you'd be, don't sweat it! It means that God has a bigger, better plan for you than you could have planned for yourself!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Just Whistle While You Work
This post is building off of a verse that I talked about in my last post "Time." I'm still mad that part of it is black...oh well.
This post WAS going to be about pain, but I'll save that one for when I have more plausible material. I know it's been a while since I posted. I'm sorry...I know you missed me. But I'm back!
A lot of what a college kid has to learn about is working. I know that most college freshman don't have a job (whereas I don't really have a choice) but we still have to work at school, right? Well last night I had to close at work. I was not a very happy camper because we were one person short so nobody could maintain the lobby as well as it needed to be. So needless to say it was a MESS when it came time to lock the doors.
At first I was not very happy at the prospect of it taking me an extra 30 minutes longer than it normally does to close the lobby because it is normally all swept by ten o'clock and I didn't even get started until 9:55. But as time went on and I was bee-bopping to the crappy rock music that was on I began to think of 1 Corinthians 10:31 "whatever you do....do it to the glory of God."
This brings up a good point about us Christians. Don't you find that when you are given a task you find it hard to fulfill it half-way or is that just my OCD talking? Well, another woman I greatly admire who is to blame for my OCD tendencies (my mommy!) thinks the same way. All the time we witness people not giving their all for what they are supposed to be doing. However, we find it difficult to leave a job half done.
OCD or not, this is how it should be! Do everything as if you were doing it for the LORD (and with a happy heart at that). Would you really only do a job half-way for the LORD of the universe? I think not. So why don't we work like that for our earthly authorities so that we can show the love of God through our work ethic?
This argument may be a bit more scatter brained than I intended...but I think you get the point.
This post WAS going to be about pain, but I'll save that one for when I have more plausible material. I know it's been a while since I posted. I'm sorry...I know you missed me. But I'm back!
A lot of what a college kid has to learn about is working. I know that most college freshman don't have a job (whereas I don't really have a choice) but we still have to work at school, right? Well last night I had to close at work. I was not a very happy camper because we were one person short so nobody could maintain the lobby as well as it needed to be. So needless to say it was a MESS when it came time to lock the doors.
At first I was not very happy at the prospect of it taking me an extra 30 minutes longer than it normally does to close the lobby because it is normally all swept by ten o'clock and I didn't even get started until 9:55. But as time went on and I was bee-bopping to the crappy rock music that was on I began to think of 1 Corinthians 10:31 "whatever you do....do it to the glory of God."
This brings up a good point about us Christians. Don't you find that when you are given a task you find it hard to fulfill it half-way or is that just my OCD talking? Well, another woman I greatly admire who is to blame for my OCD tendencies (my mommy!) thinks the same way. All the time we witness people not giving their all for what they are supposed to be doing. However, we find it difficult to leave a job half done.
OCD or not, this is how it should be! Do everything as if you were doing it for the LORD (and with a happy heart at that). Would you really only do a job half-way for the LORD of the universe? I think not. So why don't we work like that for our earthly authorities so that we can show the love of God through our work ethic?
This argument may be a bit more scatter brained than I intended...but I think you get the point.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Time
It's long, short, too much of, too little of, gone before you know it, drags on forever, used up and wasted. It's valuable, precious and taken for granted.
I have encountered so many people and have been guilty myself of not using my time wisely and in an effective manner. This post has been in the draft phase for a few days. I knew I wanted to talk about "time," but I didn't really know what about it.
Then in Life Group (another shout out to my wonderful community of girls!) we talked through 1 Corinthians 5. We, as usual, got a little off topic (but not as bad as normal) and started talking about how our time needs to be spent furthering the kingdom of God and not idly. Being intentional and not settling for conversations that just happen to come up in which you can bring up your faith.
A friend in my Life Group went potluck for her roommates because she is from out of state. Well, she happened to get one that was an Atheist. Not one of those "all Christians are evil" Atheists, but she simply doesn't believe. Well, when she started being intentional with her conversation, her lifestyle and her prayers she found that her roommate started to open up. One day she came up to her out of the blue and said that she could tell she was different by the way she lives.
I had a friend at work tell me that the fact I don't cuss and take part in certain conversation topics proves how incredibly my faith impacts me.
So many prayers have been answered by being intentional with words, time and effort.
So since I chased that rabbit a little down the trail. Back to the time thing. The thing is that it takes TIME to be intentional. In Life Group we talked about how every moment of our lives should bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 5 says that on the judgement day we will be judged on the "good and bad" things we've done. However in a different translation, it means "worthwhile and worthless."
Worthless...hm. Not worth anything. How many times a day do we do things that are worthless? How much time do we spend not being intentional in what we do?
Tonight at work (yeah, I know it's late....but I had to close and I wanted to get this down before I forgot it) I was mopping. It gives you time to think....and I like it because nobody else is talking to me. I found myself talking to God. Just in normal conversation like he was my best friend! And a verse came to mind. 1 Corinthians 10:31 *side note: Paul's letters to the Corinthians are awesome* "whether then, whether you eat or sleep or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God." Whatever you do......walk around campus, have lunch with a friend, go to a party, movie night with the roomies, be alone to relax, or mopping a floor. Do it to the glory of God (which also means to the best of your ability, by the way).
So the point of this not really focused post is that God is doing great things. All you have to do is be in an intentional relationship with Him and use your time to His glory!
And this ISN'T as hard as it sounds.
oh, right. The bottom line is that we only have so much time. And I don't know about you, but at the end of mine I want to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant."
Time for bed!
I have encountered so many people and have been guilty myself of not using my time wisely and in an effective manner. This post has been in the draft phase for a few days. I knew I wanted to talk about "time," but I didn't really know what about it.
Then in Life Group (another shout out to my wonderful community of girls!) we talked through 1 Corinthians 5. We, as usual, got a little off topic (but not as bad as normal) and started talking about how our time needs to be spent furthering the kingdom of God and not idly. Being intentional and not settling for conversations that just happen to come up in which you can bring up your faith.
