I am terrible at titling things.

This morning I had the privilege to be a part of something huge.  Central Baptist, the church that I’ve attended for literally my entire life has begun to branch out to multiple sites in the city.  Journey Campus is something that began with a group of college students and has developed into something so much bigger than we could have imagined. Now, I usually have a tendency to resist huge changes, and I was a little skeptical at first about possibly moving to a new location and being a part of a new campus of Central.

With the launch of an entirely new campus, there are so many things that have to go into that and at first I found myself wondering “what have we gotten ourselves into?” To answer, that question, I will just say that what we have gotten ourselves into is a group of people who love the Lord and who are passionate in serving and doing anything they need to in order to follow in obedience.  This Journey Campus is a church of people who are so eager to serve.  I’m so fortunate to be able to take part in something that is so much bigger than myself.  The Journey Campus has some amazing leaders and committed volunteers serving in any way they can. Shout out to the volunteers! 

Today was the Journey Campus’ first Sunday morning on the Arkansas State University Campus and let me just say…whoa.  We have been counting down to this day for weeks now, and its finally here! Pretty cool, right?

I am sad to say that I only have two more Sundays with the Journey Campus before I leave for three months!  That’s right, I will be leaving in just a couple weeks to go to Mt. Ida, AR to start my photography job at Camp Ozark! Needless to say, I am having some conflicting emotions about leaving, but I’m confident that it will be a great summer.

oh hey, links: 

http://centralbaptist.com/

http://www.journeycampus.com/

My one word is on my computer. (:

We have been in a series on Sunday mornings called "ONE word" and we've been challenged to come up with one word to describe who Christ is in our lives.  We were given yellow post-it notes to write our word on and put in various places.  Its such an encouragement to be walking somewhere and see a yellow post-it with the word "Guide" or "Redeemer" on it. 

Okay, bye. 

Its thundering right now.

Now playing: 30 Seconds to Mars

Number of windows open on my computer: 6

I am an excellent multi-tasker.

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope you are all having an excellent day so far. My day actually started off bad and has gotten better since I got out of class. Funny how that works, yes? (; After my two least favorite classes were over, I got to see some people that I don’t see on a regular basis, I have finally had coffee and am currently wearing my favorite sweatshirt AND I have a microwavable stuffed elephant to keep me company on this rainy day.  Here is proof: (which, now that I am thinking about it, proof, is a very odd word.)

But anyways. Lets begin with spring break. So, I was super pumped to have a week off of school to “finish a book” and “write a paper.”  While those things did actually happen, I must say that my spring break mostly consisted of sleeping, spending multiple hours working in Photoshop, finally finishing LOST and watching HGTV. All. Day. Long. Yes, but I can blame my sister for that new addiction.

I don’t know what it is really, but I’ve somehow already run out of things to say. How unusual. I will have something more thought-provoking to share next time. Promise!

Just in case you were wondering... No, my blog does not have any sort of theme.

Note: This is a potentially ironic post; stay tuned to decide for yourself.

After taking a philosophy class and currently taking a psychology class, I’ve become even more analytical than I previously was.  (Not to say that taking such classes automatically has this effect on people, but perhaps it has this effect on people who are already perceptive, analytical, and whatever else.)  Not only do I question the existence of tables and what have you, but I also have begun, even more so than before, to completely pick apart the actions, words, and general personalities of the people I seem to surround myself with on a daily basis.

Now, this may be good or bad; I will explore both options.  The good part of this is that perhaps I’m able to better understand the people and things around me.  This could potentially prove helpful to me in understanding relationships between friends and so on.  Here’s the bad part though: now, because of my super-attentiveness, I tend to overanalyze things and people.  This is the frustrating part.  When I notice every little thing and try to figure out why something is, I tend to get myself in trouble.  I notice that a friend is acting a certain way that might be considered a bit out of character for them and I automatically begin to wonder why that could be.  Is that friend upset about something?  What could have upset them?  Is it something that I did?  How do I fix it?  This type of thought is potentially stressful to the thinker.

Just something I’ve noticed:

When emotionally compromised, people tend to act in ways that are not compatible with their usual behavior or personality.

And here’s the thing about that—its totally lame!  This lack of control over emotions that seems to so often occur in several situations, from pre-relationship situations to seemingly irrational rants caused by a myriad of random happenings, is not only harmful to the decision-making process, but is also annoying for most all witnesses.  Anyway.

This post is basically my random thoughts just spilling out of my head and is the result of my present frustration. Ironic?  Probably.

In other news, I’ve gotten to take several new pictures lately, which is totally bomb.  And also, I’ve started going to the gym again. I know, I know; it seems crazy.

