twenty something somethings

Wow....

2010-01-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

So I've been out of the blog world for a little while. Lots has changed, once again. I'm dating a wonderful man, Andy. 9 months now! I had mono this summer. That was no fun. Now I'm just trying to catch up with life. It's taking a little while.

My New Favorite Song is...

2008-09-30T21:54:00.002-04:00

"While I'm Waiting" by John Waller

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on you, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on you, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

My best friend is awesome

2008-09-29T22:56:00.002-04:00

My best friend Meredith and I like to laugh a lot together. She lives in Cabot, Arkansas, right now. I wish she would hurry up and move to Kentucky already. Our latest thing we laugh at a lot (besides the drama in our lives) is Bon Qui Qui. It's just so funny. We spent an hour on the phone tonight just laughing about our crazy lives. And then we decided to watch this together. Life is good when you can laugh with great friends.

I'm so glad...

2008-09-29T20:46:00.004-04:00

I'm so glad that I don't have any money invested in the stock market. I'm also glad that God has things under control. Remember the time in the Bible when the Israelites were complaining that they didn't have any meat? Remember how God was saying, "Trust me. I will provide." Hopefully we Americans can learn something about finances and necessities from the Israelites.

I, like most Americans, have debt. I have student loans to pay off. I have a car payment. I have a dental payment every month. And I have a little bit of credit card debt I'm paying off from college. However, I don't spend more than I make these days. All of my extra money goes to paying this stuff off.

I got to thinking today about my spending habits in college and right out of college after a friend of mine was telling me an unbelievable story. This friend knows someone who puts their rent on their credit card every month. And every month she spends her rent money on clothes and toys. She is just racking up debt that she can't pay off. My spending habits have changed these days. No Starbucks except on rare occasions. I'm trying not to eat out anymore. No more clothes. I have enough of those.

When did we become a society that thinks excess is necessity? Maybe we have always been that way. i do think that we can change this one latte at a time. Make a decision to stop spending your money on this stuff, and don't pressure your friends to spend money on it.

My hope is in God, and I know He is the ultimate provider. I pray that you have the same faith. If you don't, and you want to talk about it, let me know! God is good, and He will take care of us!

Our Nation's Happenings

2008-09-29T14:42:00.001-04:00

I have some things to say concerning the events of today. I will update this evening when I get home from work. But I just wanted to let you all know that I am fired up right now.

Fireproof Comes in 4th

2008-09-28T22:07:00.004-04:00

I went to see "Fireproof" with some friends this weekend. I know, I know. I'm not married, which is what the movie is all about, and I'm not a fireman. So why did I go see it? Well... two reasons: 1. I had a huge crush on Kirk Cameron when he was on "Growing Pains." 2. I really think that Hollywood needs to understand that America is thirsting for God-centered movies. I hope the big guys got the picture — "Fireproof" came in 4th at the Box Office this weekend, bringing in a little more than $6 million.

I went to a theater here in Louisville with two other single girls. The theater was packed. The audience was engaged throughout the whole story. I watched the reactions of people as certain things would happen in the movie. What I saw was awesome. I saw couples crying together; I saw couples holding hands; I even heard a couple men say "Amen" and "That's Right".

With "The Passion," "Facing the Giants," and now "Fireproof," I hope there will be a steady stream of movies to come that aren't afraid to talk about God in a positive way and that will relate with the mainstream audience.

The acting at times was cheesy, but I loved it!

Searching for Wisdom

2008-09-28T00:36:00.003-04:00

Recently I have been thinking about this word wisdom a lot. I have thought about all the times I thought I knew it all. Because of that I disrespected a lot of people who know a lot more than I do.

I came across this passage in Proverbs tonight:
"My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."
Proverbs 2:1-6

I desire to seek wisdom in all I do throughout this life. That is why I hope and pray that in the moments I need wisdom the most, I will seek out advice from godly men and women who are older than I. It saddens me to think about the advice and guidance I have missed out on because of my pride. God has put older people in my life for a reason. If God wants to use older people in my life to point me to Him, I want to make sure I listen to them from now on.

Finding wisdom is not easy. It is a constant search. Sometimes I have thought that I had found it. Really it was my pride disguised as wisdom. It was all about me, and what I thought. That was definitely not wisdom. True wisdom belongs to God. I want to be humbled. I want to be able to say that anything good that comes out of my mouth is God, not me.

So as long as I live I will search for it. My purpose in life is to live for Him. By living for Him, I commit to Him that I will constantly seek Him and His hand in my life.

New Blog Layout

2008-09-27T23:55:00.001-04:00

I decided to go a little crazy tonight! This blog layout is MUCH cooler than what I had before!

Lisa is having a girl!!

2008-09-26T17:32:00.000-04:00

God is good! Here is the update from my sister:

"Went to see the specialist today, we first found out...IT'S A GIRL!!! I can hardly believe it, we were SOOOO convinced it was a boy! But I am not at all disappointed!!! We also found out that her kidneys are dilated....one is 4.2 and one is 4.6. The normal is 0 but anything under 5 is considered a "minor concern" So that was good news to hear. The doc seems to think that at next month's appointment, the kidneys will be normal. However, because at this stage in the pregnancy her kidneys are dilated, there is a 1% chance that she has down syndrome. We were given the option of having an amnio done to find out but it would put the pregnancy at risk of being terminated. So, like I wrote last night, my daughter's fate is exactly what God created it to be and I'm just gonna love her no matter what! But please keep her in your prayers....her name is going to be Cassidy Hope. Today she was smiling on the ultrasound, she seems to be a happy baby :-) Thanks for the prayers!!"

I can't wait to meet this little girl in January.

My sisters amaze me

2008-09-26T00:23:00.000-04:00

Today has been an incredibly emotional day. Both of my sisters have shown me God in awesome ways....

My youngest sister Jessica is moving soon. She is taking a big step in faith as many of us have in our own lives. She said tonight that the greatest command is for us to love God and love each other. As long as she is doing that, God's plan in her life will fall into place. I feel like I should confess to those reading this that I haven't been a very supportive sister through this process. I ask for forgiveness for some of things I have said to her and others. I know she loves God, and I really am excited to see what God has in store for her. She is one of the most talented, compassionate people I know. I don't know how she has done some of the things she has done with her life. She loves people that my selfish heart usually wouldn't even give the time of day. Thank you, Jess, for putting me in my place a little tonight. I love you!

And then my sister Lisa... She and Travis are expecting their first child in January. This was what she wrote on her Facebook tonight....

"Trav and I were suposed to find out the sex of the baby today (as most of you have been reading about for several days!!) :-) We were super excited and then super bummed when the baby was in a breech position. The ultrasound didn't tell us anything. No biggie, just dissapointing. The shocking news came when my doctor reviewed the ultrasound. There is a possibility that our baby is developing a kidney defect because the kidneys are dilated. We are being sent to a high risk pregnancy specialist at St. Elizabeth's tomorrow at 10:00 am for more testing. I was super upset because there is nothing I can do to help my baby. So I took Dave's advice (courtesy of "LOST"). I let the terror invade and then realized that my baby's care is in the hands of MY CREATOR. The God of the Universe is forming my baby in my womb as I type this and my baby's fate will be exactly what it was created to be. I'll update y'all tomorrow......"

I don't really think I need to add anything except for wow. Lisa, you are an amazing example of faith to me. I love you!

I have great sisters.

Getting Old, Missing Friends

2008-09-23T00:12:00.000-04:00

I think I'm getting old. Here's how I know: The things that were once important to me aren't important to me anymore. My desire to be successful by the world's standard weakens every day.

I learned this weekend that a really good friend from college had a tragedy in his family this past week. I wish that I had kept in touch with him over the past few years. I want to hug my brother and tell him I love him right now. I am praying for him every day, and I hope he knows that I still care about him.

Today I received the Harding Homecoming postcard in the mail. It was kind of bizarre receiving that in my mailbox today. Usually I'm there anyway. I had a major "I miss Harding" moment today after thinking about college days with my friend I talked about earlier and seeing that postcard.

That got me to thinking about my friendships from Harding and all of my relationships in general. And that got me to thinking that God designed us for community. I'm so thankful for the community God has given me in my family, my new friends in Louisville, and especially my friends at HU. I guess my old age is helping me understand how much I really love the people in my life.

