I am still quite the pitiful blogger.
Well, I have been doing pretty well with NaNo. I have around 26,000 words right now, and I need to get to 30,000 by the end of the day to catch up. I was doing so well! And then the website messed up and my graph was off, and I've been busy and tired. But I'm more than halfway there! That's exciting, at least.
Let's see, in other news...
I have been bouldering at the Loft this week and last. Fun stuff. I love it. Mainly I love getting to work my arm and back muscles a lot, since I don't do that a lot with ballet. But I've seen improvement after the three days I've gone. Yesterday, I did one route that started as a slight incline, and ended up on the ceiling. I did it twice before my arms got too tired and my brain dysfunctional enough to do it a third. I'll do it again on Monday, if I can get up there after handbells before it closes.
Thanksgiving break is almost here (Praise the Lord!). Leaving Tuesday afternoon. SO glad to be going home to rest (ha ha, probably not). There's always so much going on, but I'm happy to be going back. I do miss my family.
On Sunday, the Outdoors Club is taking a group of us to the YMCA to work on kayak techniques. Namely, ROLLING! Yay! It's been a couple of months since I rolled, so I hope I can still do it. It's so much fun if you can do it, but it is exhausting, and rather scary as well. You are underwater, depending on the strength of your arms and hips to get your kayak right-side-up. And if you are on the river, then you are also worried about smacking your head on a rock that you can't see because your eyes are closed in the frigid water.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
NaNoWriMo
Yes... it's true. I signed up to do NaNo this year.
Scary.
For those non-writers, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which is November. Every year, thousands of writers get together to write a 50K novel in the 30 days of November. Scary and crazy, right? Yep.
I have not done this in the past due to school, so now I'm going to be even more insane and tackle it for the first time in college. Right. Smart. Anyway, one of my friends here is also doing it, so at least I'll have someone to keep me accountable, which was probably my failure when I attempted to do Camp NaNo (write the novel during the summer).
It starts in 16 days, so I have a little over two weeks to brainstorm and outline (if I dare... I may just do a rough sketch and write by the seat of my pants). AAAGGHH!! This is going to be super crazy.
Once it gets a little closer, I'll add a little counter to my page so you all can see how I'm doing (and encourage me to write every spare minute I have!). I'm really counting on the few of you who read to encourage me! It's going to be hard (those who have done NaNo know exactly how hard...)
A few days ago I was working on another blog post, but I had to stop in the middle for something, I can't remember, so now I have to wait for the muse to return to finish the other post. Until then, shalom!
Scary.
For those non-writers, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which is November. Every year, thousands of writers get together to write a 50K novel in the 30 days of November. Scary and crazy, right? Yep.
I have not done this in the past due to school, so now I'm going to be even more insane and tackle it for the first time in college. Right. Smart. Anyway, one of my friends here is also doing it, so at least I'll have someone to keep me accountable, which was probably my failure when I attempted to do Camp NaNo (write the novel during the summer).
It starts in 16 days, so I have a little over two weeks to brainstorm and outline (if I dare... I may just do a rough sketch and write by the seat of my pants). AAAGGHH!! This is going to be super crazy.
Once it gets a little closer, I'll add a little counter to my page so you all can see how I'm doing (and encourage me to write every spare minute I have!). I'm really counting on the few of you who read to encourage me! It's going to be hard (those who have done NaNo know exactly how hard...)
A few days ago I was working on another blog post, but I had to stop in the middle for something, I can't remember, so now I have to wait for the muse to return to finish the other post. Until then, shalom!
Friday, September 23, 2011
By Faith
Over the past few months, I've really sought to become better about daily Bible readings. I've done very well with that, as I am currently reading two chapters a day. However, since I do this in the morning before I go to have breakfast, it feels more rushed than it could be, and I usually do not end up thinking about the scripture all day long, as I ought to be doing. I noticed this on Wednesday and asked God to help me out with this.