And in closing to a very random post, I’ll leave you with this:

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

Just something good to remember for people like me. (:

Peace out, girl scout. ♥

Under the Influence?

It is truly amazing to see the different people God places in your life.  Over the years I’ve known some very different types of people with varying personalities, but after having a job and then coming to college, I’ve never been more shocked by the people I’ve encountered.

In high school, I feel like we are all exposed to the same generic people.  While, yes, they are still unique, the exposure in a high school is just barely even a sample of all the different people in the world.

In my first semester in college, I’ve learned an incredible amount about people and the impact they can have on a life.  Of course, the college experience is known for providing the most attractive temptations, which almost always have an undesirable end result.  But, while those temptations are definitely present, I’ve discovered an entirely new influence on my life since coming to college.

I’ve often wondered, even from the very beginning of the semester, what on Earth I was doing at Arkansas State University; there didn’t seem to be much that interested me here, and I fought so hard for so long to go to a different school.  But, clearly, in the end I made the decision to attend ASU; and as I’ve been struggling through my firs semester, I’ve decided: if there is no other reason why I’m at Arkansas State, it is for the purpose of meeting some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. 

It took a little time, but I’ve gotten to know some amazing people this semester, which is such a blessing.  Even when I’m stressing about school and trying to convince myself that it isn’t all a waste, I think about the fact that if I weren’t here, I wouldn’t have the privilege to know the people who have helped me maintain my sanity this first semester.  I am extremely blessed to have so many great friends who influence my life in the most positive way.

You know who you are!

Peace and Blessings, loves. 

I love the Lion King.

So, I’m watching the Lion King right for the first time in AGES.  I’ve missed this movie so much!  The music is brilliant, and it reminds me of my childhood.  Wise words spoken from Mufasa about the circle of life. (: I forgot how much I love this movie. 

In other news, happy December!  Today has been an excellent day so far.  I got all my homework done in a very timely manner last night, allowing me to be stress free this morning.  I got to walk to class this morning in my peacoat with my peppermint coffee in hand as the clock towered played Christmas music.  Then, I got out of my fine arts music class early and was actually prepared for the quiz in my history class. Win.  Also, today was my last day in biology lab.  And, it’s Wednesday, which means I get to go to church tonight.  In summary, I’m in a fantastic mood.

Simba was pretty brave to slap that hyena in the face like that.

My roommate, the beautiful and brilliant Molly Caid, pointed out that this whole movie is an allusion for Hamlet. Hm, I might have known that if I had actually finished reading Hamlet.

Molly and I have a tiny Christmas tree! 

It's December, guys, get excited.

This is the source of my procrastination.

You know what I think I need?  A break from life as it is now. I want to experience life in a new way.  In a way that makes me feel like I’m actually living.  I want to travel all over the country and discover new things in unexpected places, meet people I would never normally encounter, and do something crazy just because I can.  I want to go and discover and live and love every minute of it, hopefully discovering myself in the process.

Its cliché, but I’ll say it anyway: I only have one life to live.  Am I truly living?  Sometimes life seems too careful, too planned, too expected.  Monotonous.  I wonder what its like to have no stress, no worries, no one to let down but yourself.  In my philosophy class we read the book “A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will.”  In the book, the author, Robert Kane discusses the different ideas from various brilliant philosophers about whether or not we have any freedom at all.  One of the first questions the book presents is this: What is freedom?  That, I think, is an excellent question to ask ourselves.  Look in a dictionary.  You’ll see definitions like, “the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint,” or “the power to determine action without restraint.”  See, these are only attempts at explaining what it is to be free.  Philosophers have pondered for years…Are we truly free? Are our actions determined? If so, who determines our actions?  The complications that arise when we try to answer these questions is frustrating, to say the least.  I can thank my philosophy professor for putting these thoughts in my head.

Whatever freedom is, I know I want to feel it.  Right now, it seems as if I’m so stuck in my obligations and expectations.  School. Work. Study. Say the right thing.  Please the right people.  Sometimes, I think freedom might just be releasing the constant tension in my shoulders that is ever-present from the stress of simply living life.  I wonder if life will ever really be about living, or if such a thing is merely fantasy.  And, if I were to ever really live life, what would that look like?  In my head, I see myself out in the world, taking pictures and changing the lives of the people I meet.  However, this truly does seem like a fantasy.  I’ve always liked the idea of a fantasy world.  Maybe that is the purpose of an imagination: to create a place in which to escape from the seemingly not-so-full-of-life life.

I’ve set a goal to take some time every week to do something that is purely for myself and nothing more.  Paint something.  Read for fun.  Go for a walk.

There are no expectations in taking a walk.