Who are the people you appreciate the most? Have you told them how much you love them?

The Burnett Family

2008-09-18T00:22:00.002-04:00

I just finished working on the One Month to Live series at work. There were five sermons in this series: 1. Live Passionately 2. Love Completely 3. Laugh Regularly 4. Lead Intentionally 5. Leave Boldly.

For each of these sermons, we featured a person from the church in the bulletin, and showed their testimony video before the sermon. All five have left a mark on my life. However, the Leave Boldly story has left the biggest impact.

View the testimony here.

Mary Burnett died on July 9, 2008. She left behind her husband, Doug, and her twin 17-year-old daughters. I never met Mary. But her legacy she left with Doug and their daughters has influenced me greatly. Mary spoke of Jesus and God's love every day of her life. Through her journey with cancer she was learning to love Him more and more and more. Her daughters now have the desire to share Christ with others because of their mother's example. Her husband wants to give God the glory and has faith that he will see Mary again.

My heart has been changed because of the Burnetts' story. I pray that when my life is over, people will be able to say that I left this world boldly telling the story of Christ.

Book Lines

2008-09-18T00:22:00.001-04:00

I got this idea from a blog I stumbled across tonight.

1. Look on page 123 of a book.

2. Find the first 5 sentences.

3. Post the next 3 sentences.

4. Tag 5 people.

From Captivating....

"Some of you might have heard teaching that it was one simple casserole dish, that Martha was busy making a complicated meal when only one simple food was needed. No. That is not what Jesus is saying. Jesus has again spoken straight into the heart of the matter. The one thing that is needed is a captivated, adoring heart the responds to the extravagant love of God with worship."

I don't tag. Haha... So you all should do this. :)

Quiz

2008-09-18T00:22:00.000-04:00

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them!

You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you

You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil

How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

What I love and what I miss

2008-09-07T19:10:00.000-04:00

Wow! I just realized today that I've been in Louisville for almost four months! Time has flown by. I also realized that I really haven't updated everyone on life. So I want to give everyone a rundown of life in the Ville.

I am falling in love with my job and my new city. But at the same time there are many things I miss about Harding, Searcy and Arkansas.

What I love about my new city....

1. Southeast Christian Church... Every week I get to worship with more than 16,000 people. I have grown so much these four months. I start working with the junior high girls this week on Wednesday nights. I'm excited about that. I also go to the Post every Tuesday night, which is the worship service for college and 20-somethings. Awesome. Sunday mornings I go to what a lot of us call "big church," and I attend a class called Connection Point. First Sunday I went to the class I recognized a girl in the class. Turns out it was Michelle, my student life editor for the 2003 Harding yearbook. She and her husband are members at SECC.

2. My job... I get to wake up in the morning and design for Christ. It's awesome. I also love my team so much. I'm learning every day from some fantastic designers. I'm growing in style and technique. My first "big" project was the artwork for the sermon series we have been on for the past month, One Month to Live. I have designed the bulletins for the past month, stage graphics, Atrium graphics, and a couple standalone pieces. The concept was a very personal approach. For each of the five sermons – Live Passionately, Love Completely, Laugh Regularly, Lead Intentionally and Leave Boldly – we featured a church member who personifies each of those messages. Wow. I cannot begin to explain how amazing each of these stories is. Next blog I'll share some more about each of these people. They have all made an everlasting difference in my life.

3. My friends... God has blessed me beyond imagine in this area. I have a great group of single girlfriends at Southeast: Amberly, Amy, Julie, Katie, Lindsay, Stacey, and others. And I have a very cool unexpected group of friends at my apartment complex... Crazy story how I met all of them, but it all started in a laundry room: Daniel, Brittany, Libby, Brock, Adam, Jamie, Courtney, Emily, Amy, and others. We all have a Bible study and eat dinner together Thursday nights. We're studying the book of Mark right now. The guys in this group are very strong leaders! I am learning so much from them. Such a blessing!

4. The city... The airport is 10 minutes from my apartment. Target is 5 minutes away. Two great malls are 5 minutes away. Downtown is 15 minutes away. But yet I live across the street from what I'm pretty sure is a cow pasture.

5. I'm close to home... I have been home to see my family three times since I moved: Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. It's about a 6-hour drive, which isn't bad at all compared to the 14-hour drive I had before. My parents are coming next weekend to be here for the last sermon of the series I have done the artwork for. Lisa and Trav are coming in a couple weeks. Have I told you all Lisa is pregnant? She is due in January! I can't believe my little sister is having a baby.

What I miss about my old city...

1. Downtown Church... While worshipping with 16,000 people is pretty cool, I miss the intimacy of Downtown Church. I don't know if there is another church on this earth that is as intimate and personal as Downtown. I miss the junior high girls at Downtown. If you girls are reading this, I love you guys!

2. Harding University... I'm pretty certain that Harding University is in my blood. If I have anything to say about it, my kids will go there. Harding will always be my second home. It is a huge part of who I am today. God uses Harding! I miss it so much, but I have a brand new appreciation for it now that I'm away. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss chapel. I miss the cafeteria. I miss walking around the front lawn every day. I miss walking through the student center and seeing students and co-workers who love God more than life. I kind of miss that weird smell that floods campus this time of year. (Crazy, huh? It's just a smell of home, I guess.) I miss my co-workers in the Admissions office. I miss the celebrations John and Nathan would have for me. I miss sitting in John's office and fighting with him for no reason. Love you John! I miss talking about guys with Stacey. I miss watching Paula steal food and then hide it. I love this new chapter, but I miss the old!

3. My friends... Meredith, Lindsey, Amanda, Matthew, Laura, John, Corey, Stacey, etc., etc., etc. You all will always be my family! I especially miss living with Meredith. There will never be a roommate like her again. I'm so thankful that I've been able to see her three times since I moved. To all of you on that list and those not on that list: You all are my family. Don't ever doubt how much I miss you and love you!

4. My small group at Downtown... Ya'll have something special. Don't lose it. I'm still trying to find it here. I think I'm close. God does so much in that small group that evolves all the time. I'm so thankful that I was a part of that group.

To wrap it all up...

I love my new life, and I miss my old. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I'm so thankful for this phase. (I will post pictures soon. Promise!)

A good day

2008-08-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

Today I had a wonderful relaxing day. I just did some stuff around the apartment most of the day. Tonight, I experienced my first dinner on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. My friend Lauren and I ate at Ray Parella's. I had the baked spaghetti. YUM! And Lauren and I split the tiramisu for dessert. I haven't had a dinner like that in a very long time. It was definitely a treat.

We then went to Border's on Shelbyville Road. There are some pretty interesting books out there about Barack Obama right now. These book

s talked about everything from his faith to him destroying America if he is elected. It's amazing that people get book deals out of some of this stuff.

Anyway... Jim Tressel has a new book out now. I read the chapter on faith while I was there. He talked about how being a Christian is more than just saying you're a Christian. It's about treating people like Jesus would. What a great chapter of what is probably a great book from a great coach. I remember his days when he was at Youngstown State. He was such a great influence on the people of my hometown.

Today was also the Big Reach Back-to-School Day. (My dad is the director of the Big Reach at Greenford Christian Church in Greenford, Ohio.) I saw some of my mom's pictures tonight from the day. I think the entire Youngstown State football team showed up to help. How awesome! I saw those pictures and thought back to Jim Tressel's words. Everyone who volunteered at the Big Reach today was being Jesus to those who came. What a wonderful challenge to all of us!

Life has changed

2008-07-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

I'm overwhelmed by God's blessings in my life right now.

Since the last time I posted I have moved to Louisville, Ky., to begin my new job as a designer/writer at Southeast Christian Church. As you can see from my last post, I was nervous about the move. I'm so glad that I didn't let those nerves discourage me from stepping out and listening to what God wanted.

God is using Southeast to challenge me to the core right now. Teaching Minister Kyle Idleman is in the middle of the gods at war series right now. I don't think I have ever heard sermons so convicting in my life. I'm more aware than ever of the gods in my life. I have to admit, that gets on my nerves. Kyle is right on. There are some things that I, most of the time unknowingly, place above God in my life. Every Sunday this past month I have left church frustrated. I have left frustrated because I have a major internal battle going on right now. And I know what I need to do to put a stop to it, I just am struggling letting this god go.

Do you know what your god(s) are?