He surely answers. Thursday morning I rose, collected my things, and headed to the flounge (fake lounge) to do my devotional. I read in 1 Samuel 11 and Hebrews 11. The interesting thing about Hebrews 11 is that it is known as the "Hall of Faith." I ended up having no problems meditating on it all day. Thursday is a chapel day, and yesterday Keith Getty visited to speak at chapel, and also to do a concert that evening. One of the modern hymns he has written is called "By Faith." Here are the lyrics:
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave
By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand...
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name
We will stand...
(http://www.gettymusic.com/hymns-ByFaith.aspx)
The second verse is the one that got me that morning. "By faith our fathers roamed the earth/With the power of His promise in their heart" spoke back to the Old Testament, to the same things that Hebrews 11 was speaking of! Not only that, but the song itself gave me great encouragement about living by faith. It's a struggle every day, but when the Lord is on our side, what evil can stand against us?
Here is the song for your listening enjoyment.
He surely answers. Thursday morning I rose, collected my things, and headed to the flounge (fake lounge) to do my devotional. I read in 1 Samuel 11 and Hebrews 11. The interesting thing about Hebrews 11 is that it is known as the "Hall of Faith." I ended up having no problems meditating on it all day. Thursday is a chapel day, and yesterday Keith Getty visited to speak at chapel, and also to do a concert that evening. One of the modern hymns he has written is called "By Faith." Here are the lyrics:
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave
By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand...
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name
We will stand...
(http://www.gettymusic.com/hymns-ByFaith.aspx)
The second verse is the one that got me that morning. "By faith our fathers roamed the earth/With the power of His promise in their heart" spoke back to the Old Testament, to the same things that Hebrews 11 was speaking of! Not only that, but the song itself gave me great encouragement about living by faith. It's a struggle every day, but when the Lord is on our side, what evil can stand against us?
Here is the song for your listening enjoyment.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Donations and the Exhaustion Later
Yesterday was a pretty big step for me on several levels. First of all, I had my first college exam in Chemical Science. Second, I had my first lab practical for Anatomy and Physiology. But the most important (probably) is that I donated blood for the first time. This is pretty big since in the past I haven't done too well with things like... shots. Oops. But yesterday I did okay. I felt a little lightheaded for a minute or so, but the nurse put my feet up and gave me some Pepsi to sip. That helped a bunch. And I lay there for a while, even after they were done collecting, just to make sure I was stable enough to stand and not collapse in a heap on the floor. That didn't happen, so I was free to go, collect my XL T-shirt (yes, I now have a new sleep shirt >_> ), grab a doughnut hole, and be on my way.
Unfortunately, "being on my way" meant many things in the evening. I had an SI (supplemental instruction) for A&P to study for the exam that was this morning (it helped a lot) at 7:00. I lost track of time, so I only had a sandwich for dinner en route to SI. SI went until 8:00. The first class for Ballet I started at 7:30, but I dashed from SI to ballet, praying that the teacher was nice enough to be okay with it since it was for school (she was). And then did bar work and other dancing things until 9, when I hurriedly changed and ran off to my job in the kitchen. We were done within an hour.
It wasn't until I stepped into the room that I realized how exhausted I was. I had no energy to do anything but sit on the floor against the bed. I didn't even feel like climbing up into my own bed, for I'm on the top bunk. Then I realized I had not thought through the day very clearly. I should have taken it easy after giving a pint of blood, and eaten a "hearty meal" (so the pamphet says) that day. I had a sandwich, and I was running for three hours. Fantastic. Good job, Sarah.
Even though I realize I was not thinking clearly yesterday, I did enjoy dance. It's been at least seven, maybe eight years, since I last took ballet, and three of those years have been spent learning Hebraic dance. It's very different. But surprisingly, once I stretched out and relaxed into the atmosphere of ballet again, I felt great. There are definitely a lot of things that Israeli dance is much more slack on, but I have confidence that at the end of the year, I will be able to improve my Israeli dancing style, too, and be more graceful, fluid, and also improve my lines. :D
So! Despite my stupidity on my first day of dance, I'm rather excited about the upcoming year and dance. Oh, speaking of which, I need to share a neat story from the past few weeks.
