Monday, October 27, 2014

A Short Update

     This past week has been very eventful, including (but not limited to) taking calls for a radio event (2 hours of feeling very professional + a free t-shirt = score!), going out to Union Station to serve and pray with the homeless (probably going back tomorrow), having Miss United States as a special guest at the place I tutor, exploring yet another new neighborhood in Chicago (the one I've been going to church in the past 4 weeks), preparing for my first speech (which is tomorrow!), and getting the awesome, God-planned opportunity to witness to 2 different people on the "L"! The last thing I totally credit to the Holy Spirit, because I was terrified and would not have spoken up if it wasn't for His strength and prompting. I love talking about Jesus, but starting conversations with strangers does not come easily for me...  I thank Him for using my friends and I to plant seeds despite our apprehensions :)
     Those were some of the highlights... there were also definite down points, but I don't feel like writing about them right now, so I won't!
     OK, so I guess this is about as good as this post is gonna get, because I'm sitting here getting sleepier and sleepier... There is so much I want to write about, and I have a couple of posts started that I really want to finish, but it'll just have to wait.
      To my friends and family back in Tennessee, my project of building a teleporter has met with some unexpected delays, hopefully soon to be remedied... If worse comes to worse, there are only 52 days until Christmas break! But who's counting? ;)

Random Quote of the Day:
     [In John 21:22] "Jesus is explaining that when He calls you for a specific purpose, you don't have  to worry about what anyone else is doing. Don't begin listening to the lies of the evil one that you should be vitally interested in what is being said about you. Do not even start down the path of worrying about what anybody else is doing in their ministry. Jesus is saying, 'I am your God! I am your Savior! I am your Creator! I am bigger than any Devil who suggests that his word is more profound and truthful than mine! My child, simply keep your eyes on my perfect and loving will for your life." ~Ben Gutierrez and Dave Earley, p. 251 (in Ministry Is..., published by B&H, 2010)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Another Long Rambling Post - Read It If You Dare (It's got pictures)!

     Exactly two months ago today I set of on a grand adventure.
     Exactly two months from today I will be back in Tennessee!
     Therefore, the semester is halfway over!That's hard to believe. In some ways, it feels like I've been here forever, and in other ways I can't believe how fast time is flying...
     As much as I love being here - as much as I love the city lights, my Bible classes, my floor, the library, the coffee shop, and all the wonderful opportunities Chicago has to offer - I can't wait spend Christmas at home with my family. Skype is great, but it is no substitute for physically being with the people you love. I can't wait to play my piano, hang out with Dad, go to Target with Mom and eat hotdogs, stay up late with my brother looking at funny pictures on Facebook, go to the final Hobbit premiere with some of the most awesome people on the planet, go to my church, see the kids and teens from Bible club, cuddle my darling kitty-cat Clarabelle, and take a break from the busyness of college life in general. Anyways, I'm excited about December!
     While I'm thinking about December, here's  a random flashback to LAST December, mostly because I just like making collages on Ribbet.com...

      Now for what has been happening here the past week!
      On Sunday, a friend and I grabbed our cameras and headed out for a fun afternoon in Lincoln Park. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll just show you several thousand words worth of pictures instead of telling you all about it (thanks Kimberlee for some of the pictures!):



     Monday and Tuesday were regular school days, followed by MISSIONS CONFERENCE for the rest of the week! It was wonderful. Way, way, WAY more intense in every way than I expected it would be, but so, so, SO great! I was challenged, convicted, renewed, and inspired to dream big dreams for God.

      I want to live in full surrender to His plans for my life - wherever He may lead me.
      I want to live my life fully devoted to loving Him, loving others, and making an impact in my Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and furthest corners of the world (Acts 1:8)!
      Life with God is an adventure, and one day I'll be able to look back over the story of my life and see how God's fingerprints are on every word, every page, every chapter. In the happy parts, in the exciting parts, in the anxious parts, in the sad and lonely parts, in the easy parts and the hard parts, God is the author of my life story. Wow! I just can't explain how awesome it is to know that God, who loves me and is more powerful than anything ever, is with me always. He is with me in the Appalachian Mountains. He is with me on the 7th floor of a dorm in Chicago. He is with me on the city streets. He will be with me wherever in the world I end up after a graduate, and ten years from then, and ten years from then. Really grasping that truth somehow takes away all fear of the unknown. Whatever God calls me to do, no matter how difficult or even impossible it may seem, He is with me, and that's enough.
      I've said this before, but life with God is an epic adventure! If you're reading this, embrace the adventure. Move where God leads no matter how much fear tries to stop you and no matter how unlikely His leading seems. I never in a million years would have dreamed myself here. But God did. And despite the hardships, I wouldn't change it for the world!
     Give God the pen of your life's story, and embrace the adventure He writes.  
(This has been your essential Tolkien reference of the day. You're welcome :)