*I promise to post more often now. I'm finally settled and done traveling for the summer! I will post pictures of all my travels soon!*

To Do List

2008-04-24T23:21:00.000-04:00

If you have ever moved you know how crazy it can be. The list keeps getting longer and longer. I was thinking tonight about how much easier it was to move to Searcy eight years ago. I was 18 and didn't have anything established. Now I have insurance, a bank, bills, magazine subscriptions, etc., etc., to take care of. I also have to reserve the rental truck, book two plane tickets to two weddings in the next few months, finish up work stuff, finish up freelance stuff, book a final hair appointment, etc., etc.

However, the idea of a new adventure is keeping me going through all of these random tasks. I'm very excited about the journey ahead of me. With each day that has passed since I made the decision to go to Southeast, I have felt more excited about it. I'm most excited about getting my first project. I wonder what it is!

Bittersweet Today...

2008-04-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

So today... It's Sunday. I woke up late. As always I was running late for early service. My roommate has to wait on me every Sunday. This morning was no exception. I kept doing dumb things this morning. I put my shirt on backwards. I dropped my diffuser about 5 times while I was drying my hair. My bangs did not cooperate. All of my clothes are too big right now so I was wearing pants that were too big and I forgot to wear a belt.

And, of course, we barely made it to church on time. So we ended up sitting in the very back row on the side where you can't read the words to the songs. The whole time I'm complaining in my head about the morning. My emotions are running high right now... I'll explain why in a minute... every little thing has more meaning to me because of that.

However, all of the morning's fumbles melted away as soon as we began to sing. This morning was more of a singing service than anything else. And with every song, tears began to flow. God is so good and so powerful. He has done so many great things in my life. I hope you have realized what He has done in your life.

Big Changes

I'm moving to Louisville, Ky.!!

I accepted a job at Southeast Christian Church this week. I am going to be working with the Communication team as a graphic designer/writer. My last day at Harding is May 15, and I'm loading up the truck with my dad May 16. I'll start at Southeast May 21. A picture of Southeast is below.

This is the first time since college that I have made a big move. I have only lived in two places my entire life: Salem, Ohio, population: 20,000; and Searcy, Ark., population: 20,000. What is crazy is Louisville is obviously a lot bigger than those two places. BUT!! Southeast Christian Church, average attendance: 18,000. That's not a typo. 18,000.

I'm a little overwhelmed thinking about those numbers. But when I think about how God has worked everything out for this move, I feel excitement and comfort. From everything from support from family and friends to financial stability to an amazing apartment deal to a mixup with my Invisalign treatment (long story) to amazing support from my HU family, God has made this move clear. This is the next chapter in my story. There's something so humbling about surrendering your talents to Him and letting Him write those chapters.

I have always had the desire to work for a church. Always. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to follow that calling. Even though I'm excited, I have major mixed emotions. Searcy is home. I LOVE my friends. I LOVE Downtown Church. I LOVE Harding.

OK... I will have many more details to share with you all later about this big transition. God is good! I can't say that enough right now.

Next post to come soon.... Surrender...

One Pure Passion

2008-04-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

This week I was once again reminded of how short life is. I was also reminded of why we're really here on this earth. And that is to work for the Lord. He has a plan. Our job is to yield to that plan and to make sure His dreams and hopes for His people become a reality.

Tonight in the junior high girls class at Downtown we talked about sex. What a touchy subject to deal with, especially with teenage girls. Diedre, Dijana and Angie did a fantastic job handling this topic with relevance, sincerity, honesty and compassion. I know there are a couple girls in that class really struggling with some of the issues we've talked about this semester. My prayer for them is that they would know the one pure passion of their lives: their savior and friend, Jesus Christ.

Girls, enjoy this song!

Trust in Him

2008-04-03T22:47:00.000-04:00

Will you trust in Him when you're not sure if you're going to get that promotion? Will you trust in Him when you're not sure where the rent check is going to come from? Will you be a person of conviction? I listened to a podcast tonight from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., that really hit home. The speaker asked all of these questions.

The speaker asked another question, "Will you be the type of person to trust in Him even though you don't know what's going to happen next?"

This hit home tonight because I have one big thing on the table right now. I have no clue what's going to happen. I have no idea if I'm good enough to be used in this capacity. You know how sometimes you feel like you're a fake? You really don't know what you're doing, you're just breezing by? Ever felt that way? I struggle with that a lot. The point is trust regardless of all this. Trust that God has a plan, and He's working to fulfill it.

Tonight I also found out that a little boy, probably 10 or 11 years old, from back home has brain cancer. Yes, even in this, trust Him. God is good. He is almighty. He is all powerful. Pray for Mason and the Bennett family. Trust in God above all else. Even in Mason's battle, God is there. I don't know what His plan is for all this. But I know it is there. We just have to trust.

I also am still involved with the junior high girls Wednesday night class at church. There are some girls in that class really struggling. They are hurting. They are missing parents. They have lost family members. They are crying out for attention from anyone who will listen. They are also lovers of Christ. They are some of the most sincere teenage girls I have ever known. Some of things they are going through.... I will never understand. I will never understand why a 13-year-old girl has to grow up way ahead of her years. I will understand that God is in control and to just trust.

When I fail to trust, I will think of this past Sunday morning. I was visiting a church in Kentucky Sunday morning. There were several baptisms that morning. A man was baptized that morning who turned to Christ from Hinduism. After he was baptized, he turned around and baptized his two sons.

After witnessing that amazing work of God, I thought to myself, "With God, all things are possible!" Now tying all of the pieces of this week together, I realize some things. My big thing is in God's hands. I can be used! God is, again, all powerful. He's so powerful that He can use a wee one like me. I just have to remember that when I fall into self-pity mode.

Also, Mason is in God's hands. No matter what happens, God loves Mason. He loves Mason's parents, Steve and Kathy. He will protect them and wrap His arms around that entire family.

God is over all, including every single girl in our class. He is almighty. Just trust.

Trust in Him.

Five Factor Personality Profile

2008-02-13T12:01:00.001-05:00

I'm procrastinating a bit right now. I just took the Five Factor Personality Profile... Here's what it said about me:

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have high conscientiousness.
Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life.
Most things in your life are organized and planned well.
But you borderline on being a total perfectionist.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is medium.
You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

Click here to take the test yourself.

Yes, We Can!

2008-02-03T22:54:00.001-05:00

Love extravagantly

2008-01-22T00:38:00.000-05:00

The last time I checked, God was a god of love. I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed. While I know we, as Christians, believe in the Bible and God's laws, we are also charged to practice faith, hope and love.

So tonight I can't sleep. I can't sleep because so many people are searching for love from their brothers and sisters in Christ and can't find it. I say this as one of the offenders. At times in my life I have found it so-called easier to walk away from relationships than to love without fail. I have made this decision because other people have done things or made decisions that didn't fall in line with my beliefs and worldview. And maybe I thought that was my way of showing Christ to them. As I've learned, however, that action was doing the opposite of showing Christ.

So, yes, I believe every word of the Bible. However, thankfully, I am not the judge. And I am not the law enforcer here. Where in the Bible was the church called to be the judge? Where were we called to be police officers for God? I am so thankful that my only job is to love without fail... to love like Jesus loved... to show that love to others... the rest is up to God, not me.

I ask for forgiveness for being an offender. I pray for strength to love without fail all the days of my life.

I love The Message's translation of 1 Cor. 13:

"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

"Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut. Doesn't have a swelled head. Doesn't force itself on others. Isn't always 'me first.' Doesn't fly off the handle. Doesn't keep score of the sins of others. Doesn't revel when others grovel. Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. Puts up with anything. Trusts God always. Always looks for the best. Never looks back. But keeps going to the end........

".........But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

Junior High Girls

2008-01-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me apologize for my hiatus again. Between friends getting married and the Christmas break there hasn't been much time for blogging. But I'm back!

My friend Amanda and I are teaching the junior high girls class at church on Wednesday nights. This week we're going to talk about self esteem, which I know a little bit about. Looking around at the circle of girls last week, I thought about how truly beautiful each of them is in their own way.

It breaks my heart that some of these girls don't realize that. They don't realize that God created them just as they are with a very specific purpose in mind. How do you convey that to a 14-year-old girl who has just been rejected by a guy at school because she's too tall?

Any ideas for us teachers??

