Go check out my photography blog for the highlight of my weekend in Vermont. It involves a birds of prey loving girl with a camera (me) and one very, very special, very beautiful, very rare bird of national importance.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Small Group Cultural Dinner Party...
Last week my youth group's 3 Young Adult and High School girl's CREWs (small groups) met for a potluck dinner. Each of the college aged girls brought a dish from our culture or family heritage. And then we chowed down.
Mine. Good old Italian Garlic Bread. Yum.
IT SAYS CREW!!!!
Group shots (are hard)
Good times. Most importantly good food. :)
Group shots (are hard)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hooyah/Hua Air Force...
"People break down into two groups when the experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance. ........See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"-Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), Signs.
A text sent to the Airman the day I took these pictures read: "...what would you think if I wore this hoodie everydayfortherestofmylifealways? I might. I love it. And it looks good with my red skinny pants. What more could I want? :p "
Response from Airman T***** on his lunch break: "No. I don't think I would have a problem with that at all. :) "
Does that sound like a coincidence to you? No. Me neither.
*hooyah is technically a navy thing. long story. just go with it. or insert your own favorite military war cry.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Creativity (part 3)- Church is boring?
As promised, here comes part 3 of my creativity rant (see part 1 here) (part 2 here).
Somehow someway there is a very unfortunate stereotype out there that Christians are boring. Hey, maybe I am wrong, but I am a Christian, and great deal of my friends are Christians, and we are for sure not boring. (Religiosity, now that is boring.) If any Christians out there wanna disagree with me and declare that they are, in fact, very boring please leave me a comment.
It is also popularly believed that Church is boring. Again, maybe yours is. But I know that my church is anything but. My church (and youth group, Merge Ahead!) is amazingly awesome. We are passionate. Our worship is vibrant. And believe it or not IT'S FUN! We're crazy about God and crazy about life. No boring to be found. (If you're church is boring it might be because well...you're boring. God is never boring. But people sometimes are...)
"Ok hold up" you're saying. "I thought we were talking about creativity and now your just endorsing church."
Listen, just follow this rabbit and I on this trail and we'll get back to the point I am trying to make. Stay with me, people.
Why do people think church is boring? Why do people assume Christians are boring?
Because unfortunately some are. I'm not downing any type of denomination or music or anything. I love the body of Christ as displayed by His church. But sometimes we (me, you, any Christian) can be boring. Stagnant. Routine. Religious. Which doesn't really appeal to the rest of the world. When church becomes about rituals and routines instead of the presence and love of God people lose interest. That's just the truth...
We live in a modern, technology and media driven world. Our generation is so highly ENTERTAINED it is just ridiculous. Everyone needs constant stimulating input. Entertainment. This comes from music, movies, the internet, video games, technology, you name it. If it doesn't catch there attention and keep it there they move on mighty fast to something else.
"Whooooaaa Bella, are you saying the church needs to be entertaining? No. I am not. Stop arguing. Just stay with me here.
What would you say is the purpose of church? I'd say the purpose of the local/global church is to expand the Kingdom of God. Grow the body of Christ. Reach the lost.
But the lost aren't going to want to come in if it is boring. Reasonable, I'd say. So this is where we need to get creative. Not so we can entertain people and give them a good time in church, but so that something not so important can catch their attention and then they can experience the love of God, taste and see that His goodness, and they can be so captivated that God keeps their attention.
I'm going to use Merge (my youth group) as an example here. When setting up each week we try and make the building LOOK really cool. We get pretty creative when we do this (see! see!)We set up the lobby with crazy art work. We roll out rugs, put out couches and set up cafe tables. All of our first time visitors ("guests") get freshly baked cooks and a warm welcome. Music, sometimes a DJ, plays in the background. In the sanctuary we hook up all sorts of lights and lasers and blast our instruments through amps. When we worship we jump around ("mosh"), dance, and get undignified.
Why? Because rugs really help to invite the presence of God? Because cookies are very spiritual? Because the Bible says to make sure you set up a couple couches before meeting with each other and God? Because God needs a fog machine and laser lights in order for Him to show up? NO! not at all! ( Trust me, the God of the universe who created the stars in the sky is not impressed with our Scorpion Laser Beam machine.)
We do it because it gets peoples attention. Youth come in and like what they see. And then they get blown away in worship and the word, not because there is so much fog their lives are changed, but because they encounter the love of God! THAT IS WHAT IS ALL ABOUT!
If crazy lights and loud music get people saved then we wouldn't need a church. We could just go to a club and be fine. Were that the case our whole generation of youth would pretty much be saved already if it was about lights and music. But that is not the case.
We try and make it appealing on the exterior so we can catch their eyes. Then we expect that our amazing God who loves us, the lost, and the whole world so much, to catch their hearts. That is why we do what we do!
I think this concluded my creativity series. Maybe. (do you guys have any more thoughts on the subject? Comment and let me know!) Obviously I have a lot to say about the topic. It's my passion. God created me and I love to be creative because of it. How about you? Go do, think, or make something that has never been done, thought, or made before. Go bring God glory. Go change the world.