A few days before I left for college, my friend Aaron from dance told me about a girl named Ashley who was going to Messiah, and that she loved to dance. With that tidbit of information (along with her last name, which I won't post here due to the nature of the internet), I set out for school hoping to run into this girl. I looked her up on Facebook, and the first girl to come up was in the network of the school I had gone to. Strange, I thought. That couldn't possibly be her, I would have remembered her. Then her name started to pop out. We were both honors students. Outdoors club. So on and so forth.
I finally sent a friend request. It was with joy several days later that I received a note from her. We met for lunch, and have been friends since. With that, we're hoping to host a dance workshop to teach people Israeli dance. It is my hopes to start a class through the dance ministry for it next year or beyond. But this is a good start. :)
Now to see what God would have me do with all of this. :) Shalom!
Unfortunately, "being on my way" meant many things in the evening. I had an SI (supplemental instruction) for A&P to study for the exam that was this morning (it helped a lot) at 7:00. I lost track of time, so I only had a sandwich for dinner en route to SI. SI went until 8:00. The first class for Ballet I started at 7:30, but I dashed from SI to ballet, praying that the teacher was nice enough to be okay with it since it was for school (she was). And then did bar work and other dancing things until 9, when I hurriedly changed and ran off to my job in the kitchen. We were done within an hour.
It wasn't until I stepped into the room that I realized how exhausted I was. I had no energy to do anything but sit on the floor against the bed. I didn't even feel like climbing up into my own bed, for I'm on the top bunk. Then I realized I had not thought through the day very clearly. I should have taken it easy after giving a pint of blood, and eaten a "hearty meal" (so the pamphet says) that day. I had a sandwich, and I was running for three hours. Fantastic. Good job, Sarah.
Even though I realize I was not thinking clearly yesterday, I did enjoy dance. It's been at least seven, maybe eight years, since I last took ballet, and three of those years have been spent learning Hebraic dance. It's very different. But surprisingly, once I stretched out and relaxed into the atmosphere of ballet again, I felt great. There are definitely a lot of things that Israeli dance is much more slack on, but I have confidence that at the end of the year, I will be able to improve my Israeli dancing style, too, and be more graceful, fluid, and also improve my lines. :D
So! Despite my stupidity on my first day of dance, I'm rather excited about the upcoming year and dance. Oh, speaking of which, I need to share a neat story from the past few weeks.
A few days before I left for college, my friend Aaron from dance told me about a girl named Ashley who was going to Messiah, and that she loved to dance. With that tidbit of information (along with her last name, which I won't post here due to the nature of the internet), I set out for school hoping to run into this girl. I looked her up on Facebook, and the first girl to come up was in the network of the school I had gone to. Strange, I thought. That couldn't possibly be her, I would have remembered her. Then her name started to pop out. We were both honors students. Outdoors club. So on and so forth.
I finally sent a friend request. It was with joy several days later that I received a note from her. We met for lunch, and have been friends since. With that, we're hoping to host a dance workshop to teach people Israeli dance. It is my hopes to start a class through the dance ministry for it next year or beyond. But this is a good start. :)
Now to see what God would have me do with all of this. :) Shalom!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Handbells and Kayaks
Of all the titles to have, I chose handbells and kayaks. What do these two things have in common? I love both of them, but do not often get to do them. This, I hope to remedy this year. Amongst the four classes and two labs I am taking this semester, I also signed up to audition for the handbell choir, and to get information from the outdoors club. There are a LOT of kayaking events on the calendar, so I hope to do a couple of them. ^_^ I also signed up for dance ensemble, but I don't have much information about that either.
The first two days of school have gone pretty well. My professors are all really cool, and so are the classes. Despite the fact that I'm taking anatomy and physiology, and chemistry, I'm really excited about them. I love science. I know they are hard classes, but so far, the resources for doing well have been provided, so I don't feel scared about the semester. I'm just excited in general. I hope it continues.
