Great news! Last week, I found out that I am on the Launch Team for Jen Hatmaker's to-be-released book, For the Love. What's a launch team? Basically, I get to read the book early and review it. My review may be printed inside the cover, and I get to promote it on social media and in the ministries in which I am involved. It's basically an all-around-win. To make it better, we have a Facebook group with the #FortheLove people, and I love hanging out with my 500 newest besties all of the time.
Why does this matter today? I just got home from state Beta Club convention which is the craziest 36 hours of the year for my favorite job. Since Monday at 6:30 am, I have been hanging out with the coolest 71 kids in the world. I am admittedly biased, but they're the best of our state, and we showed that by winning the most awards and having the highest attendance at convention.
Basically, I am feeling the feels. In For the Love, Jen writes to her kids, and I hope to do the same. I do not have any biological children, and although I am only 4-7 years older than my high school students, I feel almost as responsible for them as their parents do. So, here goes...
Dear Kids:
I hope you know that I am always proud of you. Making the grades to be in this honors organization and committing your time to community service in order to maintain membership is astounding. You are dedicating a part of your life to improve your school, your community, and yourself. That does not ever go unnoticed.
I hope you know that I will always support you. Maybe you want to complete a one-year certification and then go into a skills-based job. Maybe you want to go to one of the country's most prestigious universities and excel at a highly professional level. Maybe you wish to travel the world and live life entirely in the moment. As long as you are making wise decisions, I support you. I want you to be happy and to do your best in life.
I hope you know that I am always here for you. I don't want a student - whether one in Beta Club or Drama Club or simply in a class that I have subbed for - to feel as if he/she has no one to turn to in the difficult times, the amazing times, and the times of anything in between. I am cheering for you. I want you to feel secure and fulfilled.
I hope you know that opportunities are always waiting for you. You don't have to wait for someone to approach you and hand something to you. That is rarely how life works. Instead, I want you to seize the day. [See what I did there, #talentoverload kids? ;)] I feel like my life has been pretty cool, and I would like to attribute that to grabbing opportunities and committing myself to working toward each goal. I want the same for you, but even larger. I want you to succeed. But, not each risk and attempt toward success is met with a positive outcome. Find out what went wrong, and, if possible, make it better next time. If not, know that you did your very best to work toward your ideal.
I hope you know that I will always surround you with a positive atmosphere. I may make jokes that seem silly or dumb or slightly unkind, but I want you to know that I do not actually intend for anything negative to be directed from me to you. That is not the style of education that I believe in. I want you to, again, feel happy and safe. I want you to be surrounded in positivity in order to know how to fight off the negativity when it comes at you. If this means not allowing you to see negative comments on a score sheet from a competition judge, so be it. You can conquer negativity on your own time, but let's keep it positive when it's us.
I hope you will always know this and so much more. I hope to not pass on life lessons directly but indirectly. I hope you realize that life does not always work out perfectly even when you do the steps perfectly, but you can continue to work your hardest to make your own kind of perfect life.
And, in the words of Jen Hatmaker, "Be kind. Be you. Love Jesus."
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
Book Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
I admit that I am a huge John Green fangirl. Nerdfighter and all that stuff (except that I can never remember to watch his YouTube videos but, like, I love his books).
After reading John's four solo novels, I decided it was time to buy his books that he co-wrote. I recently read Will Grayson, Will Grayson in two days, so I obviously loved it. John's co-writing with David Levithan threw me off my game a little, but I started to love it.
The chapters alternate with the first written from normal-ish Will Grayson's perspective, and the second is written from emo Will Grayson's perspective. A few chapters in, they meet, and life changes. It's not a drastic life change that forever makes them different, but it definitely alters their short-term plans.
I say read it because 1) John Green, 2) quote-able, and 3) wouldn't it be awesome to meet someone who has the same name as you? It's basically impossible for me to do that because my name is weird, but one can hope.
PS - I tried to upload a picture of me with the book to be ~artsy~ but my internet or something is being dumb.
After reading John's four solo novels, I decided it was time to buy his books that he co-wrote. I recently read Will Grayson, Will Grayson in two days, so I obviously loved it. John's co-writing with David Levithan threw me off my game a little, but I started to love it.