Create.
Somehow someway there is a very unfortunate stereotype out there that Christians are boring. Hey, maybe I am wrong, but I am a Christian, and great deal of my friends are Christians, and we are for sure not boring. (Religiosity, now that is boring.) If any Christians out there wanna disagree with me and declare that they are, in fact, very boring please leave me a comment.
It is also popularly believed that Church is boring. Again, maybe yours is. But I know that my church is anything but. My church (and youth group, Merge Ahead!) is amazingly awesome. We are passionate. Our worship is vibrant. And believe it or not IT'S FUN! We're crazy about God and crazy about life. No boring to be found. (If you're church is boring it might be because well...you're boring. God is never boring. But people sometimes are...)
"Ok hold up" you're saying. "I thought we were talking about creativity and now your just endorsing church."
Listen, just follow this rabbit and I on this trail and we'll get back to the point I am trying to make. Stay with me, people.
Why do people think church is boring? Why do people assume Christians are boring?
Because unfortunately some are. I'm not downing any type of denomination or music or anything. I love the body of Christ as displayed by His church. But sometimes we (me, you, any Christian) can be boring. Stagnant. Routine. Religious. Which doesn't really appeal to the rest of the world. When church becomes about rituals and routines instead of the presence and love of God people lose interest. That's just the truth...
We live in a modern, technology and media driven world. Our generation is so highly ENTERTAINED it is just ridiculous. Everyone needs constant stimulating input. Entertainment. This comes from music, movies, the internet, video games, technology, you name it. If it doesn't catch there attention and keep it there they move on mighty fast to something else.
"Whooooaaa Bella, are you saying the church needs to be entertaining? No. I am not. Stop arguing. Just stay with me here.
What would you say is the purpose of church? I'd say the purpose of the local/global church is to expand the Kingdom of God. Grow the body of Christ. Reach the lost.
But the lost aren't going to want to come in if it is boring. Reasonable, I'd say. So this is where we need to get creative. Not so we can entertain people and give them a good time in church, but so that something not so important can catch their attention and then they can experience the love of God, taste and see that His goodness, and they can be so captivated that God keeps their attention.
I'm going to use Merge (my youth group) as an example here. When setting up each week we try and make the building LOOK really cool. We get pretty creative when we do this (see! see!)We set up the lobby with crazy art work. We roll out rugs, put out couches and set up cafe tables. All of our first time visitors ("guests") get freshly baked cooks and a warm welcome. Music, sometimes a DJ, plays in the background. In the sanctuary we hook up all sorts of lights and lasers and blast our instruments through amps. When we worship we jump around ("mosh"), dance, and get undignified.
Why? Because rugs really help to invite the presence of God? Because cookies are very spiritual? Because the Bible says to make sure you set up a couple couches before meeting with each other and God? Because God needs a fog machine and laser lights in order for Him to show up? NO! not at all! ( Trust me, the God of the universe who created the stars in the sky is not impressed with our Scorpion Laser Beam machine.)
We do it because it gets peoples attention. Youth come in and like what they see. And then they get blown away in worship and the word, not because there is so much fog their lives are changed, but because they encounter the love of God! THAT IS WHAT IS ALL ABOUT!
If crazy lights and loud music get people saved then we wouldn't need a church. We could just go to a club and be fine. Were that the case our whole generation of youth would pretty much be saved already if it was about lights and music. But that is not the case.
We try and make it appealing on the exterior so we can catch their eyes. Then we expect that our amazing God who loves us, the lost, and the whole world so much, to catch their hearts. That is why we do what we do!
I think this concluded my creativity series. Maybe. (do you guys have any more thoughts on the subject? Comment and let me know!) Obviously I have a lot to say about the topic. It's my passion. God created me and I love to be creative because of it. How about you? Go do, think, or make something that has never been done, thought, or made before. Go bring God glory. Go change the world.
Create.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Creativity (part 2)- or our lack there of...
"Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do."- Luke 5:31 NLT
That verse right there is what I base a lot of my life on and also my view of Christian creativity on. That is what I base my writing on. That is what I base my opinions of Christian music, literature and all else created by Christians upon.
There is a lot of Christian music out there. There are a lot of Christian books out there. There are even Christian movies. I fully understand that we are called to be in the world and not of it and we shouldn't be filling our heads with what the world says is ok, but is so wrong by God's standards. I get that. Really. But I also think we are called to reach the lost.
Jesus didn't come to earth to save believers. He came for the lost. He hung out with liars, cheaters, whores and theives. He hung out with filthy rotten sinners. Jesus hung out with the sick. Not just those physically sick, but those terminally sick spiritually.
Christian resources are great stuff. I read lots of Christian books and listen to a great deal of Christian music.But I have to say, I don't know a lot of unsaved people, who are living like hell until they get to it, who wake up randomly one day and decide to walk into a Christian book/music store to make purchases. That may happen once every so often but...not usually. That isn't an effective way of reaching the lost. That is an effective way of protecting Christians from the big bad world. Sometimes so much so that we forget that there are lost people out there literally dying to know what we know.