Friday, October 10, 2014

Campus in Fall

     If you know me at all (or if you read my last post), you'll know that I LOVE FALL!!! So today, after classes I decided to walk around campus and just take some pictures (something I haven't done in a long time). In the course of about 10 minutes I accumulated about 60 photos that were SO hard to narrow down to just a few to post on here! Soon some girls from my floor and I are going to have a photoshoot with us actually IN the pictures, but for now enjoy the photos of trees, buildings, a squirrel, and random inanimate objects :) Leave a comment to let me know which pix are your favorite!







     And now for the random lyrics of the day:

Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and pow'r.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.

Come ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.

~"Come, Ye Sinners" by Joseph Hart

And here's the song, in case you want to listen to it!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Happy October!

     Let's see  here... what's happened since last weekend? Well, I turned in two papers - a book report on The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (a really, really good book!) and a summary of my research thus far on 2 Cor. 5:18-21 (which will theoretically turn into a 15-page exegetical paper by the end of the semester). It feels great to turn stuff in! I also went to Little India and had Indian food for the first time for  a friend's birthday, played piano more than usual, did some shopping in an area called Old Town (where I bought a really pretty scarf at a resale shop), Skyped my family twice, bought a new book at Lifeway (Before Amen by Max Lucado), cleaned my room (finally), tried out a new church, got free nuggets from Chick-Fil-A, and have been once again amazed at just how fast time can fly!
     IT'S OCTOBER!!!! October may possibly be my favorite month of the year. I love Fall! The weather here has been crazy-unpredictable (going from 80 to the 30s in the matter of a few days), but beautiful. Granted, it is a different kind of beauty than the mountains of Tennessee; where I'm sure the leaves are starting to turn every shade of yellows, oranges, purples, and reds; but there is beauty here nonetheless. Right now I can see yellow treetops blowing in the wind between red brick buildings and the CTA track, all under a whitish-gray sky.
     Some things coming up this month include Missions Conference, Fall break, answering phones for a Moody Radio event, and giving my first speech! But what I'm really looking forward to is looking back on October and seeing how I grew in my relationship with Jesus. A week or so ago, I decided to dedicate more time than usual to intentional prayer this month. Every morning, every evening, and a longer period of time every Sunday spent talking with my Heavenly Father. I have realized how easy it is to let the demands of schoolwork, ministries, church, friendships, music, etc. (all super-good things, by the way) cause me to neglect my relationship with my Best Friend. Relationships require intentionality. And this definitely includes the Christian's relationship with Christ! Anyway....
     This has been your random-blog-post-of-the-week-by-Amber, and hopefully next week I'll have pictures :)
     HAPPY FALL, Y'ALL!!! :D :D :D
Somebody wrote this quote on the SDR (Student Dining Room) menu, and I thought it was just too perfect :)

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Of Fun Times and Spiritual Growth...