A friend in my Life Group went potluck for her roommates because she is from out of state. Well, she happened to get one that was an Atheist. Not one of those "all Christians are evil" Atheists, but she simply doesn't believe. Well, when she started being intentional with her conversation, her lifestyle and her prayers she found that her roommate started to open up. One day she came up to her out of the blue and said that she could tell she was different by the way she lives.
I had a friend at work tell me that the fact I don't cuss and take part in certain conversation topics proves how incredibly my faith impacts me.
So many prayers have been answered by being intentional with words, time and effort.
So since I chased that rabbit a little down the trail. Back to the time thing. The thing is that it takes TIME to be intentional. In Life Group we talked about how every moment of our lives should bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 5 says that on the judgement day we will be judged on the "good and bad" things we've done. However in a different translation, it means "worthwhile and worthless."
Worthless...hm. Not worth anything. How many times a day do we do things that are worthless? How much time do we spend not being intentional in what we do?
Tonight at work (yeah, I know it's late....but I had to close and I wanted to get this down before I forgot it) I was mopping. It gives you time to think....and I like it because nobody else is talking to me. I found myself talking to God. Just in normal conversation like he was my best friend! And a verse came to mind. 1 Corinthians 10:31 *side note: Paul's letters to the Corinthians are awesome* "whether then, whether you eat or sleep or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God." Whatever you do......walk around campus, have lunch with a friend, go to a party, movie night with the roomies, be alone to relax, or mopping a floor. Do it to the glory of God (which also means to the best of your ability, by the way).
So the point of this not really focused post is that God is doing great things. All you have to do is be in an intentional relationship with Him and use your time to His glory!
And this ISN'T as hard as it sounds.
oh, right. The bottom line is that we only have so much time. And I don't know about you, but at the end of mine I want to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant."
Time for bed!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Endorsements
This week is dedicated to my new endorsement! Giving blood, it is equivalent to giving life. (and you get a free t shirt!)
My roommate, Kellye, and I like to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (a show specially designed to make you cry and bring to the surface all your hidden emotions). Well last week it was about a girl that had a red blood cell disease called Diamond Blackfan Anemia. This disorder left Lizze Bell with an extremely low red blood cell count and finds her life only through those that provide transfusions.
*side note, Google Lizzie Bell. It's amazing!*
Well after we blubbered over the beautiful house that Ty and his team built for their family, I decided I wanted to give blood. I had wanted to give blood for a while, but never got up the courage. My mom used to be an avid donor, but got black-listed because of Hep C (which she never had anyways) so I feel it is a sort of duty I owe to her to donate.
Well what do you know I saw Monday morning sitting right in front of the library? I Life South truck. After a few days of feeling guilty every time I walked past it Kellye and I decided to go. Until she psyched my out by talking about the size of the needle and the amounts of pain involved. Needless to say, we didn't go.
Well shoutout number two to my Life Group. Every week we write our names on cards and draw them out randomly so we get together with someone and get to know them one on one (fantastic idea, by the way). Well this week I was to meet with Sarah. We were going to meet Tuesday, but I had to postpone due to a History midterm Wednesday morning. And it turned out even better!
After passing the truck for about the tenth time this week, I decided I wanted to go. For real this time. So I texted Sarah and asked her if she was afraid of needles. She isn't! She's a nursing major, too! So Sarah agreed to go with me and not only did we give life but we started to build the foundation of a beautiful friendship, I'm sure.
Not only is this another lesson on the importance and blessings of community, but it is to encourage you to give blood. Even better, I found out I'm type O, so depending on whether I'm + or -, I could potentially be the universal donor. What more encouragement do you need??
I know, I know. You're afraid of needles, aren't you? Suck it up and be a big girl/boy. People go through a lot more pain than a little needle stick just to get through the day.
"what we have done for ourselves dies alone with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pike
My roommate, Kellye, and I like to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (a show specially designed to make you cry and bring to the surface all your hidden emotions). Well last week it was about a girl that had a red blood cell disease called Diamond Blackfan Anemia. This disorder left Lizze Bell with an extremely low red blood cell count and finds her life only through those that provide transfusions.
*side note, Google Lizzie Bell. It's amazing!*
Well after we blubbered over the beautiful house that Ty and his team built for their family, I decided I wanted to give blood. I had wanted to give blood for a while, but never got up the courage. My mom used to be an avid donor, but got black-listed because of Hep C (which she never had anyways) so I feel it is a sort of duty I owe to her to donate.
Well what do you know I saw Monday morning sitting right in front of the library? I Life South truck. After a few days of feeling guilty every time I walked past it Kellye and I decided to go. Until she psyched my out by talking about the size of the needle and the amounts of pain involved. Needless to say, we didn't go.
Well shoutout number two to my Life Group. Every week we write our names on cards and draw them out randomly so we get together with someone and get to know them one on one (fantastic idea, by the way). Well this week I was to meet with Sarah. We were going to meet Tuesday, but I had to postpone due to a History midterm Wednesday morning. And it turned out even better!
After passing the truck for about the tenth time this week, I decided I wanted to go. For real this time. So I texted Sarah and asked her if she was afraid of needles. She isn't! She's a nursing major, too! So Sarah agreed to go with me and not only did we give life but we started to build the foundation of a beautiful friendship, I'm sure.
Not only is this another lesson on the importance and blessings of community, but it is to encourage you to give blood. Even better, I found out I'm type O, so depending on whether I'm + or -, I could potentially be the universal donor. What more encouragement do you need??
I know, I know. You're afraid of needles, aren't you? Suck it up and be a big girl/boy. People go through a lot more pain than a little needle stick just to get through the day.
"what we have done for ourselves dies alone with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pike
Sunday, October 2, 2011
American Idol
It's a sad day when the people of America worship a sport more than the One True God.
Football: a sport. Is it really that important in the grand scheme of things? Yes, it's fun to watch and it provides an atmosphere that provides for fun and fellowship with friends and family. But how far is too far?