The chapters alternate with the first written from normal-ish Will Grayson's perspective, and the second is written from emo Will Grayson's perspective. A few chapters in, they meet, and life changes. It's not a drastic life change that forever makes them different, but it definitely alters their short-term plans.
I say read it because 1) John Green, 2) quote-able, and 3) wouldn't it be awesome to meet someone who has the same name as you? It's basically impossible for me to do that because my name is weird, but one can hope.
PS - I tried to upload a picture of me with the book to be ~artsy~ but my internet or something is being dumb.
Monday, February 9, 2015
2014 in Review
Heyyyy, so I had this great idea to film a year in review recap video. I never got around to it, so I decided to make it into a blog. But, I can't find my paper where I listed everything that I want to cover. Oops. Here goes an attempt to remember all that I had. (Oh, and if you're wishing I had done a more visual form of this, you can imagine me in my mismatched, post-work outfit of a musical tshirt over a long-sleeve tee, gray leggings (I do NOT wear leggings in public, fyi), oversized white socks, and a gray beanie which my mom insisted on calling a sock cap all day lol.
Song of the Year - Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of Ariana Granda, but, dude, I love this song. It's totally my jam when I'm rocking out in the radio station.
Movie Soundtrack of the Year - The Fault in Our Stars. Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and a bunch of random people I don't know of made music that fits together and fits the movie perfectly.
Musical Theatre Album of the Year - If / Then. Whoa. While it is quite vulgar at some parts, this is amazing. The cast sounds phenomenal, and Idina Menzel is perfect. I was #blessed to see the show on Broadway in June of 2014, and I have been in love since then. It's closing next month, so go see it asap.
Musical Movie Song of the Year - Let it Go. You can hate on the Frozen fame, but as a dedicated Fanzel and obsessive Disney freak, I'm going to keep loving it, belting it in my car, and lip syncing to it on Instagram. Seriously, check out my Instagram video from Christmas Eve. Good times at the radio station lol.
Fiction Books of the Year - Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Books are bae, so this was not an easy decision. Plus, I read more in 2014 than I did in all of college (other than assigned reading, of course). I totally jumped on the John Green fanbus this year. How did I not know about him previously?! So in lit-love. I read his four solo books this year, and I have Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting on my bookshelf and begging to be read. I need to buy Let It Snow asap (or wait until next winter because I feel as if that would be more seasonally appropriate).
Autobiographical Book of the Year - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Guys, I want to be like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when I grow up...which is now. Gosh, they're so funny. I haven't read Amy Poehler's book, Yes Please, but it's on my mental to-read list. In Tina's book, she writes about doing community theatre and being funny and hanging with the gays, and I'm like, Omg, my life. Basically, Tina and Amy are part of my friendship circle, and they just forget to show up when I'm hanging out with friends. I forgive them because they're freaking awesome.
Honorable Mention in the Autobiographical Book category: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. Funny, but short.
Christian Book of the Year - Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Not gonna lie, this was also a difficult decision. Despite living the #PKlife, I haven't been much into Christian literature, and that changed in 2014. I fell in love with the words of Sarah, Rachel Held Evans, and Jen Hatmaker, and they are similar to a blogger who I have read for a few years, Jamie Wright (aka the Very Worst Missionary). Sarah's book further explained, from my own views, that Jesus should be considered a feminist. Feminism is no longer the "crazy", bra-less, men-hating thing that it was years ago. Modern feminism is about gender equality - at home, at work, child-raising, decision-making, etc. I am proudly a Jesus Feminist, and Sarah writes as if she and the reader have been friends for years.
Honorable Mentions: A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans and 7 by Jen Hatmaker.
Most Disappointing Books of the Year: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. No. Just no.
Movie of the Year: Gone Girl. Omg, I loved the book. I love everything about this movie. Well, almost everything. I could have dealt without everything that happened in that-one-scene-with-NPH near the end, and I think you know what I mean by that. The movie was filmed in my college town during my last semester there, and it was perfect getting to be near the set and hear all about it all of the time. Some of my friends and professors in college were extras in the film, and I got to hear the director, David Fincher, speak at school. So freaking cool.
