Untimely...

There's nothing like being sick, or knowing that you're headed that way. For the past two days my throat has been a little sore every once and awhile. I figured it was due to allergy related drainage. Too bad it's not going away. And I feel pooped. Too bad this is the last week of class before finals and I have 3 major group presentations to present this week. Blah. How untimely! Honestly, body, couldn't you have held out until school was out! Oh well. At least I have an excuse to take more naps. Hopefully this will disappear...say...Tomorrow.

Justice and Injustice in Everyday Life

When we think about justice and injustice in our lives what exactly do we think about? Do we think about the war in Iraq, genocide in Sudan, children starving in third world countries, and other Oprah-worthy acts of social injustice. How do we or should we define justice and injustice?
A few weeks ago in Wednesday Chapel James Cole, the assistant Chaplain, gave his definitions.
First, he defined power. Though power is often attributed to money or position he defined power as influence.
Injustice: the use of power to oppress others.
Justice: the use of power to liberate others.

He further defined oppression as dehumanizing someone and liberation as humanizing someone. This leads to his complete definition of the terms being:

Injustice : The use of power (influence) to oppress (dehumanize) others.
Justice: The use of poor (influence) to liberate (humanize) others.

James continued to say that injustice is not just something that we see on the news but something that we experience in our everyday lives, mostly in relationships with others.

In our relationships with others, whether it be with parents, friends, significant others, or people we lead, we have the opportunity to use our power (influence) justly or unjustly. There are ways in which we act unjustly (dehumanize) : lying, manipulating, gossiping, etc.
And opportunities to act justly (liberate): telling the truth even when it's painful, being supportive, breaking up when in an unhealthy dating relationship, etc.

We have the chance to free people from chains, perhaps even chains we've put them in. No longer is injustice only seen in poor foreign countries, it's in poor western relationships.

It's time to be liberators and not oppressors.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jesus. Luke 4:18-19 (also check out Isaiah 61:1-3)

I heart Saturday Night Live

It's true. I've loved Snl for a long time. I think my parents were the ones to really get the ball rolling. Even when we were young (and didn't know what they were doing) they would reference old characters from the first seasons. My affinity for the show grew in those awkward middle school/junior high years when all I needed to add to my awkwardness to make it even more awkward was attempting comedic timing. Anyway.... I hadn't watched it for quite sometime now due to my love of sleep and/or social Saturday nights. I finally started watching again this year.
The cast has changed a lot and has been through some sucky times. However, I think it's starting to turn around. I'm loving the new cast, especially the incredibly talented ladies and the nerdy young guys. My favorite female cast member is probably Amy Poehler. Before SNL she was on a great Comedy Central show called the Upright Citizens Brigade that was birthed from the casts improv group.

Just to share with you the things that I've enjoyed from the show I've linked to my favorite sketches, both recent and vintage.

Look alikes
Digital Short
The Sarcastic Clapping Family of Southampton
Spartan Cheerleaders:Cheer Camp
Olympia Cafe
Action 8 Newswatch
Botox

Worship and Intercession

Last night Jen, Cayla, Paul Son, and I traveled to Chase, Ks, to check out the Harp and Bowl House of Prayer. We had become connected with Alan, the director, during The 48. One of our schools cleaning ladies goes to their church and had told them about The 48 continuing. Alan and the director of children's ministries, Melinda, came to Kilbourn Prayer to see what we're up to. They've offered their facilities and resources to us and have really made us feel welcomed.

We had a great time! They even invited us to come up and sing with them. I took advantage of the opportunity and was really blessed. We all came away feeling refreshed and encouraged. It's incredibly encouraging to know there are other people so close to us (30 minutes) that also have a desire to see night and day prayer and lives transformed by Jesus. Jen and I returned this morning for their Sunday services.

This was very refreshing for me. All the crud that I'd been carrying around this week just doesn't seem like such a big deal now. Once you are connected with the one thing that really matters things of no consequence seem so obviously that, inconsequential. I am reminded again and again that the place of prayer is not a burdensome place but a place of joy and communion/ joy in communion. Like Misty Edwards says (paraphrase), "If you want to live a life of transcendence, get into the place of prayer. Prayer has real impact."

"And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."And they sang a new song... Revelation 5:8-9a

Wedding Showers

There's nothing that makes a teenager feel older than a wedding shower. Granted I'm nineteen, in college, and Sterling is like marriage capital of the ACCK (Association of Christian Colleges in Kansas, or something similar to that), I still feel too young to actually attend as the friend of the bride-to-be and not just a tag along with my Mom.

