After two and a half years of distance, we finally get to spend our summer together in the same city. It’s been a long time coming, and I couldn’t be happier. 🙂
Pedestrian Bridge
Pedestrian Bridge
Abe Lincoln Memorial #kissesforthegentleman
Chillin’ with Abe! 🙂
Wild Turkey Bourbon Warehouse
Wild Turkey Distillery
Woodford Reserve Distillery
Woodford Reserve Distillery
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Warehouse
So you’re probably wondering why the title of my post is “Orange, Passion Fruit, and Jasmine.” Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there is truly no significance to what I feel is a rather clever name. Haha.
Actually, that’s a lie.
Orange, Passion Fruit, and Jasmine is the flavor of tea I have been drinking lately, and I must say it’s definitely worth trying. All credits to Lipton. (My deepest apologies for my lack thereof humor and creativity.)
…moving on…
So here’s to my first actual post of Summer 2013. For those that don’t already know, I am interning at the University of Louisville this summer. I am the summer Conference Coordinator through Housing and Residence Life at the university. My first day on the job I got promoted in the sense of job responsibilities (not so much in pay) because there isn’t technically a full-time professional in the position anymore. Keep word- anymore. The full-time Conference Coordinator left the position last October and the department has yet to find her replacement. Therefore, when I got here mid-May, I already had a laundry list of projects and task items. Some would find it overwhelming and stressful, but I actually find peace in chaos. Chaos is an opportunity for organization, which is my strongest skill-set.
Anyways, this is my fifth week on the job and I am loving every minute of it. In five weeks, I have had already had quite a number of on-the-job experiences, which makes for an interesting and exciting remainder of the summer. I walked into an unoccupied position with no formal supervisor until two weeks ago. The one person responsible for helping me with the job transition is leaving this weekend because she took a job in Arkansas, and the person responsible for mentoring and coaching me is currently job searching and ready to leave whenever. Three weeks into my position, I had to fire one of my conference staff for breaking a list of housing policies, and then had to troubleshoot a major conference master schedule error. Haha. I must say, it has made for a very interesting past couple of weeks.
Although it was an overwhelming start, I couldn’t have been placed in a better department with more supportive and genuine people. The Housing and Residence Life department at the University of Louisville is just spectacular. They may not be a flagship department in the world of higher education and student affairs, but they sure know the meaning and value of intentionality. And to me, that’s the most important thing you can have. Since the day I stepped foot on campus, I could feel the investment the department had in my internship experience, and their commitment to my personal and professional development. Everyone wears so many different hats here, but no one ever falters to lend a helping hand when you are in need. I love the camaraderie among the staff and the way everyone welcomes you as family. I have learned an invaluable amount in just five weeks and am anxious what the next month and a half has in store.
Well, I hate to stop writing because I have so much more I want to share, but I really need to make ground on my thesis work before a meeting tomorrow. Until next time, orange, passion fruit, and jasmine. 🙂
I am ashamed of my lack thereof blogging behavior! I haven’t posted anything in what seems like ages. Regardless, now that it’s summer, I am looking forward to getting back into my blogging groove.
In the meantime, I created this little picture tonight because I was thinking about all the places I’ve been in the past five years. Hope you enjoy! Please be on the look out for an actual writing piece soon. 🙂 Cheers!
It’s safe to assume the human race over uses the word “good.” We use it to describe our moods, our attitudes, our dispositions, our feelings on certain issues, our physical state of being, and/or the physical state of our environments. When you really think about it, we use “good” in hundreds of different contexts.
According to Dictionary.com, the word good means to be “morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious.” Have you ever thought about how this definition came to be? As a society, how did we decide that good was going to stand for what is morally excellent or righteous? Heck, who is to say what is morally excellent and righteous?
Lately, the sermons at Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, South Carolina have really evoked deep thought and meaning in my life. More importantly, they’ve really inspired me to reflect, make meaning, and write what’s on my heart. Today, Pastor Adam was continuing his talk on Galatians, and somewhere in his speech he made a comment about how we perceive what is good and what is not good. In summary, Pastor Adam said that as a society we make meaning of what’s good by comparing ourselves to those whom are not good. He states that,”what is weak, strong, and good is only defined by whom we surround ourselves with.”
Now, call me crazy, but I found that to be the most profound and eye-opening statement. We are constantly comparing ourselves to each other; consciously or unconsciously making ourselves out to be more strong or “good” than each other. Sometimes we even compare ourselves to each other making ourselves seem inadequate or incapable, but why? Why are we always in a state of comparison?
—->I wrote the top half of this blog over a month ago, but saved it in my drafts and never published it. This morning, I revisited my prior thoughts with the intent of bringing this post full circle. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the right words to really drive my point home, but I do want to challenge my readers to think about themselves and think about others. Do you compare yourself to others around you? If so, why? How does it leave you feeling?
Trust me, we all do it! Like I said earlier, we often do it unconsciously. However, in those moments when we find ourselves at an all-time low of self-esteem and self-worth, we need to reflect on what made us feel that way in the first place. (Let me tell you, insecurity is the enemy of intimacy.) Then, we need to re-prioritize our hearts and minds and turn to Jesus. A heart that faces Jesus never feels unworthy or less than. Whether you identify as Christian or not, I challenge you to change your heart. Turn to your beliefs and have faith that you have an intentional and unique purpose on this earth. Don’t compare your walk of life to another’s walk of life because you’ll never reach your fullest potential. Listen to your heart, embrace your belief system, and learn from others… but never compare yourself to others.
