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

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

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

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)

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 :)

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!

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 :)