Honorable Mention: The Fault in Our Stars. Presh. So presh.
Honorable Mention part two: Mockingjay part 1 because who doesn't love the Hunger Games series?!
Professional musical theatre performances that I saw this year: Bring It On at the Carson Center, Wicked at the Tennessee PAC, Newsies on Broadway, If / Then on Broadway, and Mamma Mia! at the Carson Center.
Bring It On was really cool. I doubted that it could have both talented singers and talented cheerleaders, but the cast pulled it off so well. I was extremely impressed. Plus, I got to meet Tyler and Emily Eddington Dihle of Beauty Broadcast after the show, and that was freaking awesome.
Wicked. Fourth time. Need I say more? I have seen it every year since 2010 except for 2013. So, there's that.
Newsies was omg, so cute! Those hot guys dancing...baes. The show had a good connection to journalism, so it was like a mash-up of what I studied in college and what I truly love. Sadly, the show closed later in 2014, but that just means that the people with whom I saw the show (I was chaperoning a trip to NYC) and I had a unique experience.
If / Then - See above for my fangirling. I mean, I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS IDINA MENZEL. What?! Cray. Afterward, a student and I met a few of the cast members at the stage door including LaChanze, Tamika Lawrence, Jason Tams, and Jenn Colella. Oh, Anthony Rapp and I tweeted a few times in 2014, and If / Then retweeted my tweet about seeing the show.
Mamma Mia! was kind of a sad way to end the year in regards to professional musical theatre. The show was a let-down because either the script or the acting was not impressive, but the music was great. In the history of the numerous musicals that I have seen, I have never seen one that included a post-show concert. So rad. Plus, one of the guys in the show tweeted to me.
Aaaand, finally, trips of the year. I had a crazy summer packed with chaperoning the trip to NYC (#VHSinNYC), Beta Club national convention (#natbeta14 #vhsbeta14), going to Florida with my family, and moving...twice (#movingsucks)...but the greatest excursion was #LAvacay.
On December 23, 2013, I awoke with an email saying that I had won a contest to be the Biggest Gleek, and I would fly to LA, stay in a nice hotel paid for by Fox and Glee, and be on the set of Glee. It was a super amazing experience, and I should have blogged about it right after it happened. Being on the set of my favorite show on February 6, 2014 was the greatest day of my life, and meeting Darren Criss along with other cast members such as Jane Lynch, Matt Morrison, Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Becca Tobin, and Blake Jenner and crew members such as Hannah and Ben was amazing.
Thanks to everyone who was in my life in 2014. You made it one of the best - if not the definite best - year of my life. <3
Song of the Year - Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of Ariana Granda, but, dude, I love this song. It's totally my jam when I'm rocking out in the radio station.
Movie Soundtrack of the Year - The Fault in Our Stars. Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and a bunch of random people I don't know of made music that fits together and fits the movie perfectly.
Musical Theatre Album of the Year - If / Then. Whoa. While it is quite vulgar at some parts, this is amazing. The cast sounds phenomenal, and Idina Menzel is perfect. I was #blessed to see the show on Broadway in June of 2014, and I have been in love since then. It's closing next month, so go see it asap.
Musical Movie Song of the Year - Let it Go. You can hate on the Frozen fame, but as a dedicated Fanzel and obsessive Disney freak, I'm going to keep loving it, belting it in my car, and lip syncing to it on Instagram. Seriously, check out my Instagram video from Christmas Eve. Good times at the radio station lol.
Fiction Books of the Year - Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Books are bae, so this was not an easy decision. Plus, I read more in 2014 than I did in all of college (other than assigned reading, of course). I totally jumped on the John Green fanbus this year. How did I not know about him previously?! So in lit-love. I read his four solo books this year, and I have Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting on my bookshelf and begging to be read. I need to buy Let It Snow asap (or wait until next winter because I feel as if that would be more seasonally appropriate).
Autobiographical Book of the Year - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Guys, I want to be like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when I grow up...which is now. Gosh, they're so funny. I haven't read Amy Poehler's book, Yes Please, but it's on my mental to-read list. In Tina's book, she writes about doing community theatre and being funny and hanging with the gays, and I'm like, Omg, my life. Basically, Tina and Amy are part of my friendship circle, and they just forget to show up when I'm hanging out with friends. I forgive them because they're freaking awesome.