The shower was for my R.D. Jen "soon to be Pierce" Baranowski. We've become pretty close this year through Kilbourn Prayer and planning The 48 together. The shower included games like "How well do you know Jen?" and "Make a wedding dress out of toilet paper." I'm sure they have more scientific names but you get the idea. Then there was present opening. I think this has to be the most awkward part of the shower. Granted, it really isn't that awkward at all, but it is sort of awkward. Why? It's just like opening presents at birthdays or graduation: everybody is watching you open every single present waiting to see your reaction. Then they gauge their life's happiness off of how much you smiled and the sound of delight you made.

All together it was a good time and we had a lot of fun. I think it was a good 'first wedding shower experience'. Now I've got some ideas for my sister's shower. What will be really scary is when friends my age start to have them. (Shivers). Friends, please don't hurry. We're still young.

Everybody put your hands together for the weekend!!!

Oh man. This has been one crazy, frustrating, and craptastic week. It wasn't all bad, just mostly.
Here's the big deal: I broke up with Nate on Wednesday. It wasn't easy. In fact it sucked and was more uncomfortable and horrible than I could even write. It needed to be done, though. I do feel like this was the best option and stand firm in my decision. All though I do feel bad for hurting him I know from my side of things it would be unfair to continue dating him. I don't want to go into the whole explanation and thus will try to sum it up in a few key phrases.

1. We make a good couple, but better friends.
2. I've got my own things to figure out before I drag another person into it.
3. If it continued any longer there would be greater pain and awkwardness on both parts.

The hardest part now is retaining our friendship. We are still in the very awkward post-breakup phase were you don't want to be around, let alone see, the other person lest it remind you of what was and now isn't. It will get better with time. Either way, I've decided to leave the "break-up photo' in the post about the dance up. I think it provides some good irony. Hopefully that irony will become humorous and not dramatic.

On top of breaking up I've got three group projects on my plate. It's not so much that I hate group projects, but I'm so busy right now that its very inconvenient to have to work with other people. I'm the person in the group that schedules and organizes everything too. That's a lot of effort. I'd rather study and take a test. Also next week is production week fo the One Acts. It's bound to get crazy.

Other than that my week has been ok. Less depressing posts to come.

Cargo Cults

Cargo cults-Very interesting concept. Some say crazy, but not Dr. Froese or Marvin Harris. Dr. Froese is one of my professors. He mainly teaches psychology but teachers an amazing Gen. Ed. called Human Social Context, a class which combines sociology, psychology, economics, and govt.
Marvin Harris is author of a book we read from that class called Cows , Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture. In this book Harris explores the deeper sociological issues behind cultural weirdness or conundrums such as why people don't eat cows in India, why witch trials really happened, and how tribal economic distribution works. It's pretty interesting.

Today, being the nerd that I am, I discovered a news story discussing a cargo cult that we read about in Harris' book.
Read the link: click here .

Then read this quote from Harris:
"Inevitably, these concepts--many rather precisely analogous to themes in the aboriginal belief system--had to become an idiom in which mass resistance to colonial exploitation was first expressed. "Mission Christianity" was the womb of rebellion. By repressing any form of open agitation, strikes, unions, or political parties, the Europeans themselves guaranteed the triumph of cargo. It was relatively easy to see that the missionaries were lying when they said that cargo would only be given to people who worked hard. What was difficult to grasp was that there was a definite link between the wealth enjoyed by the Australians and Americans and the work of the natives. Without the cheapness of native labor and the expropriation of native lands, the colonial powers would never have gotten so rich. In one sense, therefore, the natives were entitled to the products of the industrialized nations even though they couldn't pay for them. Cargo was their way of saying this. And that, I believe, is it's true secret."

Finally! A restful weekend

This past weekend was great. Why was it awesome? Well, if you must know I shall compile of list of reasons:

1. Easter!: Jesus is alive! Everybody comes to church! Peeps!
2. Family: Mom, Dad, Ang, Trav, and Jack were all at home. Lots of quality time.
3. Friends: Nate came home with me. We hung out a lot. Good times included jam sessions, games of tag, playing with the baby, and watching campy Batman movie.
4. Homework: I actually got homework done!
5. Rest: Unlike a lot of weekends where there are an abundance of people at home I actually got some good alone time and lazy time.

That was great timing for such a good weekend. Now I think I can make it these last few weeks of school.

Fingers-crossed.

Almost...The...Weekend....

So far it's been a good week. It's going to be a great weekend considering that I have Friday off. Tonight was like Thursday. It's like I get two Fridays!

