Tuesday, November 17, 2015

College Day (a.k.a. WayTooMuchStuffedIntoOneDayAndIsThisEvenPossibleAndINeedCoffeeAndCongratsIfYouActuallyReadThisTitle...)

You want to know what I've been up to today? Probably not. But you know what? I'm gonna write it anyway, because it's kinda crazy...

1) Got up and got ready and ate breakfast in the cafeteria. Chocolate chip muffins have a way of starting a stressful, busy day out on a pleasant note :)

2) Research Design and Methodology. Sound intimidating? Yeah, sort of is, but I've really learned a lot from this class... I'm actually considering entering a research contest of sorts, but we'll see if that happens!

3) Christian Life Formation. Today the speaker talked about an American Christian response to Islamic fascism. Nope, I definitely don't have the time or mental/emotional capacity to go into that right now, though I'd suggest it is a subject we really don't need to ignore...

4) Social Psychology. In which we proceed to debate whether or not Milgram's obedience studies explain Nazi behavior during the Holocaust. Yep, today was full of deep topics.

5) Lunch! Finally, a short reprieve from being productive. Unless of course eating is productive, and I'm pretty sure it is seeing as we need food to live... :)

6) Back to my dorm to prepare a lesson for a kids/teens Bible club and practice choir music.

7) Choir. Can you spell C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S???? I realize, it is not Thanksgiving yet, but I can't help it! Practicing Christmas music just gets me excited for the holidays!

8) Finished preparing my lesson, and headed off to the Bible club.

9) Bible club! I actually need to insert something here. Have you ever noticed how God uses sort of random things to speak to your heart? I was teaching about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As a church kid, I basically thought I knew this story inside out and couldn't possibly get something else out of it. But God's Word is not static, it is "living and active." While preparing and teaching, and asking the kids to name some idols in their lives (idols can be anything that take the place of God in our hearts), I realized that I have some idolatry in my life that needs to be dealt with. That sounds so bad, but it's true. With crazy days like the one I am currently relating, and a desire to achieve academically, I have pretty much neglected my time with God the past couple weeks. For simplicity's sake, I'll call my idols School and Schedule. Well School and Schedule are both good, I think we'd all agree. There's nothing inherently wrong with other common idols either. The problem is when they cross over the line from "good thing" to "idol." I'm not going to go into tons of detail here, but how do we invest our talents, gifts, and personalities - without making things or concepts take the place of God in our hearts? Food for thought.

10) Not done yet! Went to an abstract writing workshop. In research writing, and abstract is basically a short summary of an article that goes at the beginning.

11) Was going to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to unwind (my favorite TV show), but the TV room was taken. Which is probably a good thing based on the revelation I had during Bible club. Now I have time to spend some time with God at the end of this crazy day, and process what He's been teaching me.

College is weird and crazy and busy and full of coffee. But you know what? It's also pretty great. I know the term "learning experience" is becoming really cliche, but it pretty much sums up what college life has been for me.

Goodnight!


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

(Don't) Smile! Jesus Loves You!

     The title caught your eye? Good. That's kind of the point. Yes, Jesus DOES love you, and no, I'm not trying to be heretical or start a cult or anything. Jesus loves you more than life itself! He loves you so much He died for you! Let's clear that up right off. But that doesn't mean you have to smile. I promise, I'm gonna explain my opinion on this... (and I'll probably step on some toes, but I feel like we need to talk about this).
(Remember this?)