2013 MLK Oratory Contest Winner-Curtis Babers
As January comes to a close, I want to give a shout out to all those sticking strong to their new year resolutions. Awhile back, I posted a video about “Something New for 30 Days.” If you haven’t watched it at this point, I highly encourage you take the time to check it out. Point being, if you have maintained your motivation this long, chances are your changes will start to become habits in your daily life. According to the video I posted, it takes approximately 30 days to change or start a new habit. So keep it up my friends! The new year is still fresh, but it’s never too late to change. 🙂
Speaking of resolutions, I, too, have been trying to keep myself motivated and instill better daily habits in terms of work, homework, working out, my relationships, and more importantly, my faith. Yes, I admit, I have allowed my faith to fall to the wayside, and I have not invested the time necessary to grow more in God. In that, I am truly ashamed. As I look back, I have made nothing but excuses about being detached from God, and quite frankly my selfishness is distastefully unsettling. Going into the new year, I wanted to dedicate this year to the year that I grew closer to God and His love. Not only that, but I wanted to listen more intently to His plan for my life, and better educate and reflect on my beliefs as a Christian.
Often times, life gets the best of us. Our faith seems to melt away bit by bit with every annoying phone call, lengthy email, angry driver, rude teller, and other frustrating inconveniences. I know you understand what I mean; the grace of God can easily be forgotten when your here and now isn’t so convenient or pleasant. (If you don’t understand what I mean, then it’s safe to say you’re inhuman.) Regardless, it’s okay to lose sight of your faith or set of beliefs. If your beliefs weren’t ever challenged, then they’d stand for nothing, right?!
In sticking with my resolution, I started attending church with a good friend of mine. I have always used the excuse that Sundays are my homework days or days to sleep in. Better yet, I used to not go to church because I assumed all churches had this stigma that if you didn’t go every Sunday, become a member, join a Bible study, and etc. that you weren’t really wanted. Well, my friends, I am wrong. Granted, I know church isn’t for every believer, but trust me when I say there is a faith community out there for you somewhere. In the few weeks I have been attending Midtown Fellowship, my heart has changed. My perspective on church, my faith, my beliefs, and my intentions has completely transitioned. The best way I can describe it… On Sundays, I used to drag myself out of bed to try and make it to church just to get sidetracked and never really go. Since attending Midtown and gaining this new perspective, I cannot wait for Sundays to get here. Going to church has become something I need more than something I want. And that is a matter of the heart I pray happens to everyone.
(This post is somewhat of a tangent and I apologize. I hope you can take insight from it without feeling like I am completely wasting your time.)
The perspective that changed my heart is as follows:
Your actions do not merit God’s praise and love for you. In the book of Galatians, Paul goes to the churches of Galatia and shares with them the gospel from Jesus Christ himself. He says to them that the gospel is truth, and they need to rid of the teachings before them. In the gospel that Paul shares with the churches of Galatia, he says that God’s grace has already been given to us through Christ Jesus. The rules set out by the churches for its believers does not deem them closer or more in love with God. Meaning, we already embody the grace of God because Jesus was crucified for our sins. Matter of fact, God is insulted by those whom think superior of themselves because they follow a set of rules set by their church organization. And if they follow those rules, they are somehow closer to God or God somehow loves them more. Paul preaches that it doesn’t matter how “good” you do, you receive no more love from God than the man that “sins.”
The pastor at Midtown couldn’t have delivered this sermon more to me than if he stepped off the stage and stood right in front of me. My entire life has been consumed with being the best, doing the best, accomplishing the most, and so forth. Through my “good” actions, I was under the falsehood that I was earning more of my parents’ love, my friends’ love, my neighbors’ love, and God’s love. When this entire time, I have been the one living in sin. I have been the one insulting God, and falsely perceiving his grace and unconditional love. Matters of my heart have been with false intention. I haven’t been doing “good” because I wanted to, I have been doing “good” because I was trying to prove something. Sitting in church and hearing the pastor share with us that God loves us unconditionally completely changed my world. God doesn’t love us because we do more or do less, He loves us for us. Before we were even brought into this world, God already blessed us with his grace through Jesus. Jesus died for us so that we could live in peace with our sin and repent, and the beauty of our God is that He is forgiving even when we don’t ask to be forgiven. And when we live through grace, we don’t do things because we are trying to “prove” something, we do it because that’s what our heart tells us to do- it’s what God is calling us to do.
With that, I share with you a few quotes from the sermon:
“God’s smile to us is not based on our performance; it’s based on Jesus’ performance.”
“Don’t compare other’s weaknesses to your strength’s to build your spiritual resume.”
“If it’s grace, then it’s the giver that gets the glory.”
“God set in motion the plan to save you before you even existed. God saved you by grace and keeps you by grace.”
“The law cannot motivate you to act from your heart. God motivates us by His grace not the rules.”
Needing some encouragement? Take the time to watch this video. I promise you won’t regret it.
Kid President has mastered the art of pep talks, and does it with such grace and innocence. 🙂 Enjoy!
I want to sincerely thank all of my readers & followers for making this blog a personal success. This coming year, please look forward to more insightful and motivational posts, as well as an update on my life! If you are interested in seeing the success of my blog, please select the link below to view the entire report. (Quick shout out to WordPress for being an amazing blog host website.) The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner can carry about 250 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,700 times in 2012. If it were a Dreamliner, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 