     I feel like I should put this disclaimer (is that the correct word?) right up front: this is going to be a rather disconnected and rambling post. I have not posted in quite some time (what's new?) and SOOOO much has happened in my life since I last posted that I could probably write ten posts to cover it all. Seriously. But that would be pretty much impossible to accomplish along with staying on top of schoolwork, ministry, time with God, practicing piano, and church; not to mention a social life! So I shall ATTEMPT to summarize :) Here it goes!
     The past week has been full of fun things like a skit/improv show, getting a free cupcake, playing my favorite Hobbit songs on the piano, trying Thai food for the first time, and dressing up to go to a super-fancy restaurant for dessert (Ghirardelli cheesecake = YUM!). I also went on a prayer walk with the Student Missions Fellowship in an awesome Mexican neighborhood called "La Villita" or "Little Village". It. Was. Amazing. I absolutely fell in love with that area in the course of a couple hours! Hopefully I'll be spending more time in La Villita in the future (possibly Practical Christian Ministry next year?).
     And of course I've been doing school. A lot! Usually it's quite enjoyable, and always I learn so much and am amazed at just how much information our brains can process! I'm so glad God gave us the capacity to learn :)
     Besides being a fun and informative season of life, I have found this past month to be the most challenging, convicting, and growth-inducing period of my 20 years so far. To save time and also share with you a snapshot of what God has been doing in my personal life, I'm going to do something I normally don't do and copy a few passages from my journal on here....
     9-8-14: "Trial and error. Learn from your mistakes. The best way to learn your way around is to get lost a few times. You'll never know until you try. Same basic thought, different ways to word it. I think college is definitely a time to take risks, try new things, and be adventurous. College in and of itself is a risk! And as with any risk, there are many chances to fail. But when you fall off a horse (which I have twice, by the way...literally) what do you do? Get back on! You can't let the failures get you down. Life goes on, and sometimes the greatest adventures happen when things don't go as planned! Bottom line? I can't be afraid of failure. There is something freeing in knowing it's OK to not be perfect. To not get it right every single time. To know that life goes on when I fail to meet standards set by myself or others..."
     9-17-14: "Today I was brought face-to-face multiple times with the raw humanity of every person. Nobody is just a statistic or a stereotype or a first impression. Nobody is an emotionless drone immune to the brokenness of our world. Nobody is the sum of all their successes...or failures. Nobody is completely devoid of the ability to do evil or good. Nobody doesn't need unconditional, genuine love. Every person is unique, yet we are united by an unbreakable bond of similarities. We're all human."
     9-24-14: "You know what hit me really hard today? I AM often ashamed of the gospel of the Gospel of Christ. Why? I have no idea! That's what's so frustrating! When I'm alone with the Lord I love Him more than anything and commit my life to His service. But when I'm out in the world it's a different story... If I were God, I would have written me off as a hopeless case a LONG time ago! (Reason #5,876 I'm glad I'm not God! :)"
     9-23-14: "Jesus You are so merciful. Thank You for Your incomprehensible mercy and grace! I love You!"
     So that was really long, and if you read it all the way through, kudos to you! I hope you've been encouraged in some way by reading this post. And if you're reading this as a brother or sister in Christ, I would love it if you could be praying for me (message me or comment and I'd love to be praying for you as well)! I am LOVING it here, but that doesn't make things easy. Most of all, pray that God would give me boldness in sharing the Gospel every single day, both in my words and in the way I live. Speaking of prayer, here's my random quote of the day:
     "Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That also is a great mistake, for praying is a saving of time. . . . God can multiply our ability to make use of time. If we give the Lord his due we shall have enough for all necessary purposes. In this matter keep first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Your other engagements will run smoothly if you do not forget your engagement with God" (Charles Spurgeon, qtd. in "Ministry Is..." by Earley & Gutierrez).

    

Monday, September 15, 2014

Scavenger Hunts, Disney Shows, and Homework- OH MY!

     Have you ever given a doughnut to a police officer? Started a spontaneous aerobics class in a public park? Gone to a Disney Princess show with a group of college girls? Created an annotated bibliography for an exegetical paper for hermeneutics? Neither had I, until this weekend :)
     This is not going to be a long post, but I thought I'd share a little about what's been going on these past few days in Chicago.
     Saturday: I went on a city-wide photo/video scavenger hunt with some peeps from my floor and our brother floor. Hence the first two questions in my first paragraph. Here are a few other items on the list- "Play ring around the rosy around the bean," "Go into Chick-fil-a and ask for a hamburger," and "Perform air band concert in front of Hard Rock Cafe." Needless to say, it was a totally normal evening (or not!).
     Sunday: The day started by visiting a new church (pray for me during the church-hunting phase of being here). I enjoyed it, but don't know yet if it will be my "home" church. Then I came back to campus and cooked! I have missed cooking so much! Oh, I need to share this story really quickly. About a week ago, I went to the campus post office and there was a really big heavy package. I opened it up, and it was all sorts of cooking stuff! Jars of homemade soup starters, mix for cake-in-a-mug, cream cheese frosting, cooking spray, potatoes, and more! Thanks Mom and Dad for such a thoughtful gift :) THEN. Disney on Ice. Need I say more? It was so much fun! I'll try to have some pictures soon...
     Today: Basically just school. But that's not a bad thing! I am loving learning about church history, methods of evangelism, how to give a speech, and how to study the Bible. I'm just glad that I've had lots of opportunities to balance the rather intense schoolwork with spontaneous fun stuff!
     Anyway.... That's what's been going on lately. Next on the list? Sleep :) Zzzzzz.....


    

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Greetings from the Windy City!

     Two years ago (when I graduated high school) if you had told me I would end up going to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, I probably would have laughed. I definitely wouldn't have believed you! "Me? The self-declared mountain girl move away from everything I know and love to go to college in one of the biggest cities in our country? Ha!" (MBI had actually been suggested to me before, and I wrote it off without even considering it). Well, I believe God has a sense of humor, because, guess what? I've been here for over three weeks now! And, though the journey that led me here over the past two years was definitely not easy and I didn't understand what God was doing, I wouldn't change it for the world. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21, NIV).
     I love my school. That's not to say that I haven't dealt with some pretty intense homesickness, or that everything's been just peachy, but I know without a doubt I'm where God wants me and this has been the greatest, most exciting, most challenging and thrilling adventure of my life thus far! I don't have time to go into detail on everything that's happened since August 20th, or all the amazing friends I've made, or how much I love all of my classes, but suffice it to say, as I said earlier, I love my school :)
     So I realize I have not been in the world of blogging since being here, but I'm going to try to do at least a short post at least once a week from here on out. We'll see how it goes! Here are a few pix, then I need to go study...
Nail party with the girls on my floor :)

The Cloud Gate, AKA The Bean

I found the pianos!!!