      Let's have an honest conversation about what it means to be human. I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a Christian, while simultaneously being human. Too often when people come to Jesus, they try to leave their humanity behind. Guys, we still live in a broken world, and like it or not, we're still broken people. Yes, we are redeemed and set free and adopted as sons and daughters of God.... but we are NOT perfect.
      And I think that's the way it's supposed to be this side of heaven.
      After living in Christian communities my entire life, a question that has been weighing on my mind is: Is it OK to not be OK?
     Think about that.
      When you are having a bad day, a bad week, a bad year, do you feel comfortable NOT being OK in Christian circles? Sometimes I don't.
      I think a lot of times it's easier to be not OK outside of the body of Christ... and that's not OK.
      I usually try to be a pleasant person, but I do have bad days. Sometimes I feel sad, lonely, depressed, anxious, or scared. That's called "being human." But there have been times when I have let myself show my negative emotions, and then people are like, "Smile!" "Don't look so down!" "Cheer up!" What kind of a message are we sending when we tell our brothers and sisters in Christ to "just smile" when they're having a bad day? The message I get is that it's not OK to not be OK. That we should always be happy, bubbly people. That negative emotions are something to be ashamed of and hide. That it might even be sinful to experience such emotions.
      But that's just not true.
      Being human means experiencing the whole gamut of emotions! Let's not forget: even Jesus outwardly experienced negative emotions. He did not try to hide His anger or sadness. And Jesus is PERFECT. Shouldn't this tell us something? Shouldn't the body of Christ, of ALL places, be a safe zone for experiencing and expressing any emotions? The good, the bad, and the ugly?
     In the church, are we free to be human?
     I want to be a person that people feel comfortable just being open, honest, and real with. And I want to set an example by being open, honest, and real. I want to share the message that yes, Jesus loves you, but that doesn't mean you have to smile. Jesus loves you when you cry, tremble in fear, or tense up in anger just as much as when you smile, sigh in contentment, or laugh 'till your sides hurt (which I did the other night, and it felt so good!). It's awesome to be happy! But when we set happiness up on a pedestal and hide all the other emotions, we are missing out on a lot of what it means to be human.
      Have you seen Inside Out? Pixar has a knack for creating stories that are quite insightful. With Inside Out, I think this is especially so. As a psychology major, I really appreciate the research that obviously went into the movie. As a person (and a Christian), I appreciate the honesty. A big message in that movie is that all emotions (including sadness, disgust, and fear) play an important part in making us who we are. We NEED to experience the full range of emotions! It's a very refreshing movie (and very clean, and also quite funny!).

      Anyway, I guess by all this I just want Christians to think about the atmosphere we create. Is it an atmosphere where we feel like we always have to smile? Or is it an atmosphere where we feel free to be open, honest, and real?
      I'm still trying to process all of this myself, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Please leave a comment, even if you aren't on Blogger (you can comment without an account. I think you just choose "anonymous" and leave your name in the post somewhere if you want me to have it :)
      Thanks for reading!
      ~AMBER
    

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Spirit Week 2015!

     This weekend is homecoming weekend here at Bryan College. It's pretty exciting and different with all of the special events, the visiting alumni, and the weather-related plan changes! This rain just is not wanting to let up! Isn't October supposed to by DRY??? Anyways, that's what's going on at the moment. Homecoming and rain. But despite the inclement weather, the past few days have been super-fun! Why? Because the week before homecoming is "spirit week," in which each day has a different theme... and we are encouraged to dress up! Anybody who knows me knows this is RIGHT down my alley. Needless to say, I had a great time coming up with and wearing different costumes :) And as promised, here is a post with pictures! So enjoy, and I'll have some more serious, in-depth posts soon (but a college student's got to have some fun, right???). Without further ado...



'MERICA MONDAY

The mandatory cowgirl selfie...

Photo credit: Karis P. Actually, she took most of these photos :)


FANDOM TUESDAY
(Probably our most creative day...)

From left to right: Velma, Shaggy, Daphne, and Fred

And then The Doctor showed up...



SUPERHERO WEDNESDAY
(I had a really hard time narrowing these photos down!) 

This is the same cosplay (Scarlet Witch) that I wore to the premiere of Age of Ultron.

Me and my roomie! She did an awesome casual Black Widow cosplay!

From left to right: Hawkeye, Black Widow, The Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain America

Avengers assemble!

Avengers act crazy!


THROWBACK THURSDAY

In the choir room with poodle skirts! There were several 50s people around campus...

BRYAN LION DAY
(I only got this one picture, and it's not that great... but I was on the red carpet!)

They had a red carpet premiere of "Hamlet's Ghost," which was super-fun to be a part of!


So that's that, and if you'd like to see my roommate's posts on spirit week, check out her blog at Karis at College :)


Wednesday, September 30, 2015

AACC World Conference 2015: A Brief Recap

     Thanks to all the people who read my post last week! If you read it, you will know that I spent several days in Nashville at a Christian Psychology conference, the "AACC" to be exact. AACC stands for the "American Association of Christian Counselors," and it is basically THE biggest conference for Christian psychologists - in the world I believe! Anyway, it was a WONDERFUL opportunity to get to go! So here goes a short recap, along with several pictures...
The theme of the conference was "Be Strong," and it featured several great plenary speakers including (but not limited to) Mike Huckabee,  Ed Stetzer, and Joni Eareckson Tada.
During some sessions, the auditorium was packed with something like 7,000 people!
I just felt so "official" at this conference, being one of only a few undergrads there (relatively speaking). I'm used to people thinking I'm in high school. I'm NOT used to people thinking that I'm a grad student or professional counselor! Just goes to show that people's perceptions depend a lot on the situation (Social Psyc. in action, guys!).
My fellow Bryan students and I had a great time hanging out together in the amazing Opryland Hotel!
Yes. When I say "amazing," I mean AMAZING! This is all INSIDE the hotel! Along with the huge exhibit hall (where I collected tons of freebies!) and auditorium, there were lots and lots and lots of smaller conference rooms where we went to our individually-chosen tracks. I chose a couple sessions on play therapy, one on addiction, one that evaluated Christian counseling in general, one on single women, and one on "reclaiming conversation in a digital world." The last was probably my favorite just because it was SO applicable!
It was truly awesome to get to know my classmates and professors better during this conference :)