Sweetly Broken

2007-11-27T17:09:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Riddle's song "Sweetly Broken" has hit home today. Here are the lyrics:

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

Wow. It's powerful, isn't it? Download this song. Close your eyes and listen to it. Those 5 minutes will change you.

Pictures

2007-11-19T18:40:00.000-05:00

I thought today I would post some pictures to update you on my life. haha

These are some of the bridesmaids at one of Lindsey's showers. She's getting married Saturday! Ahh!

This is my bridesmaid's dress for Lindsey's wedding with a bouquet I made for her bridal portrait.

This is from our small group's Halloween party. I'm in the middle. I was an iPod silhouette.

That's all for now.

Is Hanson cool again?

2007-11-15T14:41:00.001-05:00

Will someone please tell me if Hanson is cool again? I guess I'm too old to really know these days. I do like it that they are selling Toms Shoes on their Web site to benefit Africa.

I guess I just don't know. I can't get over "Mmmbop." I am afraid to admit that I am kind of enjoying their new cd "The Walk." So will someone please check it out and please tell me if Hanson is now cool again.

I'm having a difficult time accepting that Hanson is cool again.

But I am 25 years old. I really am on my way out of being cool too.

100

2007-11-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jim and Sara for making me do this. Here are 100 things you may or may not know about me.

1. I love to listen to the Delilah radio show at night.
2. I really secretly love country music.
3. When Reba McEntire cut her long red hair off I almost cried when I was a kid.
4. I listened to Reba's song "Fancy" on cassette tape over and over again as a little girl. It was my Rocky.
5. I also secretly love Searcy.
6. I don't feel like I'm 25 years old. Most days I'm still 11.
7. I'm a daddy's girl.
8. I like it that people say I look like my dad.
9. I was in love with Manny Ramirez when I was in high school.
10. Now I can't stand him.
11. I made several Cleveland Indians scrapbooks back in their Glory Days.
12. I have never seen the Indians play at the Jake.
13. I've seen them beat up on the Pirates in the Pitt.
14. I've also seen them beat up on the Royals in KC.
15. My favorite spot in KC is the junior manager's suite in the Hyatt.
16. I once drove from Searcy to Boston and back in 6 days.
17. Two days later I got on a plane and flew to NYC.
18. I have to NYC four times.
19. Each time it was on St. Patrick's Day.
20. I'm going to NYC in December.
21. I get to see the Christmas tree!
22. I no longer want to be a magazine editor in NYC.
23. Truthfully, my career is not as important as it once was.
24. I just want to be happy and serve God.
25. At the same time, one of my biggest fears is not being successful.
26. I'm a perfectionist.
27. I'm also a control freak.
28. I'm a homebody.
29. I also fear never falling in love.
30. I have lost almost 35 pounds since college graduation.
31. I have another 25 to go.
32. I dream more of having children than I do of climbing the career ladder these days.
33. My parents were 18 and 19 when they got married.
34. They were 19 and 20 when they had me.
35. I'm 25 and can't imagine having children right now!
36. I'm stubborn.
37. I love my bed.
38. I once opened the door for the Fonz in NYC and didn't know it.
39. I have met Taylor Swift.
40. I ate dinner with Taylor Swift.
41. She still answered her own cell phone at that time.
42. I have interviewed Miss America.
43. I'm a workaholic.
44. I have the best roommate in the world.
45. Lindsey, AL, Lisa and Mer will be my bffs for life.
46. I'm glad I didn't take that job in Dallas last summer.
47. I have credit card debt I'm trying to pay off.
48. If I had the time I would lobby in DC to make it illegal to give credit cards to college students.
49. My high school prom date is running for mayor of my hometown this year.
50. I kind of ditched him for his best friend that night.
51. I know, I'm a terrible person.
52. The first movie I ever saw in the theater was Snow White.
53. I love to cook.
54. I love flowers.
55. I love hosting parties.
56. I'm dabbling in the wedding planning business a little these days.
57. The only famous person that has my birthday, July 15, is Brian Austin Green from 90210.
58. When I was in junior high I rebelled and watched 90210 when I wasn't allowed.
59. I love to decorate Christmas trees with my dad.
60. I love Christmas.
61. People who don't like Christmas make me angry.
62. I have a soft heart for homeless people, especially homeless children.
63. I fear that I don't do enough to make the world a better place.
64. I loved it that my Aunt Renee always had paperdolls for me to play with as a little girl.
65. TGIF was the best TV night when I was a kid... Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step and Perfect Strangers.
66. My sisters and I collected TGIF trading cards.
67. I am a big nerd.
68. I am a drama queen.
69. People say I overreact too much.
70. I don't like staying up late anymore.
71. I like to get up early and work out now.
72. I never thought I would ever say that.
73. It's a lot easier for me to say no now.
74. It's also very easy for me to say no to a brownie now.
75. My kindergarten teacher said I would never be more than average.
76. I'm falling asleep right now.
77. I worked too much in college.
78. Everything I know about my field I learned from Jim Miller, Jack Shock, Kay Gowen, Tim Cox and Stacy Schoen.
79. I think yearbook is cool.
80. I'm a big nerd.
81. I was in marching band.
82. I played the French horn, trumpet and mellophone.
83. I went to a marching band contest in Cabot last month.
84. It was five hours long.
85. I'm a big nerd.
86. I love Macs.
87. I'm sticking to a budget these days.
88. I like cheesy Christian books about love. :)
89. I watch the Today Show every morning.
90. I'm proud to be an Ohio State Buckeye.
91. Jim Tressel went to my parents' church before he moved to Columbus.
92. My parents don't know them personally.
93. I'm proud of my parents.
94. I can't keep my eyes open right now.
95. I once sprayed my hair black in junior high to make a statement.
96. The only foreign country I've been in is Canada.
97. I love the 14-hour drive to my parents the most when I'm alone.
98. I really like alone time.
99. I wish Harding were closer to Ohio.
100. I'm a big nerd.

Update... Again

2007-10-09T23:26:00.001-04:00

Well... summer plans of updating more regularly seemed to fall apart. I guess life just got hectic.

So here's what I know....

1. Vote for Barack Obama. Or at least read "The Audacity of Hope." I finally finished reading it this weekend on a plane back from Cleveland. (Go Tribe.) I think what appeals to me the most about Obama is his genuine faith. He comes from humble beginnings as a community organizer. He has a real conversion story. And his plans for education and the homeless are the best I've heard in a long time. Read the book. If you still don't like him after reading it, you will have at least read a very refreshing and much-needed take on politics in America.

2. The Indians are in the postseason. Enough said.

3. Fall weather is upon us. I can't wait to go for a jog in the morning in the crisp, cool air that is starting to settle over Arkansas. Even in Ohio it was 90 degrees this weekend.

4. Christmas is around the corner. And that means the blessing of a Harding staff Christmas break. I can't wait!

I've been tagged

2007-08-03T12:59:00.001-04:00

So I have been terrible at posting once again this summer.

Here's an update:
1. I went to the zoo. Haha... it's still fun at my age.
2. I turned 25 a couple weeks ago.
3. I turned 25 and received a retainer from my dentist for my birthday that I now wear every day all day. I will only have to wear it for 6 months though hopefully. I'm crossing my fingers.
4. I went to the American Idols tour in Little Rock.

Those are the highlights.

I've been tagged.

First and Last

First Memory: Driving my parents' car at the age of 3 and having my uncle rescue me.

First Real Kiss: Discretion, which means I've never been kissed. Plenty of opportunity. Just not the right guy ever.

First Concert: Sharon, Lois and Bram when I was 5 or 6. Skinnamarinky dink, skinnamarinky do, i love you.

First Love: Still waiting. Isn't that sweet?

First crush: Jason Weingart. I liked him from 5th grade through high school. I was dedicated.

First thing you think in the morning: These days... "What is that bar across my two front teeth?"

First book you remember loving: Any Nancy Drew, Babysitter's Club or Sweet Valley High book.

First pet: Mooches the cat.

First question you'll ask in Heaven: Good question...

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation: Wednesday. It's coming Wednesday. Hallelujah!

First best friend: First grade. Caryn Conway at Reilly Elementary School in Salem, Ohio

Last time you dressed up: Hmmm... really dressed up? Last July for my sister's wedding.

Last CD you bought: I just bought the Brendan James EP on iTunes yesterday. Actual CD... I think it was the new Lifehouse CD.

