Ok, guys. I have four papers due in the next five days. I’m a little stressed to say the least. But if I can make it through the week, on Friday I’ll get to go home! I can’t wait!!! It’s hard; when you get this close to a break you are just trying to past the time in between as fast as possible. Lord, help me slow down and focus on the things I have to do this next week so I can finish strong.
I woke up this morning with so much stress of what the day was going to hold. I was not looking forward to a full day of work and then studying the rest of the night. Two of my friends, however, convinced me to go down and grab some Sonic and then go to one of our special spots to spend some time in prayer.
We threw on some good ole girl music as we drove down to Sonic to get our strawberry limeades and then drove to our secret pond we had stumbled upon last year. The pond has a dock that goes a bit onto the lake, so we walked out to the very edge and sat. We covered ourselves with blankets and huddled as close as we could and then we just prayed. We prayed about anything and everything. Things that we’ve been struggling with, things friends have been struggling with. And as the prayers whispered into the sky I felt a peace that was in itself an answer to prayer. I don’t know if it was the quietness of the pond, or the fact that I had actually taken a minute to stop and just listen, but whatever it was, it calmed me.
The rest of the day was filled with answers to the prayers from the dock. Tears filled my eyes again and again as I saw God work. Wow! It’s so true guys; all God asks is that we pray and come to him. If we do this, he promises us that he WILL work. I know school can get busy guys, but I just want to encourage you to take time out of your days and just pray, especially with other people, -it’s a powerful weapon God gives us.
Tonight was Catacomb’s Folk Festival. This is a night in which students sign up to perform talent acts. Students do anything from poetry reading to musical renditions. Some students play pieces that they’ve written themselves, others play classics that everyone enjoys to hear, and then there are those that give us a break from the music to recite beautiful pieces. It is a wide range of just plain, good entertainment. The night starts early in the evening and ends early in the morning. This year the last act didn’t end until 3:30. My favorite thing about the festival is that it’s held in the art barn, a room far to small to hold all the audience. So we are all squeezed in, and as we sit real close to each other we enjoy performer after performer. People come and go as they please…I usually have to drag myself from the acts; the performances are just so good.
I know I’ve said this before, but again I am just in awe with the talent we have here at Covenant. Now I know that a lot of my amazement has to do with the fact that I have very little talent and absolutely NO musical talent what-so-ever, but it sure does make me appreciate nights like this so much. I love the fact that Covenant gives its students so many opportunities to perform their talents and gives people like me chances to just enjoy them. Yes, it was a blissful night.
Hey guys, I just thought I would drop a note for you who have not applied to Covenant yet. Right now Covenant is having free application month. So if you start your application before February 21 and end it before March 6 the $30 dollar fee will not be charged. Click to continue »
I know that many of you looking at colleges are looking for a place that is safe, a place to protect you from the typical struggles of the world. Although Covenant does do a great job at protecting it’s students against such temptations, one cannot depend on Covenant to be their own personal safe haven. Covenant is made up of individuals with all sorts of pasts. Some of them hard, and some of the individuals are still suffering from those pasts. Covenant does not erase the past, nor does it keep you from the present or future. What Covenant does offer, is direction. Direction in how to find healing from the past and direction in how to handle the pains that life often entails. Covenant is part of this broken world, and in it are broken people just like there is anywhere else. Click to continue »
In the past I have told you guys about my study on what “love” is. It has been an on-going study. One of those that when I hear something that sticks out about the subject, whether it is song lyrics, verses, stories, or quotes, I write them down to remember. Well this past week with Valentine’s Day and all I went on a search for some love quotes and I found some that I thought I would share. Click to continue »
Do you ever just have one of those off nights? I do…probably more often then I should. It’s not necessarily that something went wrong to make me have an off night, often it creeps on and by the time I realize what’s going on it’s too late. I have already engulfed myself into deep waters of saying the wrong things, over reacting, or reading into things much more then I should. I hate when I do this, I can honestly say that when I get into one of these moods I am one of the worst people to be around. Instead of just acting obliviously in my crazy mood, I see what I’m doing. So half the time I’m frustrated with myself for the way I’m acting, and then the other half of the time I’m just plain acting insensible.