Again, I do listen to Christian music. I do read Christian authors. But I'm sorry, some of it is...lame.
Yes. I said it. LAME. No worldly person would want to hear or read it, instead of what they already have. I am not going to list any band/books in particular or anything, but some of the stuff out there is so...cliche...so unoriginal, so UNCREATIVE that I feel embarrassed to associate myself with it. Pretty much a dumbed down version of the worldly stuff. Knock offs, minus things like swearing or sex, so it can be considered Christian. Lame, lame, lame, lame.
This may get controversial here, but I think sometimes people in the world do a better job of being creative than some Christians do. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I think Christians should be the most exciting, most creative people in the world because we know THE CREATOR as our Father and creativity runs in our spiritual DNA! But honestly, we're not sometimes. There are nonchristians out there who are using a gift given to them by God to glorify themselves instead of their Creator and they are doing a good job of it.
An example I use frequently to illustrate this point is the well known Lady Gaga. God gave her such a creative mind. She is so talented. She is influencing my generation in a huge way.
*and all the holy people gasp.*
Yes. You're reading correctly. The creativity that Lady Gaga uses blows me away.
I'm not saying I like her and I don't actually listen to her music (once I hear any song more than twice I memorize most of the lyrics. I have to be careful about my input) or call myself a fan. The stuff Gaga sings about is dirty, perverted, pornographic, liberal and all together everything I am against. The way she dresses (or...doesn't...) is also awful and totally inappropriate and beyond. But she is, no doubt, creative. She thinks of stuff no one else does. She preforms in a way that is totally unique. While the way she dresses is not okay at all, she does create most of the stuff herself. And she gets people's attentions.
One of her most popular songs right now is one called Born This Way. The first time I heard it I was really, really confused. And really, really caught off guard. She is so, so, so, so lost and confused. The song is about being whoever you are and making no apologizes. A lot of it has to do with sexual orientation and equal rights, but one part of the song (pre chorus, chorus) goes like this:
I’m beautiful in my way
’cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way
She says God. She acknowledges Him as the Creator. Lady Gaga, like everyone, was in fact created by my God. God gives everyone gifts and talents. She is definitely gifted in creativity in relation to music and preforming. She is just using the gifts in a self-glorifying way. What God created in her to bring him glory, she is using in a negative way to bring herself glory. Which always leads me to thinking "What if Lady Gaga got saved? What amazing stuff could she come up with? She could change the world!"
People sometimes tell me that is a really weird way to think. Lady Gaga is filth, according to them. But my Jesus hung out with people like her. And he LOVED them.
Lady Gaga is gifted. What could have been a huge asset to the Kingdom is instead being used to influence my generation in a negative way. But she is at least using her gift.
In the first post I talked about the creative potential inside of us all, given to us by God, just waiting to be used. Why does it seem that she is more creative than Christians? THAT IS NOT RIGHT! Where are the Christian Gagas? No, I don't mean we need some Christian musicians to get on a stage half naked, to wear a dress made of meat to make a statement, or sing about things that clearly do not please God. I mean where are the people in the church using their God-given creativity to influence my generation? Where are the creative people who are using their talents to change a lost and dying world!? For the good, not the bad!?
We don't need more Christian music or Christian books. We need some radical Christians who will step outside the church and reach the lost! Being in the world and not of it implies we have to...be in the world! That is why I want to write books. Not Christian ones, published by Christians publishing houses and sold to Christian book stores for Christians to buy and read. No, those are the healthy people. I want to write amazingly creative books (that glorify God and do not compromise what I believe!), get 'em published by a secular publisher and have them sold in big name book stores right next to the big name secular authors who are perverting my generation! I wanna reach the sick.
I could list off amazingly creative worldy people all day long. They are out there and they are changing the world. For the bad. What are we, those called to change the world and extend the kingdom of God, doing? Lady Gaga is not more creative than me. Or you. Stephanie Meyer isn't more creative than me either. Because I know where my creativity comes from and I know to whom the glory goes. You should to.
Start thinking big, people. Start thinking bigger than the four walls of our (safe) churches. Start thinking broader. And once you do, think bigger. Think up stuff so big, so wild, so crazy that there is no way you can get it done without God. And then think some more. Because God is able to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine.
You were created to do something. Now get creative in whatever way you do and do it. The world is waiting.
*part 3 of the creativity post is coming on Wednesday. Stay tuned to hear about creativity and church.
That verse right there is what I base a lot of my life on and also my view of Christian creativity on. That is what I base my writing on. That is what I base my opinions of Christian music, literature and all else created by Christians upon.
There is a lot of Christian music out there. There are a lot of Christian books out there. There are even Christian movies. I fully understand that we are called to be in the world and not of it and we shouldn't be filling our heads with what the world says is ok, but is so wrong by God's standards. I get that. Really. But I also think we are called to reach the lost.