Honorable Mention in the Autobiographical Book category: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. Funny, but short.
Christian Book of the Year - Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Not gonna lie, this was also a difficult decision. Despite living the #PKlife, I haven't been much into Christian literature, and that changed in 2014. I fell in love with the words of Sarah, Rachel Held Evans, and Jen Hatmaker, and they are similar to a blogger who I have read for a few years, Jamie Wright (aka the Very Worst Missionary). Sarah's book further explained, from my own views, that Jesus should be considered a feminist. Feminism is no longer the "crazy", bra-less, men-hating thing that it was years ago. Modern feminism is about gender equality - at home, at work, child-raising, decision-making, etc. I am proudly a Jesus Feminist, and Sarah writes as if she and the reader have been friends for years.
Honorable Mentions: A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans and 7 by Jen Hatmaker.
Most Disappointing Books of the Year: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. No. Just no.
Movie of the Year: Gone Girl. Omg, I loved the book. I love everything about this movie. Well, almost everything. I could have dealt without everything that happened in that-one-scene-with-NPH near the end, and I think you know what I mean by that. The movie was filmed in my college town during my last semester there, and it was perfect getting to be near the set and hear all about it all of the time. Some of my friends and professors in college were extras in the film, and I got to hear the director, David Fincher, speak at school. So freaking cool.
Honorable Mention: The Fault in Our Stars. Presh. So presh.
Honorable Mention part two: Mockingjay part 1 because who doesn't love the Hunger Games series?!
Professional musical theatre performances that I saw this year: Bring It On at the Carson Center, Wicked at the Tennessee PAC, Newsies on Broadway, If / Then on Broadway, and Mamma Mia! at the Carson Center.
Bring It On was really cool. I doubted that it could have both talented singers and talented cheerleaders, but the cast pulled it off so well. I was extremely impressed. Plus, I got to meet Tyler and Emily Eddington Dihle of Beauty Broadcast after the show, and that was freaking awesome.
Wicked. Fourth time. Need I say more? I have seen it every year since 2010 except for 2013. So, there's that.
Newsies was omg, so cute! Those hot guys dancing...baes. The show had a good connection to journalism, so it was like a mash-up of what I studied in college and what I truly love. Sadly, the show closed later in 2014, but that just means that the people with whom I saw the show (I was chaperoning a trip to NYC) and I had a unique experience.
If / Then - See above for my fangirling. I mean, I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS IDINA MENZEL. What?! Cray. Afterward, a student and I met a few of the cast members at the stage door including LaChanze, Tamika Lawrence, Jason Tams, and Jenn Colella. Oh, Anthony Rapp and I tweeted a few times in 2014, and If / Then retweeted my tweet about seeing the show.
Mamma Mia! was kind of a sad way to end the year in regards to professional musical theatre. The show was a let-down because either the script or the acting was not impressive, but the music was great. In the history of the numerous musicals that I have seen, I have never seen one that included a post-show concert. So rad. Plus, one of the guys in the show tweeted to me.
Aaaand, finally, trips of the year. I had a crazy summer packed with chaperoning the trip to NYC (#VHSinNYC), Beta Club national convention (#natbeta14 #vhsbeta14), going to Florida with my family, and moving...twice (#movingsucks)...but the greatest excursion was #LAvacay.
On December 23, 2013, I awoke with an email saying that I had won a contest to be the Biggest Gleek, and I would fly to LA, stay in a nice hotel paid for by Fox and Glee, and be on the set of Glee. It was a super amazing experience, and I should have blogged about it right after it happened. Being on the set of my favorite show on February 6, 2014 was the greatest day of my life, and meeting Darren Criss along with other cast members such as Jane Lynch, Matt Morrison, Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Lauren Potter, Becca Tobin, and Blake Jenner and crew members such as Hannah and Ben was amazing.
