2013 ~ 2014

Ok… Now that I’m in a super thankful state of mind, I think I’ll do something a little more lighthearted. Anyone up for cliche New Years Resolutions lists? ;) I actually really like lists, so I’m going to do two! I did not put a ton of thought into these, though. They are just off the top of my head. :)

First up is 13 things that I have really appreciated about 2013. Significant or otherwise. :)

1. My family. Always seems to be high on the list. ;) They have been so supportive through all of the things that I have been going through this year.
2. My dear fellow Muses. Thanks for picking up right where we left off. :)
3. Coffee. No question. I usually don’t go a day without it.
4. God’s super amazing faithfulness. I don’t even have words to describe it.
5. My weaknesses. God has taught me a lot through my weaknesses this year, and it’s been really hard for me. But I have learned more than I ever could have because of them.
6. New friends. Praise God for His provision of these wonderful and godly new friends. Young and old!
7. Inspiration. Through music, art, literature… I just have really been appreciative of beauty in these areas.
8. Simple pleasures. The beach. Puppies. Movie theaters and buttered popcorn. Random jam sessions. Kids. Classical music. Good books. Stargazing.
9. School. That’s right! I have really enjoyed school this year, and I’ve been learning more from it than ever before. :)
10. Music. Specifically this year, I am thankful for the opportunities to make music with other people. And not just to make music, but to express our hearts through music and use that expression to bless others. I am so thankful that God created music!!
11. Teachers and Mentors. This year I have been given numerous new teachers who have given of their time and personal experience to teach their students. I have also gained new spiritual and musical mentors, who have specifically honed in on my abilities and believed in me. Thank you to these amazing people! Also to the people from home who have continued to pray for me.
12. Reading. I’ve had to read a lot of theological books this year. Some by choice, and some for specific classes and such. I have really enjoyed them, even if some of them were read hurriedly to meet a deadline. ;)
13. Last, but not least… Technology. It seems like a very non-sentimental thing to be thankful for, but it has been very helpful in 2013. Facetime. Enough said. ;)

And now.. 14 things about 2014! Although, I probably should have been more clear. I definitely do not plan to make a list of 14 resolutions for 2014. However, I will make a list of 14 things that, if I did, would shape my life in a beneficial way. And maybe some things that I am looking forward to in 2014. :)

1. Communication. I would love to stay in better communication with my family and friends back home. I need to be more intentional about it. Can I also give a shout-out to Erato?? She sends me letters even though I never write back! She’s pretty much the greatest. :)
2. Practice. I really need to practice my musical instruments more. I have new teachers and new opportunities to use my musical gifts, and I would love to make the time to take advantage of those opportunities.
3. Write. It would be awesome if I could find the time to write. Journal, Blog posts, a novel - I don’t care! Just something. :)
4. Exercise. Oh, the cliche New Years Resolution. But ever so needed. ;)
5. Encouragement. I want to be a person of encouragement. I want to become one of those people that someone would come to when they need to talk.
6. Reading. I would love to read some really great books this year, on my own initiative.
7. Cleaning. Yep! I’d like to keep my room clean AND organized this next year. It would make things a lot easier and less stressful.
8. Time. With all of these goals, I need to learn to balance my time. It will not be easy. But it is possible to take small steps.
9. Prayer. I want to be a person of prayer. So many people have prayed for me and it has made a difference in my life. I want to be in constant communication with God so that my fellowship with Him is kept true and my relationship with Him is real.
10. Limited Technology. As much as technology is a blessing in communication, it really does hinder me with all it offers in the area of entertainment. Definitely takes away from the time I need to do all of these other things, for sure!
11. Relationships. I am so looking forward to the relationships that will be built this year! Some may begin, some may develop, and some may end. But I am so thankful for the people I am surrounded with.
12. Relax. With all of the things that I will be running around a doing, I need to take time to relax. Actually, a lot of the things on this list are designed to help me slow down and refocus on what is important.
13. Love. I want to love people without expecting anything back. I don’t do that very often. I want to be genuine with people.
14. Ministry. I am going to have so many amazing opportunities to serve God this year! I just want to take advantage of these opportunities. I also want to be sure to have good fellowship with God while serving Him, so that my service is flowing from thankfulness and is in His power. 

Here’s to 2014! It’s going to be great. :) Even with all of this to look forward to, Come Lord, Quickly.

Reflections ~ 2013

Hey all! I know it’s been much too long since I’ve posted. Honestly, the blog had completely slipped off of my radar this past semester. I’ve had some crazy life changes going on - the biggest being a 700-mile move away from my friends and family. It’s been tough, but can I just say that God has been incredibly faithful? He seriously has taught me so much in the past few months, even when I have not been willing to learn.

As so many bloggers are posting their 2014 resolutions and such, I am constantly reminded of each person’s desire for a fresh start. A second chance at success. A clean slate.

I’m here to tell you that there is not a restart button on life. Of course, there is transformation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15-17) and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for His work in my life! I am thankful that He has worked through the hard times, and used those times to teach me. But there have been specific events in my life that have shaped me, and also constant struggles and temptations that I face. These struggles are not meant to be forgotten. And the decisions that I make also affect my lifestyle and habits. It is in the everyday decisions that I learn, and in which I also make mistakes.

This song by Jonny Diaz has always made me reflect on these events and struggles, but has also always made me thankful that Christ does not hide His scars. He proclaims the most humbling time of His life and used that very experience to save mankind! That blows my mind when I think about it. He did not use His great and majestic power in the way we would use power - to make things easy. He chose to save us in such a unique and difficult way that no other religious system will ever understand.