Jesus didn't come to earth to save believers. He came for the lost. He hung out with liars, cheaters, whores and theives. He hung out with filthy rotten sinners. Jesus hung out with the sick. Not just those physically sick, but those terminally sick spiritually.
Christian resources are great stuff. I read lots of Christian books and listen to a great deal of Christian music.But I have to say, I don't know a lot of unsaved people, who are living like hell until they get to it, who wake up randomly one day and decide to walk into a Christian book/music store to make purchases. That may happen once every so often but...not usually. That isn't an effective way of reaching the lost. That is an effective way of protecting Christians from the big bad world. Sometimes so much so that we forget that there are lost people out there literally dying to know what we know.
Again, I do listen to Christian music. I do read Christian authors. But I'm sorry, some of it is...lame.
Yes. I said it. LAME. No worldly person would want to hear or read it, instead of what they already have. I am not going to list any band/books in particular or anything, but some of the stuff out there is so...cliche...so unoriginal, so UNCREATIVE that I feel embarrassed to associate myself with it. Pretty much a dumbed down version of the worldly stuff. Knock offs, minus things like swearing or sex, so it can be considered Christian. Lame, lame, lame, lame.
This may get controversial here, but I think sometimes people in the world do a better job of being creative than some Christians do. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I think Christians should be the most exciting, most creative people in the world because we know THE CREATOR as our Father and creativity runs in our spiritual DNA! But honestly, we're not sometimes. There are nonchristians out there who are using a gift given to them by God to glorify themselves instead of their Creator and they are doing a good job of it.
An example I use frequently to illustrate this point is the well known Lady Gaga. God gave her such a creative mind. She is so talented. She is influencing my generation in a huge way.
*and all the holy people gasp.*
Yes. You're reading correctly. The creativity that Lady Gaga uses blows me away.
I'm not saying I like her and I don't actually listen to her music (once I hear any song more than twice I memorize most of the lyrics. I have to be careful about my input) or call myself a fan. The stuff Gaga sings about is dirty, perverted, pornographic, liberal and all together everything I am against. The way she dresses (or...doesn't...) is also awful and totally inappropriate and beyond. But she is, no doubt, creative. She thinks of stuff no one else does. She preforms in a way that is totally unique. While the way she dresses is not okay at all, she does create most of the stuff herself. And she gets people's attentions.
One of her most popular songs right now is one called Born This Way. The first time I heard it I was really, really confused. And really, really caught off guard. She is so, so, so, so lost and confused. The song is about being whoever you are and making no apologizes. A lot of it has to do with sexual orientation and equal rights, but one part of the song (pre chorus, chorus) goes like this:
There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are
she said, cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far
listen to me when I say
she said, cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far
listen to me when I say
I’m beautiful in my way
’cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way
She says God. She acknowledges Him as the Creator. Lady Gaga, like everyone, was in fact created by my God. God gives everyone gifts and talents. She is definitely gifted in creativity in relation to music and preforming. She is just using the gifts in a self-glorifying way. What God created in her to bring him glory, she is using in a negative way to bring herself glory. Which always leads me to thinking "What if Lady Gaga got saved? What amazing stuff could she come up with? She could change the world!"
People sometimes tell me that is a really weird way to think. Lady Gaga is filth, according to them. But my Jesus hung out with people like her. And he LOVED them.
Lady Gaga is gifted. What could have been a huge asset to the Kingdom is instead being used to influence my generation in a negative way. But she is at least using her gift.
In the first post I talked about the creative potential inside of us all, given to us by God, just waiting to be used. Why does it seem that she is more creative than Christians? THAT IS NOT RIGHT! Where are the Christian Gagas? No, I don't mean we need some Christian musicians to get on a stage half naked, to wear a dress made of meat to make a statement, or sing about things that clearly do not please God. I mean where are the people in the church using their God-given creativity to influence my generation? Where are the creative people who are using their talents to change a lost and dying world!? For the good, not the bad!?
We don't need more Christian music or Christian books. We need some radical Christians who will step outside the church and reach the lost! Being in the world and not of it implies we have to...be in the world! That is why I want to write books. Not Christian ones, published by Christians publishing houses and sold to Christian book stores for Christians to buy and read. No, those are the healthy people. I want to write amazingly creative books (that glorify God and do not compromise what I believe!), get 'em published by a secular publisher and have them sold in big name book stores right next to the big name secular authors who are perverting my generation! I wanna reach the sick.
I could list off amazingly creative worldy people all day long. They are out there and they are changing the world. For the bad. What are we, those called to change the world and extend the kingdom of God, doing? Lady Gaga is not more creative than me. Or you. Stephanie Meyer isn't more creative than me either. Because I know where my creativity comes from and I know to whom the glory goes. You should to.
Start thinking big, people. Start thinking bigger than the four walls of our (safe) churches. Start thinking broader. And once you do, think bigger. Think up stuff so big, so wild, so crazy that there is no way you can get it done without God. And then think some more. Because God is able to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine.