Just to clarify, you go to college to get an education. Not to worship a group of men that ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get a piece of pig skin into the right part of a painted field. I'm not ranting, I'm just pointing out that people take this sport way out of proportion. I am an LSU fan. A bayou bengal forever because that's the home I was born in, my family and heart are in Louisiana, and I love the atmosphere. I am a student at the University of Alabama. I do not cheer for the Crimson Tide. Is that such a crime? Other students that go here cheer for teams all over the country, but they aren't constantly berated. Why? Because they aren't a "rival" or because they aren't in the same conference. How ridiculous is that?! Just because I don't go for the team of the school I go to doesn't mean I should transfer.
Ok, now I'm done "ranting" or whatever you want to consider that. People seem to get so caught up in these kind of idols. What would our country be like if we, collectively (I'm no exception), spent the time, money and effort that we do on sports and spent it on more important things? I'm not saying being involved with sports and fun activities is a bad evil thing, but shouldn't our priorities be in check first? It is sad when families are torn apart because they are centered around doing well in a sport rather than being a spiritual stronghold.
Just saying, we all need to make sure our priorities are in check before we rip people apart for being an LSU or Florida or whatever fan while you are attending college so you can gain an education.
Football: a sport. Is it really that important in the grand scheme of things? Yes, it's fun to watch and it provides an atmosphere that provides for fun and fellowship with friends and family. But how far is too far?
Just to clarify, you go to college to get an education. Not to worship a group of men that ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get a piece of pig skin into the right part of a painted field. I'm not ranting, I'm just pointing out that people take this sport way out of proportion. I am an LSU fan. A bayou bengal forever because that's the home I was born in, my family and heart are in Louisiana, and I love the atmosphere. I am a student at the University of Alabama. I do not cheer for the Crimson Tide. Is that such a crime? Other students that go here cheer for teams all over the country, but they aren't constantly berated. Why? Because they aren't a "rival" or because they aren't in the same conference. How ridiculous is that?! Just because I don't go for the team of the school I go to doesn't mean I should transfer.
Ok, now I'm done "ranting" or whatever you want to consider that. People seem to get so caught up in these kind of idols. What would our country be like if we, collectively (I'm no exception), spent the time, money and effort that we do on sports and spent it on more important things? I'm not saying being involved with sports and fun activities is a bad evil thing, but shouldn't our priorities be in check first? It is sad when families are torn apart because they are centered around doing well in a sport rather than being a spiritual stronghold.
Just saying, we all need to make sure our priorities are in check before we rip people apart for being an LSU or Florida or whatever fan while you are attending college so you can gain an education.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Road Signs
"You're going to end up at the destination of the road you are on no matter what your intentions are." ~Jeff James
Read Proverbs 7. Right now. Before you go any further. It's ok, I'll wait ----------------
--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.
First of all, I am so incredibly thankful for the people in my life. This theme has come up in three totally different conversations with three totally different people, so I dubbed it an important topic to talk about. The above quote is that from the pastor of my church in Hoover. Even though I can't be there every week like I so wish I could, the sermons are posted online! Hooray for technology!!
At first glance this quote sort of seems like a no brainer when you think about our transportation and the fact that every road has a destination. You may not leave the house with the intention to go anywhere, but if you get on the wrong path there is a destination; albeit it may not be where you wanted to end up.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We are all on a path. And sometimes it is hard to know where you are going. One minute we may be cruising down the highway and the next thing you know you are in unfamiliar territory and having to deal with things you never thought you would have to deal with.
With this there is good news and bad news. But today I'm going to start with the good news first. Ok, small fib. It flows better if you get the bad news first. So the bad news is that you can't expect to get where you want to go without directions. You will get lost (in this case, getting lost has eternal implications of being in Hell...not my idea of a good day). You are NOT the exception. If you do not follow the directions you WILL get lost. It is sometimes so hard to grasp why we say we want to end up at a certain destination but we refuse to look at the road map and look up to see where we are. The reason? There is a disconnect. It has always been this way! Not just with our spiritual lives. Why is it that young women want to find the "perfect man for them" one that is "a strong Christian and a good leader" and all the other things a girl wants from a guy, but is then willing to go out with anybody that looks her way? disconnect. Why do we say we are going to take care of our bodies because they are the temple of God but then eat non-stop and have a sedentary lifestyle. disconnect.
However, there is good news. You have a GPS! The combination of community and fellowship with others is a vital part of your spiritual journey! Love God, Love People. It's as simple as that. You must love God: read His word, obey His statutes and have your heart in the position to know what His will is for you. You also must love people. For me, this is in the form of two hour lunch dates with a close friend, early morning Facebook chats with a co-worker, late night campus strolls with the boyfriend, and most importantly, my small group. This is our GPS. If we surround ourselves with people who can recognize the path we are on, they are able to tell us to turn around and mend our ways!
Which leads quite nicely into my second point. It is so dad-gum hard sometimes to see where we are and where we are going. I, for one, look at people around me and it is so obvious where they are going and where they are going to end up (this can be both good and bad mind you). It seems like they have it all figured out and I find myself getting frustrated because I have no idea where I am headed! It isn't hard to figure out where you are going....look at the lifestyle you lead. Where is the disconnect? Where is your accountability? TURN ON YOUR GPS! When you surround yourself with people that care about you, they will let you know when you are headed quite literally to Hell in a handbasket. And when you are submersed in God's word and your heart gets to the place where you only desire God's will, He will be shouting at you. They (your accountability and God) will be that annoying and persistent voice that echos through the car "make next legal U-turn."
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."{Matthew 7:13-14}
Read Proverbs 7. Right now. Before you go any further. It's ok, I'll wait ----------------
--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.
First of all, I am so incredibly thankful for the people in my life. This theme has come up in three totally different conversations with three totally different people, so I dubbed it an important topic to talk about. The above quote is that from the pastor of my church in Hoover. Even though I can't be there every week like I so wish I could, the sermons are posted online! Hooray for technology!!
