This is How we Praise the Lord - and it ain't like your grandma does!

                45,000ish college students
            +  4 days
            +  the power of Jesus
            =  over  3 million dollars raised!?!

Why?

Because we believe that:

However, people are sold. 27million people, in fact.

There are more slaves today than in any other time in ALL of human history.

We focused on this at Passion 2012 in Atlanta which leads me to....

The first way that we worship differently: 

We discuss tough topics.

We are not in denial that bad things happen. We learned about slavery, sex trafficking, bonded labor, children being raped, people being starved/beaten/devalued, etc.

And then we decided to

Plenty of Christians are criticized for not putting their money where their mouth is. Not us.

The next way we worship differently is... 

We do give to the poor and needy.

Between the hours of 7pm on January 2nd and noon on January 5th, we raised $3,066,000.

That means that us - poor college kids - gave almost 50 grand every hour.

Why?

Because we believe that:

And we believe that we should be because we are called to...

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."             

                                                           - Isaiah 1:17

Oh, and did I mention we were in the Dome???

Yes, third way we worship differently: 

We were not in a church. We were in the Georgia Dome!?!

So many, MANY people.

It was amazing.

My boss asked the neatest question: "Just look at all of them. Can you imagine what heaven will be like?"

Psalm 89:5 says

All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

And, last but definitely NOT least, the final way we worshiped differently was:

We sang songs like this... 

Not quite the typical hymn (although those are also beautiful!).

We also praised Jesus with rap. 

Not my favorite BUT all rap is not crap and this guy's lyrics are solid:

You can't help but get pumped up listening to LeCrae; watch for the back-flip around minute 2.

And, what was one of the most beautiful moments in the whole conference, we sang "How Great is Our God" in many languages:

And this was the final song of the conference :)

This is the Jesus generation:

Join us to end this:

Worship differently.

Care.
Give.
Do Something Now.

A Letter: Girl Talk Through Tunes

To All My Single Ladies -



As for the guys who read my posts, sorry; this one's for the girls. Too many of my friends have come to me recently sharing stories of heartbreak and Lord knows I've experienced that, too. So this is a letter for them and any woman who has learned that:

• men and mascara always run
• their guy should've said no to another girl
• love done gone
• they're now rollin in the deep of what might have been
• they'll forever be asking "why not me?"
• and any other thing that led a boy to break their heart

Ultimately, it's ok because everybody hurts sometimes.


Just tell that boy to leave the pieces when he goes and find a picture [of him] to burn. Next, and most important, get yourself to your closest good friend and a glass of wine.


In case you're in a state where you can't tell yourself, a good friend can point out that "he" is clearly insenstive and that you are:

• nobody's fool
• tough and a fighter
• going to grow a little bit stronger every day 
•  wrong again if you think you won't find someone better 

In fact one day, you'll look back on him and be able to say "There's more to me than you and I'll never again want to go back to you." And if the guy never gave you a chance at a relationship, you'll be able to say "You're the best thing I never had because I'm not settlin' on anyone but my Mr. Right."


And have no fear, there are Mr. Rights out there that do know how to treat ladies the way they deserve to be treated.


Besides, if I were a boy, I'd know that there could never be a more beautiful you because you are perfect just the way you are.


Take heart that God has blessed the broken road. Though your guy maybe hasn't met you yet, you'll find him and he'll say "let it be me" that you choose. 


Until then, head on out in your red high heels and make any man dumb enough to let you walk away realize that when he was with you, those were the best days of his life.


And these single days you're in now could be the best days of YOUR life.


Take advantage of them.

Don't tell me you need a man because there are plenty of empowering and inspiring independent women out there.


Join their ranks and put your records on to rock out, single and ready to mingle ;)




                                                                                                       You Are Loved,
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              Love Me

Point of View is Important - February 14th and Conception ;)

Point of view IS important.

The exact same thing can be quite different depending on your point of view.

