Give The World A Reason To Dance

I got a leadership position on my floor at school. My title is discipleship assistant.  Basically I organize floor worship and I'm there for any girl who needs prayer or someone to talk to. I have the privilege of arriving before the freshman and helping the RA decorate our floor. So this afternoon I was working on some cool decorations and watching YouTube. This video popped up and made me smile. It sort of made me think about my role as DA. As an upperclassman and spiritual leader, I want to make sure the girls on my floor smile everyday and realize that each one of them is AWESOME!

Bethany Hamilton

Lately every time I open my Facebook there is a picture of Bethany Hamilton: surfing, skydiving, snowboarding and all things awesome.  After I watched the movie Soul Surfer I started following her fan page. She is one of my biggest heroes especially now that I'm struggling with an injury. When I stopped playing violin to let my hand heal, she was someone who always came to mind. "Well," I told myself, "at least I didn't lose my arm." If she overcame this injury of losing her arm, surely I can overcome a small injury in my hand.


I love watching her videos and seeing her pictures.  She made possible what others deemed impossible. Not only that, she is also a professional surfer. I recently learned that this summer she teamed with Tampax Pearl Active encouraging girls to be active all summer long.  Her challenge is for them to capture an image of them being active. While she promotes healthy living, Bethany is also getting married this summer. Ten years since she lost her arm and look where she is now: surfing professionally, inspiring people worldwide, encouraging  healthy living, and now getting married. I love Bethany Hamilton and the work that God has done through her. Everyone should check out her website and her YouTube videos. Learning how to surf, officially on my bucket list:)
http://bethanyhamilton.com/2013/08/interview-faith-fitness-and-finding-love/

Cromagnonboy

One hot summer morning I decided to go to work with my Dad. His occupation is Video production and he owns his own business. He has a pretty nice studio downtown Indianapolis in an old building that once was a car factory.  The hallways are wide enough for a car to drive down and they have enormous elevators.  When we got there, Dad set to work and I pulled out my heavy laptop. I was working on one of my stories when my hand started throbbing from my tendinitis; too much typing.  I slammed my computer shut and wandered around his studio 'till I came across his latest script: Cromagnonboy. "This should keep me busy for a while," I said to myself.  As I began to read, I lost myself in this brilliant story. What the Heck? Did my Dad really write this? I thought, stealing a glance at his desk.

The story addresses the issue of Evolution Vs. Intelligent design, but the issue is entwined with the life of a mennonite farm boy who has a love for science and nature. When his Mom develops cancer the boy is thrown into public school where he faces bullying and ideas that contradict his beliefs. I finished the script in a few days and I'm so excited for next summer when they film it. I have to admit, being on one of my Dad's film sets is not my favorite place in the world. There is a lot of stress and heated discussion along with late nights and painfully early mornings. But when a written story comes to life it's like a symphony played by a grand orchestra.  So look for my Dad's next movie, Cromagnonboy and get excited, because it's going to blow you away.

For a better synopsis go to http://kingdompictures.com/page13/page15/index.html

Wear'n Tear

Juice drips down my arm as I bite into a fuzzy orange peach. The flesh is soft between my teeth and the skin in chewy.  The cold fruit feels nice on my hand as does anything cold. Because I have tendinitis my wrist in always hurting.  The flaming hot tendons drive pain from my wrist up toward my fingers. It's a very frustrating problem that prohibits me from doing the things I love. I developed tendinitis nearly eight months ago simply from overuse and "wear'n tear" on my hand. The combination of typing, playing violin, and playing tennis began to strain my left wrist to the point where the pain kept me up at night.

Through the summer I've been doing occupational therapy.  It helps to prevent pain, but the healing process is taking much longer than I expected. Giving up violin for the past eight months has been one of the hardest things I've ever done.   I was aggravated because there was nothing I could do about it. I simply had to wait for my hand to heal. The greatest difficulty in giving up something you love is the fact that it is so much a part of your life. Violin is my back to joy, the very thing that pulls me up and sets me on my feet. At school I would spend hours in the music building playing, practicing, and listening to myself. But when I injured my hand, all of that disappeared.

