sun stand still

NewSpring tonight was amazing. Steven Furtick came and spoke. He is the lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. It was amazing. He talked about the message of his book, Sun Stand Still, a reference to Joshua asking God to stop time--and God DID IT!

His message was refreshing and challenging. Am I really believing God for big things in my life? Am I asking God for the outlandish, the incredible, the things that only He can do? Would I ever ask God to stop the sun in motion, and would God by my faithful and fervent prayer actually comply?

I am so excited about where God is taking me. I have no idea exactly where that is, or exactly what it will be, but I am so excited! God has dreams for me, I know that. Jer 29:11 states it plainly. I have to believe again that He wants good things for me. In Matthew Jesus talks about how our earthly fathers give good gifts to their children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good gifts to His children? I know God has amazing things in store for me.

Although, I am closer to God now that I have been these past two years, I still feel so far from where I was three years ago sitting around a fire with beautiful people living tangibly the sacrifice and closeness God calls us to with those that love Him. I want Jesus to be my bread and butter again--all that I need, all that I want, everything to me. I want to see Jesus, to know Him like I have never known Him before. I know He has not changed. He is still as amazing as ever. I desperately want to be His beloved and know His tenderness toward me. It will come, it will come with time. I will pray with fervency and pleading that He will wreck my life with His unyielding goodness and love, ripping life from my hands and giving me all that He has, with all grace and joy I know that will come with His overpowering presence.

Writing a book

Sarah Harris and I are writing a book. Get ready--because it's going to be amazing. We started brainstorming Monday.

I've always wanted to write a book, and who better to write it with than someone who is smart and funny, energetic, outgoing, and sincere. She's one of the best people I know, so this is going to be an amazing opportunity.

She and I have been friends for about four years now. We met in a Bible study about being princesses. It was so lame--I was teaching it. Don't judge me! =) haha. We all have those times in life where we wish we would have done it differently, but hey, I met Sarah, so I can't complain. She and I became fast friends because we are so much alike!

Our freshman year we had a math class together. She sat in the back, where she unashamedly texted her boyfriend all class, and I sat near the front(because I'm a nerd and was single, as usual). One day our teacher was late so our class sat in the hall waiting, the classroom was locked for some strange reason. I remember thinking she was so popular and awesome. She was wearing an RUF shirt with Proverbs 31 all over it. I was wearing some stupid layered tank top thing. She says she remembers thinking I was so popular because I was artsy and could pull of weird clothes like that (to tell you the truth, I never think I pull them off well, I just do it anyway, cuz I want to, and I dont care). She thought I was so cool because everyone passed and said hey to me and knew my name. So, we both thought the other girl was really awesome, but never actually talked to eachother. Weird girls.

But I'm glad we had that strange princess bible study together because if not I would never have become friends with Sarah, and my life would have been missing many amazing adventures and memories. I'm excited to see where writing this book together will take us. All I do know is that it's going to be amazing and we are going to have SO MUCH FUN!

It's Gold Goldman

At the great recommendation of a friend I was instructed to read this book. I had seen the movie once, and so I knew I was in for a dazzling experience.

Goldman does not disappoint with his editing of Morgenstern's The Princess Bride. It is hilarious and lovely. I was on daring chases and madly in love the entire way through.

It's good to remember that Morgenstern was the true genius; however, what Morgenstern failed to do (cutting back!) Goldman did. From the comments Goldman made, it seems that he nearly cut 2/3 of the book out, which makes me wonder what the heck was in those parts? Goldman hints at it--a bunch of lineage, history, and boring detail of parties and hats and dresses. Quite strange that Morgenstern can write a wonderfully funny and captivating story and then put 15 pages of details of hats in a book ad think it's going to go over well.

Thank you Goldman, because of you a new generation can love Inigo, Fezzik, Buttercup, and Westley.

An Education

An Education


Let me begin by saying--Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy, Fever Pitch, A Long Way Down) is one of the greatest writers of all time. This movie, whose screen play was written by Hornby, is breathtakingly amazing. Some movies feed you Hollywood bull, fake dreams, and anything but reality. Hornby, in all of his work, shows the trueness of life. He is honest about what we live in, how we live, and what people do to each other. He is stunning.

This movie made me want to go to grad school tomorrow. I want to be an amazing writer. I want to change people's lives through the stories I share. I want to write about life--it's beauty and heartbreak, it's raw and relentless ache. I want to show people that life is hard--and beautiful.

I need to focus.

If I am a writer then I need to write! There's no getting around that. If I want to know about Chaucer, Blake, and Poe; Dickens, Achebe, and MacDonald then I had better read them, not just WANT to know, want to read, I had better DO it.

Movies like this light a fire in me. They make me want to live my dreams.

I want to write stories like this.

Gym Survivor and Book Junkie

Good news!!! I have been going to the gym faithfully (so far!). And I'm loving it. As bad as it sounds -- I love the personalized TVs they have on the elipticals and tred mills. it sounds so information hog or too "I can't do anything without some form of entertainment"... but honestly--I Dream of Genie, Friends, and The Office really helped get me through my hot, sweaty, red faced, breathless hour and a half at the Y today. I could have done it without them, but it was lovely (seeing as how I NEVER watch TV anyway).

I'm just not used to it. College rules your life for so long you forget how to be normal and watch TV and stuff.

So, the gym is good.


On another note--

I have bought an insane amount of books since school let out (and having a full time job helped! haha). The sad thing is I don't have enough time to read them! Which makes me really sad, but I have stopped going to Books A Million because of this very reason. I probably haven't even read half the books I own. This doesn't make me mad at myself. I buy books like some girls buy shoes or purses or dresses, earrings, whatever. Books are my thing. Here's proof.



On my night stand are seventeen books. You obviously can't see all of them here. and i'm not counting the journal on top or the notepad hidden in the back. i am a book junkie. and i love it. it makes my life lovely.

the "its" of this world

If you haven't read this book you really should.

I read it when I was younger and I reread it tonight. It takes about 2 and a half hours, a pretty quick read.

I am reminded of why I love those that are unloved. It is such an incredible story.

I signed up to volunteer some months ago at an orphanage here in Anderson. They have yet to get back to me, and well, I really haven't had the time to get back to them between all my exam preparation and job hunting/freaking out. I do need to contact them, though. I really want to be a part of kid's lives--especially the kids that aren't loved well. It's something I have always wanted to do.

I think as a person that's who I'm attracted to (as people in general). My heart goes out to the ones I know are outcasted and pushed aside because they're weird, or they talk funny, they are just odd. Everyone deserves to be loved and I want to love them well.

I will contact the orphanage ASAP. I will let you know what happens!!

truer words

"There ought to be a whole separate language, she thought, for words that are truer than other words--for perfect, absolute truth. It was the purest fact of her life: she did not understand him, and she never would."
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
Pearl pg 10

I'm reading this book for my American Fiction class and this statement really struck me. It is such a true thing. We throw words around like they are meaningless. We hardly even pause to really think about things on most days--flippantly saying this or that to catch a response, or we blurt things out wishing we could take them back in once we see the reaction or hear their response.

Words have power, but we use them so much so often that they lose it.

I would love it if we had a different language--a completely new set of words to use when we were really serious about something. It would tell people that we really mean what we say.

Or rather, how about we start thinking more and saying less--that would be nice, because then, as a rule, what we say would be meaningful, but sadly I don't think that will happen on a grand scale, but it would be grand.