Take this past Monday, February 14th, for example.

To most in a relationship or on the cusp of one, February 14th is Valentine's Day... full of love and chocolate and kisses.

To everyone else, February 14th is Singles Awareness Day... one of my friends recently pointed out that its abbreviation actually spells S.A.D.

Ouch.

But in reality, February 14th is just a day... it only changes with your point of view (aka relationship status).

I recently read another great example where the exact same thing changes depending on the point of view:

Conception.

Yes, for real...

Thanks to my Gender and Society textbook ;)

Here is what it said:

You've probably imagined sperm as hardy warriors swimming purposefully upstream, against the current, on a suicide mission to fertilize that egg, or die. (p29)

Right? Now, that clearly is the point of view of the SPERM. And it sounds like all I have ever heard before about conception: to quote Dori out of context from Finding Nemo, I imagine the sperm: "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."  All with intense purpose. Maybe even wearing helmets or goggles ;)

However, my book continues and shows a very uncommon take on conception:

Here's what it actually looks like: [A] wastefully huge swarm of sperm weakly flops along, its members bumping into walls and flailing aimlessly through thick strands of mucus. Eventually, through sheer odds of pinball-like bouncing... a few sperm end up close enough to an egg. As they mill around, the egg selects one and reels it in, pinning it down in spite of its efforts to escape. It's no contest, really. The gigantic hardy egg yanks the tiny sperm inside, distills out the chromosomes, and sets out to become an embryo. (p 29, quoting"The Aggressive Egg" by David Freeman)

Definitely different, right? That point of view clearly comes from the EGG.

Point of view IS important.

So, whether it is February 14th or conception or whatever else you're dealing with... be sure to consider your point of view - you can choose to view the situation as a glass half full or a glass half empty.

And if this past Monday got you down (or S.A.D.), at the risk of being too corny, I remind you that there are other fish in the sea and I'll leave you with this little motto from Dori, my favorite Finding Nemo character:

Lastly, I apologize if, like Nemo's dad, you get stuck with that song in your head ;)

On the Inside: Nursing Homes

Two beds crammed in a tiny room.

Wrinkled faces staring blankly from under the covers, surrounded by dying plants and photographs of forgotten family. Stuffed animals and old movies scattered about. The smell, like hospitals and dirty diapers mixed together, caught my breath.

I couldn't, however, catch the tears that welled up in my eyes. They spilled over as I sang "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!" - the unrealistic and almost insincere words broke my heart.I found it hard to believe that their new year held much...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't written in awhile because I was living in the library to write papers, compile portfolios and study for exams; then I went straight to a mission trip with Baptist Collegiate Ministry groups from around the state of South Carolina.

We did a number of things like host Christmas parties for under-privileged children, bake cookies for firefighters and nurses, buy and wrap gifts for needy families, etc.

The service that affected me the most though was visiting local nursing homes to sing Christmas songs and visit with the residents. While I know we brought joy to many men and women there, I couldn't help but feel a sadness as I left each day.

Some residents reintroduced themselves to me literally 10+ times. Others said absolutely nothing but stared off, likely in their own world, seeing something other than the little room in front of them. Some even acted out their own other world - Ms. Nancy, for example, used to work in a retail store so she was constantly rattling off prices for things that I couldn't see. At one point, she showed me her worn, white slippers telling me they were lovely black pumps on sale for $3.99.

A few were not nearly as happy as Ms. Nancy and the other residents in their own private, little worlds. Some residents were still lucid, incredibly aware of what lay in front of their eyes... their small world, day in and day out.

They did not like what they saw.

Neither did I.

One man suffering from dementia simply rode up and down the hall on his wheelchair asking for the way out. Another woman simply sat in her wheelchair and repeated "I want to go home; get me out of here!" Perhaps the most unsettling story I heard was of a woman who was dropped off only 3 weeks ago. Her daughter told her that she was coming back for her in 2 weeks but never came. As though that were not bad enough, the daughter is now selling her mom's home, against her mother's wishes.