You were created to do something. Now get creative in whatever way you do and do it. The world is waiting.
*part 3 of the creativity post is coming on Wednesday. Stay tuned to hear about creativity and church.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Creativity (part 1)- Do you Know What is Inside of You?
*Alternative title; "NORMAL IS ONLY A SETTING ON A WASHING MACHINE"
I'm done with school now, at least for a week, and I finally have time to write on here. This will be a long post as it has been a long time coming, brewing in my head for weeks.
This post will be about creativity.
Isn't almost every post on this blog about creativity in one way or another? Probably yes. If my middle name wasn't already Kiss, it probably be Creativity. I am a very creative person. Anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes knows that (dang, anyone who looks at me for more that 5 seconds knows it!). Without artsyness I go crazy. Truly. My constant rebellion against normal is a huge part of who I am.
But I have been thinking about creativity more so than normal lately. A couple weeks back we were talking about it in my psyc class and I had to give a presentation on people who display amazing amounts of creativity. The presentation could only be 5 minutes long, but in creating it I did a great deal of thinking about creative people.
Who are the creative people in the world? YOU are. That's who.
This is where you will begin the mental argument with me that not every one is creative. Blah blah Blah. I disagree. I didn't say ARTISTIC. I said CREATIVE. I believe that very human being has some amount of creativity in them because we were created by and in the image of a creative God. He who created me created the whole world from scratch (ever thought about that? Whenever I make something I have to start with something else. Some supply or material. When God created everything He started with absolutely nothing. That amazes me! If I had been charged with creating the world with nothing to start with and nothing to base my ideas on I would have not come up with much. Or anything. ) He is my Father and THE CREATOR; I am His daughter, so I create. Creativity is in my spiritual DNA.
You're arguing with me again, aren't you? You are. I just know it. Stop it. Just stop.
I'm not talking about creativity and everyone having it in the sense that we all can paint, draw, and had an A in high school art class. I'm not sure what the actual definition of creativity, but I don't think it is synonymous with artistic. Creativity, at least to me, is the ability to think outside of the box. Better yet, to refuse to acknowledge there is a box. Creativity is not acknowledging the "normal" as acceptable. Creativity is that which does not fit in. Creativity is looking at something that anyone can look at, and seeing it differently.
If you give me a blank page of paper, I am likely to write something, because that is what I do. Might not be good, but I will write anyway. If I give my little brother a piece of paper he will fold it into an elaborate paper air plane. If I give my friend S.L a piece of paper she would likely draw on it. Some of my friends would be more likely to write song lyrics on the page. What would you do with it?
I have several friends who are passionate about painting, and find their artistic expression on canvas. (Me? The only painting I do is that which involves splattering). Anyone can look at a canvas. Anyone can pop into an art store and buy one. The creativity is what a person DOES with the canvas. If I gave a canvas to my friends T, L, A, or S (initials) they would take some paint and make something beautiful, because their creative minds see not a blank canvas but a potential piece of art.
But if I gave the same canvases to a group of mathematical, analytical, entrepreneurial, business people they probably wouldn't have the same vision to create something with paints upon it. So are they just not creative?
No.They are creative. They just are not painters.
Scientists are creative. Science wouldn't be useful if people weren't constantly coming up with new things. That is called history.
Mathematicians are creative (I know... I know...). But the use of math within science, or something like engineering requires creativity.
Any entrepreneur is creative. They have vision. They see a problem, or a potential-holding business venture that no one else see, and they make it happen. They think outside of the box.
The most successful business people are those who think outside of what has already been thought; who dream bigger dreams and think greater thoughts than the less successful people. Their success has come because they did something different. Those who aren't willing to think creatively and instead keep doing what everyone else is doing are very likely to get the same result that everyone else did.
I think each of us has the ability to be incredibly creative, but in different ways. (I write and make stuff. What about you?). I think each person, Christian or not, is creative. Look at some of the people in the media living like hell. They are sure creative, just to their own glory and not God's (more on that later). Personally, I think Christians should be the world's MOST CREATIVE people, because we know who are Creator is and we know that we are made to be like Him!
Each of us has such potential. There is so much creativity inside everyone that is never being released! People are so caught up in the "normal" that often they don't think broadly enough about what is possible if "normal" is challenged. I'm not just talking about uses for paint and paper (which are fantastic), but how long are things like cancer going to be "normal?" Are gas prices climbing towards $5 "normal"; oil crisis, what about that? Are children homeless and starving in other countries "normal"? What about sex trafficking, is that just "normal" too? How about how perverted and filthy (secular) music is? Movie content? I don't think the books being written for young adults are "normal" at all!
So many pieces of art, so many inventions, new business ideas, solutions to worldwide problems, things that have never been done or made before are INSIDE OF YOU!
I don't know about you, but that gets me fired up and inspired to make something. Do something. Be something.And in doing that and releasing that creative potential we are glorifying God! We are being who He made us to be and becoming more like Him!