Studying in the student center...

Campus at night

Campus during the day with a random vintage effect...

Studying essentials

Some random area of Chicago

Friday, July 25, 2014

Why I'm Happy I'm a Christian

     There are SO MANY reasons I'm happy to be a child of the One True King, but here are just a few of them that I jotted down in my journal the other day:
  1. I don't have any reason to fear death of eternity. I'm heaven-bound!
  2. My sins and failures are not held against me. Because of Jesus, I am forgiven!
  3. My life has a reason, a purpose, meaning, and a destiny!
  4. I am a child of the One True King... a beloved daughter and a princess of the Kingdom.
  5. The Holy Spirit, GOD IN ME, is my constant convicter, corrector, comforter, and companion...but NOT condemner. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1, ESV).
  6. My joy, peace, and security do not depend on my outward circumstances, buy my inward Hope.
  7. I have the incredible honor and privilege to tell others how they, too, can experience all of the above and MORE if they choose Jesus! (OK, I just realized that sounds like a cheesy telemarketer line... "But wait! There's more!" :) ) I am an ambassador for Him.
     And I know I've shared these verses before, but they are super-important, so I'm sharing them again :) Really think about the words...
     "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:17-21, ESV).

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

"Firm in Faith"

     As I wait for pictures from Peru (my camera liked the Andes Mountains so much that it decided to stay there permanently, so I have to wait for pix from the rest of the team), I thought I may as well start blogging about other random things. Nearly every morning (typically during devos) I think of all these posts I want to write... and then I don't do it. So today I'm doing it!
     I've been studying Isaiah lately, which (contrary to popular belief) is not a boring book to read at all! It is really fascinating! Man, there are so many good things in that book, you'll probably be seeing more posts on Isaiah in the near future :)

     One phrase that really stuck out to me is located in the middle of chapter 7. God is talking through Isaiah to Ahaz, the king of Judah, who is about to be attacked by the combined forces of Syria and Israel (as far as I understand). Ahaz is probably quite nervous at this point, to say the least. But God comforts Him with these words: "Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint" (7:4, ESV). God assures the frightened king that the coming attackers will not be victorious, then ends His speech with a seemingly random admonition. These two short lines really stuck out to me as I read them. While they were written for a specific king facing a specific problem at a specific time, these words from God outline an essential truth that applies to every person everywhere:
"If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all" (7:9).
     Now the word "faith" is thrown around constantly in Christian circles, though I don't think we always grasp the full meaning of what it means to be "firm in faith". I'll try not to make this post super-long, but real faith needs a bit of defining. I suppose the best thing to start with is the object of our faith. And this is actually the most important part of understanding what it means to be firm in faith! JESUS; the God who created the world; the only One who is perfectly holy and sinless; our Savior who loves us so much that He DIED to save us; the Risen King who defeated the power of death, sin, Satan, hell, and fear... JESUS is the object of our faith! Is He not worthy of 100% of our trust? He is the only unchanging being. He is our ANCHOR.

     Even if everything around us changes, lets us down, or fades away, Jesus will always remain. When we stop trusting in temporary things (money, comfort, our own ability, other people, earthly treasures, etc.) then we are free to trust 100% in Jesus. When that happens, when we are firm in faith, then our happiness, peace, joy, and security will not depend at all on our circumstances. I don't know about you, but I want to have that kind of faith!
      All this reminds me of a song...


     Anyway, thanks for listening to my rambling on about what I'm studying, and I hope you'll dig into the Word for yourself! It's sort of ironic, but I'm actually teaching on "Fear vs. Faith" tonight at the children's ministry I work with. The lesson is based on Numbers 13-14... go read it if you want to read a story about ten guys who were definitely not firm in faith... and two who were :)

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Leibster Award!

     So apparently there is this thing called a Liebster Award. From what I understand, bloggers without a ton of followers can be nominated, and it helps them get "discovered"... or something like that. ;)
     Anyway, I've seen some of my friends posting about it, and thought, "well, there's no way I'm getting nominated for that, because I think I'm below amateur on the non-existent 'blog experience scale'." But, low and behold, my friend Reyna at A Peace of the Past (awesome blog, by the way, be sure to check it out!) nominated me!!!! Thanks so much, Reyna, that pretty much made my day :)
     Here's how it works:
         * Link back to the person who nominated you (Done, notice the link in my previous paragraph.)
         * List 11 facts about yourself.
         * Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
         * Nominate 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers.
         * Ask them 11 questions.
         * Let them know about the nomination!

