Information Overload

I am seriously unhappy with the look of my blog at the moment. I've discovered all kinds of wonderful things that Blogger can do while working on my presentation and now this blog seems woefully inadequate. Sigh....

Anyways, looking at my Twitter feed tonight, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information I have access to now: and I'm only following about 15 people, one-third of which are family! I'm encouraged by the fact that I know that it's there, so I can use it, but also incredibly discouraged by the idea that I might miss something because there's SO much!! Reading an article about research advice makes me want to rethink the way I do research homework now, not just log the info away for later when I might have the opportunity to advise. Awesome resources for people like me and news about the field I want to work in are just the tip of the iceberg. I had a general idea of how to use Twitter and Blogspot (I guess it's Blogger now?) before, but as I figure out how to link accounts together and tweet my blog to my Facebook, I'm amazed and, like I said, overwhelmed.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Since my last post, I've eaten most of a double batch of peanut butter cookies, created a blog presentation at http://libr100pres.blogspot.com/, and gotten a Twitter account. Next week is finals weeks, and I plan to get a lot done while I'm not worrying about next quarter's 20-credit stressload. I want to write more, and as always it's hard to remember when I'm not getting feedback that encourages me to write more! I want to post recipes and toss around ideas that I've learned in my classes, but if nobody reads them, does it "make a sound"?

At some point, I'm sure I'll set an alarm for myself and start posting every day. I've read that following other blogs gets you more traffic as people read the blogs that follow them and follow back, etc. But where do I even start with that? I guess I'll need to hunt around for some other blogs that interest me... In the mean time, I'll continue to write when I can and share with Facebook, hoping for some kind of response to me thoughts.

MASHED POTATOES!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh.... It's been a while :)

So, a couple posts ago I said I was going to start using my blog and that obviously didn't really happen! But it's okay, because I've been busy actually doing epic things instead of writing about them :) Lots of cool stuff has happened, and now that I actually have a kitchen to bake in, I'm thinking about posting some recipes on here. Would anybody actually use them, though? I'm not sure who reads this, even when I "forward" my posts to facebook. I've got 3 in mind at the moment, I just need to type them up, and that's quite a bit of work if nobody gets any use out of it....

Don't: A bit of a mission statement.

Don't tell me what to do.
Don't tell me what I'll regret.
Don't assume anything.
Don't ever say never.
Don't blame others for anything.
Don't judge based on appearances.
Don't gossip to me.
Don't be afraid of hurting me.
Don't ignore me.
Don't tell me to tell somebody else what to do.
Don't call me a liar.
Don't put yourself down.
Don't ask me to change.
Don't think I can't change.
Don't stop believing.

I will make my own choices, based on the information I have. I will take responsibility for those choices, and never regret them, but instead learn from the ones that don't go so well. I will give everyone the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. I will give everything and everyone a chance, and accept God's will for my life. I will take the blame for anything that I can reasonably be blamed for, and let others take responsibility without my help. I will learn from the times that I have been judged by my appearance, and give others a break. I will listen to anything you need to say, and I will keep it to myself. I will be careful not to take things personally, and grow thicker skin when I need to. I will accept attention graciously without seeking it purposefully. I will give you the best advice I can think of, and always advise you to do what you believe is best. I will always say the truth in the kindest way possible. I will believe in the potential of everyone. I will rely on God to show me my faults, and, with His strength, change accordingly. I will be myself, because that is who God made me to be.

God

For my first post I want to try and summarize who God is to me and why He is the center of my life. It just makes sense to start with the foundation of my life. I'm not trying to summarize God Himself, of course, because (if it was even possible) it would take the rest of my life to do it! As Frank Peretti puts it, "You don't define God, and I don't define God. It is not up to Man to define God! God is not a matter of opinion."

That being the case, I am left to my relationship with God and Jesus, and what it means to me. Oh my. I believe, first, that God is the Creator of all things. That Jesus died for the sins of the world, thus sparing me the punishment I actually deserve. And there is nothing on this earth that can truly harm me because of Him. Since He is the Living God, I think it would be nice to describe with more verbs than adjectives...

He is saving. I am not just redeemed or saved or made new, in the past tense, but constantly God is saving, redeeming, and making me new. He daily is forgiving and loving despite my faults and failures, because He is good and merciful. I believe that Jesus is actively interceding on my behalf at all times. 

God is also present. He is here in my life at every moment. And not just here but everywhere. I believe He doesn't just set things into motion and know where the world will go from there, but that He personally guides every atom and quark (yes that's a thing) and whatever is even smaller than that, every millisecond of eternity.

I think that's all I need to say for a start. I want to address some other topics in detail later, but what He is doing for me and what He is doing everywhere all the time is more than enough reason for me to worship and praise Him with all of my heart for all of my days, and strive to have a better understanding of God and His word. Certainly, I fall short of my own ideals every day, but that's what grace is for :)

Upcoming Epic Things...

I've been thinking lately about the things I believe in and all the opinions I have, and I've decided I'm going to start actually using my blog and writing about the things I think about. I guess that's exactly what most blogs are, but it's a pretty big deal to me to be able to communicate clearly what's on my heart and mind, so I'm hoping I can get most of my friends and family to read what I'm writing, and respond intelligently too. I'm planning to fully devote one post to each subject or topic or idea, and so far my little list has about 25 ideas written down. I'm going to take my time and thoroughly discuss everything as much as I can, so I hope you'll take the time to read the things I will take the time to say and forgive me if I end up repeating myself. I'm excited about this, and that I have the time and ability to undertake this :)

Fear not.

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.” Fulton Oursler


"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once."
Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37)


"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
Psalm 118:6 

Meaningless Life

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the "Teacher" declares over and over again that everything is meaningless. Life, toil, wisdom, foolishness, tears, and laughter are all meaningless. I always found the entire book rather confusing, but the last two verses at least are clear enough:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)

 ¹³ Now all has been heard;

       here is the conclusion of the matter:

       Fear God and keep his commandments,

       for this is the whole duty of man.

 ¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,

       including every hidden thing,

       whether it is good or evil.

I think it serves as a sort of key to the rest of the book, but I was still confused until today when I had a bit of an "ah ha!" moment, reading Ecc. 2:11:

 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

    and what I had toiled to achieve,

    everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

    nothing was gained under the sun.

Do Not Put Me In A Box