At first glance this quote sort of seems like a no brainer when you think about our transportation and the fact that every road has a destination. You may not leave the house with the intention to go anywhere, but if you get on the wrong path there is a destination; albeit it may not be where you wanted to end up.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We are all on a path. And sometimes it is hard to know where you are going. One minute we may be cruising down the highway and the next thing you know you are in unfamiliar territory and having to deal with things you never thought you would have to deal with.
With this there is good news and bad news. But today I'm going to start with the good news first. Ok, small fib. It flows better if you get the bad news first. So the bad news is that you can't expect to get where you want to go without directions. You will get lost (in this case, getting lost has eternal implications of being in Hell...not my idea of a good day). You are NOT the exception. If you do not follow the directions you WILL get lost. It is sometimes so hard to grasp why we say we want to end up at a certain destination but we refuse to look at the road map and look up to see where we are. The reason? There is a disconnect. It has always been this way! Not just with our spiritual lives. Why is it that young women want to find the "perfect man for them" one that is "a strong Christian and a good leader" and all the other things a girl wants from a guy, but is then willing to go out with anybody that looks her way? disconnect. Why do we say we are going to take care of our bodies because they are the temple of God but then eat non-stop and have a sedentary lifestyle. disconnect.
However, there is good news. You have a GPS! The combination of community and fellowship with others is a vital part of your spiritual journey! Love God, Love People. It's as simple as that. You must love God: read His word, obey His statutes and have your heart in the position to know what His will is for you. You also must love people. For me, this is in the form of two hour lunch dates with a close friend, early morning Facebook chats with a co-worker, late night campus strolls with the boyfriend, and most importantly, my small group. This is our GPS. If we surround ourselves with people who can recognize the path we are on, they are able to tell us to turn around and mend our ways!
Which leads quite nicely into my second point. It is so dad-gum hard sometimes to see where we are and where we are going. I, for one, look at people around me and it is so obvious where they are going and where they are going to end up (this can be both good and bad mind you). It seems like they have it all figured out and I find myself getting frustrated because I have no idea where I am headed! It isn't hard to figure out where you are going....look at the lifestyle you lead. Where is the disconnect? Where is your accountability? TURN ON YOUR GPS! When you surround yourself with people that care about you, they will let you know when you are headed quite literally to Hell in a handbasket. And when you are submersed in God's word and your heart gets to the place where you only desire God's will, He will be shouting at you. They (your accountability and God) will be that annoying and persistent voice that echos through the car "make next legal U-turn."
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."{Matthew 7:13-14}
Friday, September 23, 2011
Les Miserables
Les Miserables is, just for the record, a FANTASTIC musical both in the story line and in the music (I've been listening to it all morning). But more than that it gets you thinking about justice and rebellion and all the goulash that comes with a musical based on a book in post French Revolution France.
For those that need a synopsis Jean Valjean has just been released from 19 years of imprisonment when he breaks his parole by stealing from a priest. The priest spares him his life, essentially, and makes him promise to use what he stole to make himself a good man. So the musical is the story of Valjean running away from his past and trying to create a new image of himself.
The first thing is was thinking about, being the nerd that I am, was what this musical says about society in the time that it was written. And then I thought, "well, in a hundred years when someone is watching a production of Wicked (my all time favorite musical), what will they be thinking about our society?" It's kind of scary and weird to think that the facets of our media portray something about our society, don't you think?
The second thing I found myself thinking about was a great image of mercy and justice throughout as time and time again Valjean's life was spared because he insists on keeping his word and helping those in need. Which ties into the third thing I thought about, which was the path of salvation.
Aren't we all like Valjean? We have been held captive to our sins all our life and when we are freed from them, we are constantly reminded by the world that our sin defines who we were, but not who we are. Romans says that we become a "new creation." How true! As Valjean tries to establish himself, the brand on his chest tells people that he is not of their world. Our brand is on our heart.
Valjean's journey is more than that of an ex-convict, but that of a flawed human. "for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (just a little reminder for those of you who think you're perfect just because you went to church last week). Are there earthly punishments for those sins that are "worse" than others? Absolutely yes! There would be anarchy without them. But none the less, anything that is not absolute perfection is short of God's glory, and even our best is filthy rags.
Valjean spends his entire life running from his sin and doing the noble things he feels compelled to do. Are yous starting to see the picture? We, as Christians especially sometimes feel that we cannot bring our sin to the forefront because we are supposed to have this persona to the world that we are above them. NOT TRUE. We all have things we are ashamed of and wish weren't part of our past. But the good news, like Valjean, is that our debt has been paid whether it be by 19 years of slavery or by the blood of Christ. There is nothing more we have to do! All we are called to do is live according to God's will and bring Him glory! Is it hard to establish yourself in a new type of society, say like college? OF COURSE it is! But who ever said the freedman's life is easy? It's not. Paul said that too "rejoice in tribulation dear brothers."
In the end, these are just the crazy messed up thoughts of an English major. But I think it's interesting that, whether it was intentional or not, it shows an amazing portrayal of the life of bondage the Christian lives. First we are slaves to sin, then we are enslaved to Christ. (Again, Paul....this dude was a smart cookie)
Next chance you get, go see Les Miserables. It is officially endorsed by a nerdy college kid.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Another Catchy Title
Once again I found myself debating about what do write about for this post and struggling with the fact that I am resolved to not merely rant and rave about what else could go wrong or how stressed I am or how thousands of emotions coursing through my veins has my nerves rubbed raw.
And even now as I type this I have absolutely nothing on my mind but the fact that I have to wake up in 6.5 hours to finish my laundry list of things to do.
Speaking of laundry lists of things to do, I can check "blogging" off in a few minutes: HOORAY! I just knew you were dying to hear from me.
The topic of laundry lists could keep me going forever. So let's continue with this train of thought! Why do we put God on our laundry list?! Is he really not sovereign enough in our lives to be more than something to check off our list, or part of our routine, but something we long to do each day? As I get older and gain the infinite wisdom about the world that every college student does (yeah...right) I realize that even though we may not want to spend time with God and get to know Him and delve into His word more than once or twice a week in corporate worship or in small group, He longs to spend time with us!