Last book you read: I'm currently reading "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama and "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado.

Last time you cried: July 15. It was an emotional day.

Last movie you saw: "No Reservations"

Last time you told someone you loved them: My mom... yesterday on the phone.

Last really funny thing you did: I called my friend Lisa thinking I had called Amanda. I started telling Amanda what Lisa had said about our plans for that night. Lisa said, "Who do you think you're talking to Renee?" I laughed and laughed. So did Lisa.

Last thing you watched on TV: the Today show this morning

Last Halloween costume: Hmmm... I can't remember. I was supposed to go as John Sullivan this year but missed the party.

Last Concert attended: American Idols tour in Little Rock last month.... before that it was Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman in March... Oh so good. The next concert on the agenda is Cartel Aug. 16 then it will be Casting Crowns in October and then it will be Bebo in November. I love concerts.

I won't tag anyone. haha

A long time

2007-06-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted on this blog. I'm terrible at updating.

So here are the top 10 best things I have done since I posted last:

1. Six Flags Over Texas
2. 4 trips to Dallas
3. Had my wisdom teeth out (Sarcasm)
4. Went to Spring Sing 3 times (Arcade show: You all got ripped off.)
5. Saw Ocean's 13 (Best out of the three)
6. Finished the Viewbook at work
7. Went to Matthew's movie premiere
8. Minature golf with Meredith and Matthew
9. Bought Amy Winehouse and Brandi Carlile's cds
10. Discovered the amazingness of Starbucks Iced Tea Lemondade

Check out my Facebook profile for pictures of all these events with the exception of the wisdom teeth deal. There are no pictures of that.

Life is good. God is amazing. Friends are great.

I'm excited for this weekend. My parents are coming for their annual visit. This time instead of sitting around Searcy we're taking a drive to Dallas. I think we'll eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I love that place. I haven't had it since NCYM last year in Nashville. To my knowledge, my parents have never been there. Adventures for them! They've never been to Texas either.

Maybe I will get better at updating this thing now that summer is here. We'll see.

Twentysomeone

2007-03-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

I have recently been listening to a lot of Louie Giglio's talks online.

Lastnight before I went to bed I listened to one called "Twentysomething or Twentysomeone." It was exactly what I needed to hear. Louie talked about how no matter where I decide to go in life, no matter what career path, if I follow God and grow in Him then I am doing what God has created me for.

There are 7 character traits that are vital to becoming the person God wants you and me to be, according to Louie.

1. Eternity. Have an eternal perspective.
2. Humility. It's not my story. It's God's story; He's using me in it.
3. Integrity.
4. Responsibility.
5. Generosity.
6. Service.
7. Faithfulness.

Good stuff.

Two blogs.. Hard to Focus on One.

2007-02-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

OK... check out my other blog existence. I'm getting ready to go to Vancouver in a couple weeks. We started a Blog for it. Check it out.

deltahardingteam.blogspot.com

iTunes game

2007-02-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

I can't sleep again. Here's the top 20 tonight from my iTunes...

1. Beyonce, "Irreplaceable"
2. Tristan Prettyman, "The Story"
3. Jamie Cullum, "But For Now"
4. Keith Urban, "Whenever I Run"
5. Andrew Peterson, "Canaan Bound"
6. Bebo Norman, "Disappear"
7. Ben Folds, "Lost in the Supermarket"
8. Shane & Shane, "Still at Shore"
9. Bebo Norman, "Try"
10. Snow Patrol, "Set Fire to the Third Bar"
11. Norah Jones, "I've Got to See You Again"
12. Sarah McLachlan, "River"
13. Rascal Flatts, "Life is a Highway"
14. Jason Mraz, "Clockwatching"
15. Third Day, "Love Song"
16. Sugarland, "Speed of Life"
17. Daughtry, "Feels Like Tonight"
18. James Taylor, "Shower the People"
19. Imogen Heap, "Hide and Seek"
20. Nickel Creek, "Spit on a Stranger"

There you have it.

11 things

2007-02-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

Bill Gates recently gave a speech to a high school about 11 things they did not and will now learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair -- get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Captivating

2007-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm currently reading John and Stasi Eldredge's Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul.

This is the best book I have read in a long time. I'm going to update as I continue to read this book.

Here is what I have learned from this book so far:

1. God has created every woman in His image. No matter how short, tall, skinny, not-so-skinny, etc., etc., we are all already beautiful. We just need to recognize it. By recognizing that our souls are beautiful, we are recognizing that we are beautiful. When we do this, everyone around us will see this beauty.

2. God is the Ultimate Romancer of our souls. He longs to be our companion, our soulmate ... He wants to know every inch of our heart's contents. And He wants us to tell Him those contents. Sure, He can figure it out on His own. But where's the fun in that? Where is the 2-way relationship?

3. "The more His we become, the more ourselves we become, more our true selves." The more I learn about life, the more I realize how absolutely true this line is. I am His. I am made after Him. He has created me to be His. There is so much of me wrapped up in Him. I won't know this until I discover Him.

More to come later.

This was Beauchamp's idea. Sort of.

2006-12-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

I drank a lot of Dr Pepper today so I can't sleep.

Here are the first 15 songs that played on my iTunes while on the shuffle command and why I like them so much.

1. Third Day, "King of Glory" Third Day is just good. "King of Glory" is a simple praise anthem.
2. Coldplay, "Spies" I work better when I'm listening to Coldplay.
3. Chris Tomlin, "Kindness" Oh man. There's so much I can say about Chris Tomlin. He is the greatest worship lyricist of my lifetime so far. "Your love is better than life. We can feel your mercy falling. You are turning our hearts back again. Hear our praises rise to heaven. Draw us near Lord. Lead us into your kindness Lord that leads us to repentance." March 22 he will be with Louis Giglio and Matt Redman at the Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock. I will be there.
4. Amos Lee, "Arms of a Woman" This if from the "Last Kiss" soundtrack. Amos has such a smooth soulful voice. This song makes me giggle inside.
5. Rascal Flatts, "The Day Before You" Rascal Flatts is the best country group out there. This song makes me excited to find someone.
6. Casting Crowns, "Life of Praise" I've seen them in concert twice. You can never deny how true the words of this song are.
7. Jamie Cullum, "Catch the Sun" Thank you Kelli O for introducing me to this guy a few years ago. This is just a fun song.
8. Vertical Horizon, "Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" Great song. I remember listening to this song over and over again the night before I saw them in concert at HU a couple years ago.
9. James Taylor, "Fire and Rain" Oh man. James Taylor. Enough said.
10. Jars of Clay, "The Comforter has Come" This is off one of the City on a Hill albums. This is just a refreshing, encouraging song. I just want to curl up in the arms of God when I listen to this song.
11. Keith Urban, "I Could Fly" "Time stands still for no one ... You give me back the love I had, the faith I'd lost, the life I knew ... You don't know how much you've lifted me up, I feel so alive that I could fly." That's why I like this song.
12. Sugarland, "One Blue Sky" That's off the new album. This isn't the best Sugarland song. I still like it though.
13. Shane & Shane, "Yearn" Oh boy. Shane & Shane is incredible. This song is beautiful. "Lord I want to yearn for you. I want to burn with passion over you, only you. Lord I want to yearn for you. I want to burn with passion over you, only you. Lord I want to yearn." So good. I really really really want to see them live.
14. Norah Jones, "Turn Me On" It seriously doesn't get any better than Norah Jones. She's amazing. Her new album comes out Jan. 31. BUY IT! I so want to see her at some amazing jazz club some day.
15. Jason Mraz, "Bella Luna" I like Jason Mraz. That's all for this one.