So here go 11 random facts about me!
  1. If you've kept up with my blog at all, you'll already know this, but I AM A BOOKWORM! Want proof? My mom and I went to this huge used bookstore yesterday, traded in a bunch of old books, and ended up getting 26 new (to us, anyway) books and movies for 18$!!!! And this made me WAY more excited than it should have :)

         2. I am a missions/children's ministry student at Moody Bible Institute (going up to Chicago this fall!!!)
         3. I am about to try this recipe as a way to utilize our overly-abundant supply of summer squash...
         4. Two places I would love to go one day are Norway (pleasure purposes) and India (mission trip).
         5. I really love coffee way too much for my own good ;)
         6. Recently, I have had a huge interest in keeping up with world missions, Christian world news, the persecuted church, and unreached people groups. Here are a few sites I hope you'll check out, as I think staying informed helps us, as followers of Jesus, know how to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world (as well as those who do not yet believe):
                * https://www.opendoorsusa.org/
                * http://joshuaproject.net/
                * http://www.worldmag.com/
         7.  My favorite flavor combination is chocolate and peanut butter :)
         8. Target is my favorite store EVER!
         9. I love playing the piano, and some of my current favorite songs to play are I See Fire (by Ed Sheeran, from the end credits of Desolation of Smaug), Song Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn, and It's a Small World (the classic Disney song, arrangement found in this book).
         10. Here is one of my favorite Bible passages:
                 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:17-21, NIV)
         11. I just recently watched most of the Disney princess movies for the first time!

    And here are the 11 questions Reyna asked me!
    1. "Do you have a favorite classic hymn? If so, what is it?" Ah, I have too many to decide! However, since that's not really a valid answer, my most recent favorite is How Firm a Foundation :)
    2. "What is your favorite way to eat potatoes?" Well... I must say that I love Peruvian french fries. I know, it's sort of odd that Peru serves lots of french fries, but hey! They're good!
    3. "What do you consider to be the most fascinating time period in history?" Probably medieval :) Even though nothing much happened for over a thousand years.... 
    4. "Which time period would you like best to live in?" While I pretty much want to live in whatever time period I'm reading about at any given time, I'd have to say that overall I'm glad God placed me where He did, when He did!
    5. "Have you ever worn a hoopskirt?" A costume one, yes :) It was at a medieval feast with my homeschool buddies! 
    6. "What might one find you doing on a rainy afternoon?" Most likely reading, playing games with my family, doing something random in town, or watching movies...
    7. "How many bookshelves do you have, if any?" I have two in my room, but they're overflowing, so you'll find random stacks of books here and there :)
    8. "Do you prefer a laptop or a desktop?" Laptop, definitely! Love the portable-ness!
    9. "What's the desktop on your computer right now?" 
    10.  "Do you like to write with a pen or a pencil?" Well, being left-handed, I have the choice of either having ink dots all over the side of my hand, or graphite smudge. I choose the latter.
    11. "What was the last song you sang?" I remember singing some Air1 song while cleaning my room this morning, but I don't remember what it was...
    And now for my nominees (let's see if I can come up with 9! Some of them may have already been nominated):
    And finally, here are my 11 questions for YOU!:
    1. What book/s are you currently reading?
    2. Have you ever been on a mission trip, or multiple trips? If so, where? If not, where would you go on one if you could?
    3. If you HAD to choose a favorite book of the Bible, what would it be?
    4. What is your opinion on funky colors of nail polish?
    5. Have you ever seen the same movie in theaters more than once? If so, which one/s?
    6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
    7. What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
    8. Have you taken a selfie in the past week?
    9. Are you a Duck Dynasty fan?
    10. What is your favorite fruit?
    11. And finally, do you play any instruments? Which one/s?
    So, that's that! Hope you enjoy!