These are the nights I need the most grace my friends and family can give. These are the nights that I need to hear that this is just a mood and that they know that in just a little bit of time I will come out of it soon. I need to know that they will not define me in these moments. Tonight was one of these nights. I’ve been drowning in everything that I have said or done. Lord help me! Give me wisdom in knowing how I need to handle others and myself in these moments…. Do you ever feel like this? You’re not alone. Know though that this is just a mood and it will be gone soon enough.
It’s always about this time of the year that I begin thinking and planning for my summer. Often this entails me beginning my stressed out stage of having to make plans for my future. I have worked at a daycare for 5 years and I nannyed for 3 years. This year, however, will be different because I have decided not to do the nannying thing. So I am left looking at job/jobs for this summer with no real concept of what this is going to look like.
One place that I have always wanted to work at during the summer is a summer camp. I would encourage anyone who is able to do this, even if it’s just for one summer to go for it. There are so many camps out there looking for counselors. And I have only heard amazing things from the people who have worked at them. So if you’re looking for a job this summer, go online and look at some summer camps!
Last week we had Nicole Braddock Bromley come speak in chapel. Wow, what a story she had! It was a story of brokenness; it was a story that is too common in today’s society. Nicole Braddock Bromley suffered from being sexually abused growing up. As she gave statistics my heart sank. She explained that 1 out of every 3 girls are sexually abused. Can you even fathom that statistic? I couldn’t. I knew that the reality of sexual abuse was much more then led on to. I have found some of my closest friends having suffered from similar situations as Nicole’s. However, I am still shocked when I hear of a girl being treated this way. Unfortunately, because sexual abuse has become so common in our world many have become desensitized to the very fact that it is wrong. They feel that it is just another way of proving we are in a fallen world; it’s just apart of life. They’re right in saying that it shows the brokenness that is in our world, however we should never see it as “just apart of life.” It isn’t just apart of life; this is not how this life was created to be. It was created good. Therefore, we should not be desensitized by the sins of the world; they should horrify us! As Nicole told her story…I felt people desensitizing themselves all around me. Almost as if they didn’t feel right to be uncomfortable by the story or like the story shouldn’t surprise them. Oh, but it should…it should make you feel awkward and we should always be surprised to hear of something so horrible happening.
Nicole Braddock Bromley’s mission is to raise awareness of the reality of sexual abuse. I think this is both for those who have suffered under sexual abuse so that they can find healing and those who have not suffered under it so that they can be used to help and support those who have suffered. Either way, they both take us being sensitive about the reality and horror of sexual abuse. It was amazing to have Nicole Braddock Bromley at school. Not only did she remind me of the reality of sexual abuse, in which I too have been guilty of desensitizing myself, I also was left with a passion for those who have suffered from sexual abuse. I was left praying that they would find healing.
Today was SUPERBOWL Sunday!!! Growing up I always went to super bowl parties. I anticipated them making t-shirts for the team I wanted to win and figuring out the best snack to bring along. The funny thing is, I’m really not a football fan. So I make my predictions on the super bowl winner based on who won the most games that season or who had a mascot I liked better. Now don’t let my ignorance for the game fool you, once the game started I was all business. Screaming when there were incomplete passes, jumping up and down when my team made a touchdown, and nervously awaiting each and every play. Ah yes, the wonderful super bowl. :)
This year, however, I didn’t go to any party. There were several going on, however I decided to play it low key and go down to a restaurant with some friends to enjoy a nice leisure dinner and watch some of the game. I made no t-shirt and had no snack prepared. And to be perfectly honest I didn’t even know who I was routing for. Even without all the anticipation of the game, today was so nice. It was great just getting to sit back and have fun watching the super bowl with just a few friends. None of us were valid fans of football; we just enjoyed getting to watch a good sport with each other. And what a game it was!!! I still am in disbelief that the Giants actually won! Anyways, hope you guys got to enjoy the game too!
