Latent Conviction

"Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost" -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

I believe, that one of the biggest problems amongst Christians today, is that too many people, who are calling themselves Christians, and who very well may fully and completely understand and accept Jesus's teaching, keep their faith hidden.

Therefore, because so many aren't going out and expressing their faith, their conviction, the message is not getting out.

Perhaps though, part of the problem is not just a hidden faith, but a lack of true conviction, not really being pushed (or in some cases kicked in the butt by God) to do His will.

We must make our inmost the outmost.

Emerson, speaks much truth in this aspect. Just imagine the revolution that could take place, the "universal sense" that could be achieved, if we just lifted our voices a bit.

Ahh, God's grace and love is soo amazing...how can people not talk about it.

Like it says in Matthew, a city on a hill cannot be hidden and our light can shine to the whole world.

I'm Spent

Let me tell you, I have spent a very very very LARGE portion of my day doing various school related work stuffs and I am spent. I'm done for the night. My brain has left the building.

It's amazing to me the way God has been revealing himself to me the past few days whether it has been through quality quiet time, Metro meeting, conversations that last into the wee hours of the morning, or simply waking up with a feeling of excitement and peace, He is constantly showing himself to me.

I guess it's true that when you draw close to God, he will draw close to you.

This past week or so I have had this bubbling ball of Jesus deep inside me that is has filled me with such a joy.

Ok seriously...I'm tired...and going to bed...

B is for Bouncy

BROOKE

B is for Bouncy
R is for Radiant
O is for Optimistic
O is for Openhearted

K is for Kind
E is for Exquisite

What Does Your Name Mean?

Tai Chi--not Chai Tea

Have I mentioned that I got the most beautiful and inspirational calendar on Monday.

Well I did and today's inspiration was "Welcome a new facet of yourself." So I went throughout my entire day wondering what I would end up discovering about myself and was growing deathly worried that my day would go by without my coming upon anything new and interesting.

Then I learned Tai Chi...well sort of. My RA had a program about relaxation tonight and upon going I learned to "center my Chi" and "feel my Chi" and sorts of other "Chi" related things. I couldn't help smiling...I think I just like the word Chi.

It was actually pretty cool though, I would probably go again, or maybe take the class. It was just something different, something I had never done and, hey, it was fun.

This would be better worded and more elaborate I am sure, but it's late and I have been vegging out to TV for the past few hours. But I shall share some humor with you.

"I spit...and I'm happy" Colin Mockery

"I'm not cool, I don't wear jeans" Lisa Simpson

"Esta mi el Zorro" Wayne Brady

"I'll be cooking my Lean Cuisine in your kiln tonight" Willy from the Simpsons

"Did you see that? That's not baby fat...that's permanent" Connie's dad regarding Bobby Hill

It's Flipping Beautiful

I just want to say that today was an absolutely beautiful day.

A clear blue sky and bright shining sun.

It's one of those days that makes things seem to come back to life; where you purposely take the long way of walking somewhere just to be outside. People are out walking and running, or sitting and studying outside. You can see their faces because they aren't covered from head to toe trying to avoid the negative million degree weather.

It was beautiful. A day that you could just take a deep breath of, a day that invigorated (and rejuvinated) every sense.

We took a wonderful and l o n g, leisurely walk down Eden's Terrace, back around the lake and back up Sumter. On the way we followed an old couple, saw a guy playing the drums to an audience of ducks, talked to kids, pet a dog, and watched a sunset that looked like this. When we got back to Dinkins we laid in the grass for awhile.

I feel so refreshed. And its absolutely wonderful.

God is soo amazing.


There is something very collegiate about wearing flip flops and sweaters together.

More Old Testament Inspiration

"Whether it was two days or a month or a long time that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, resting upon it, the Isrealites would remain in camp and not set out, but when it was lifted, they would set out"
Numbers 9:22

Since about 10th grade I have been pretty sure that God was calling me to be a youth minister. It started more or less because I was mad that my church never really had an active youth group and definitely never had a youth minister and upon going to friends youth groups and coming more into the understanding of the need for good youth ministers I figured it was a good plan of action. Then once I started working at camp and then E-team and being in actual ministry positions, I was hooked and felt a much stronger calling towards youth ministry.
Well for the first few years I was kind of locked into the idea of being the standard youth minister for some youth group at some church, and if that ends up being the position that God calls me towards then awesome I will do it with a joyful heart, but within the past year I have had this feeling of something BIGGER.

However, God being the joker that He is, hasn't quite revealed what that something is. Several different paths have been laid on my heart and sparked my interest. One such path is still very much youth ministry but rather than on the church level it would be more on a director kind of level. Like being a retreat coordinator or getting involved with some organization that sponsers different youth events (like Cultivation Ministries or something). Then there has been the kind of farfetched idea of being a motivational speaker of sorts, you know, going around and giving talks, particularly on purity (a la Jason Evert). Of course there is also my goal of writing my book one day, which while it wouldn't neccesarily be targeted towards solely youth, it would be relevant.

Since about October though, I have had this very strong desire to do some kind of mission work, something more than just organizing talks and meetings, but outreach. It started by flipping through a book at the state Catholic student retreat that was full of different organizations and missions around the country and the world. I felt very inspired by it all, and for the first time felt like God might be calling me to do something not-standard with my life, something that would involve a lot of going around and just purely doing his work a life that didn't quite include the husband and kids that I had always forseen in my future. It was crazy, but at the same time really cool to think about.

The idea of doing some mission work within the next few years (not neccesarily as a career though) is still very much on my heart and was sparked even more so this past week at Cru when a guy named Will came and talked about summer projects and other missions sponsered through Campus Crusade. That night had a quote and the next day I found the verse I posted above and they very much went hand in hand.

The quote was: "Working for God is not a job, it's an adventure."