    Just so y'all know, I WILL be posting very soon about Peru! I'm just waiting until after our team presents the trip to our church to avoid "spoilers"  :)

    Friday, June 6, 2014

    Third Time's a Charm! (A.K.A. Returning to Peru)

         When I was a little girl and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, sometimes I would say a vet, or an astronaut, or something like that. Doesn't every kid want to be those things at some point in time? But there was one response I would give to that question that I simply can't explain.
         "When I grow up, I want to be a missionary in Peru."
         What? Where in the world did that come from? Brazil would have been a more logical destination, given that my dad grew up there and half of my extended family still lives there. I had literally no connections to Peru. Maybe I wanted to go there because of the llamas at first, IDK. Looking back, however, I think the reason goes a lot deeper than that.
         Some of my favorite verses are found in Psalm 37:3-7:
      "Trust in the Lord and do good;
        dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 
     Take delight in the Lord,
        and he will give you the desires of your heart.
     Commit your way to the Lord;
        trust in him and he will do this: 
     He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
        your vindication like the noonday sun.
     Be still before the Lord
        and wait patiently for him" (NIV)
         Now, I don't think these verses mean that God is like a genie, giving us everything we desire all the time. I desire chocolate most of the time, but that doesn't mean that God's going to make it miraculously appear in front of me :) I think it may mean that God gives us certain special desires- deep, unexplainable ones- and He will fulfill them in His time and in His way!
         I ended up going to Peru for about 2 weeks in 2010 with my dad:
          And again in 2012 with my whole family:
         
    AND IN THREE DAYS I'M GOING BACK FOR A THIRD TIME!!!!! :D :D :D So. Stinkin'. Excited! God has opened the door once more for me to go to the country I love so much. Here are a few random points/prayer requests about the 2014 trip:
         * Praise that God provided the rest of our team's financial support in the past week!
         * Caleb and I (the only one's from our family going this time) will be able to meet the little girl our family sponsors! Her name is Fabiana :)
         * There is a lot of work still to be done, for me anyway (I put the PRO in procrastination sometimes!). Pray that all will get done in an unstressful way...
         * Our team will be doing evangelistic outreach along with Peruvian youth group for a couple days, something we have not done in the past.
         * Pray that we will be selflessly devoted to God's will, ready to change lives and be changed!

    ALL GLORY TO GOD!
    Be back on the 21st!

    Sunday, June 1, 2014

    Dreaming of a Cosplay...

         I love dressing up. Always have. In fact, my hope chest is full of random costumes instead of keepsakes for my future life. So going to the first two Hobbit premieres in costume was right down my alley! And as long as my school schedule has me home for Christmas break by the 17th of December this year, I will be going to the final midnight premiere along with my awesome cosplaying friends!
          Here we are at the first movie:
         And after the second:
          For the third, I'll more than likely borrow one of my friends' old costumes (notice that's what I did for the second one) because I'm just not much of a seamstress :) But... I like drawing, and I like dreaming, so I sketched out some quick designs yesterday of a dress I would like to make if I could actually convince myself to start sewing (which is super-unlikely, by the way). The basic design is practically identical to the blue elvish dress seen above. Then I came up with three variations based off of Eowyn's white dress in LOTR, and Aurora's dresses in Maleficent (the designs are very similar). Note: these sketches were thrown together in about 30 min., and the variations were simply drawn on top of copies of the basic drawing... so excuse any imperfections :)

    Let me know which one is your favorite!

    COMING SOON: A post on my upcoming mission trip to Peru! (Which I'm getting super-stoked about!!!)
     

    Wednesday, May 28, 2014

    From One Amateur Photographer to Another...

         Hey everybody! I hope you're having an absolutely lovely spring :)
         So besides reading, playing the piano, and discovering new music, one of my favorite pastimes is photography. I have posted some of my pics on my blog before, but figured it was high time to share a few more... along with some tips for any more aspiring photographers out there! So here are a few of my recent faves:
       
                                                                    Photo #1: Cityscape
    Tip #1: Don't wait for the "perfect" day. I took this photo from a dorm room at Moody Bible Institute one morning. The tiny glimpse of sunlight peeking through the low cloud cover adds variety and intrigue. Don't be intimidated by less-than-ideal weather conditions. Some of the most interesting photos happen when the weather refuses to cooperate :)

    Photo #2: Sunrise Field
    Tip #2: Seek out backlighting. Backlighting is a photography term referring to light coming from the back of a subject, as the name suggests. Really experiment with this technique and I promise you'll love it! You can get this awesome warm glow around your subject, and often some really cool solar flares. Sunrise and sunset are the perfect times for taking backlit pics.

    Photo #3: Bean Sprout
    Tip #3: Back up and zoom in. You've probably heard that its best to get physically "up close and personal" with your subject. However, if you don't have a DSLR (I don't), I have found that stepping back and zooming in gives the most professional-looking results. That is the only way I have found to get this blurry background without buying a really expensive camera...