Just some thoughts. Check in tomorrow for my personal “New Years Resolution” lists! :) I hope you all enjoy your last hours of 2013! :)

Worship. *Dun-dun-dun...*

Yeah. I said it. Worship.

Now, before you get your knickers all in a knot, hear me out. Or read me out. Whatever. I'm not here to chew you out because you dance in the aisles. I'm also not here to chew you out because you've never raised your hands. (Although, if you're not raising your hand in school, then you may have a problem.) I'm here to say that no matter how you worship, I'm just glad you are worshipping.

Many people will give you a list of guidelines, (a.k.a. rules) that you HAVE to follow! If you don't you obviously aren't saved. And as they wave the threat of losing your salvation over your head, doesn't that just make you want to worship with all your heart? Yeah. Not as much. Alternately, if maybe there was someone who gave you a list of things to worship about. A guideline for new worshipers? Not a behavior book, but a list of awesome things to celebrate!

Because it all really comes down to who and why, not how. I'm sure I worship God in different ways than anyone reading this. But that doesn't make me any better or worse. And it doesn't make either of our ways to worship wrong. Society, and many church members, will never tell us this. But God does. David worshiped God so intensely that, well, you know the story. (2 Samuel 6:12-23) God didn't strike him with fire or anything. God did, however discipline his wife for basically saying that David was wrong to worship that way. This is something that I find reassuring when people around me aren't raising their hands, but I feel like doing so. I mean, it works the other way too. I'm probably not being super clear, but this is also helping me to think this out.

One last clarification. Worship is not emotionalism. Being emotional is often part of worship, but the two are not the same. I can cry a river over something religious, in church, or with other Christians, but that does not make my river worship. That makes my river over something religious, in church, or with other Christians. Feeling is fine but to some extent if that is the only facet of your worship, you are missing something. There is so much more to worship than emotion. There is a knowledge of who God is, His characteristics. His awesome characteristics that make Him who He is.

I worship an amazing God. I know that He loves me no matter what. That's why I worship Him.

Procrastiation and Summer, because those two things go together.

Hey! Yeah.... I know, we're pretty good at the whole procrastination thing, huh? My apologies. We are still alive and talking to each other, but we neglected to write anything about it. We made a summer bucket list one day!

Out of those 17 items, we accomplished three completely. There were six others that at least three muses participated in, but we were always missing one. :( 

Something that didn't get on the bucket list, and was only a three muses operation, was a mud bowl. :) Our church and several surrounding ones, get together and destroy an area behind a church, then have obstacle courses, tug-of-war, and, of course, mud fights. ;) This year one of the girls from our church suggested going in formal outfits. We had a blast! Everyone found dresses at thrift stores and goodwill (I got the best deal, at around four dollars). One of the guys dressed up as well, so we had some fun with that. ;) 

These are blurred for privacy and all that,
 but here we are with clean dresses....

...and not so clean.

One of the other muses has pictures from the glow bubble experiment, and hopefully you can see those soon. We watched Avengers!! *sigh* I like that movie. Hawkeye is totally the coolest. And with our group, movie watching is an experience. We did get matching t-shirts, but haven't really put them to use yet. In the same shoppping raid though, we got hats. :) 

We got fun glitter flowers to individualize them as well! There's a small snapshot of summer for us! (Well, me at least.) 

Farewell, 'til I beat procrastiation again!

      Erato

Baking!

Hi all!

Three muses got together the other day, (one was out of town) and "experimented". Now most of the muses are wonderful bakers. One, on the other hand, can ruin brownies out of a box. That'd be me. So when I went to this experimentation, I mostly photographed. This meant that we could all eat the food safely. :)

Clio has some biscuits that she makes called volcanoes. (Dun-dun-duun.) This is the documentary of our tweaking them, and making a mess in the process.

See, we did clean up!

We made one peach, but didn't end up eating it.

So, that's about all! Except they were delish, and I couldn't even finish three of them!!
Erato

Interview - Andrew Joyce

Today we have an interview with a very special guest!! I have known Andrew for quite a few years, and would love for all of you to get to know him and what he does. Andrew is a web designer/entrepreneur, a rebelutionary, and is the founder and administrator of Into the Book. Into the Book is Andrew's first and longest-running project, and has always been full of solid content. I would encourage you all to check out Into the Book and take advantage of its resources! I'll let Andrew explain what Into the Book is, and hopefully you'll also get to know Andrew and his heart through this interview! :) 

10 Things You Should Never Say To....

It's been a while now, but Blimey Cow recently posted two videos that complemented each other. They were titled, "10 ThingsYou Sould Never Say To a Girl" and "10 Things You Should Never Say To a Guy", respectively. The one about things guys shouldn't say to us, in a healthy fear for their lives ;) was released first. Soon the Blimey Cow community was beggining for the natural sequel, the other way around.

The first one I watched, laughed, and appreciated the fact that maybe they'd help some poor male floundering in confusion. Some of these were common courtesy, and should go both ways. :)

Then was the one that I felt was more applicable to me, Ten Things That You Should Never Say to a Guy. This one actually impacted me quite a bit. As I've been posting, I like being in charge, and doing things. Well, that also means I'm often guilty of saying, (to both genders) "Here, just let me do it." I've never realized how that really could/does make someone feel. So, I've been trying stop doing that since I've seen this video.

Hopefully, you can see something in one of these videos that you do/say that you could stop. I know I actually have several, but I can only work on one at a time. :)
Erato