finals

It’s finals week. So what does that mean? It means coffee shops have overtaken my bank account and my nutrition. I wake up craving Panera’s blueberry bagel. My first study break is when I am hungry again for the broccoli cheddar soup. At night, I take my chances finding a table at Starbucks and “rewarding” myself on my day of studying by asking the barista to whip up a caramel frapaccino. Let’s be honest, during exam week the most you have to look forward to is your next cup of coffee. 

So what’s the point? Finals have become the Battle of the Cram. I have done my best this semester to not only learn as I go, but study in advance. However, I still question whether or not I will remember Toumlin’s 3 Elements of Messages in a week... or better yet – if I will even care. I believe finals are a way to show your teacher that you care enough about your grade… whatever the cost- weight gain, suppressed socialization, caffeine overdoses, or becoming broke.

Here’s to Spring Finals 2010… bring it. 

legacy

“I maybe here for a short while, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But, in whatever part you play, be remembered as part of a legacy...of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It's that legacy that never dies” 

Thomas Scott

I am a few days late on this. However, I was looking through old pictures and wished I could do something to pay respect to my late, but ever-influential grandmother, "Mom". "Mom" was the definition of a woman of God. Her and my mom could really put up a good fight for the most dedicated woman I have ever known. "Mom" left a legacy within my dad, my family, and several others around her. Her spirit, strength, and smile have lingered on years past her body. A year before she passed she gave me a plaque that read "Someone prayed for you today." Well, today I will pray for her and thank God for the role model and inspiration she was. I love you, Mom. 

be still and know

I should now get the award for world’s worst blogger. I seemed to have run into a writer’s block for about… a month. But I vowed to write about things I did or experienced that were uncomfortable, but freeing. And it seems as if my life was not as exciting as I would have hoped for in the last month. I’m not complaining. Stillness is one of God’s greatest gifts. I read in my devotional book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, the other day:

“Don't fall into the trap of being constantly on the go. Many, many things people do in My Name have no value in My kingdom. To avoid doing meaningless works, stay in continual communication with Me.”

This has been the most exciting thing in my life lately – making time for God. How selfish does that sound? How crazy of a thought is it that God should have to wait around on me. It’s like saying “Thanks for blessing me with a wonderful life, but I just really don’t have time to talk about it or hear about you right now… maybe tomorrow.” I have been saying that subconsciously for twenty years now. My most recent goal has been to avoid this. How can I justify blowing God off? And for what? T.V.? Facebook (which I have recently given up for Lent)? 15 more minutes of sleep? Well, not anymore! And through this, I have been blessed in the simplest of ways. I have peace. I have peace about everything. Whether it be a relationship, a test, or a decision, once I pray about the situation, it is as if it is no longer worth my worry. I have learned how much better God is at handling my life than I am.

"I am glad that so much movement happens in this stillness." 

-Richard Land

bienvenidos

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. 

Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

-Mark Twain

College years are the best years of your life. Duh. Well, I want to be able to look back one day and remember them as clearly as possible. Not so I can dwell in the past, but so I can be thankful for how blessed I am in this stage of life. So why has it taken me so long to start a blog, you ask? Hmmm. Because I don’t really know what to talk about. I don’t jump off mountains, raise a crazy family, walk on red carpets, or do missions work in Africa. However, I do love my life. I have great friends, an even better family, and a perfect God. So hopefully one of these things can bring interest to someone somewhere!

I am not going to give an intense first-blog-biography. That’d be boring. So quick and easy – I grew up in the suburbs of Nashville with two younger brothers (Philip and Eric), a baby sister (Halli), and admirable parents for putting up with all of us.
I want my blog to not only be an outlet for my thoughts, but also an encouragement to my life. One of the most rewarding acts of life is to do something that takes courage. Just like Mr. Twain, I want to feel the liberation that comes from danger, discomfort, and becoming a difference. I will try and do things weekly that have taken me off my comfortable path. I hope these things, whether insignificant and brief or life changing, will arise positive effects: building experience, developing faith, and lots of fun. I welcome 2010 with arms wide open. 

This is my life in the trade winds.