     Photo #4: Tiny Blossoms
    Tip #4: Focus on detail. This was really a very ordinary-looking little bean plant just starting to bloom. But when I zoomed in on the tiny details (notice the ants on one of the flowers) it suddenly became very interesting and unique :)

    Photo #5: Sunset Horse
    Tip #5: Pick an unusual subject to focus on. The natural choice for a focal point in this picture would have been the horse grazing contentedly in the field... but who likes to do what's expected? ;) The focus on the cluster of oak leaves turned out really intense. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take several different pictures of the same subject, experimenting with different focuses.

    Photo #6: Setting Sun
    Tip #6: Don't be afraid of the sun. I know that there are times when it is best to have the sun at your back, or even for it to be completely covered by clouds. And if you're doing portraits, you might not want a big flaming fire-ball stealing all the thunder. But don't give up on it all together. As one of my friends once said: "The sun is so photogenic!" :D

    Photo #7: Maple Sillhouette 
    Tip #4: Silhouettes are awesome. Really the only way to get great silhouettes is to put the light behind your subject (again!). You can do silhouettes of nature things, like these here leaves, or of people! I recently took some silhouette photos of some girls sitting on a gate... turned out really good!

    Photo #8: Senior Photo
    Tip #8: Get creative with placement. I could have put my brother (the next three are from his senior photo-shoot) on the other side of  the frame that way he wouldn't have been looking out of the picture, but the long evening shadows were just too cool to cut!

    Photo #9: A Few of My Favorite Things
    Tip #9: Incorporate key objects. Including carefully selected objects, like my brother's guitar and Geo Tracker, can really add to a photo... especially when doing portraits. If you're taking pictures of people, think "what does this person really like?" and try to let that shine through!

    Photo #10: Le Guitar
    Tip #10: Edit. Now, you don't have to go all wild-and-crazy with editing, but some simple exposure adjustments or color filters can make an ordinary photo "pop." For these photos, I used picmonkey.com, which I HIGHLY suggest for non-professional-but-still-good-looking edits! The features I used on these photos include "auto-adjust," "black and white," "contrast," "dusk," and my all-time favorite: "cross-process" (used on 7, 9, 10, and possibly 2...)!!!


         Let me know which pics are your favorites!


    Milestones

        
    My "little" brother and his high school diploma!
         Well, I have been working for the past week or so on a rather long photography post, but feel like I should take a break from that one (why is it taking so long to finish that one crazy post???) and give a little update about the past week.
         It has been a week of milestones for my family. Why? First of all, my "little" brother graduated high school on Friday! Being homeschooled, we have very non-traditional graduations, especially when there's only one graduate. Needless to say, he was Valedictorian. We had nearly 100 people up at our mountain home for a big Brazilian BBQ, and it turned out to be an awesome day! I truly am very proud of the godly young man my brother has turned out to be. Congratulations, Caleb!
         And Monday I turned 20 years old! I'm not sure how I feel about exiting the technical teenage years, but I know God's got great things in store. My family and I shopped around Chattanooga for a while, and it turned out to be a lovely day :)
         Anyway, God is good, and He has blessed our family so much and brought us through so much together. Thank You, Lord, for the awesome week!

    Verse of the Day:
    "I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
    I have set the LORD always before me;
    because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
    Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
    For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let Your holy one see curruption.
    You make known to me the path of life:
    in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
                                               ~Psalm 16:7-11, ESV


    Tuesday, May 20, 2014

    Summer Reading Countdown!

         I am a self-declared bookworm. I LOVE to read! The main problem with intense college classes is that I get so burned out on my hours of scholarly reading (which by the way, I still enjoy) that I don't have the time or eye-strength to read the stuff I really want to read; the books I choose, the ones that draw me into the pages and make me a part of the story while still safe in my own room :) Ya know the feeling?
          Well, now it is SUMMER, so I have time to READ AWESOME BOOKSES!!!! My current summer reading list consists of Radical by David Platt, In His Steps by Charles Sheldon,  How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler OR How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis (So I can improve my speed-reading skillz for college), a new novel written by a good friend of mine (not published...yet. Think Narnia-type genre), and Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. That's my personal list.
         But I just started thinking about all the great books I have read in the past, and thought I would share a list of my top 10 picks for summer reading in 2014 (in no particular order, and no, these are not necessarily my 10 favorite books, but they are all very good)! Let me know if you decide to read any of them and what you thought! Also feel free to comment with books you think I should add to my own list :) If you click on the title of one of the books, it will take you to where you can find it on Amazon. So here go the very random suggestions...

    10- Pilgrim's Progress by Paul Bunyan. This one is a Christian classic for a reason. Yes, it can be a rather tedious piece of literature, but take the time to read it out loud in an Old English accent, and I promise you'll feel 10 times more epic! If you read this, you will be a truly accomplished reader :)

    9- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Like I said about number 10, some books are classics for a reason. I read this one in my Junior year of high school, and I do not regret it. It deals with some touchy subjects (very tastefully, I might add), so I would suggest this one for high school or above. It is different, engaging, thought-provoking, and very well-written.