I anxiously sought an answer or some explanation. "Lord why did this happen?" I prayed. But I found nothing. The brace I wore on my hand drew questions from people at school. But I hated explaining it; it made me so sad. Every day I grew more and more depressed.  The worst days were my violin lessons.  Despite my injury, my teacher still met with me to talk about my music. She had me write a paper on my Mozart piece since I couldn't play it.

This season of depression and pain drew me close to God. I felt him molding me as I realized this situation, this test of time, would become a testimony.  The very last orchestra rehearsal I attended was the one where I shared a devotion.  At that time, my conductor told me to sit in on rehearsal even though I couldn't play. This was miserable. I hated it not being able to play.  The devotion I shared was a testimony of what God was doing in my life.  I shared about my injury and the frustration it created.  But then I shared about the goodness and love of God. I know now that my life in not my own. But I realize that though God will let me bend, he won't let me break.


This morning I played violin.  It was so nice. My hand is still healing and often I endure a great deal of pain. But I am not anxious or worried about it. I merely take it one day at a time.

What's Been On My Mind

This summer has definitely been a challenge for me. Before it began I was looking at it through a very foggy pair of glasses. My faith was first tested when my plans to go to Korea were cancelled. Dr. Chang, a Taylor Prof, asked me to spend part of my summer teaching English at a church in Seoul. Throughout the months of Spring my mind was in Korea and I couldn't wait to board a plane and fly to the country where so many of my Taylor friends live.

After the conflict that was happening in North Korea, I began to feel uneasy.  I also doubted my capability to teach English with no previous experience. And so with some counsel from my parents I decided not to go.  It was a hard decision not only because I had my heart set on going, but also because many of my Korean friends were not returning to Taylor in the fall, and therefore I didn't know when I would see them again

Summer came and I took it on full force. I surrounded myself with things to keep me busy like volunteering at church, joining a book club and attending a weekly bible study. A few weeks into the summer I didn't enjoy any of this. I spent hours on Facebook wishing I was going to Korea, or anywhere.  Most of my friends from school got jobs at summer camps and seemed to be having a blast. Then again, Facebook has a way of magnifying anything anyone does and throwing it in your face saying, "Don't you wish you were as great as them?"

I had a midsummer breakdown where I cried my eyes out after reading a book by Francis Chan. The Forgotten God. It's a brilliant book that talks about the Holy Spirit and our relationship with him. It was after reading it that I realized how selfish I had been. I didn't want to go to Korea to teach English, I wanted to go for myself. To see my friends, to experience a new culture. And these aren't bad things, but God kept me home to humble me and to bring me closer to him. "Not now."  He told me.

 I realize now that He can work in a person no matter where they are. It seems cliche to say God meets you wherever you are, but it's as true as the sky is blue. And I think you can only truly understand it when you experience it. I rest at peace now with no regrets about canceling my trip. God has strengthened my relationship with my family and friends at home after being away for so long.

The Trouble With writing

Found this story mindmap on Pinterest and it made me smile

Today I ate lunch with my little sister. Her face was speckled with sandwich crumbs as she suggested we play two truths and a lie. Though school has been my home for the past nine months, I agreed, thinking I knew her well enough. We played a few rounds. She spotted my lies and I fell for hers.  Finally I told her about three stories I might or might not have written.  She somehow guessed the lie.  "You wrote a story about Tupper Lake?"  Olivia asked, munching a huge bite of sandwich. Tupper lake is the small area in the Adirondack mountains where we spend summer vacation.  It's a gorgeous area bursting with inspiration and beauty.  I still remember typing away at my story gingerly incorporating our daily activities.

When I first got back from school I spent a whole day unpacking and rearranging my room. After unpacking, I plopped onto my bed and flipped through one of my writing class notebooks. Writers are fanatic readers. My notes from day one.  I quickly shut the notebook realizing the long list of books awaiting me. Since I've been back I have read a few different things,  Heart of Darkness and The Call of the Wild kept me busy.  Now I'm working through The Lord of the Flies.

Most of my reading leaves me wondering how the author so perfectly mends his story together.  Thinking back on the short story I wrote last summer I recall writing whatever came to mind next; there were no boundaries. The story told itself in some ways, taking me in directions I never planned to go.

When I have a story in mind, I always have the most trouble filling in the gaps.  I know where I want my characters to go but how to get them there is the hard part. Or many times I have the beginning of a story but where to take it next always stumps me.