Isn't it amazing to you that the God of the universe is in a constant pursuit of a relationship with you? So why can't we ever seem to want to spend time with him? It's like Brad Pitt chasing you down the street, calling your name and you just keep walking.....except WAY more important....it's kind of a matter of life and death with God. Not kind of. It IS. Eternity, in fact. Eternal life or eternal pain and suffering. (as if we don't get enough pain and suffering from the world! I'll take eternal life!) But it's not just life! It's an eternity of praising the amazing, wonderful, loving, just God without persecution! No more worrying, or pain, or stress, or any of the stupid stuff we have to put up with here. And let me tell you it's gonna be GREAT!
Speaking of life and death: in Life Group tonight we were talking about the passage in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 that talks about being the sweet aroma of life or the rancid aroma of death. When we live out the gospel, we are a sweet aroma not only of life in Christ, but God "smells" it and it reminds Him of His son, isn't that great? We can "smell" like Christ! But when we don't live out the gospel, we smell like death. gross. I think I'd rather smell something like....Forever Sunshine or Twilight Woods from Bath and Body Works or better yet...JESUS! (I'm working under the assumption that Jesus smells better to God than He did while He was human considering that He didn't get to bathe every day like we do. But it's metaphor, so it's OK).
Well, this is what happens when I try to blog about important stuff at 1 o'clock in the morning. My typical though processes end up on the world wide web...yeah. this goes on in my head pretty much all day and every day. Scary isn't it?
And even now as I type this I have absolutely nothing on my mind but the fact that I have to wake up in 6.5 hours to finish my laundry list of things to do.
Speaking of laundry lists of things to do, I can check "blogging" off in a few minutes: HOORAY! I just knew you were dying to hear from me.
The topic of laundry lists could keep me going forever. So let's continue with this train of thought! Why do we put God on our laundry list?! Is he really not sovereign enough in our lives to be more than something to check off our list, or part of our routine, but something we long to do each day? As I get older and gain the infinite wisdom about the world that every college student does (yeah...right) I realize that even though we may not want to spend time with God and get to know Him and delve into His word more than once or twice a week in corporate worship or in small group, He longs to spend time with us!
Isn't it amazing to you that the God of the universe is in a constant pursuit of a relationship with you? So why can't we ever seem to want to spend time with him? It's like Brad Pitt chasing you down the street, calling your name and you just keep walking.....except WAY more important....it's kind of a matter of life and death with God. Not kind of. It IS. Eternity, in fact. Eternal life or eternal pain and suffering. (as if we don't get enough pain and suffering from the world! I'll take eternal life!) But it's not just life! It's an eternity of praising the amazing, wonderful, loving, just God without persecution! No more worrying, or pain, or stress, or any of the stupid stuff we have to put up with here. And let me tell you it's gonna be GREAT!
Speaking of life and death: in Life Group tonight we were talking about the passage in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 that talks about being the sweet aroma of life or the rancid aroma of death. When we live out the gospel, we are a sweet aroma not only of life in Christ, but God "smells" it and it reminds Him of His son, isn't that great? We can "smell" like Christ! But when we don't live out the gospel, we smell like death. gross. I think I'd rather smell something like....Forever Sunshine or Twilight Woods from Bath and Body Works or better yet...JESUS! (I'm working under the assumption that Jesus smells better to God than He did while He was human considering that He didn't get to bathe every day like we do. But it's metaphor, so it's OK).
Well, this is what happens when I try to blog about important stuff at 1 o'clock in the morning. My typical though processes end up on the world wide web...yeah. this goes on in my head pretty much all day and every day. Scary isn't it?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Open Hands
I juggled ideas for a while about this post. I went from talking about being in tough situations to earning respect (which indeed had a catchy title), and to thinking about the importance of whatever character trait you care to name off the top of your head.
But I am keeping with a theme of titles gleaned from songs! This week's title courtesy of James Tealy! Look it up.
But I don't want to lose sight of what I first said this blog was going to be about (I know it's only the what, fifth post? kinda sad that I'm already on tangents). But this is important to me.
I give you full permission to disregard this post and ask me to delete it if it sounds like a rant or a recitation of my boring life.
Have you ever wondered why you are where you are?
Since I got to college (all of what, 4 weeks?) I've been struggling with the idea that I am where I am for a reason. This week I think I got part of an answer (God is faithful!). When I would be laying in bed at night wondering how I ended up at Alabama of all places after it being my dream to be a Bayou Bengal I would trace back the steps of my life and say "well if this didn't happen then I wouldn't have had to do this and then this would be different and this is where I would be right now" NO! STOP IT! It's wrong and a slap in God's face!
I've had the privilege of starting journeys with several people (one being a high school friend, one being a friend since 1st grade, one being my manager) that I never in a thousand years would have thought I would be on. And I gotta say, I have a feeling that these are the relationships that will be the most rewarding than the ones I have grieved over losing.
It is most recently that God has started to reveal to me why I am here, and what I am supposed to do to further His kingdom. Honestly, it was because I wouldn't get out of His way! When you realize that God is the God of Yes and all His promises will be kept it doesn't exclude "I will never leave nor forsake you" Joshua 1:9 or "I am your Rock and Salvation" Psalm 62:2 or "I have anointed you as a Holy priesthood"1 Peter 2:9.
It doesn't matter if you think you would be happier somewhere else or if you retrace back to simpler times when God didn't seem so far away. If you would get out of His way and let Him work THROUGH you instead of you wanting Him to work AROUND your silly plans you'll end up in a better place that you ever thought you could be in.
So the snippet of a part of a glimpse into why I am here at this time in my life is community that I have found in a very special group of girls. More to come I'm sure!
"Be still and know that I AM God" Psalm 46:10
But I am keeping with a theme of titles gleaned from songs! This week's title courtesy of James Tealy! Look it up.
But I don't want to lose sight of what I first said this blog was going to be about (I know it's only the what, fifth post? kinda sad that I'm already on tangents). But this is important to me.
I give you full permission to disregard this post and ask me to delete it if it sounds like a rant or a recitation of my boring life.