    8- Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant. I actually read this little (literally, it's like 90 small pages long) book for my first-ever college class. Take a weekend to unplug from FB with this quick read, and you'll re-enter the world of social media with a different and more biblical perspective, I assure you!

    7- The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey. I also read this one for high-school (I was homeschooled, in case you haven't guessed), and it really impacted me. Too often we see the Old Testament as the less-desirable portion of the Bible, when it is just as much the Word of God as Matthew or Romans! I love Yancey's commentaries on several of the OT books :)

    6- Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. This one, as you probably noticed, is on my own reading list. No, I have not read it before, but I'm suggesting it anyway. It just came out in March by one of my favorite authors. I should be getting it in the mail in a day or two, and maybe I'll write a more comprehensive review of it once I've dug into it myself!

    5- The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. You are never too old for Narnia, in my opinion. And this book is probably my favorite of the seven Chronicles. I actually started out my last blog post with a quote from it.... Maybe they'll make a movie one day :D

    4- In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. I have only just started this one, but it is already so good! Ever heard the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" Well, I believe this book is where it originated. Another Christian classic :)

    3- The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Christian. Ahhh... this book. Short and sweet, convicting, inspiring, and (if you let it), life-changing. Probably the best book on prayer I have ever read!

    2- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you like fantasy... this is awesome! All the more perfect because the final movie of the new Hobbit trilogy is coming out this December (midnight premiere, anyone?). Not nearly as hard to read as LOTR (Tolkien actually wrote this one with kids in mind), and VERY entertaining!

    1- Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks. If you ignore all my other suggestions, read this one! Seriously, I think every Christian who desires to really dig into God's Word needs this book on their shelf! It will change the way you view and study the Bible, which for most of us is very needed. I originally zoomed through this one for a class, but am now slowly working through it again with my family. Don't let the size intimidate you, it's an easy read, I promise! I haven't read many non-fiction books I would classify as page-turners, but this is definitely one :)

    So that's that! Let me know what you think :) Oh, and if you want to see some random bookwormish-type things, check out my Pinterest boards: "This Is So Me :)",  "What I'm Reading in 2013", and "Words Worth Repeating" (the link to my Pinterest is at the top of my blog).


    This is way too relatable...

    Friday, May 16, 2014

    A Unique Story

         The above quote comes from C.S. Lewis' The Horse and His Boy, one of my all-time favorite books. When Shasta, a runaway slave (and a prince, though he doesn't know it yet) encounters the great Lion Aslan, he asks why a certain thing happened to his friend. Aslan replies that "no one is told any story but his own."
          And every story is different. As different as each snowflake falling silently to the ground on a cold December night. As different as each and every fingerprint, each strand of DNA, each personality. Sure, our stories have similarities, but they are each definitely, beautifully unique.
          I would never have guessed a couple years ago where my story was going, and even now, looking back, I am amazed at where I find myself right now! Here is a short update on what's been going on with me that past year (yes, its been THAT long since I've been on here, but thanks to the inspiration of a good friend of mine, I'm giving blogging another go :D)-
        * Last summer, I worked as a senior counselor at a local Bible camp. It was definitely not easy being in charge of several energetic kids 24-hours a day, but it was totally worth it. A great experience!
        * In the fall semester, I did a 10-week ministry internship helping out at a neighborhood Bible club as part of my college adventure (more about that in a minute).
        * In December, I went with several amazing friends to the midnight premiere of The Desolation of Smaug (in costume, of course!), which was tons of fun.
        * I just completed my first year of college online with Moody Bible Institute... another great growing experience. Classes like Christian Missions, Studying and Teaching the Bible, and Old Testament Survey are right down my alley!
        * And presently, I am preparing to head off to Chicago in about 3 months!!! I still find it hard to believe I will be on campus (at MBI) for my Sophomore year, but I am looking forward this adventure, the next chapter in my story :)
        * Of course, throughout all of the above, I have been reading, learning new theatrical songs on the piano, watching movies with friends, trying new recipes from Pinterest, hanging out with my family, and doing my fair share of traveling.
           I am going to try to post again in the next week or so... we'll see how that goes!

    VERSE OF THE DAY:
    “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
        neither are your ways my ways,”
               declares the Lord. 

     “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
        so are my ways higher than your ways
        and my thoughts than your thoughts."

                                      ~Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

    RANDOM PICTURE OF THE DAY: 
    This is from our Hobbit photoshoot; thanks to my friend for letting me borrow her awesome handmade elvish costume!