God has been doing some cool stuff in my life personally. Besides just feeling more focused I've felt like God has been using this time to remind me of who I am. More importantly God has been reminding me of who He is. I've been studying a lot about the Church and her different roles as told in scripture. Somehow I think I lost track of how important it is to know who God is first.
I'd forgotten this simple concept:
If you don't know who God is then you don't know who you are.
As people we are made in the image of God. We are made to know Him and enjoy Him forever. He has made us, defined us, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Like A.W. Tozer writes in his book The Knowledge of the Holy (if you want to borrow it you can), "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." The chapter continues to discuss how our ideas (high or low) about God impact every aspect of our lives and why it's important to 'think rightly about God'.
It's time for me to stop striving in vain to find out who I am and focus on who God is. Once I start looking to Him all the little things I worry about as well as those major stress points won't seem so burdensome. Trust will replace worry. Grace will replace striving. Hope will replace fear. His desires will replace my desires. No set date for all this to be accomplished, but I'm on my way.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

Pictures from the dance

We are adorable, thank you.











We call this one "the break-up photo."

A week? Really?...Sorry about that...

Sorry, guys (those who actually read my blog have the honor of being addressed as guys). I have left you with a cliffhanger for a week now. Not very nice of me. I'll try to give you all the updates.
So, the dance. Saturday went great! Nate and I danced and ate and watched IMAX films about the ocean and people who like to study it. We were being pretty chummy at the dance and enjoying ourselves. We left at 11:30 mostly because we were tired of the music. On the drive home we admitted that we both liked each other and decided to go from there. We decided to get to know each other better as friends in the context of dating. So we parked in my dorm parking lot and ended up talking, listening to music, and once and a while going on walks until 7:30am on Sunday. Nothing like a 13 hour first date. It was a lot of fun. So now we're dating. Cool.

What else has happened. . .

God has been opening up new opportunities to me. This week several leadership positions were offered to me. It's interesting because all of them were things I thought would be neat to do or I would really enjoy.
1.) Worship leading- The campus activities board has an event called Fuel that they do a couple times a semester. Fuel consists of worship and a speaker in a much more casual setting than chapel. This past Thursday they asked me to worship lead. I was pretty excited. I got together my friends Molly (to sing) and Cayla (to sing and play guitar) with me. It was a really neat experience and I was blessed through it.
2.) Tuesday Night Prayer, a.k.a "Kilbourn prayer"- Tuesday Night Prayer is something I've been involved in all year. Before I even came to Sterling I knew that God had some big plans and that He would use me. In my own scheming I dreamt about having a gathering that did the Ihop (prayer, not pancakes) model of worship and prayer in a few years. I came to campus and it already existed at Tuesday Night Prayer. My good friend Ben Edwards, who co-leads the group, decided to turn over his reigns to me next year. I am very excited because it is something that I am very passionate about!
3.) Chaplin-Our campus has chaplains to help with Chapel, counseling students, leading Bible studies, and the like. I was invited to be a Chaplin next year! I'm really excited. As of now I am going to co-chair the position of spiritual Formation with my fellow freshman friend David Fuller. We get to assess the spiritual needs on campus and find our how to meet them as well as training other chaplains to meet them.
4.) Prayer Leader- I am also a prayer leader next year. I am part of the first edition of prayer leaders. I will be assigned to a wing and will be responsible for praying for daily, praying with, and building relationship with up to 5 girls on my wing. I think this will really grow me and I am very excited about where I will end up with and with who.

I am continually amazed that God is including me in His various plans and giving me awesome servant leadership opportunities as a freshman. Crazy.

Anyway....another weekend. I'll try to post more.

P.S. Schools almost over!!!

Tonight's plans: Spring Formal

Tonight is the Spring formal. I'm equally as excited as I am annoyed. I'm excited about having a dance and having a fun date, but I'm never that excited about getting all dressed up. I tend to have more fun at dances where I can be comfy in jeans and tennis shoes.
The formal is actually off campus, which surprised me. It's at the cosmosphere in Hutch, a place wearied from field trips but cool in the formal dance context. Along with a dance there will be dinner and an Imax film.
I'm excited about going with my good friend Nate Prior. If you don't know who he is just look up his name and he'll be cited in several posts. The two of us are going to Freddy's for some frozen custard so we don't starve since our dinner is at 8:00.

Who knows what the night will hold?
Dancing? Hopefully decent. You bet.
Fun? No doubt.
The unexpected? I wouldn't be surprised.