**** So this is fun. I'll do a few more. Plus the DP hasn't worn off yet. ****

16. Imogen Heap, "Have You Got It In You?" This one is good. Not as good as Imogen's "Hide and Seek" though.
17. Bebo Norman, "Try" It's Bebo. I'm still not happy that Dustin got to meet him, and I haven't even seen him in concert.
18. Lifehouse, "You and Me" The most overplayed song of 2005. I still love it though. Lifehouse is great. They're even better in concert. The best concert I've seen on the Benson stage yet. Way to go Dustin.
19. Jack Johnson, "Breakdown" JJ is just cool.
20. Ben Folds, "You to Thank" Thanks to the Petit Jean deadline in 05 I didn't get to go to OK to see him with Kelli and Lisa. Grr.
21. Sarah McLachlan, "I Love You" I'm surprised it took 21 songs to get to her. My iTunes is loaded with her. Her new Christmas album is amazing.
22. Dashboard Confessional, "The Best Deceptions" My favorite Dashboard song.
23. Caedmon's Call, "Mystery of Mercy" I remember the days of Student Publications lore just repeating Caedmon's Call over and over and over again. Caedmon's Call and Lifehouse made up the soundtrack of 2001-2002.
24. KT Tunstall, "False Alarm" "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" is the best from her yet. But she's great.
25. Dixie Chicks, "Bitter End" I know I shouldn't love them as much as I do. But they are really awesome. They put on a really good concert too.
26. Taylor Swift, "Tim McGraw" This song reminds me of a boy I know.
27. TJ McCloud, "At Last My Past" I love this guy.
28. Justin Timberlake, "My Love" Oh man. I was hoping I wouldn't have to admit this. This is a guilty pleasure for me right now. I feel as if I'm selling out. Oh well. I love it. No I haven't seen JT in concert. But if given the chance, I'd probably go. haha
29. Brian Littrell, "Jesus Loves You" Long live the boy band. Brian is a Backstreet Boy. His new gospel album is pretty good though.
30. Relient K, "Let it All Out" They were the soundtrack for a really long road trip to Boston one spring break. They also make a really awesome magazine cover. Haven't seen them in concert, but Laura K has had sushi with them in LA.

*** This is fun. A few more. I promise to stop at 35. It's seriously the dumb DP that won't let me sleep. ***

31. Snow Patrol, "Make This Go on Forever" One of my new all-time favorite bands.
32. Ray LaMontagne, "Hold You in My Arms" Good one.
33. Train, "Ordinary" Good one.
34. Barry Manilow, "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays" This one is for you Jim.
35. Rufas Wainwright, "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" Super fun song.

The DP has officially worn off. Thanks for helping me fall asleep.

Gnight.

It's been a while

2006-12-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Since the last time I posted I've had my Christmas tree stolen twice by Dustin via Malibu, Calif. (See above picture) I have gone home for Thanksgiving. And my parents got a puppy.

I think the greatest thing I've done since then was work at Breakfast with Santa at church. There's something so awesome about serving others. I really do believe God has created us to be servers of others. Imagine if we lived in a self-serving land all the time. Would anyone know God?

I am so thankful that there have been people in my life who stepped out of themselves to serve me. I don't know if I would love God or even know God today without those people.

Keep serving. Keep loving. At the end of the day let's all go to bed thinking, "I have no more love left to give. I have no one left to serve." Then let's get up and do it all over again. That is the good life.

Christmas time is here

2006-11-15T23:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

It's official, Laura. Whether you like it or not: Christmas time is here.

Just the other day I was talking to a friend of mine at work. We were talking about Christmas and what we want to do with our families this year. We were laughing about how no matter how hard we try, at the age of 24, we both can't get our parents to stop giving us stuff or money for the jolly holiday.

He said something that hit me, "We're just the rich feeding the rich at Christmas time." Wow. How powerful. My parents have raised me to be aware of those less-fortunate at me. For some reason this Christmas is different for me. I'm very aware of my blessings and how fortunate I am for those blessings.

My friend wants to gather all of the money his family would spend on each other and use it to buy Christmas for another family (note: I don't think you can really buy Christmas, but it certainly helps bring Christmas to those who don't have anything). He wants to go all out: food, dishes, clothes, toys, etc., etc. I think it's so great that he's going to do that. This same friend of mine left a $20 bill on my desk yesterday to contribute to a project I'm leading for our class at church to buy cosmetics and nail polish for mothers who can't afford it this Christmas.

Let this friend and my dad be an inspiration to us all this Christmas. (Scroll down to the Big Reach Center of Hope entry to learn about my dad.) Let's all strive to make Christmas better for all the children around our cities who don't know if they will have toys under their trees Dec. 25.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

2006-11-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

My mom sent me these pictures today. If anyone is going to be around on Nov. 18, there will be chocolate/peanut butter Buckeyes at my house. However, to get in, one must be wearing red and must not have any blue or yellow anywhere on his body.

In other news, the Steelers went down again today. That 72-yard run from Javon Walker was a bit unbelievable. I guess no Super Bowl this year. You can't have them all.

they win!

2006-11-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

Cavs!! 97-94!!!

LeBron!

2006-11-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

To all of you friends out there who think I'm super girly and not-so-sporty: Basketball is here, and I am so excited. Basketball has quickly become my favorite sport to watch. Right now ESPN is on, Cleveland is beating Washington in the third, 74-65, and LeBron James is being an ace like normal.

Yesterday's USA Today's front page teased its NBA Bonus Section. "LeBron or D-Wade. Who is the Best in the NBA?" Sure, D-Wade has a championship. But look at LeBron's long list of accomplishments at 21 (D-Wade is an old 24.): endorsements worth $150 million, an average of 26.5 points per game in 238 career games... oh, and did i mention he comes from Akron, Ohio, 45 minutes from where I grew up? I remember when I was a senior in high school he played in a tournament at my high school; he was a freshman or sophomore at the time. Standing room only. Unfortuntely, I was working the yearbook concession stand at the time (story of my life), so I didn't get to see him play.

The point is LeBron is great. Basketball is back. And next Thursday I will drive to Nashville with some other Admissions folks to watch our beloved D-II Bisons battle the Lipscomb, grammatically correct, D-I Bison.

Life is good.

Any chance I'll get to see the Knicks beat the Pistons, 105-103, again at the Garden this year? Probably not. You can't have it all.

One more thing... I wonder if my co-workers will ever let a girl join their fantasy league?

And again

2006-10-30T17:26:00.000-05:00

In case anybody missed it, Ohio State won again this weekend.

O happy single day

2006-10-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

This from Ryan's Blog:

"Those of you who claimed it was hard to find a man in Searcy just might have been correct. According to a census report on Page D2 of Thursday's Wall Street Journal, White County, Ark., has the lowest percentage of single men in the nation -- 17.8 percent. Here's the snippet that mentions HU and Searcy (I would link to it, but WSJ Online is subscriber-only):

'Come high-school graduation, White County, Ark., -- where only 17.8% of the men are unmarried and 17.6% of the women are unmarried -- sees a steady stream of young weddings, according to Mayor Belinda LaForce of Searcy, the county seat. At nearby Harding University, a Christian liberal arts institution, it is not uncommon for students to marry in the middle of their undergraduate careers. 'We are a Southern community and a very faith-based community,' says Ms. LaForce. 'Twenty-seven percent of the population has only a high-school degree, and just 6% have completed a bachelors degree, which is 21 percentage points lower than the national average.'"

Here's to me and my friends who make up the majority of those 17.6 and 17.8 numbers. It's good to be single and in Searcy.

Showing Cynthia how to post a picture

2006-10-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

I'm showing Cynthia how to post a picture.

The Breakup

2006-10-22T14:54:00.000-04:00

Meredith Jones, Laura Kaiser, Lindsey Webster, Amanda Lemmons and I watched Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston's movie "The Breakup" lastnight. We opted to not watch the World Series.

If you have seen that movie, please feel free to voice your frustrations about it. If you haven't seen it and plan to: Be warned. You will be screaming at your TV the entire time you're awake.

Maybe we should have watched the World Series instead. Maybe we should have watched the Tennessee-Alabama game. Or maybe we should have watched the Ohio State game. But, oh wait, that was on ESPNU. Who has ESPNU? And why are my 8-0 Buckeyes on it? This is a ridiculous conspiracy, I tell ya. If Tennessee can be on CBS, so can Jim Tressell and the Bucks. The Ohio State/Michigan game best be on a station that reaches southwest of the Mississippi. OK... I just looked. Nov. 18. ABC. 3:30 p.m. ET.

Bring on the Wolverines.

Long time, no write

2006-10-20T23:23:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time. So long, in fact, I have too much to write about.

Big Reach Center of Hope
A few weeks ago I went home to Ohio for a very big project of my dad's. Extreme Home Makeover: My Hometown Edition. More than 2,000 volunteers took part in the seven-day adventure to build the 22,000 square-foot building (the largest building built in the shortest period of time ... we didn't think about contacting Guiness Book though) that now houses the benevolance ministry my dad founded in 2004.