Simply awful.

Yet another woman who had been in there for over four years with very infrequent visitors spoke of "people on the outside." It sounded so much like prison and made me think of this email I read recently:

Jails and Nursing Homes

Here's the way it should be:

Let's put the seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes.

This would correct two things in one motion:

Seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.
They would receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs, etc.
They would receive money instead of having to pay it out.
They would have constant video monitoring, so they would be helped instantly if they fell or needed assistance. 

Bedding would be washed twice a week and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.
A guard would check on them every 20 minutes.
All meals and snacks would be brought to them.
They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. 

They would have access to a library, weight/fitness room, spiritual counseling, a pool and education...and free admission to in-house concerts by nationally recognized entertainment artists.
Simple clothing - ie., shoes, slippers, pj's - and legal aid would be free, upon request.
There would be private, secure rooms provided for all with an outdoor exercise yard complete with gardens.
 Each senior would have a P.C., T.V., phone and radio in their room at no cost. 
They would receive daily phone calls. 

There would be a board of directors to hear any complaints and the ACLU would fight for their rights and protection. 
The guards would have a code of conduct to be strictly adhered to, with attorneys available, at no charge to protect the seniors and their families from abuse or neglect.

As for the criminals: 
They would receive cold food. 
They would be left alone and unsupervised. 
They would receive showers once a week. 
They would live in tiny rooms, for which they would have to pay $5,000 per month. 
They would have no hope of ever getting out.

"Sounds like justice to me!" 

 I'm not suggesting that all nursing homes are bad or even that the ones I visited were. I am, however, saying that some can be and certainly are. Not even counting neglect, there are reports of elder abuse that average out to an elderly person being abused every 5 seconds. A woman who works with a rape/abuse prevention and treatment center told me that there are even cases of 80+ year old women being raped in nursing homes.

If you have a family member or know anyone currently living in a nursing home - "on the inside" - PLEASE go visit them this holiday season (and throughout the year) to check on them, to love on them, to simply be with them.

Though I know our visits on my mission trip certainly brightened the days of several residents, real difference can be made through relationships developed over regular visits.

I highly encourage you to take a trip to your local nursing home.
Bring pictures, magazines, movies - things like that to entertain them.
Listen to their stories.
Tell them your own.
Expand their little worlds so they can know more about things on "the outside" - and that at least someone (YOU!) remembers them and cares.

Wake Up Yourself John Legend: Where are the women workers?

Wake Up Everybody is a great song but NOT a great video.

Since I recently watched and fell in love with Waiting for "Superman," I heard and fell in love with John Legend's song in the movie as well.

But, upon watching the music video, I have changed my mind a bit.

The  lyrics call out for help over and over:

Wake up everybody
No more sleepin' in bed
...Time for thinkin' ahead

...There is so much hatred
War and poverty, whoa, oh

...The world won't get no better
We gotta change it, yeah
Just you and me

...Wake up, all the builders
Time to build a new land
I know we can do it
If we all lend a hand

....The world won't get no better
If we just let it be, na, na, na
The world won't get no better
We gotta change it, yeah
Just you and me

...Wake up, everybody
Need a little help, y'all
Yes I do, need a little help

Need a little help, y'all

Need a little help y'all

Wake up everybody
Wake up everybody

Again, lyrically, it is a beautiful song. 

The problem, however, came in the music video: Watch the final bit of the video, starting from 3:50 where they call out that they "need a little help y'all." 

It seems that he is only referring to the male workers when he says "y'all;" the following MEN are all presented in the last minute or so of the song: 

• doctor (with a female patient in the background)
• cop
• a man in a suit - perhaps a teacher or a lawyer?
• cab driver
• construction workers 

The ONE AND ONLY WOMAN is presented in that same group of images... with her three kids. Disclaimer: I am not at all belittling mothers... I want very much to be one when I am older. 