Have you ever wondered why you are where you are?
Since I got to college (all of what, 4 weeks?) I've been struggling with the idea that I am where I am for a reason. This week I think I got part of an answer (God is faithful!). When I would be laying in bed at night wondering how I ended up at Alabama of all places after it being my dream to be a Bayou Bengal I would trace back the steps of my life and say "well if this didn't happen then I wouldn't have had to do this and then this would be different and this is where I would be right now" NO! STOP IT! It's wrong and a slap in God's face!
I've had the privilege of starting journeys with several people (one being a high school friend, one being a friend since 1st grade, one being my manager) that I never in a thousand years would have thought I would be on. And I gotta say, I have a feeling that these are the relationships that will be the most rewarding than the ones I have grieved over losing.
It is most recently that God has started to reveal to me why I am here, and what I am supposed to do to further His kingdom. Honestly, it was because I wouldn't get out of His way! When you realize that God is the God of Yes and all His promises will be kept it doesn't exclude "I will never leave nor forsake you" Joshua 1:9 or "I am your Rock and Salvation" Psalm 62:2 or "I have anointed you as a Holy priesthood"1 Peter 2:9.
It doesn't matter if you think you would be happier somewhere else or if you retrace back to simpler times when God didn't seem so far away. If you would get out of His way and let Him work THROUGH you instead of you wanting Him to work AROUND your silly plans you'll end up in a better place that you ever thought you could be in.
So the snippet of a part of a glimpse into why I am here at this time in my life is community that I have found in a very special group of girls. More to come I'm sure!
"Be still and know that I AM God" Psalm 46:10
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Heroes
I've taken on this habit of trying to come up with titles that fit the post. So this post's title is "Heroes" in commemoration of all those who died on September 11th those ten fateful years ago. It also comes from a popular Superchick song in which the chorus reads "Heroes are made when you make a choice."
The past week has been filled with documentaries on TLC, Discovery and the History Channel that documented (hence the name documentary) the happenings on that day. But what they can't fully capture, and what will never be able to be fully captured is the fear that accompanied not only those in New York and in surrounding buildings, but of America. If you weren't older than about 8 or 9 you didn't really know what was going on, much less what a landmark the World Trade Centers were.
It shocks me to think that the children in 3rd grade now, where I was then, weren't even alive! It shocks me even more so to hear a story of a younger friend who, in school, was watching something in one her classes only to hear people behind her snickering. I can truly say it hurts my heart to know that people of our own country don't take such offense to what Al Qaeda did to our country.
So much has happened since this day ten years ago.... Let's get some stats, shall we?
Since September 11, 2001
*America invades Iraq
*Saddam Hussein is captured
*Iraq has a legislative election
*Osama Bin Ladin found and killed
*4,404 killed and 31,827 wounded in action members of our Armed Forces
*4,568 military deaths due to hostile-fire
*318 dead from other Coalition Armies
So, you see? The heroes are the ones that escaped the Trade Centers, the brave men that got as many people out as they could while sacrificing themselves, the men and women who lost their loved ones in the Trade Centers, the citizens of New York, the men and women who have fought valiantly to protect our rights and freedoms, and the men and women who have lost loved ones who were fighting.
As I think about all these people and all the men and women I know who have seen this first hand I thank God for the kind of people who were so caring and selfless to give their lives so others may live, just as Jesus did for us even longer ago.
This day is more than remembering the cold-hearted stab that has left our nation wounded but stronger together. This day is about knowing who true heroes are. We can all be heroes when our time comes. Heroes are made when you make a choice.
"Greater love has no one than this, that he would lay his life down for his friend" John 15:13
GOD BLESS AMERICA
The past week has been filled with documentaries on TLC, Discovery and the History Channel that documented (hence the name documentary) the happenings on that day. But what they can't fully capture, and what will never be able to be fully captured is the fear that accompanied not only those in New York and in surrounding buildings, but of America. If you weren't older than about 8 or 9 you didn't really know what was going on, much less what a landmark the World Trade Centers were.
It shocks me to think that the children in 3rd grade now, where I was then, weren't even alive! It shocks me even more so to hear a story of a younger friend who, in school, was watching something in one her classes only to hear people behind her snickering. I can truly say it hurts my heart to know that people of our own country don't take such offense to what Al Qaeda did to our country.
So much has happened since this day ten years ago.... Let's get some stats, shall we?
Since September 11, 2001
*America invades Iraq
*Saddam Hussein is captured
*Iraq has a legislative election
*Osama Bin Ladin found and killed
*4,404 killed and 31,827 wounded in action members of our Armed Forces
*4,568 military deaths due to hostile-fire
*318 dead from other Coalition Armies
So, you see? The heroes are the ones that escaped the Trade Centers, the brave men that got as many people out as they could while sacrificing themselves, the men and women who lost their loved ones in the Trade Centers, the citizens of New York, the men and women who have fought valiantly to protect our rights and freedoms, and the men and women who have lost loved ones who were fighting.
As I think about all these people and all the men and women I know who have seen this first hand I thank God for the kind of people who were so caring and selfless to give their lives so others may live, just as Jesus did for us even longer ago.
This day is more than remembering the cold-hearted stab that has left our nation wounded but stronger together. This day is about knowing who true heroes are. We can all be heroes when our time comes. Heroes are made when you make a choice.
"Greater love has no one than this, that he would lay his life down for his friend" John 15:13
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Preach What You Practice
I'm still not quite sure how I came upon this inverted title, but I like it. I know, I know it's supposed to be "practice what you preach yade yade yada." But isn't that so mundane and boring?
I think it would pose more of a challenge if we were asked to preach what we practice. The idea behind the philosophy of practicing what you preach is kind of backwards once you think about it, right? Practicing what you preach has the implication that you didn't practice what you were preaching until after your preached it and if you preached before you practiced doesn't that make you a hypocrite at the time of the preaching?
I know that was confusing...I think that's why it was so much fun. Try saying it three times fast...... not really.