To keep this post from being 19 miles long I'll stop here. But I've got more coming. In the next part of this rant on creativity I want to talk about it specifically in relation to the Kingdom of God. How we can use it...or how we aren't. That post coming soon!
*phew. It felt so good to write something that wasn't academic, didn't need MLA citations, and wasn't going to be graded!
I'm done with school now, at least for a week, and I finally have time to write on here. This will be a long post as it has been a long time coming, brewing in my head for weeks.
This post will be about creativity.
Isn't almost every post on this blog about creativity in one way or another? Probably yes. If my middle name wasn't already Kiss, it probably be Creativity. I am a very creative person. Anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes knows that (dang, anyone who looks at me for more that 5 seconds knows it!). Without artsyness I go crazy. Truly. My constant rebellion against normal is a huge part of who I am.
But I have been thinking about creativity more so than normal lately. A couple weeks back we were talking about it in my psyc class and I had to give a presentation on people who display amazing amounts of creativity. The presentation could only be 5 minutes long, but in creating it I did a great deal of thinking about creative people.
Who are the creative people in the world? YOU are. That's who.
This is where you will begin the mental argument with me that not every one is creative. Blah blah Blah. I disagree. I didn't say ARTISTIC. I said CREATIVE. I believe that very human being has some amount of creativity in them because we were created by and in the image of a creative God. He who created me created the whole world from scratch (ever thought about that? Whenever I make something I have to start with something else. Some supply or material. When God created everything He started with absolutely nothing. That amazes me! If I had been charged with creating the world with nothing to start with and nothing to base my ideas on I would have not come up with much. Or anything. ) He is my Father and THE CREATOR; I am His daughter, so I create. Creativity is in my spiritual DNA.
You're arguing with me again, aren't you? You are. I just know it. Stop it. Just stop.
I'm not talking about creativity and everyone having it in the sense that we all can paint, draw, and had an A in high school art class. I'm not sure what the actual definition of creativity, but I don't think it is synonymous with artistic. Creativity, at least to me, is the ability to think outside of the box. Better yet, to refuse to acknowledge there is a box. Creativity is not acknowledging the "normal" as acceptable. Creativity is that which does not fit in. Creativity is looking at something that anyone can look at, and seeing it differently.
If you give me a blank page of paper, I am likely to write something, because that is what I do. Might not be good, but I will write anyway. If I give my little brother a piece of paper he will fold it into an elaborate paper air plane. If I give my friend S.L a piece of paper she would likely draw on it. Some of my friends would be more likely to write song lyrics on the page. What would you do with it?
I have several friends who are passionate about painting, and find their artistic expression on canvas. (Me? The only painting I do is that which involves splattering). Anyone can look at a canvas. Anyone can pop into an art store and buy one. The creativity is what a person DOES with the canvas. If I gave a canvas to my friends T, L, A, or S (initials) they would take some paint and make something beautiful, because their creative minds see not a blank canvas but a potential piece of art.
But if I gave the same canvases to a group of mathematical, analytical, entrepreneurial, business people they probably wouldn't have the same vision to create something with paints upon it. So are they just not creative?
No.They are creative. They just are not painters.
Scientists are creative. Science wouldn't be useful if people weren't constantly coming up with new things. That is called history.
Mathematicians are creative (I know... I know...). But the use of math within science, or something like engineering requires creativity.
Any entrepreneur is creative. They have vision. They see a problem, or a potential-holding business venture that no one else see, and they make it happen. They think outside of the box.
The most successful business people are those who think outside of what has already been thought; who dream bigger dreams and think greater thoughts than the less successful people. Their success has come because they did something different. Those who aren't willing to think creatively and instead keep doing what everyone else is doing are very likely to get the same result that everyone else did.
I think each of us has the ability to be incredibly creative, but in different ways. (I write and make stuff. What about you?). I think each person, Christian or not, is creative. Look at some of the people in the media living like hell. They are sure creative, just to their own glory and not God's (more on that later). Personally, I think Christians should be the world's MOST CREATIVE people, because we know who are Creator is and we know that we are made to be like Him!
Each of us has such potential. There is so much creativity inside everyone that is never being released! People are so caught up in the "normal" that often they don't think broadly enough about what is possible if "normal" is challenged. I'm not just talking about uses for paint and paper (which are fantastic), but how long are things like cancer going to be "normal?" Are gas prices climbing towards $5 "normal"; oil crisis, what about that? Are children homeless and starving in other countries "normal"? What about sex trafficking, is that just "normal" too? How about how perverted and filthy (secular) music is? Movie content? I don't think the books being written for young adults are "normal" at all!
So many pieces of art, so many inventions, new business ideas, solutions to worldwide problems, things that have never been done or made before are INSIDE OF YOU!
I don't know about you, but that gets me fired up and inspired to make something. Do something. Be something.And in doing that and releasing that creative potential we are glorifying God! We are being who He made us to be and becoming more like Him!