That's last week in a nutshell! But FYI, I was mostly recapping the high points of the conference. There were also things I didn't like or didn't agree with, and being around so many people for such and extended period of time was emotionally and physically taxing. But I am SO thankful I had this opportunity! And who knows? Maybe I'll go back as a grad student in a couple of years...

~Amber

P.S. - Keep an eye out for "spirit week" costume pix this weekend!







Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Greetings from Nashville!

     Yep, I am currently in Nashville, which happens to be one of my favorite cities!
     Why am I in Nashville in the heat of the semester, you ask? Well, there is a national psychology conference going on this week (American Association of Christian Counselors or AACC) that us psychology majors were encouraged to go to... and I decided to go!
     Tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday, I will be at the conference attending lots of sessions (some of the sessions will include all 7,000 attendees, and some elective smaller sessions) and enjoying my time at the Opryland Hotel. I was able to ride up with a couple of friends, and am staying at a friends house!
     This shall be an adventure...
   
Random selfie as we left campus...
     Here's a short rundown of what else has been going on this past week!
  • Getting over a cold. Yeah. No fun. But when living on a campus with several hundred other people, its pretty much inevitable, no matter HOW much vitamin C you take!
  • Reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. Because one can't read scholarly stuff all the time, can they? A girl's gotta have her chocolate and Sherlock Holmes. Just sayin'.
  • Doing schoolwork. And more schoolwork. And MORE schoolwork! Yes, I am definitely in the thick of the semester. On the plus side, two big exams are DONE!!!
  • Getting ready for our first women's choir performance. Coming up a week from Sunday! Yikes...
  • And coming up to Nashville!
Here's the website of the conference I'm going to, for those who are interested: http://www.worldconference.net/

Stay tuned for an update this weekend!



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

In Which I Start Blogging About Life at Bryan College...

     Yep. I am now a student at Bryan College. Not Moody anymore. But Bryan. Two great schools (SO thankful for the time I had at MBI, by the way :), and I guess I was destined to spend half of my undergrad career at each one of them! I've been meaning to start blogging about it for a while now, but I'm guessing most of my readers already know how crazy and hectic and overwhelming the first few weeks at college (or at a NEW college) can be.
     Orientation (which I'm convinced is designed to overwhelm all of the incoming freshmen so that when classes start they actually don't seem too bad).
     New major (FINALLY feeling very settled in and excited about my field of study: psychology!).    
     New professors.
     New friends.
     Having a roommate for the first time (who happens to be one of my best friends in this world!).      
     Finding my way around a new campus.
     Finding a good rhythm that allows for some social life and sleep along with serious studying (I'm still in the process of this one, guys...).
     Anyway, basically my life is crazy (something I finally came to terms with this past summer), but I'm OK with that. Sometimes it's good crazy, sometimes bad crazy, and sometimes just plain confusing crazy. Thankfully, I seem to bee in a "good crazy" stage right now :)
     Yikes! I just realized how many parenthesis I used in this post so far! Oh well. I'm just trying to fit a lot of information in a little space I suppose. I shall resist making this post a mile long and including EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. I can already hear the collective sigh of relief from my readers ;) But before I sign off, here are some of the major elements of my week here at Bryan!
  • Classes. I'm currently taking Critical Survey of Worldviews, Christian Life Formation, Concepts of Physical Fitness, Social Psychology, History and Systems of Psychology, and Research Design and Methodology.
  • Women's Chorus. I wanted to be part of this choir from the start, but almost didn't get to participate because of a schedule conflict. But God worked that out for me unexpectedly!
  • Children's Ministry. Since I'm going to school in my hometown, I'm able to keep helping out at a local children's Bible club I've been a part of for the past three years. One of the highlights of my week :)
  • Spending Time With Family and Friends. New friends, old friends, and my wonderful family! I'm only thirty minutes from my home (which is awesome), and my brother and his girlfriend are right here on campus!
  • Walking. Walking to classes. Walking to chapel. Walking to the cafeteria. Walking to the dorm. Walking to the parking lots across campus. Walking BACK to class... basically I feel like a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
  • Spending Time With God. Guys, it would be a lie to say it's easy to keep up with personal devotions at college. It's not. But it is so important! No, I have not been super faithful about spending time with God, but I have been more motivated since discovering shereadstruth.com. I would suggest it for all women, but especially college students. Just go look it up :)
And that's a wrap!
I hope to be posting on here again by next week. Hopefully with pictures! 
~AMBER

