Snippets

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Well, I've had good intentions for the last month to blog about a few things, and today marks a month since my last post. Maybe instead of "hell" the above quote should say "boring blogs" or something of that nature, but you get the point.


Blue and Pink Lenses

To begin, a conversation I had with Nathan after getting some guidance on how to improve my resume:
Me: "I feel so much better about life now that my resume has been critiqued."
Nathan: "Hmm... don't you mean you feel better about being able to get a job."
Me: "No, I feel better about ALL of life."

Later I was thinking about this conversation and I think it reveals a lot about the difference between men and women. Females tend to see connections between all parts of their lives, while males are more apt to be one-track minded.

A good illustration I've heard is this: imagine a set of drawers. If this set of drawers were male, it would only have one drawer open at a time at any given moment. In contrast, if this set of drawers were female all of the drawers would be open at all times in varying degrees and the clothes would probably drape from one drawer to the next. Another helpful example is that men are like waffles, their minds are compartmentalized, while women are like spaghetti, with all things being connected and overlapping.

This explains why I felt better about ALL of life because ONE part of it was in order. If it were Nathan, he would probably not have felt the heightened stress that day anyway, and once his resume was complete, he would check it off his list and go on to the next thing. (Or something like that... I say that as if I've figured men out, but I promise I haven't!)


Comparison

The other thing I wanted to write about has to do with remembrance. I was reading through my journal from the Forge and came across something that seemed so logical and freeing at the same time. I think I originally got the idea from the book, Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller.

In my humble observation of life, I've noticed that everyone seems to almost constantly compare themselves to everyone else. This is a tiring and often frustrating thing, and to further that thought is a much different conversation. The point I want to make is this. We are created in such a way that we find our identity outside of ourselves. We intuitively search for someone else to tell us that we are valuable and that we have a purpose and a reason for being on this earth and living and breathing. Our insistence upon comparison points to our innate desire to know and be known by God. This seems to be a better answer than "simply stop comparing yourself." Let your desire to compare yourself to someone else (and therefore add or subtract value) point you to the One who says you're so valuable that He sent his Son to die for you so you could have life.

I've Got to Hand it to Willard

For those of you who've read The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard may recognize the bumper sticker that I saw the other day. It reads,

"Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty."

When I first read Willard's book, I had never seen this bumper sticker and, honestly, I thought he was a little ku-ku for making such a big deal about it.


"In the shambles of fragmented assurances from the past, our longing for goodness and rightness and acceptance--and orientation--makes us cling to bumper slogans, body graffiti and gift shop nostrums that in our profound upside-down-ness somehow seem deep but in fact make no sense... [for example] 'Practice random kindnesses and senseless acts of beauty'...
"Such sayings contain a tiny element of truth. But if you try to actually plan your life using them you are immediately in deep, deep trouble. You might as well model your life on Bart Simpson or Seinfeld. But try instead... 'Practice routinely purposeful kindness and intelligent acts of beauty'... What is truly profound is thought to be stupid and trivial, or worse, boring, while what is actually stupid and trivial is thought to be profound...
"And how do you practice something that is random? Of course you can't. What is random may hit you, but whatever is purposely done is certainly not random. And no act of beauty is senseless, for the beautiful is never absurd. Nothing is more meaningful than beauty. (Willard, 16-17)"


As I move back into post-Forge life in college, it's so easy to forget why I'm here. I find myself believing the ridiculous and realizing I'm clinging to things that don't make sense. I don't join clubs to build up my resume, I join them if that is what will bring God the most glory. I don't do homework so I can be the smartest and get the highest GPA and eventually the best job, I do it because that's what God has asked me to do, knowing that He has my future in His hands. I don't need to impress anyone, because I have an audience of one.

I thank God for using Willard to remind me of my absurdity and to point me back to the only life that makes sense, discipleship to Christ.


Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy. London: Fount Paperbacks, 1998.

An "A" for my Thoughts?

I've officially had all of my classes twice now, which means they're more than into full-swing. And I have to hurry up this post so I can go back to the one lecture hall that all my classes are in and retrieve the water bottle I neglected to bring with me. So along with watching an hour-long special on Sir Issac Newton, and reading about manufacturing systems, I was assigned to write an essay answering the question, "What do other people need to know to understand what it's like to be me?" It's for my Expository Writing 1 class, which I put off until this year, but figured I better take it now since it's a pre-requisite for my technical writing class. I thought it was pretty good, and post-worthy material, so here it is! Enjoy.

I left the house later than I wanted to this morning, but that’s usually the case, so I wasn’t too worried. There’s something about already having two years of college under your belt that makes you a little more lax about getting to class. It’s not that I’m lazy; I’m just less worried about a teacher ripping my head off or locking me out of lecture. Anyway, it turned out that I was several minutes early. I guess it takes less time than I remembered to get to Willard.

I was feeling a little self-conscious as I walked up the steps and saw the large crowd amassed in the foyer. I’m really not a big-group person, so I just smiled and tried to glide through the swarm of students. Growing up I was very shy, hardly saying anything at all. But my mom is quite persistent and she wouldn’t let me stay that way—she always encouraged me to speak up and step into the spotlight. In high school, cheerleading and theater really helped me break out of my shell, and now I don’t mind the attention once I get over the initial intimidation I feel.

As soon as I broke through the multitude, I found myself in the familiar comfort of Willard’s sanitarium-white hallways. I smiled as I thought about the art classes I’d taken there and the colorful characters I’d met—polar opposite of the guys in engineering, where I spend most of my time. In the end, I think it was a wise decision to double major in Mechanical Engineering and Art for my first two years. In addition to a GPA boost, I learned a lot about the subjects, myself and people very different from me. I realized that people are just people, and everyone needs a friend.