This past semester I had a bunch of classes.  One of my favorites was monday night Spring Break class. I normally gave myself eight to ten minutes to walk over to the chapel from my cozy spot in the library. Sometimes it was snowing and I would blow my way through the falling flakes. Other times it was raining and I would splash through the puddles that gathered on the sidewalk.

Spring Break class prepared my team for a mission trip to El Salvador. Each class held something new and exciting. Sometimes we would share testimonies, other times we would share different cultural things we had learned about El Salvador. Outside of class we had to prepare bible lessons and songs for Vacation Bible School. I was assigned to the Bible Lessons group. There were four of us and we had to organize five Bible lessons to present to the kids along with a memory verse.

Normally it was near the end of a long day that we would come together and mold our ideas into a lesson for the kids.  Because they spoke spanish and we didn't, our plan was to act out the lessons in skits.  Practicing was really comical.  We would read the story and try our best to act it out. But like any other form of presentation, the more we practiced the better we became.  I tried my best to focus on what lesson we were trying to get across.  Jesus feeding the five thousand teaches us that he is our provider.

While rehearsing the skit I pictured a field of grass that dipped and rolled. I imagined five thousand people all wanting to hear the words of Jesus. Hours of walking made them hungry and tired. But Jesus provided food for all of them through the small lunch of a child. What a great story this would be for the kids in El Salvador. I couldn't wait to see their faces and to hand out swedish fish for them to eat. I had no idea what God had in store for me on this mission adventure.

SCHOOL'S OUT

Two weeks from today I came home from college.  Freshman year is now behind me.  I know it's an accomplishment, but for me I look back on each memory and sort of wish I could relive it. It has been a fantastic year.  This summer I plan to blog about all the great things I learned as a freshman.

One of the greatest things about Taylor University is the diverse body of international students.  Though I was a Freshmen, new to college life, I wanted to reach out to the students, new to this country.  Taylor has students from all corners of the globe: China, Korea, Japan, England, Paraguay, Haiti, PNG, The Bahamas, Canada, and even Russia.  Talking and living with these students served as a window into their country and culture.

A few of my closest friends are from South Korea, an amazing and beautiful country I hope to visit.  One  evening when the last rays of sunlight were disappearing over the empty cornfields, I sat at my desk.  I was trying to finish a paper about human thriving and the use of technology.  I sighed as the writers block settled in and my brain buzzed with distractions.  "I need a break." I decided outloud.  My roommate was out helping someone with a video project and our whole floor seemed so empty and quiet.

Slipping on my moccasins, I wandered down the hall and into the Lobby.  A delicious smell awakened me at the front desk and made my stomach churn with hunger.  In the lobby kitchen I found a whole group of korean students.  They were cooking up a storm.  With all the excitement, our simple lobby kitchen seemed to transform into a high end Asian Cuisine. Chopped Onions, peppers, and carrots slid from a cutting board into a simmering pan of ground beef.  Beside the pan boiled a pot of black Ramen noodles. "Julia!"  They called to me from the crowded kitchen.  Beckoning me over they had me sit down and join in their meal.

From eating meals to study parties, I've come to love my korean friends like brother and sisters.  Next summer I hope to go teach English at a church is Seoul.  Here and there I've learned a few words that leave my friends laughing when I attempt to use them in conversation.  But on my list of summer goals I put down Learn Korean. I have also learned so much about Korea. Though two countries can be vastly different, people are still people wherever you go.  And when you get to know them its really rewarding.

Embarrassing Moments: Humiliating but Helpful

There once was a girl who after high school disappeared off to college.  She lived in an all girl's dorm, went to class, attended football games, went to the Christmas formal banquet and slowly found her place on campus.  And like all college students, or human beings that is, this girl had embarrassing moments. Sometimes she would come home from class and collapse at her desk.  Thinking back on all the embarrassing moments of the day, she would bury her head in a pillow and ask, why me?