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Photoshoot With the Brother

     I have someone I'd like to thank for the most recent photos I've posted on my blog (including the new title photo)... my brother, Caleb. Big shout out to him, and not just for the pictures! I love my brother, and can honestly say that he's always been one of my best friends :)
     Anyway. I thought I'd share a few more photos from that shoot on here! I'm in the process (the early brainstorming stages) of a couple more extensive posts (one with some of my artwork, one on being an introvert, and one on a certain popular book series I've just now got around to reading... we'll see if I find time before college starts in just 10 short days!), but enjoy these photos in the meantime!
Here's the guy who went along with my whim... "let's go do a photoshoot!"
The Guitarist

Perspective
After a bit of editing...
And now for the ones Caleb took. This one is in need of some Photoshop magic for one very obvious reason: I forgot to take the lens cap off of my old film camera!
The lens cap is (thankfully) less noticeable here :)
I like the lighting on this one.
And lets finish off with some more cool perspective!

     Well, I guess it's obvious, but photography is one of my hobbies :) Along with playing the piano, reading books, drawing, listening to music, eating chocolate, and watching movies! Well, hopefully this weekend I'll get my next post up. Have a wonderful week!

~AMBER

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Forever After

    
     Where should I even start?
     Should I start by explaining why I spent only one semester in Chicago? Why I chose to come back to Tennessee instead of finishing my degree in Chicago? How this year's spring semester (online again) went? My summer job as a carhop at Sonic? The latest fandoms I've been unwittingly drawn into? Taking CLEP tests (I passed biology and am taking Spanish on Tuesday!)? How I've counted over 400 gifts in the tradition of Ann Voskamp? Or maybe I should start by writing a review of the latest book I've been reading, Quiet by Susan Cain? Or my decision to change my major to psychology and transfer to Bryan College? Or photos, or artwork, or....
     Yes, it has been a crazy few months. Why would you ask?
     For those who are interested, this is Amber, from the no-longer-existent Amber on the Mountain. I have been turning the idea of re-starting my blog over and over in my head for months, but I wanted to start with a semi-clean slate. As you can see, this is actually the same blog, just with a different title and web address (but all the old posts still exist :).
     I guess the best place to start is to tell you why I chose to restart blogging in the first place. There a couple of reasons, actually.
     First, I need a place to share. For those of you familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality index, I am an ISFJ (a descriptor I will allow to be used for myself, even though I hate the idea of dividing people into neat little labeled categories... but that deserves its own post... suffice it to say I am using the MBTI label for simplicity's sake but do not fully agree with it). One characteristic of ISFJ's is a keen awareness of their own feelings and those of others, but they are unlikely to share their rich inner lives with those around them (see a full description at Personality Page). Sharing my personal thoughts, feelings, and beliefs has always been a struggle for me... but I am a human, not an island. And as I find it much easier to express myself in non-vocal ways, one reason I am re-starting my blog is so that I have an outlet to share. Not just thoughts, but music, photos, artwork, and stories as well. Things I enjoy but usually keep to myself.
     Second, I hope that God will use my fingers to type something that will encourage somebody else. I don't want to blog simply for personal enrichment. I have a journal for that! But I have always wanted to use my life to help other people (as simplistic as that may sound), and this blog just might be a small way I can do that.
     There are other reasons, but they mostly fall under those two :)
     Oh! And before I sign off, I wanted to quickly explain my blog title and description! His Forever After. While I liked Amber on the Mountain (the name of a book I read as a little girl), the truth is that I will not always be on "the mountain," either physically or spiritually. But you know what is eternally true about me? I am His. I belong to Jesus and I always will. NOTHING can change that (Rom. 8:38-39)! Plus, I've always loved the analogy between a fairytale and my spiritual journey. You know what? Let me just copy down what I journaled this morning instead of thinking this up all over again...
     "In Christ, don't the hard things work to make the life beautiful? One cannot reach happily ever after without first slaying the dragon. And one cannot slay the dragon without first encountering the dragon. Between the once upon a time and happily ever after there is inevitably pain. But there is a happily ever after for those in Christ. And along with the dragons, there is the unconditional love of the King. There is grace even in the battle."
    
~Amber