Notes to My Siblings

A top article on a news website this morning was what the wives of the Presidential candidates wore to the debate.  The first paragraph states the Michelle Obama "re-wore" her dress.  Seriously, people?  As long as they have on clothes, WHO CARES??  And if I spent as much money on a dress as I'm sure she must have, why would I not wear it again?!  This is really a news-worthy tidbit of information?! The fundamental problem with our political system is not the candidates, or the economy, or the issues.  The problem is us.  We vote, and then we complain...on Facebook.  Sure, out political system is broken, but it was designed to have our input on issues.  Don't complain on Facebook-- email or call your reps.  Pay attention to the laws and such passing through the lawmaking bodies. Honestly, this election for me is a matter of choosing the least worst candidate.  I don't like either of them.  But if I list out my is...

I think I realized the fundamental problem with my life. I generally begin statements with "I plan..." or "I will..." or "I won't..."  Notice a pattern?  " I ".  As long as "I" is the central part of my decision making process, I'm going to fail.  His power is made perfect when I am weak.  Which is now. Then I add qualifiers to those statements, especially when I'm talking to God: "I will.... if you would just.. ."  as if I can tell him that what I'm going to do that depends on him keeping a bargain he never agreed to. When I actually pay attention to the details of the biblical "heroes", I realize that they're not heroes at all.  They are humans with many, many faults.  Moses had a speech impediment, and God called him to be the spokesperson for the entire Israelite nation.  Gideon was a coward, and God chose him to lead an army.  How ever reluctantly it happened, they allowed God to work ...

This morning I went to Saint James Missionary Baptist Church. It is a true, southern "black" church (that's probably not politically correct, but it is what it is).  For a reserved little white girl, it was an experience!  But definitely a good one, and one I will repeat before the summer is over.  I'm sure that many people in both my church here and my church back home would have critiqued, belittled, or just plain freaked out during the service.  People clap, sway, dance, respond during the prayers and sermons, and just generally participate.  That, I think, was what struck me most.  They weren't there as spectators, but rather as a group of people brought together with the purpose of praising Jesus and encouraging each other. Corporate prayer there takes on a new meaning.  It is actually corporate, not just one person praying while everyone listens.  The pastor prays, and you can hear emphatic "popcorn" agreement throughout the prayer.  ...

Graduation is fast approaching.  I feel like Rapunzel in Tangled.... You know, the part where she's on her "I'm so happy...I'm a terrible daughter" roller coaster?  Yep, that's me.  I'm so excited about being done with homework, but then there's the thing of finding a for-real, permanent job... no more real summers. After spending four years studying one particular thing, I know *several* of us who are not super excited about our majors.  However, with the job market the way it is and the loans situation the way it is, we are all most likely not going to get our dream job.  After doing homework for core classes I really wasn't interested in for four years, I know how hard it is to do something well if you don't have a passion for it, or even a little bit of interest.  Knowing that we might not get jobs we naturally have a passion for right off the bat, we have to figure out how to make the most of our situations, and find meaning...

I'm a bit nervous about writing this because there's always a chance I'll have to eat my words. But that's never stopped me before (even though it always tastes nasty), so here it is. According to the general definition, I would be considered in the 99%.  I have less than $1000 to my name, I'm $15,000 in debt (yay college), I work three jobs and am going to school full time.  Yeah, it's a lot of work, but I'm not complaining (that much...).  This semester has been an experiment in how little you can live on.  I pay rent, utilities, gas and food on 10 hours per week at minimum wage.  God's been faithful-- there have been a few times when I've wondered how I would pay for gas and a day later someone would send me a $20 with a note that they were thinking of me.  No, I'm not paying medical or car insurance, I'm not making large payments on my college loans, and I have roommates, but it's amazing how little you can live decently on.  [Her...

Lately I've been struggling with a proper attitude towards my "pouring out" activities.  I'm tired and burnt out, and I usually end up doing things with the thought in the back of my mind of "I could be doing homework right now... I could be doing laundry right now... I could be studying for a CLEP test right now."  Which takes my focus off of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. What's my problem?  Well, it's a funny thing.  If you stop spending time with God, you stop liking His stuff.  It becomes a chore that you do because responsibility is your top trait and you can't back out of something without a really good excuse (like, getting hit by a Mac truck and being hospitalized for a month might count.  Not much else).  True story.  So, beginning  yesterday, I'm getting up at 6:15 every morning and spending some quality quiet time with God before I go running.  If I don't do it then, it's too easy to skip.  God doesn't ...

I'm a pro at being distracted. I'm supposed to be writing a book report (I thought those were for, like, middle school...apparently not), and I am writing it. It's because of the book that I'm chasing the squirrel (UP? Remember the dog? Whatever.) to write this. The book I'm reading is The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille. It's about the unconscious descriptors and causes we assign to things in our culture.  For example, the American culture code for "car" is "identity", while the German culture code for "car" is "engineering".  Americans are more concerned with how the car makes them look than with how it's built. I just got to the chapter on Money and Work. According to Rapaille, the code for "work" is "who you are".  Sadly, I think he's right on.  How many people find their identity in what they do, even if they don't like it?  How often do we make snap judgments based what their li...