To keep this post from being 19 miles long I'll stop here. But I've got more coming. In the next part of this rant on creativity I want to talk about it specifically in relation to the Kingdom of God. How we can use it...or how we aren't. That post coming soon!
*phew. It felt so good to write something that wasn't academic, didn't need MLA citations, and wasn't going to be graded!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
So this is what it feels like to have free time?
I have nothing to do.
I haven't had anything to do, or at least needed to do, since 9:00 am.
I don't even know who I am anymore. Bella doesn't typically have free time.
I am more or less done with my first semester of college (yes, I started in the spring, and yes I am 20 but a freshman. Don't bother yourself with the minor details of my life.) Today, at 8:00 am, I took my final exam for psychology. All I have left to do is an in-class write evaluation of myself paper for English on Friday. Then I am done, done, done! I have to say, I ended up liking college more than I thought I would. The...environment...is a little iffy at times but I like to learn and I love to excel in all that I do. So this was a good semester.
But now I am done. I now longer have homework to do. I don't need to study pages and pages of psyc notes. It is a freeing feeling.
I got home today after my exam (and ate nachos. I ate cereal @ 6:30 am, but by 10 I was hungry again and nachos are good at all hours) and went into super productive mode, since I had nothing else to do. My bedroom and laundry hamper have been suffering from about 3 weeks of neglect (projects, papers, presentations and studying leading up to finals, plus a couple conferences had my full attention) so I went on a cleaning spree. Now that my 4 loads of laundry are done (obviously I put good grades as a higher priority than clean clothes), my entire closet is reorganized, my room is dusted and vacuumed, and I can again see the surface of my desk I feel much better about myself and my life. I love order.
Now this is the point where you ask me about my summer plans? And to that I will say "ha", if given half a chance or maybe even less. I pretty much do not have summer. And if I do it is this week, and then 3 weeks in August. What is that about? Well, in a week and a half I started *SUMMER CLASSES.*
Yes. I am crazy. And yes, I did do this to myself. Thank you.
Long story short I only took 2 classes this semester due to registration issues. So now I am trying to make up lost time and get ahead before the fall. So I will be spending my summer doing the math class I missed getting into this last semester, as well as 2 English classes (because I love English). Good times. Or potentially really not good times, but let's be optimistic...
Hopefully you will all see more of me in the next week or so. Sorry I have been a little lax about posting. Again, grades are a priority of the most highest. And hopefully I will not completely disappear after that until August. But no promises.
I haven't had anything to do, or at least needed to do, since 9:00 am.
I don't even know who I am anymore. Bella doesn't typically have free time.
I am more or less done with my first semester of college (yes, I started in the spring, and yes I am 20 but a freshman. Don't bother yourself with the minor details of my life.) Today, at 8:00 am, I took my final exam for psychology. All I have left to do is an in-class write evaluation of myself paper for English on Friday. Then I am done, done, done! I have to say, I ended up liking college more than I thought I would. The...environment...is a little iffy at times but I like to learn and I love to excel in all that I do. So this was a good semester.
But now I am done. I now longer have homework to do. I don't need to study pages and pages of psyc notes. It is a freeing feeling.
I got home today after my exam (and ate nachos. I ate cereal @ 6:30 am, but by 10 I was hungry again and nachos are good at all hours) and went into super productive mode, since I had nothing else to do. My bedroom and laundry hamper have been suffering from about 3 weeks of neglect (projects, papers, presentations and studying leading up to finals, plus a couple conferences had my full attention) so I went on a cleaning spree. Now that my 4 loads of laundry are done (obviously I put good grades as a higher priority than clean clothes), my entire closet is reorganized, my room is dusted and vacuumed, and I can again see the surface of my desk I feel much better about myself and my life. I love order.
Now this is the point where you ask me about my summer plans? And to that I will say "ha", if given half a chance or maybe even less. I pretty much do not have summer. And if I do it is this week, and then 3 weeks in August. What is that about? Well, in a week and a half I started *SUMMER CLASSES.*
Yes. I am crazy. And yes, I did do this to myself. Thank you.
Long story short I only took 2 classes this semester due to registration issues. So now I am trying to make up lost time and get ahead before the fall. So I will be spending my summer doing the math class I missed getting into this last semester, as well as 2 English classes (because I love English). Good times. Or potentially really not good times, but let's be optimistic...
Hopefully you will all see more of me in the next week or so. Sorry I have been a little lax about posting. Again, grades are a priority of the most highest. And hopefully I will not completely disappear after that until August. But no promises.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sometimes being lied to for weeks is great fun...
Hey guys. See yesterday's post for an explanation about this video.
In summary this is me being surprised out of my mind by my most favorite guy, who decided to come home on leave from the Air Force, but not tell me he was showing up.
Fair warning, it is a bit of a tear jerk-er. I didn't cry at the time (as my brain had stopped working. The crying you hear is his sweet mom who helped make this all happen by having me show up at her house to "babysit"), but every time I watch it again I kind of get overwhelmed.
the best (and only) surprise of my life from MyNameisNotKing on Vimeo.