The point is that a lot of times we give people advice and then we are afraid to take it ourselves; human nature or something like that....well it's kinda silly. If we preach what we practice wouldn't we all be a bit more honest with ourselves? Instead of disillusioning ourselves into thinking that we take our own advice until someone spews those sour words right back on us, we should get real with ourselves before we tell others what to do. It's a sort of "get the log out of your eye before you try to get the twig out of your brothers" idea.
Maybe if people preach what they actually practice there would be a lot less conflicting advice in the world. And if there were a lot less conflicting advice in the world maybe there wouldn't be so many lost and deranged people looking for direction. Maybe if AS CHRISTIANS we took a moment to look at what we are doing and try to line it up with what we say we believe we would find out that a lot of times our lines may be blurred or even off track. And if we took a minute to see that what we say and what we do AS CHRISTIANS don't always match up we wouldn't have to sit and scratch our heads about why our world is so fallen and rejects the teachings of Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer. And if we weren't scratching our heads and wondering why our world is so lost then we would have time to get off our butts and do something about it!
No wonder our world is crumbling around us.
I think it would pose more of a challenge if we were asked to preach what we practice. The idea behind the philosophy of practicing what you preach is kind of backwards once you think about it, right? Practicing what you preach has the implication that you didn't practice what you were preaching until after your preached it and if you preached before you practiced doesn't that make you a hypocrite at the time of the preaching?
I know that was confusing...I think that's why it was so much fun. Try saying it three times fast...... not really.
The point is that a lot of times we give people advice and then we are afraid to take it ourselves; human nature or something like that....well it's kinda silly. If we preach what we practice wouldn't we all be a bit more honest with ourselves? Instead of disillusioning ourselves into thinking that we take our own advice until someone spews those sour words right back on us, we should get real with ourselves before we tell others what to do. It's a sort of "get the log out of your eye before you try to get the twig out of your brothers" idea.
Maybe if people preach what they actually practice there would be a lot less conflicting advice in the world. And if there were a lot less conflicting advice in the world maybe there wouldn't be so many lost and deranged people looking for direction. Maybe if AS CHRISTIANS we took a moment to look at what we are doing and try to line it up with what we say we believe we would find out that a lot of times our lines may be blurred or even off track. And if we took a minute to see that what we say and what we do AS CHRISTIANS don't always match up we wouldn't have to sit and scratch our heads about why our world is so fallen and rejects the teachings of Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer. And if we weren't scratching our heads and wondering why our world is so lost then we would have time to get off our butts and do something about it!
No wonder our world is crumbling around us.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Free Day
After spending 30 minutes writing this and then losing it thanks to faulty technology, I suppose I will write this again.
Who really knows why we celebrate Labor Day? If it is called LABOR day, why don't we work? Why do we just sit back, grill some meat and veggies and stuff our faces (while we college students are making bbq pork in a crock pot). WELL....I've taken it upon myself to enlighten myself and you....again....as to why we celebrate this day away from work and school.
Labor Day was a holiday commenced by the government to celebrate the workers of America and all they do to support our country.
THE END --------> NOT!!!!
The first celebration of Labor Day was on September 5th 1882. While it is unclear on whether it was Peter McGuire, co founder of the Central Labor Union, or Matthew McGuire, secretary of the Central Labor Union to first propose a day to "honor those 'who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold,'" we ARE sure that it was the Central Labor Union who first anointed a committee to plan festivities.
And what were those festivities you ask? I'll tell you. The festivities outlined in the first proposal by this labor union for the celebration of what was then a "workingmen's holiday" were as follows: a parade around the city to exhibit the "strength and spirit of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families to join in amusement and you guessed it...a PICNIC!
However it wasn't until 1884 that other labor unions started to take part in these festivities and by 1885-1886 the holiday was recognized by some municipalities through ordinances.But it was still the little holiday that could.....become nationally recognized. Soon states started recognizing the holiday! The first was Oregon, soon to be followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. By the end of the decade 23 other states had followed suit. It seems as if our humble minded union workers are beginning to make their mark on history! on June 28th of 1894 Congress passed a law making the first Monday of September in every year a federal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
As the holiday gained momentum and the labor movement rapidly growing, the American Federation of Labor came to a resolution in 1904 to make every Sunday preceding the first Monday of September dedicated to the educational spirit of the day.....but since I didn't research Labor Day until today I guess we can overlook this little mistake of this post being a day late according to history......
So for a quick recap....good job America! We haven't completely corrupted the holiday that started in the mind of a labor union to celebrate the workers in America that contribute every day to our economic strength (or fragility) and to our social strata as a leader in our world. So thank you, workers! You may now get back to eating your ribs and corn.
*information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor....yes...they have a website.*
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
Who really knows why we celebrate Labor Day? If it is called LABOR day, why don't we work? Why do we just sit back, grill some meat and veggies and stuff our faces (while we college students are making bbq pork in a crock pot). WELL....I've taken it upon myself to enlighten myself and you....again....as to why we celebrate this day away from work and school.
Labor Day was a holiday commenced by the government to celebrate the workers of America and all they do to support our country.
THE END --------> NOT!!!!
The first celebration of Labor Day was on September 5th 1882. While it is unclear on whether it was Peter McGuire, co founder of the Central Labor Union, or Matthew McGuire, secretary of the Central Labor Union to first propose a day to "honor those 'who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold,'" we ARE sure that it was the Central Labor Union who first anointed a committee to plan festivities.
And what were those festivities you ask? I'll tell you. The festivities outlined in the first proposal by this labor union for the celebration of what was then a "workingmen's holiday" were as follows: a parade around the city to exhibit the "strength and spirit of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families to join in amusement and you guessed it...a PICNIC!
However it wasn't until 1884 that other labor unions started to take part in these festivities and by 1885-1886 the holiday was recognized by some municipalities through ordinances.But it was still the little holiday that could.....become nationally recognized. Soon states started recognizing the holiday! The first was Oregon, soon to be followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. By the end of the decade 23 other states had followed suit. It seems as if our humble minded union workers are beginning to make their mark on history! on June 28th of 1894 Congress passed a law making the first Monday of September in every year a federal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
As the holiday gained momentum and the labor movement rapidly growing, the American Federation of Labor came to a resolution in 1904 to make every Sunday preceding the first Monday of September dedicated to the educational spirit of the day.....but since I didn't research Labor Day until today I guess we can overlook this little mistake of this post being a day late according to history......