What makes a moment embarrassing?  Falling down the stairs in the library, dropping a glass plate in the Dining commons, or slipping on the ice outside your academic building, these kinds of things just make us feel miserable. One day I came to a conclusion that letting embarrassing moments bother me must be ungodly. Is God pleased when I go home and cry just because I screwed up on a presentation?  Certainly not.  The embarrassment we feel is our pride getting hurt.  We have an image of ourselves, some with a bigger ego than others, and when something damages that image, it hurts. We experience humility. When God revealed this thought to me I remembered a very important Bible verse, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that at the proper time he may exalt you."  It's hard to be humbled.  But realizing that God deserves all glory and honor and praise reminds me that there is no profit in stealing his glory for myself.

And so I lifted my head out of the pillow and searched through scripture. Soon I found a handful of verses on humility.  I now have a new mindset.  Embarrassing moments are going to happen, and when they do I must remember that in due time God will exalt me.

"Humility does not mean you think less of yourself

It means you think of yourself less." 

Ken Blanchard 

Sweet Sunshine

When you wake up in the morning, drowsy from a deep sleep, sweet sunshine pours through your window.  Each morning every person has to make that one very hard decision.  The decision to get out of bed. But before you emerge from the deep warm covers, you think of what the day holds in store.  What you don't know is that today, anything could happen.  It may seem that you have everything under control. Some plan their day in such detail that they not a single hour goes unoccupied. But in reality, today could be your last.

You heave a sigh beneath your sanctuary of blankets and gather enough effort to face the day.  This morning I read form Romans 8.  "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning  together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not  hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?"  

That drowsy feeling of wishing to sleep for now and eternity is merely our bodies saying how long Lord.  But each day is a new start to something exciting and wonderful.  Each day is an opportunity to bring glory to a God so wonderful that he shares his glory and power with us.  So take in the sweet sunshine and enjoy the day.  But be ever conscious that we are here on this earth but a short time. We are merely visitors. 

J-term

Today was a good day.  Flakes of snow fell like glitter on a sheet of glass.  It glistened in the sunshine sparkling like pixy dust.  Like salt on a fried egg, it slowly drifted down all around me.  It landed in my hair and on my eye lashes. It stuck to my coat and melted on my tongue.

 But J-term is more that snow and ice. It is two hours of class a day, and endless hours of free time.  But not free time to sit on facebook or tweet about what I'm eating for lunch.  This term I've been very productive. My absolute favorite thing to do is practice violin.

 Down the empty halls of the music building I tread.  The music building isn't half as crowded as it usually is.  I can choose which ever practice room I want.  After a while of practice I cant resist the temptation to venture into the recital.  It is normally dark outside by then and the empty recital hall is even darker.  I stumble down the wide carpeted isle. In the light it is a bright red but in the dark I can't even see my feet.

 The light switch is back stage. In hopes that I wont' knock my violin into anything, I feel my way up the stairs and flip the switch.  A dim light comes from the stage and brightens as I step out from back stage. My footsteps echo as I climb the stairs onto the stage.  My audience is before me waiting...just waiting.  Music is a language anyone can understand.  Unfortunately it's not as easy to speak.  I want my music to be a story one only I can tell.

It's winter.  The snow covered plains of Indiana surround my tiny, little college campus.  But today the sun was shining, and the sky was as crystal clear as a snow globe.  This morning I read from Exodus chapter five. Moses, returning from Midian with his family, pleads with Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go. Pharaoh simply laughs at Moses, while his heart in kindled like a raging forest fire.  He then proceeds to have all the straw taken from the slaves with which they use to make bricks. Ruthlessly he demands the same number of bricks even though they don't have the resources to do it. This would be like a professor asking you to take an exam blindfolded and still expecting 100%.  Moses returns from the palace despised by the Hebrews. They curse him and make him feel terrible.  How discouraging this must have been, not only for Moses but also the Hebrews.  No doubt they had such hope when he, their deliverer, returned to set them free. Many have read this passage time and time again, and so have I.  But this morning I noticed something new.  Though I knew what was to come in the next chapters, Moses didn't.  The future was in God's hands and Moses merely said Yes Lord, to all that God commanded. In the same way my future is in the hand of God. Psalm 84:11 says, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."  God sees each one of our futures though they seem uncertain. If we earnestly seek the Lord , the future will glorify God just as Moses' did.  Don't be discouraged when things go wrong.  It is all part of a greater plan.  So great we can't even imagine it.  It's beyond the scope of our tiny minds.