Well, until next time, shalom!
The first two days of school have gone pretty well. My professors are all really cool, and so are the classes. Despite the fact that I'm taking anatomy and physiology, and chemistry, I'm really excited about them. I love science. I know they are hard classes, but so far, the resources for doing well have been provided, so I don't feel scared about the semester. I'm just excited in general. I hope it continues.
Well, until next time, shalom!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The next step of the joyful adventure
It has now been three days since I arrived on the grounds of Messiah College as a brand-new first year student. I was so happy to be here when I arrived, and I'm still pretty happy. My roommates are great, the campus is beautiful, the food is good. The schedule has, however, been crammed with necessary but annoying orientation sessions on all kinds of things. The things I'm most fuzzy on have not been covered in the sessions or schedule. Oye vey.
Classes don't start until Tuesday, and I'm both glad and anxious for them to come. Glad because some of my textbooks have not arrived yet... but overall, I'm excited for them to start. I'm taking some really cool classes (courtesy of being in the nursing program and the honors program), like the writing class on the amish, anatomy and physiology, and foundations of marriage and family. I'm so excited about anatomy and physiology, and also for chemistry. I am such a scientist because I LOVE to learn about God's creation and explore it. I love all the labs in chemistry, and I love learning about the body. Each system is so complex, so that when you put them all together, they completely blow your mind. How can anyone say that we came from a mass of exploding gases?
On another note, my dorm building's theme is "Choose Joy." This seems to be a recurring theme in my life. In middle school, back when I was that awkward little kid with the weird obsessions and such, my mom told me that I needed to choose joy in life, because if I looked at all the pain and sorrow and strife, life wouldn't be so hard. The first week at the Springs, Pastor St Cyr spoke about joy - real joy. So often people use "happy" and "joyful" synonymously, when they really aren't. Happiness is based on circumstance - "I'm happy to see you" or "You make me so happy" or even, as my friend's dad puts it, something can have "happy-making qualities." Joy, however, is rooted in contentment and in God. It is deeper than happiness. It is more than happiness. It is something that burrows deep into your soul and thrives in contentment.
Joy is beautiful. Happiness is fleeting, joy is eternal. It is only when we take our Lord as our companion that He shows us the priceless value in joyfulness.
So, it is fitting for my first-year theme to be "Choose Joy." It hasn't just been a first-year theme; it is a life theme. The picture here is a graphic my friend Aaron designed. His website is www.worksofhishands.com if you want to look at the other artwork he's designed. In any case, the scripture he's chosen for joy fits perfectly. Our souls are joyful because the LORD, the Lord Almighty, has compassion on his children. We are redeemed because he loves us so, and we rejoice because of that. Because of that, we find so much more joy in knowing God.
Shalom, and may you find simcha (joy) this week!
Classes don't start until Tuesday, and I'm both glad and anxious for them to come. Glad because some of my textbooks have not arrived yet... but overall, I'm excited for them to start. I'm taking some really cool classes (courtesy of being in the nursing program and the honors program), like the writing class on the amish, anatomy and physiology, and foundations of marriage and family. I'm so excited about anatomy and physiology, and also for chemistry. I am such a scientist because I LOVE to learn about God's creation and explore it. I love all the labs in chemistry, and I love learning about the body. Each system is so complex, so that when you put them all together, they completely blow your mind. How can anyone say that we came from a mass of exploding gases?
On another note, my dorm building's theme is "Choose Joy." This seems to be a recurring theme in my life. In middle school, back when I was that awkward little kid with the weird obsessions and such, my mom told me that I needed to choose joy in life, because if I looked at all the pain and sorrow and strife, life wouldn't be so hard. The first week at the Springs, Pastor St Cyr spoke about joy - real joy. So often people use "happy" and "joyful" synonymously, when they really aren't. Happiness is based on circumstance - "I'm happy to see you" or "You make me so happy" or even, as my friend's dad puts it, something can have "happy-making qualities." Joy, however, is rooted in contentment and in God. It is deeper than happiness. It is more than happiness. It is something that burrows deep into your soul and thrives in contentment.