The reason why both struck me so strongly is because they got me thinking about what my life would be like if God took me on some crazy life adventure just full or ministering to people and doing his work. You know, the kind of people who just have really adventure filled life, who have been all over and have great stories...that's the kind of life I was thinking about. Just letting God take the keys and take me wherever He wanted, when he wanted.

That's, in a way, they way they Isrealites were. Whether it was a few days or a few months they came and went as God directed them and their lives centered around His timing.

Ahh Ahh Amazing. What fun.

God puts you were He needs you when He needs you to be there.

Inspiration from Leviticus

I came across the most wonderful verse about a week and a half ago while reading through Leviticus. It said:

"I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect." (Leviticus 26:13)

Wow.

A lot of times, when we are going through a rough time, or feeling axious, worried, frustrated, overloaded, or a multitude of other burdening emotions, we turn to particular comfort verses. Verses like "Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2) and "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own" (Matthew 6:34). And don't get me wrong, these verses are beautiful and very much a comfort in our times of need. But a lot of times our worries come from needing to let go and that is why this particular verse is so beautiful.

Think about what worrying, frustration, and anger can do . They pull us away from God, they make us act differently towards those people around us, and most noticably they put a chip on our shoulder.

Think about it.

When you're upset, worried, frustrated it shows physically. You walk with your shoulders slumped and a frown on your face. You look down instead of ahead, and you tend to be more lathargic and less inclined to do what needs to be done.

However, once whatever burden we are carrying is releaved, we walk as if a weight has been lifted from our shoulders. We can once again breath and get back to our business.

That is what God can do for us when we are willing to just let go of whatever we are holding on to that pulls us down. With God, through our full reliance on Him, we can walk erect. We can face the world with our shoulders back, chest out, and a smile on.

That's glorious if you ask me.

Just Shake Your Rump

There are plenty of things that I am not good at, and I can now add shaking my butt to the list. Upon going to Cardio Dance last night and learning combinations that required forementioned butt shaking, I found myself faced with a moral dilemma. Not only can I not physically bring myself to effectively shake my butt, I do not feel comfortable with the entire idea surrounding such butt shaking. So, I didn't and I just sort of wiggled awkwardly until the next step.

I can however, rhumba, and that is exciting.

a quick follow up

Concerning the previous entry entitled "Love is in the Details".

I would just like to point out...in case my entry sort of hinted otherwise, that the love of which I spoke is not limited to a romantic kind of love. Nor was it intended to really address that but I suppose when trying to draw examples from society's messages that is sort of what you end up with, plus I like to quote mary kate and ashley movies (5 points to whoever gets that reference and posts it). Rather, I wanted to touch on the common courtesy kind of love, the friendship kind of love, and just the simple kind of love we can all experience on a daily basis.

thank you
-the management

and i'm serious about the 5 point thing

me and SUPER Steve

me and the fabulous petra

staff reunion

Love is in the Details

I was supposed to have class at 9 o'clock this morning, but after venturing over to Thurmond and getting notice that my class will not meet until Wednesday morning at 9, I have found myself all dressed up with no place to go. Therefore, I decided I should make my valiant return to my reading public and grace you with my thoughts for the moment.

Love is in the details.

The first time I heard that, well read it, was about a year or so ago in one of the BibleGeek's weekly emails. Since then it has been one of my favorite little phrases and its truth is revealed more and more to me. So, lets talk about love.

I think that in today's society, while everyone, at least in my opinion, has this longing for a greater kind of love that "can't eat, can't sleep, over the fence, world series kinda thing", very few are willing to wait for it and work for it.

I think a majority of the problem is the everyone is caught up in the feeling of love, the strictly noun version of the word or the verbal proclamation of love and forget that love is a verb, it is something that must be acted out on a daily basis.

Most people want the fairy tale, over the top kind of love...the kind that comes from every romantic comedy, romance novel, and even yes, fairy tales. Women, in particular, are waiting for their prince charming to come (which isn't completely bad) and profess his undying love in some huge romantic gesture. While these huge romantic gestures can be rather flattering and chocked full of good, loving intentions, when I think to moments that mean the most to me, things that really made me think about love, its the small things.

Love is in the details.

Think of the little things people have done that really stick out. It's the things like, remembering what classes you are taking or your favorite candy or mentioning something you brought up in a conversation. It's taking some of your favorite memories you mentioned in normal conversation and putting them into a song. It's sending you a little note (or in this day and age IM) wishing you to have a good day. It's paying attention to the things about ourselves that we often don't notice, that when they do go noticed, that make love happen...it's the details.

Therefore if God is love and love is in the details, God is particularly fond of details himself.

Of course there are the typical verses about how He knit us in the womb and knows every hair on our heads, but something that I am coming to learn is just how vast and detailed God's plan is for each and everyone of us.

Getting out of the egocentric aspect though, go outside and look around you...the earth we live on is a rather complex and beautiful thing, full of details. Every cloud in the sky that has the potential to bring a rain storm, every vein in every leaf on every tree is an amazing little system of channels that will feed the plant itself, the endless spectrum of colors found in a garden of flowers, the list goes on and on. Everything, not just us humans, is beautifully and amazingly made and if God cares THAT much to design every little aspect and facet of all creation in such a detailed form, I don't think it would hurt any of us to pay a little more attention to these details. Not just the details of the world around us, but the details in each other. Get specific and get love.

St. Theresa

St. Theresa's Prayer:

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactlywhere you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the lovethat has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

.Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul thefreedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one ofyou.

Message from the Bible Geek

Just pray, and realize that if you accomplished “nothing else” this day…you will still have accomplished a great deal. God is closer than you realize at this moment. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

-just a little message from the Bible Geek...check him out on Lifeteen.com and keep a prayerful heart this day and everyday.