However, I am belittling this video. Women can be more than mothers.

If John Legend really wants the world to change then he should engage the other half of the population. 

The sad thing is that his version of "Wake Up Everybody" is not original. 

It is a remake of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes title track from 1975!?! It has been 35 years since that song was originally released!?!

And there is still "so much hatred, war and poverty." 

We need to wake up EVERYbody.... men and women. 

The world won't get no better
We gotta change it, yeah
Just you and me

...Wake up, all the builders
Time to build a new land
I know we can do it
If we all lend a hand

On My Knees

It isn't for the moment you are struck that you need courage but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security.

                                                                      - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I was feeling slightly insane, wavering in my faith, and insecure.

The moment those feelings were "struck" into me came as I began my senior year with a Women and Religion class. This class is full of women (and a few men) who are very intelligent and different from me.

Usually, I find this environment refreshing.

Not this time.

This time it was personal. This time it was draining: mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

This time it was frightening. Because this time it was messing with my faith. 

I have been learning about pre-history and the religions before Christianity. I have been taught to question all truth, even whether there is any truth. I have been surrounded by those who call their gods "She." I have listened to people bash my religion and point out nothing positive, simply flaw. After flaw. After flaw.

The scary part was I understood - and agreed with - some of their points. I trust in my teacher's knowledge. I have studied and read her textbooks about goddesses.

I have questioned my faith, my God, my role as a Bible study leader.

And worst of all, I told NO ONE.

I didn't want to burden them with a problem I couldn't solve. I didn't want them to have the same struggle if I couldn't help them out of it. I feared their judgment for my wavering faith. So I kept these thoughts to myself.

 ___________________________________________________________________

Until this weekend. And that is when I began my hopefully not too "long uphill climb."

This weekend was the Charleston Baptist Collegiate Ministry Fall Retreat. I went knowing I needed to go but not knowing how much it would affect me.

Before I give you the detail of when I hit my lowest low, here is some background information:

• My homechurch is over 200 years old filled with several traditional people, many of whom are old, all of whom are subdued in their worship style: aka if anyone says "Amen" in the middle of the sermon, we all turn his or her way and glare as if to suggest they should lay off the coffee next Sunday. It is just too much. We're quiet and keep things simple, assuming that showy worship of waving your hands around and shouting is insincere. 

• Well, upon getting to know other believers in college and how they worshiped, I realized one can be showy and sincere in praising God. In fact, it was an encouragement for me to see them raise their hands. When I finally worked up the guts and sincere desire to attempt this on my own, I was nearly sweating and my heart was beating fast but once I got past my nerves, I realized it heightened my own worship. So now, as I feel moved, I will raise my hands.
• Also, I have been trying to figure out how to make prayer a conversation: not just me rambling but also listening for God. My favorite description for his response is a still, small voice putting a crystal clear thought into your mind that was not yours, but simply was placed on your heart out of nowhere. I agree with that.

So, back to the BCM retreat.

We had wonderfully powerful music, enhanced especially by all of the Citadel cadets with their deep voices and clapping as we sang along. One song we sang was Indescribable with a lyric that says "Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim/ You are amazing God."

I had a still, small voice whisper: "That would be cool. I think I'd like to do that; it might elevate my worship like when I started raising my hands."

Enter my active thoughts: "Yes, that could be cool BUT certainly not here. Too many people. I mean I don't want to be all trying too hard or distracting people. Yea, maybe... someday..."

Without a second thought, I continued singing songs until  a few things formed the final cracks in my emotional dam: hearing our leader use words like "battle" and reading through the Lord's prayer about "Lead us not into temptation/ But deliver us from evil," etc.

My emotional dam broke. Warm tears poured from my eyes.

I don't usually cry. I quickly tried to regain my composure but it was melting away like much of my mascara. 