Joy is beautiful. Happiness is fleeting, joy is eternal. It is only when we take our Lord as our companion that He shows us the priceless value in joyfulness.
Shalom, and may you find simcha (joy) this week!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Everything thus far
Well, I am a pitiful blogist. The summer is just so busy and full of wonderful things. So let me begin with a brief overview.
I worked at White Sulphur Springs for two weeks at the beginning of the summer. That was absolutely wonderful; I have gone to camp there for now five summers, and this summer was my second on staff. Next year I hope to do senior staff. It is a lovely place, full of grace and beauty. The people there are gentle and respectful, but awesome and crazy in their own way. I became good friends with several of the senior staffers for this summer, and have been talking with them, even while we are not together. Such are the relationships there, that when you go, you know at least somebody, if not many somebodies! Often times, you will mention one person's name at a meal, to find that everyone else at the table knows them as well. It is a lovely community, one that I hope to stay part of for years and years to come. Even though I am not military, I still love the place as a retreat center, "a place apart, a place of the heart" and "where cares refuse to stay." O, how I love it there. Not just because it is nestled in the midst of the mountains. Not just because of the peace and quiet that greets you. No, it is a place of community, of fellowship with both people and of God.
Two weeks after the Springs, I volunteered in my church's Vacation Bible School as a small group leader for the fifth and sixth graders. Each small group was composed of one of the two grades and seven to eight boys or girls. My group was all girls (obviously). Those girls were so cool. Quest (the 5th/6th graders) did a shopping trip to buy food for a local food pantry one day, and did service projects at two local elementary schools on two other days. However, one of the days was insanely hot, and we opted out of working out in the heat of the afternoon. The kids were given the option to arrive at the schools in the morning to do a few hours of work before VBS. Even though my group had not originally signed up to do one of the schools, three of my girls and I showed up to one of the elementary schools to spray paint bike racks and throw mulch around. I was awed by their willingness to serve. One of the girls didn't even go to that school! She was homeschooled. That was really neat.
Note: I am not just randomly skipping the two weeks between the Springs and VBS, and the time between VBS and the Springs again. There's just a bunch of little things that went on in those periods that I may or may not get to later. We shall see.
Like I said, a week after VBS, I returned to the Springs, this time for camp. They run a number of youth programs, including Alleghany Outback! (nicknamed AO!) for high school kids. I did AO! for all four years of high school, including a special AOX this summer. AOX is an intense, slightly varied version of AO!, except that it is only for freshman in college and high school seniors. Mainly the freshman though. The other main difference is that the week is focused more on community, fellowship, and our relationship on God rather than on all the cool activities we do. Needless to say, we did do some awesome stuff, but I'm not at liberty to share that. ;) But in all seriousness, the best parts of the week were when we were celebrating, praising, or relying on God, either in community or by ourselves.
I'll tell you a story. In the midst of a day when everyone was tired and exhausted, we had a prayer time. Someone would call out a topic, and we would pray for it for about two minutes, and then another topic would be called out. At the beginning, I said, "Let's start out by praising God." By doing so, rather than complain to God about how tired we were and ask for energy, we praised him for the beautiful day, for eyes to see the beauty and muscles to allow us to be there to see it, etc. After that, we moved on to supplication topics. But it signaled an incredible shift. The rest of the day was filled with intentional conversations full of grace. Several of us exchanged verses we had memorized and discussed them. I told one girl about my experience at a Messianic congregation. And during that time, I laughed. And believe me when I tell you that you have never known laughter or joy until you have spent a day "praying without ceasing." I was so full of joy, I cannot describe it. All pain vaporized. I forgot the exhaustion, having traded it for pure, unending joy.