So for a quick recap....good job America! We haven't completely corrupted the holiday that started in the mind of a labor union to celebrate the workers in America that contribute every day to our economic strength (or fragility) and to our social strata as a leader in our world. So thank you, workers! You may now get back to eating your ribs and corn.
*information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor....yes...they have a website.*
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
Friday, September 2, 2011
How Do You Know?
Yes, the title IS an allusion to one of the cutest movies ever, Enchanted. Not only is it a catchy tune that will now be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, but it poses a serious question! Let's take a look further into the question(s) posed here. To find an answer, we must decipher what exactly the question(s) are. The questions we are going to be taking a look at today stem from "How do you know you're beautiful?" Among this, other questions arise. Questions like "How do you know you're..." special, accepted, loved and so forth.
These questions are all tied together and all posed towards girls, obviously. We all know that girls are always going to be more critical and self-conscious than boys and probably BECAUSE of boys! I'm sure it never ends even as age takes hold of our fragile painted faces and carefully sculpted bodies. One of my best friends sent me a message on Facebook of an article her RA gave her to read. This particular friend has always been beautiful to me, but still felt the need to cover it all with makeup and cute clothes (she still refuses to admit she has a shopping problem!). But why does she insist on wearing makeup every day and spending money in excess on clothes that will be out of style as soon as they came in? Boys, media, other girls and the list of things that cause insecurities goes on. But what this article pointed out is that as a child of God we are made in his image! And to say that we are not beautiful and that we are not thin enough is saying to our Creator that He didn't do an adequate job!
Let me clarify that I'm in no way blaming boys for our insecurities, I'm simply pointing out that every girl feels the need to be wanted by boys that could really care less whether or not we wear makeup, style our hair for 30 minutes, or try on 10 different outfits. As my wonderful boyfriend and best friend of three years reminded me just the other day "Every girl is going to think she's fat." At first I tended to disagree because I thought that it was just me because I have always struggled with my weight and even after losing 20 pounds I still feel the need to lose more weight.
But this is not the case! We are all beautiful because we are in the image of God! One of my favorite songs by David Crowder remind us that "[He] made everything glorious and I am Yours! What does that make me?!" IT MAKES US GLORIOUS IN HIM! How freeing is it to know and take hold of the fact that we are made whole in Him? It doesn't matter if we find our soul mated in high school or in our thirties, the point is that God has a divine plan for our lives (Proverbs 19:21). We are anointed by him; we have a divine part in his redemptive plan and it is not our job to know what it is until he reveals it to us!
The world is so careful to impose thoughts of insecurities upon girls to feel like they need to have the perfect size nothing body, the perfectly proportioned face, and a haircut that says "red carpet." One of my all time least favorite commercials are the Covergirl commercials with Ellen Degeneres. With comments like "inner beauty is important...but not as important as outer beauty" and "hello wrinkly" how can we expect girls to have positive self image??
Good self image is not easy to come by. Only now, at 18 and 20 pounds lighter, am I starting to realize that I am beautiful because I am made in the image of God. Others will think that we are beautiful when we radiate a confidence in our Creator and they way that He has made us.
It also doesn't help that my boyfriend also pointed out that every girl does a mental "look and judge" of every girl that passes us. And it is so true! So this post's challenge is not to have a radical change of heart and walk out of your door feeling as if you could conquer the world. Baby steps, baby steps. But it has helped me to take on a new resolution to pay mental compliments to every girl that passes me instead of judging her for her size, her hair, her face or her clothes.
Try it, you may be surprised by how you feel about yourself at the end of the day.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
So...I'm kind of new to this
Well, what at first was a fleeting moment of conviction from a now fellow blogger and good friend has turned into a reality. I am a blogger!
At first the idea of blogging seemed kind of self centered and pointless. But now I find it intriguing. Before any assumptions are made, this is not going to be the type of blog that just records the monotony of my day or my petty complaints. My desire, rather, is to post about things that are controversial. Things like religion, politics and the thoughts I have that surprise even me (as if anybody really cares).
But isn't that the point of blogging? To put your thoughts into cyberspace for your own satisfaction? Who really reads blogs? Perhaps if you are a celebrity that takes time out of their day to post your deep, intimate thoughts, people read it, but most commonly blogs don't have that many dedicated readers (please correct me if I'm wrong)!
So, the point of this blog is to make you (the person who is spending their valuable time reading my blog instead of doing better things) think. The mind is a powerful tool that many people take for granted, so let it be no more!
Therefore, with an open mind and no censor between my thoughts and the world wide web, I embark on this personal journey. Moreover,a covenant to myself and to my readers to not take things at face value, to question everything people tell you and to form your own opinions around the convictions that you and I have formed through our life experiences.
At first the idea of blogging seemed kind of self centered and pointless. But now I find it intriguing. Before any assumptions are made, this is not going to be the type of blog that just records the monotony of my day or my petty complaints. My desire, rather, is to post about things that are controversial. Things like religion, politics and the thoughts I have that surprise even me (as if anybody really cares).
But isn't that the point of blogging? To put your thoughts into cyberspace for your own satisfaction? Who really reads blogs? Perhaps if you are a celebrity that takes time out of their day to post your deep, intimate thoughts, people read it, but most commonly blogs don't have that many dedicated readers (please correct me if I'm wrong)!
So, the point of this blog is to make you (the person who is spending their valuable time reading my blog instead of doing better things) think. The mind is a powerful tool that many people take for granted, so let it be no more!
Therefore, with an open mind and no censor between my thoughts and the world wide web, I embark on this personal journey. Moreover,a covenant to myself and to my readers to not take things at face value, to question everything people tell you and to form your own opinions around the convictions that you and I have formed through our life experiences.
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