Thanks to everyone who was in my life in 2014. You made it one of the best - if not the definite best - year of my life. <3
Monday, August 18, 2014
Radical Christianity
Sometime earlier this year, I started saying, "That's rad." I'm not sure what started it, but after I realized that I said it three times within 20 minutes this afternoon, I considered my use of it. It's not like I have a great connection to the phrase, and I probably only substitute it for saying, "That's cool/awesome."
Rad. It obviously derives from radical. When I think of the word radical, I first think of hippies in the '70s. I don't know if that's when it became popular (sorry for the lack of research...it will be continued in this post...I'm really sleepy) or if my brain has some other reason to associate those, but it does. Then, I think about radical people.
Who are the radical people in your life?
Because of the protests / peace war happening in nearby-ish Ferguson, MO, I automatically think of that. Many of the people who I met in college are connected to the area, and some have even taken part in trying to help solve the situation. It is seriously heartbreaking what I have read on Twitter and Facebook about what is happening. I'm astonished that it is happening in America, and it's no longer simply an issue of Michael Brown's death. I know that gas bombs and shooting people with rubber bullets happen in other parts of the world much, much more frequently than in the US, but I think it takes a great amount of courage to stand up for what one believes in and try to make peace in the situation. Those peace-fighters are radical.
Other radical people who I admire are people who I only know through the internet and literature. Welcome to the awesomeness of Jamie Wright (theveryworstmissionary.com), Rachel Held Evans (rachelheldevans.com), and Sarah Bessey (sarahbessey.com).
Jamie was introduced to me first on Twitter, and then on her blog. Now, I also follow her on Instagram and Facebook. She is the most realistic Christian of, like, ever. For a while, she and her family - which includes her husband and three teenage sons - were missionaries in Costa Rica. Then, they moved back to the US and are living in California. She is passionate about reaching beyond Christian norms to lead people to Christ, and she is also passionate about freeing people who are held captive as sex slaves. I admire her work, her honesty, and her tell-it-like-it-is attitude with her family and her ridiculously creepy cat, Knives. Jamie is rad.
Rachel was introduced to me through one of her books, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, by a friend in February after that friend had listened to Rachel speak at my friend's alma mater. I fell in love with the book; Rachel researched 12 things in the Bible that women are supposed to do that are not commonly practiced, and she practiced each for one month. Her dedication to that alone was cool. Then, I found her Twitter and blog, and I continued to respect Rachel. She is blatant and stands up for social justice and is all around kick-butt. I recently read Rachel's other book, Faith Unraveled, which was originally published as Evolving in Monkeytown. Although I did not agree with everything that Rachel said in Faith Unraveled and everything that she posts online, I think she is living as Jesus called her to do: standing up for what she believes is right and following God as best as she can. Rachel is rad.
Sarah is my newest Christian writer who I fangirl over. I'm currently reading her book, Jesus Feminist. It's structured much differently than Rachel's books, but I can see where Sarah is going with the text. She grew up in Canada not knowing that sexism exists in the church, moved to the US and was amazed by the sexism that exists in the realm of Christianity, and moved back to Canada with her husband and three "tinies" (what she calls her kids) to pursue her fight in social justice while believing that Jesus was a feminist. To that, I say, "Right on." Sarah is rad.
So, obviously I admire these three Christian women who I have not met. I know Christians in real life who I think are rad, too.
Look around at the Christians who you know. Who is very blasé in the faith, and who is doing things to actively serve others? I really think that loving and serving others are two of the best characteristics of Christians, and it's what I strive to do (though they are both really difficult for me because I have a natural disposition to dislike people).
I am not at all a perfect Christian. I often fail to read my Bible regularly which is pretty sad because I love reading and I have given two talks about the importance of studying God's Word. I don't always reach out to others when I should, and I am kind of a bad friend at times.
I'm a work in progress, but...aren't we all?
So, what do I do to try to be rad?
I work closely with Chrysalis, a bi-annual church camp which I regularly work on with monthly services where I am on the board for the community. I volunteer at my town's consignment store about once a month. I try to be uplifting on social media (at times when I'm not talking about how much I dislike people). I play keys in my church band sometimes; this may not be super rad, but I'm using my love of music and slight amount of talent to serve God and hopefully serve others.