I helped decorate, unpack, unload, clean and do some other things. But what got me the most was how only 400 or so of those volunteers were from the church. All of the rest were community members who wanted to make a difference. Those volunteers have now seen God work in amazing ways.

Baseball
All of my writer friends are writing about it right now. So I feel like I should take a shot at it, as dismal as it may be. When will my Indians return to their late 90s state of glory?

My All-Star team:
Sandy Alomar, catcher; Charles Nagy, pitcher; Jim Thome, first base; Carlos Baerga, second base; Omar Vizquel, short stop; Third base was always changing; Albert Belle, Left field; Kenny Lofton, Center field; Manny Ramirez, Right field; Mike Hardgrove leading the way. Life was good back then.

So I guess for the ninth year in a row I will watch the World Series without the boys with the blue caps. Hopefully I can sleep tonight.

Politics
Is this terrible? I don't really care. I'm tired of a new "scandel" being revealed every week. So now I tune it out. I'm a terrible American.

Sara Evans
I'm a huge fan of "Dancing with the Stars." I'm a girl. What can I say? Mario Lopez will win. However, my heart goes out to Sara and what she's had to deal with in her personal life. I just can't imagine what she must be feeling right now. I hope that the media is finished with this story now.

Work
I love my job. Every day I create something new for the admissions office. I love the people I work with. There's something new I'm feeling with this job. Last year, my work had to be good. That hasn't changed this year. What has changed is the results factor of that good work. Last year I had to produce good work that won awards. This year I have to produce good work that produces a return. I'm not used to that. Although that is what I love about marketing is that stress. I am feeling pressure right now. Everytime I create something new or come up with a marketing strategy, I have this nagging feeling inside, "What if it doesn't work?" "What if we lose money on this idea?"

So far, no losses nor failures. Just constant prayers that these ideas will work.

This has been long enough.

Memory

2006-07-07T17:21:00.001-04:00

Thinking of memories of Matt over the past couple of days, I realized how blessed I've been with past relationships and how blessed I continue to be with current relationships. God is always good, and He always helps those who trust Him get through tough times.

Jenna, Levi, Carol, Joel and Rachel: Our prayers are with you.

Contribute to the Levi Durham Donation Fund.

Levi Durham Donation Fund
Metro Credit Union
447 S. Campbell
Springfield, MO 65806

http://cityguide.ozarksgateway.com/fe/Obituaries/Profile.asp?businessid=77214

Life

2006-07-06T12:41:00.000-04:00

This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. My little sister got married July 1. Then one of my best friends from my youth group growing up died tragically July 2. I flew back to Arkansas from Ohio July 4 and drove up to Missouri July 5 for Matt's funeral.

Matt, 25, had a wife, Jenna — today is Matt and Jenna's 4-year anniversary. Matt and Jenna had a 16-month-old baby boy, Levi.

I hadn't seen or spoken to Matt for about three years. It was one of those things. He met Jenna, left Harding and moved to Missouri. I stayed at Harding. I never thought the last time I saw my brother would be the last time I saw my brother.

As I was standing in the visitation line waiting to speak to Matt's parents I kept having flashbacks of growing up. I kept seeing our youth group hanging out at Matt's house for devos and game nights. I kept seeing Matt making fun of me because that's what he did. I saw Matt leading singing at church, youth rallies and at camp. I saw him standing in his tux at his sister's wedding in Calcutta, Ohio. I remembered him calling me my senior year of high school as if he was a Harding recruiter trying to convince me to come to Harding. I remembered him giving me the tour of campus, taking me to church, taking me to the Big Ragoo in Searcy and Sonic for my first-ever Sonic experience.

I remembered trying to cheer him up after he wrecked his brand new Mitsubishi Eclipse when he pulled it out of the dealership over Christmas break in 2000. I remember his last Sunday night at church before he moved to Searcy. As we stood there hugging he kept saying, "We will always be friends. We will always be friends."

I thought about the night I was baptized in 1997 and Matt giving me a big hug afterward. I thought about the day in New Cumberland, W. Va., when Matt and I had the most spiritual conversation at that time in my young life. We talked about how much we love God, and despite all of our mess-ups, we only wanted to serve Him.

I saw his mom yesterday and just started sobbing. His mom sat me down and told me that I would have been proud of the man Matt became over the past few years. She also said that she told Matt's dad that she wasn't dreading the day they buried Matt because it was Matt's day. It was the day Matt moved on to his home in glory. She said the reason we live is to die.

Sitting there at the funeral I had a few moments of regret. I regret that I didn't stay in contact with Matt. I regret that Matt and I ended our friendship on a rather bad note. But then I thought about how much I still love my brother. Regardless of everything, Matt was a brother to me. He is the reason I am at Harding today. He is one of the reasons I stayed faithful to Christ throughout high school.

So here's to Matt. With life comes death. With death comes glory.

Thank you Matt for being such a big part of who I am today. Congratulations on finishing your journey. Thank you for teaching me lessons as my big brother. And thank you again for teaching me incredible lessons through your death and your parents' faith in you and God.

Friends

2006-05-08T01:57:00.000-04:00

There are friends who come and go in your life. And when they go that's it. But there are those in your life you thought you'd never see the day when they would leave and you hope that when they leave that isn't it.

This time of year in the environment in which I leave always brings a lot of emotions. This year is no different. It may be worse, actually. I once again find myself in a time of transition. This time of transition is taking quite a few people in different directions away from Searcy and leaving me here next year.

Dustin: Thank you for being such a quiet, humble, goofy and incredible friend. I am so proud of you and what you've done for Harding and what you're going to do for Pepperdine. Harding will never be able to replace you. I love ya brother! Thank you for helping me become the person I am today. I'm not sure who I'm going to eat lunch with next year. I'll be out to Malibu to see you soon! :)

Alisha: Thank you for being the best roommate I ever had! I am so grateful for you being a part of my life the past few years. I don't know how I would have gotten through these past two years without you. I can't believe we've been in this apartment for almost two years. I can't believe it's time to pack up. You are the most awesome girl I know! Houston is going to love you! I love ya!

Those are the two on my heart right now. Lots more to come. I am so blessed to have the people in my life that I do. God is so good. While there is a lot of sadness in my heart right now because so many are moving on, there is so much happiness because I have been able to know them.

God is good. His will is being done through my friends. I know He will keep us connected throughout life.

I just hope, Dustin and Alisha, you know how much you mean to me. You've helped me grow, change and just have fun. I'll miss our shopping trips and our laughs and our lunches together. Searcy is going to be a strange place without you.

Truth

2006-03-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

I don't know much. I wish I knew more. I don't know the answers to most questions. However, there is one thing I know: God is love.

These past few months have been incredible. I hope all of you have a small group of some sort. My growth group from church has done so much for me. Correction: God is doing so much through my growth group. I bet you if you asked any one of them, they would say the same thing. Every Sunday night I go as a weak follower, and I leave unbelievably changed and challenged. What I'm learning is that we are all weak followers, and we all leave at the end of the night unbelievably changed and challenged.

Here is the story: There are so many things in my life that are out of wack. A. I'm absolutely horrible at relationships. Members of this group are helping me see why that is. And I guarantee you they're helping me change that. B. I have a problem with sharing my feelings because of a personal situation. They are helping me change that too. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to let God use people in your life. I used to be closed to that idea. I wasn't good enough. My feelings didn't matter enough. However, this group, my family, is changing that.

I have a long way to go. I think I'm on track right now. I owe that all to God and his awesome love. I cannot believe he loves me enough to put such incredible people in my life. I cannot believe he loves me enough to save me the way he did.

If you don't have a support system, an accountability group, a Christian family, find it! God will do awesome things in your life. He will change you through that group. You just have to let him.

Creativity

2006-02-18T01:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend I'm at the Reach Innovative Media Conference in Dallas. I heard Ed Young from Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, speak on creativity.

"You got it; Now use it. You got it; now use it," he said over and over and over ... God unleashes the creativity in our lives.

I've been thinking about what to do with this all night. Every now and then I'm known to have a creative idea — something that has never been seen in my workplace, something that might turn heads for the power of Christ, not for my glory.

Young said creativity means consistently being inconsistent. For the messages of Christianity to resonate, we need to shock — keep people on the edges of their seats wanting more when it's over.