Walking into Willard 123, I was honestly a little surprised to see so many guys. If this was Engineering Physics or Calculus, I would have expected the ratio… but Expository Writing? I had the feeling you get when you bite into an oatmeal-raisin cookie thinking that it’s oatmeal chocolate chip. It’s not that you’re necessarily disappointed you got raisins, only that you thought it would be chocolate and it’s not. So, I decided to let go of my expectations and gladly accept what Providence had dealt.

Next, I did what any socially-adept person does when they walk into a classroom: I looked for the “safe seat”. A “safe seat” is one that’s in the front half of the classroom (but not the first row), preferably on the end, and even more preferably with a buffer seat between you and the nearest person. Seeing none, but noticing that the second row was full except for the end one closest to the door, I took that opportunity. With so many people sitting beside each other, I didn’t want to look like a loner. As much as I don’t like to be part of the crowd, I’d rather not feel like there’s no room for me if I need to be a part of it.

Sitting there, I found myself thinking it was nice to be back in Kansas again. After spending last year in Texas, it was nice to see familiar faces, to be somewhere that I knew well and to meet people from towns that I recognize. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to do a leadership internship, but it is hard to pack up and move two states away with hardly anyone or anything familiar. This small-town-Kansas girl found Dallas to be a little intimidating at times.

My thoughts were interrupted with the entrance of our teacher. As she began to get settled, I leaned over to get my pen and notebook and thanked God for such a wonderful morning…

Wait... it's Already August?

How long has it been... I guess I forgot to look. I know it must have been a while, because today I looked at my watch and realized it's already 8 days into August. I'm not sure I remember much of June or July... you see, I've been at Pine Cove. In some ways it's like washing your hair 11 times in a row. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. You probably don't distinctly remember one wash from the other. You get done and you realize you're out of shampoo and you're wondering what happened... Well that's sort of like summer camp. I'm looking to be done with my last week of summer camp at Pine Cove. I feel a litttle nostalgic as I think back on my three summers + one year in the Forge. Tyler's definitely a second home for me... and in some ways it will always be I think.

Anyway, despite the blur of this summer I know that God has been at work! I've been blessed to see God multiply lessons that I learned in Forge in those around me. Since I'm a list person (thanks, mom!) I'll go that route:

1. There are some people you meet who are just easy to be friends with, but there are plenty of people in life who are not. At all. But if Jesus has Lordship in your life and you are his disciple, you can not only tolerate, or be friendly and kind to everyone, but you can actually love them. The love of Christ has no stipulations or preferences. A line from one of my favorite songs (by Phil Wickham) says, "Love with no conditions lives for holding nothing back." So that's just it, there's no excuse for not loving your neighbor! It is, after all, the greatest commandment.

2. You are not entitled to anything. You are a bond-servant to Christ and you must humbly take your portion from him daily. (Even if it's not what you want or think you deserve...)

3. You can choose joy. It is always your choice because the fullness of joy is available to you and it's not based upon your circumstance.

4. The battle against sin is first fought in your mind. You are not a victim of your sin. It is a choice.

5. To quote Tozer, "Sins are because sin is." The root of all sin is ungodliness... putting yourself on the throne of your heart that rightly belongs to God.

6. The gospel is for every day. It is not only for salvation, but it is also for sanctificaiton. The good news that Christ paid for all of your sin gives you the strength to continue in the battle until he comes again and the completion of your sanctification and glorification is complete. PTL!

Well, friends. I am sitting here in Cafe Tazza (for the last time, perhaps?) and getting very cold. It's time for me to shut this party down and work on prepping for school. TTFN!

That's Life, I Guess

I started my job as Woods secretary on Tuesday. The following is the progression of my state of being:
Ignorance is Bliss
Deer in Headlights
Overwhelmed
Personal Pep-Talks
Looking Like I Know What I'm Doing

It's been pretty fun so far. The secretary from last summer came and showed me the ropes... that was so helpful!

Prior to beginning my secretarial duties, I made the time-intensive drive to TX. I've been able to whittle it down to 9.5 hours (staying within the speed limit, thank you) through much experience and discipline. Because of the experience, I thought I'd share my tips for long trips!

My Tips for Long Trips:
Avoid drinking too many liquids (especially coffee and tea)
Mix your instant cappuccino with decaf (2:1 ratio) to soften the sugar-high blow
Go to the bathroom at every stop... you'll definitely regret it if you don't (mom was right!!!)
Create a very varied music mix (You'll wish you did the 17th time you listen through it)
Listen to an audio book or the Bible (check out an earlier post for a good website that offers FREE downloadable audio)
Pray out loud
Work on scripture memory
Try to identify license plates by the design before you read the state
Call your friends/family
Plan visits with friends on the way (good if you can make it during a meal time... two birds with one stone!)
Check for major cities along your route and plan your leaving time to avoid rush hour

So... I was thinking it would be funny, but it was actually pretty practical. What can you expect, I'm better at that. However, I did have one of those I-thought-this-only-happens-in-the-movies moments on the way. I had just made the first of my two fuel stops (pretty good, eh?) and was hanging up the phone to enjoy my much anticipated italian-french-caramel-mocha-nut cappuccino + decaf when it happened. I picked up my piping-hot styrofoam cup-o-goodness, inhaled the steaming, sweet aroma, and... *pop*! The lid landed in my lap along with half of my coffee!!! I'm then shreiking, trying to put down my coffee, and pull the steaming, saturated fabric of my pants away from my burning lap. Aren't those stupid cups made for sipping in your car?! Don't worry, there were no permanent burns. Luckily I had some wet wipes to clean up the mess (I always knew mom carried those for a reason!). In the end, there was plenty of coffee left to drink, and my car smelled pretty good.