Joy isn't happiness. Happiness is too shallow to truly describe joy. Joy is deep and, I believe, is linked and closely entertwined with contentment. When you allow the Lord to be your sustenance, He rewards you with strength beyond your capacity and incredible joy.
"The Lord is my strength" moved to "The Lord is my stronghold" to "The Lord is my salvation" to, lastly "The Lord is my song."
I worked at White Sulphur Springs for two weeks at the beginning of the summer. That was absolutely wonderful; I have gone to camp there for now five summers, and this summer was my second on staff. Next year I hope to do senior staff. It is a lovely place, full of grace and beauty. The people there are gentle and respectful, but awesome and crazy in their own way. I became good friends with several of the senior staffers for this summer, and have been talking with them, even while we are not together. Such are the relationships there, that when you go, you know at least somebody, if not many somebodies! Often times, you will mention one person's name at a meal, to find that everyone else at the table knows them as well. It is a lovely community, one that I hope to stay part of for years and years to come. Even though I am not military, I still love the place as a retreat center, "a place apart, a place of the heart" and "where cares refuse to stay." O, how I love it there. Not just because it is nestled in the midst of the mountains. Not just because of the peace and quiet that greets you. No, it is a place of community, of fellowship with both people and of God.
Two weeks after the Springs, I volunteered in my church's Vacation Bible School as a small group leader for the fifth and sixth graders. Each small group was composed of one of the two grades and seven to eight boys or girls. My group was all girls (obviously). Those girls were so cool. Quest (the 5th/6th graders) did a shopping trip to buy food for a local food pantry one day, and did service projects at two local elementary schools on two other days. However, one of the days was insanely hot, and we opted out of working out in the heat of the afternoon. The kids were given the option to arrive at the schools in the morning to do a few hours of work before VBS. Even though my group had not originally signed up to do one of the schools, three of my girls and I showed up to one of the elementary schools to spray paint bike racks and throw mulch around. I was awed by their willingness to serve. One of the girls didn't even go to that school! She was homeschooled. That was really neat.
Note: I am not just randomly skipping the two weeks between the Springs and VBS, and the time between VBS and the Springs again. There's just a bunch of little things that went on in those periods that I may or may not get to later. We shall see.
Like I said, a week after VBS, I returned to the Springs, this time for camp. They run a number of youth programs, including Alleghany Outback! (nicknamed AO!) for high school kids. I did AO! for all four years of high school, including a special AOX this summer. AOX is an intense, slightly varied version of AO!, except that it is only for freshman in college and high school seniors. Mainly the freshman though. The other main difference is that the week is focused more on community, fellowship, and our relationship on God rather than on all the cool activities we do. Needless to say, we did do some awesome stuff, but I'm not at liberty to share that. ;) But in all seriousness, the best parts of the week were when we were celebrating, praising, or relying on God, either in community or by ourselves.
I'll tell you a story. In the midst of a day when everyone was tired and exhausted, we had a prayer time. Someone would call out a topic, and we would pray for it for about two minutes, and then another topic would be called out. At the beginning, I said, "Let's start out by praising God." By doing so, rather than complain to God about how tired we were and ask for energy, we praised him for the beautiful day, for eyes to see the beauty and muscles to allow us to be there to see it, etc. After that, we moved on to supplication topics. But it signaled an incredible shift. The rest of the day was filled with intentional conversations full of grace. Several of us exchanged verses we had memorized and discussed them. I told one girl about my experience at a Messianic congregation. And during that time, I laughed. And believe me when I tell you that you have never known laughter or joy until you have spent a day "praying without ceasing." I was so full of joy, I cannot describe it. All pain vaporized. I forgot the exhaustion, having traded it for pure, unending joy.
Joy isn't happiness. Happiness is too shallow to truly describe joy. Joy is deep and, I believe, is linked and closely entertwined with contentment. When you allow the Lord to be your sustenance, He rewards you with strength beyond your capacity and incredible joy.
"The Lord is my strength" moved to "The Lord is my stronghold" to "The Lord is my salvation" to, lastly "The Lord is my song."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)