There is such a desire inside of me to have this kind of creativity. I want to break through the thick, tough, ugly walls of traditionalism and embrace, the dare I say it, post-modern world. Depending on which definition you look at for post-modernism, it's not a bad concept. In my little world, I know many who scream at the near mention of the word. My definition of post-modernism may be a little different than some of my co-workers and brothers and sisters.

Post-modernism to me simply means the life following modernism. What does that mean? I don't know. It just means culture is changing. That's OK. Change is good. I heard someone say today that my generation would rather watch R-rated truth than G-rated lies.

I just know that we Christians in the media world need to break out of the parameters of what we think works for "Christian" media. Let's break out of the "Christian" box. Let's be successful. Let God unleash our creativity.

Purity

2006-02-13T00:17:00.000-05:00

So I was sitting at a restaurant the other day with a couple of friends. We were talking about a situation where a girl had asked this friend of mine if he was married because he had a purity ring on his left ring finger. When he said no and that the ring is a purity ring, the girl basically did everything short of proposing. The other friend who was with us humorously told him he should have told her he's married to Jesus.

I laughed.

****

Tonight I was talking with my roommate about how happy I am being single right now. Every moment I used to spend talking with a guy from my past is now used to spend time with God. Maybe a reason why relationships from my past have never worked is because I haven't yet completely given myself to God.

I guess in the past I never really wanted to completely belong to God. I think I'm there now. I haven't figured out how to do it though. I guess it's just a process. Every thought, every word, every action, every minute, everything in my life has to be God-centered.

****

In the conversation with my roommate tonight I was telling her how funny I thought that conversation was. As I was telling her this, it dawned on me that he's right. We are married to Jesus. His blood bonds us.

Funny how it takes a while to realize sometimes what people are saying. Just that one humorous lunch. Just that one purity ring on my friend's finger. Just that one conversation with my roommate. All of those scenarios have led me to this moment. Divine appointment. I am married to Christ.

I am married to Christ.

Tired

2006-01-25T00:15:00.000-05:00

I love my job. I really do. Today wore me out, however.

Tonight was a yearbook work night. Those usually don't seem to bother me. Tonight's did for some reason. I think the staff is getting worn out and just wants to be finished. It seemed pretty unproductive. Well, productive, just not as productive as usual.

There's one aspect of my job that I absolutely love. People need me constantly. It boosts the ego. I'm not going to lie. I love it. I love talking with students. I love helping them. I love it. If being needed by students was my only responsibility at work I'd have it made.

Tonight, however that bothered me too. I found myself wanting to be the one needing someone. As the first-year adviser I sometimes think I'm out on a limb by myself making decisions and being authoritative. That's why I was so happy to see two of my Harding co-workers up there borrowing our office tonight. They're my age. They work for Harding. They were there. I felt like, once again, I had someone on my level back up there. That still didn't fulfill my want to need someone. I bounced a couple things off of them. Didn't help. I guess I was waiting for them to tell me the answers to my problems, just like what I was talking about Sunday night. I want someone to give me the easy answer.

Several e-mails came across my desk tonight that I wanted to scream about. I just wanted to scream, "Why?" "Why do I have to deal with this? I can't deal with this. I don't have my ducks in enough of a row to be able to handle this right now. Why?" Really, what I should have done was pray to God. "God, I love you so much. I can't do this without you. I can't get through this week, this night, without you. You are my protector, my leader, my savior. Deliver me. Guide me through all of this junk."

Again, just like the other night, it's not people I need. It's God. Why can't I get that through my head? There was no way in the world my co-workers could give me answers to my work dilemmas tonight. I'll eventually have it down. Rely on God. Not people.

Goodness, I was so tired tonight. Tired of thinking. Tired of planning. Tired of reading. Tired of writing. Just tired of doing. I'm sure those who were working with me tonight sensed it. I couldn't help it. Around 9 p.m. I was starting to glaze. 9 p.m. up there is super early. However, I just turned into a granny tonight. I don't know what happened. I was just tired.

It was also around 9 p.m. that I had a coffee/chocolate craving. Why is it that when we get tired we run to coffee or candy? I do it a couple of times a day. It just hit me that what we should be doing is running to God when we're that tired. Isn't He the one who will awaken our spirits and aliven our souls? Isn't that what we need to get us through the day and through the weariness of life?

Together

2006-01-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

Why do we always think or assume we're in this life alone? Let me rephrase: Why do I always assume that I'm the only one cursed with a certain problem? I mean seriously, how ridiculous is that idea? Nine times out of 10 there's going to be someone else right in front of me struggling with the same problem, addiction, sin, etc.

We think we're so unique, sinful, different from the next guy. I'm learning more and more every day that I'm no different than the people I always assume have everything together. Nobody has it together 100 percent of the time. We're human! That's absurd to think the people around me are perfect. It's just as absurd as them assuming I'm perfect.

I've finally grown up and realized that I need a group of people to hold me accoutable, to be real with. This past month or so God has blessed me with an incredible group of people to talk with/share with/struggle with. Every week I look forward to seeing them. I've learned from them that we're all struggling with guilt, selfishness, workaholism, impurity, not knowing where God wants us ... we all have the same sins and issues, just different stories. It's when we tell each other those stories that we grow and learn from each other. That's what God intended. Let down your guard. Let people love you and pray for you. It's then that God will truly open up the floodgates of His love. You will experience His power and love at the greatest measure when you do that.

1 Cor. 13:13 (The Message) "But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

Humble

2006-01-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today has been a very humbling day.

I keep searching for someone to talk to, a friend who will completely understand me. I keep searching for a friend who will be able to give me the magic answers to all of my problems. I keep searching ... The more I search, the more disappointed I become. The more disappointed I become, the more I realize it's not the friends. They are doing everything friends are supposed to do. They're listening. They're supporting. They're encouraging. They just have one downfall, and I'm sure they feel the same about me: They can't know all of me. They can never fulfill that need I have for someone to know all of me.

That intimate relationship is saved for just me and God to have.

Honestly, that drives me crazy sometimes. I need friends. I need intimate friendships. I don't think I've ever had an intimate friendship that was honest and godly though. So I keep searching for that friendship that is going to give me all that I want. To my dismay, I'm starting to realize I'm not going to find it. Not even when I get married. My husband and I can become closer than any other two people can become. However, he is not even going to know every corner of my heart. That's just for me and God.

So what to do now? I have no idea. I'm struggling with talking to God. I'm not quite sure how to pray anymore. I guess I'm working on it. I'll get there. I think right now my prayers are little sentence fragments almost. I never get a full thought out. He's working on me though.

So why was today humbling? I learned how to love. I learned how to admit that I have a sin that is consuming me right now. I learned how to call up a friend just to say pray for me. The friend didn't need to understand. The friend didn't need to know the whole story. I just told the friend I need prayers and that Satan is working on my heart right now.

I say that Satan is working on my heart right now. Truth is, God is working even more. That scares me. He's trying to change me ... humble me ... cleanse me. I just need to let Him. I need to become a lot more humble and say, "OK, God. Your ways are higher than my ways. Your thoughts are better than my thoughts. Now lead me to the water's edge and help me to trust You."

Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Message): "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." God's Decree.

Questions

2006-01-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

"But the one thing I don't question is you. You really love me like you say you do."

Every day I struggle to understand what God is doing with my life. Every day I try to figure His plan out. I need to stop doing that. I only get in trouble spiritually when I start questioning Him.

Life is much easier when I understand He is faithful and true. He will always be there. He will always love me. Why does that never seem like enough most days? I really need to work on that.

Working with college students really gives you a new perspective on life. Most of the students I work with on a daily basis think they have to have it all figured out. I was just there not too long ago. They go and go and go and go. They're involved with this and that and this and that and this and that. They're involved in all of that because they think they have to be. They don't have to be so busy. They don't have to have all the answers.

In my short time as an adult so far I've figured one thing out: I don't have to have it all figured out. All I need to do is rely on Him to get me through.

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit all that you do to the Lord and your plans will succeed."

Finally

2006-01-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

Recently I've discovered that even though I'm a college newspaper and yearbook adviser, I don't write enough. I miss writing. Finally, I have a blog. However, now I'm late for my little adviser job. So I'll actually write something of value when I get home this afternoon.