I feel like being a Beta Club Co-Sponsor is a calling in my life. It may seem silly that a club of high school students is what I think is one of the very most important parts of my life, but teenagers deal with a lot of crap, and I want to put positivity in their lives while allowing them to have fun learning how to serve others and be involved in the community.
I try to not use churchy words. While hanging out with three friends tonight who happen to be Christians, we were discussing whether we were "hanging out" or "fellowshipping." Why do people put certain terms on Christians spending time together? I think it's weird, dude. I also hate when people say that they are going to "love on" others. Why can't you just "love" someone?
Aaaand now this is an awkward ending because I don't have a way to wrap this up because my brain stopped thinking of words and I only want rice which is what I'm going to eat now but I don't have any soy sauce so it's going to be plain and kind of gross and this is a run-on sentence like obvi...
What are you doing to be rad?
Rad. It obviously derives from radical. When I think of the word radical, I first think of hippies in the '70s. I don't know if that's when it became popular (sorry for the lack of research...it will be continued in this post...I'm really sleepy) or if my brain has some other reason to associate those, but it does. Then, I think about radical people.
Who are the radical people in your life?
Because of the protests / peace war happening in nearby-ish Ferguson, MO, I automatically think of that. Many of the people who I met in college are connected to the area, and some have even taken part in trying to help solve the situation. It is seriously heartbreaking what I have read on Twitter and Facebook about what is happening. I'm astonished that it is happening in America, and it's no longer simply an issue of Michael Brown's death. I know that gas bombs and shooting people with rubber bullets happen in other parts of the world much, much more frequently than in the US, but I think it takes a great amount of courage to stand up for what one believes in and try to make peace in the situation. Those peace-fighters are radical.
Other radical people who I admire are people who I only know through the internet and literature. Welcome to the awesomeness of Jamie Wright (theveryworstmissionary.com), Rachel Held Evans (rachelheldevans.com), and Sarah Bessey (sarahbessey.com).
Jamie was introduced to me first on Twitter, and then on her blog. Now, I also follow her on Instagram and Facebook. She is the most realistic Christian of, like, ever. For a while, she and her family - which includes her husband and three teenage sons - were missionaries in Costa Rica. Then, they moved back to the US and are living in California. She is passionate about reaching beyond Christian norms to lead people to Christ, and she is also passionate about freeing people who are held captive as sex slaves. I admire her work, her honesty, and her tell-it-like-it-is attitude with her family and her ridiculously creepy cat, Knives. Jamie is rad.
Rachel was introduced to me through one of her books, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, by a friend in February after that friend had listened to Rachel speak at my friend's alma mater. I fell in love with the book; Rachel researched 12 things in the Bible that women are supposed to do that are not commonly practiced, and she practiced each for one month. Her dedication to that alone was cool. Then, I found her Twitter and blog, and I continued to respect Rachel. She is blatant and stands up for social justice and is all around kick-butt. I recently read Rachel's other book, Faith Unraveled, which was originally published as Evolving in Monkeytown. Although I did not agree with everything that Rachel said in Faith Unraveled and everything that she posts online, I think she is living as Jesus called her to do: standing up for what she believes is right and following God as best as she can. Rachel is rad.
Sarah is my newest Christian writer who I fangirl over. I'm currently reading her book, Jesus Feminist. It's structured much differently than Rachel's books, but I can see where Sarah is going with the text. She grew up in Canada not knowing that sexism exists in the church, moved to the US and was amazed by the sexism that exists in the realm of Christianity, and moved back to Canada with her husband and three "tinies" (what she calls her kids) to pursue her fight in social justice while believing that Jesus was a feminist. To that, I say, "Right on." Sarah is rad.
So, obviously I admire these three Christian women who I have not met. I know Christians in real life who I think are rad, too.
Look around at the Christians who you know. Who is very blasé in the faith, and who is doing things to actively serve others? I really think that loving and serving others are two of the best characteristics of Christians, and it's what I strive to do (though they are both really difficult for me because I have a natural disposition to dislike people).
I am not at all a perfect Christian. I often fail to read my Bible regularly which is pretty sad because I love reading and I have given two talks about the importance of studying God's Word. I don't always reach out to others when I should, and I am kind of a bad friend at times.