I walked to the front of the room where our Prayer Team leader was sitting in a chair. I don't know why but she pulled me to the ground. At that moment, I was at my lowest point, physically and emotionally and spiritually.

 ___________________________________________________________________

We sat on our knees as she hugged me and prayed for me and read me a few perfectly relevant pieces of scripture.I admitted my fears and my doubts and I let my tears flow.

Once I regained composure I stood to leave but before I could get to the end of the front row, another lady reached for me which I was totally not expecting but graciously welcomed. She hugged me and began praying for me.

However, the way that she grabbed me brought my upper body in for a hug but left my butt awkwardly in the air so, without realizing it, to fix this...

I fell to my knees. 

It wasn't until later after she finished praying for me and I had returned to my seat that I put all of this together. I never had the intention to do any of that, nor did I even want to. But at that point, not even an hour after I had heard that whispered thought, I had fallen to my knees not once but twice, humbled before the Lord in prayer and worship. 

I was like, "Ok, God. I got it. You're there. To me, you are truth and you are real and you are worthy of praise."

Better yet, we sang You Alone Can Rescue with the perfect lyrics for my situation. 

 ___________________________________________________________________

As I begin this "uphill climb" I realize that I don't have all of the answers yet and I am certain all of my doubts are not disappearing any time soon, but I am also certain of my faith.

If I had all the answers it would be called FACT, not FAITH.

But I do feel certain that with God, the acceptance and support and prayer from fellow believers, and with patience I will one day make it back to the top of the hill, "back to sanity and faith and security."

All My Single Ladies

June - aka the wedding month.

While I am truly overjoyed for my friends who have met their Mr. Right and gotten married recently, if I see one more facebook photo album of a wedding, I may scream. Or cry.

Admittedly, I do view every photo of every album  - to stow away ideas for my future wedding, of course (as though this is a really urgent task!?!) -  but it is painful at times. I think it is safe to say that being single sucks in the month of June.

But, not so, according to the authors of a new book: Last One Down the Aisle Wins - 10 keys to a fabulous single life now & an even better marriage later. 

They argue that women should get to know themselves, gain independence, control their own finances, follow their passions, work on their education and careers, travel, etc. before marrying. In fact, they think women should wait until they are out of their 20s before marrying.

To be honest, I haven't read the book yet, only the article found at the link above but it seems a bit extreme; I'm thinking there is a happy medium, maybe 3 or 4 years after graduating rather than right after college or waiting until your 30.

It all depends, however, on when you meet "the one." Whether you wait a day or a decade, it is worth the wait and you shouldn't settle. I LOVE the way they explained that:

"What about this idea of "settling" for a Mr. Right Now — should young women still hold out for "the one"?

What a depressing message to send young women: You'll never find “the one”, so you should just settle for the best one who'll agree to marry you. Horrid! We not only urge women to hold out for Mr. Right, we also encourage them not to settle for themselves in their twenties. When a woman spends her single years becoming the best version of herself, what she's looking for in in a guy/husband/father to her children will inevitably evolve. She'll naturally begin to value character over charisma, connection over charm. This evolution will lead her to be attracted to a man with whom she can build a great life ... voila ... Mr. Right! But she simply won't be able to spot him until she's Mrs. Right. And that takes time."

So, all my single ladies, I hope you read the article and might even read the book. Either way, be encouraged because as the article points out, people who delay their marriage until after the age of 25 cut the chance of divorce in half. 

In other words, single may suck now - particularly during the wedding month - but it can pay off in the end. 

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite songs for a soundtrack to singleness... 

If you're feeling old-school and desperate: Queen's Somebody to Love

If you're feeling alone and impatient: John Mayer's Love Song For No One

If you're feeling optimistic and hopeful: Michael Buble's Haven't Met You Yet

And, finally, a nod to the title of this post, if you're feeling defiant in your singleness: Beyonce's Single Ladies