I'm a work in progress, but...aren't we all?
So, what do I do to try to be rad?
I work closely with Chrysalis, a bi-annual church camp which I regularly work on with monthly services where I am on the board for the community. I volunteer at my town's consignment store about once a month. I try to be uplifting on social media (at times when I'm not talking about how much I dislike people). I play keys in my church band sometimes; this may not be super rad, but I'm using my love of music and slight amount of talent to serve God and hopefully serve others.
I feel like being a Beta Club Co-Sponsor is a calling in my life. It may seem silly that a club of high school students is what I think is one of the very most important parts of my life, but teenagers deal with a lot of crap, and I want to put positivity in their lives while allowing them to have fun learning how to serve others and be involved in the community.
I try to not use churchy words. While hanging out with three friends tonight who happen to be Christians, we were discussing whether we were "hanging out" or "fellowshipping." Why do people put certain terms on Christians spending time together? I think it's weird, dude. I also hate when people say that they are going to "love on" others. Why can't you just "love" someone?
Aaaand now this is an awkward ending because I don't have a way to wrap this up because my brain stopped thinking of words and I only want rice which is what I'm going to eat now but I don't have any soy sauce so it's going to be plain and kind of gross and this is a run-on sentence like obvi...
What are you doing to be rad?
Monday, February 10, 2014
Where have you been, KT?
Once upon a time, I planned to exercise once each month and blog once each month. Lol, 2013. What was I thinking?
That obviously failed. So, here I am in February of 2014 with a lot to say but maybe not much. I think about blogging often, so it's possible that I will return to a normal-ish blogging schedule, but don't bet on me or keep your hopes too high. ;)
2013. I moved for the second time as an adult. I learned how to live completely on my own - hating it and loving it at times, but more loving it. I finished my college career and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication: Multimedia Journalism and a minor in literature. I disappointed people. I made them happy. I bought internet access for my home.
I did a lot of living, but I hope to do more of living life in real time in 2014. I don't want to do, I want to be.
Eh, go ahead and judge me for sounding super ambiguous. YOLO, c'est la vie, etc.
For 2014, my goals are to be creative as often as possible, hang out with people who I say I want to see, and be happy. Being happy is a work in progress, being creative is more difficult than it seems sometimes, and it's difficult to fit everyone who I want to see in my schedule. But, trying is key.
As for being creative, I have created (haha) the hashtag: #2014Creativity to use on Twitter and Instagram to record what I am doing this year in regards to first goal - resolution, if you will. I am learning how to play an acoustic guitar. I am learning a little more of the keyboard and understanding the vast world of music. I painted a few wall quotes, and I hope to make more. By the end of the year, I would love to be able to play a few songs fully and record them to show my progress. It may not happen, but you never know if you never try, riiight?
So, here's to 2014. :)
That obviously failed. So, here I am in February of 2014 with a lot to say but maybe not much. I think about blogging often, so it's possible that I will return to a normal-ish blogging schedule, but don't bet on me or keep your hopes too high. ;)
2013. I moved for the second time as an adult. I learned how to live completely on my own - hating it and loving it at times, but more loving it. I finished my college career and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication: Multimedia Journalism and a minor in literature. I disappointed people. I made them happy. I bought internet access for my home.
I did a lot of living, but I hope to do more of living life in real time in 2014. I don't want to do, I want to be.
Eh, go ahead and judge me for sounding super ambiguous. YOLO, c'est la vie, etc.
For 2014, my goals are to be creative as often as possible, hang out with people who I say I want to see, and be happy. Being happy is a work in progress, being creative is more difficult than it seems sometimes, and it's difficult to fit everyone who I want to see in my schedule. But, trying is key.
As for being creative, I have created (haha) the hashtag: #2014Creativity to use on Twitter and Instagram to record what I am doing this year in regards to first goal - resolution, if you will. I am learning how to play an acoustic guitar. I am learning a little more of the keyboard and understanding the vast world of music. I painted a few wall quotes, and I hope to make more. By the end of the year, I would love to be able to play a few songs fully and record them to show my progress. It may not happen, but you never know if you never try, riiight?
So, here's to 2014. :)
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