Yup. That is surprise at its BEST. I am so blessed.
In summary this is me being surprised out of my mind by my most favorite guy, who decided to come home on leave from the Air Force, but not tell me he was showing up.
Fair warning, it is a bit of a tear jerk-er. I didn't cry at the time (as my brain had stopped working. The crying you hear is his sweet mom who helped make this all happen by having me show up at her house to "babysit"), but every time I watch it again I kind of get overwhelmed.
the best (and only) surprise of my life from MyNameisNotKing on Vimeo.
Yup. That is surprise at its BEST. I am so blessed.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Let me explain why I have been absent from your bloglandrical lives...
Oh hey there. Remember me? Yes, I still exists. Good stuff.
I do realize I had you worried for a bit that I was lost and gone forever (dreadful sorry...). I feel like I owe you an explanation. There are several, so lets get started.
Firstly (but not as important) I have been busy with school. Coming to the close of the semester and I have had lots of papers due and exams to take and what not. Going out like I started: great! Only about 2 weeks left! Then SUMMER! (but only not really because I am taking extra classes all summer long. Hooyah education...)
Secondly, and far more worthy of a blog post- ly, is what I was doing last week- April 18th-25th.
April 18th I got up, went to school and when about my life as usual. In the afternoon I headed to a certain person's house to babysit some certain kids who I like ever so much. Normal sounding scenario, eh? But when I knock on the front door and it swung open, it wasn't the mother or one of the little girls, who answered the door.
It was the oldest son.
As in the oldest son who happens to be my boyfriend.
The boyfriend who is an Airman in the US Air Force, is in tech school in FL, and isn't supposed to be allowed to come home.
The boyfriend who lied to me for 3 weeks and then showed up and surprised me like I have never been surprised before. (Actually, I have NEVER been surprised before. Honestly.).
By some miracle of God (literally) he managed to get leave and come home for the week leading up to Easter. He also managed to keep it totally hidden from me. Though his family and 2 of our friends knew (buncha lil sneaks...), I was left totally in the dark until he was standing in the doorway. It took me like an eighth of a second to leap at him and sort of tackle him joyously into a wall. Then I was speechless. Then, when I started breathing again and was able to form words, I yelled at him.Typical. I think normal girls cry and shriek "OMg" fourty six million times? Yeah...not me. (*by the way, his sister got this is all on video, and hopefully I can load that for you guys later this week). I cannot even tell you how amazing it was. Just....wow. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful (and conniving :p ) fellow in my life.
Now I know some of you are rather surprised and had no idea I even had a boyfriend. I understand your shock. Anyone who knows me knows that I haven't before, but now, for the first time ever, I do.
When I was 14 years old I decided I wasn't going to be one of those girls who dated and went around testing out guys until, after going through as many dudes as she could and having her heart broken and crushed over and over again, found the one. I wasn't doing that. I was crazy enough to be totally convinced that if God had a plan for my life I didn't need to search for the perfect guy. He would show up. I stuck to that decision all throughout my teens and I am glad I did. Little did I know but there was a guy who, when he got saved in high school, made that same decision to do things differently than what the world said was normal. And I am so glad we did decide that early on. Because, though it wasn't easy being different, it was totally worth it for both of us. What we have now is phenomenal and beyond.
As to how this all came about...I met him at my church about 3 years ago when we were both playing on our youth group's worship team. He played bass, I played keys. We started talking when we realized we both loved to write. We became friends--> good friends-->best friends. He joined the Air Force. There was a loooootttt of praying and seeking God. And back a few months ago he made a phone call to my dad an asked if he could "court" (meaning not dating just for the emotional heck of it) me. That all being said...
Dear everyone...meet my best friend/boyfriend JoJo.
Dear everyone...get a load of US!
We apologize in advance for being so incredibly cute that you just don't even know what to do with us. Sorry.
We had an amazing week together. It was so great to see him again. I hadn't seen him since December, and even then it was only for a few days. We got to do lots of stuff with each other and our families. It was great. It only lasted a week and the following Monday I drove him to the airport and watched him leave. Not so great...
Whatever you've heard about long distance relationships being hard I am here to tell you it is all pretty much true. It is HARD. If you don't have a whole lot of commitment don't even bother trying. And whatever you've heard about long distance military relationships? Yeah, he hasn't yet been gone a year (first left in August 2010 and is in for 4 years at least) and has been within the USA so far, but I can tell you that is hard too. Super hard. But for us it is super worth it. Since I met him we have never done anything by "normal" standards so doing this is really quite fitting for us. We believe that God is in control of our individual lives and at the center of this relationship.We believe that He has a plan. Maybe we are crazy, abnormal, radical freaks for thinking that, but I am totally okay with that. I know I wouldn't trade this, or him, for anything. Because is it is easy, it ain't worth doing.
*all adorable pictures accredited to my paparazzi extraordinaire mother.
The same awesome mother of mine has been blogging up a storm about the whole week of surprisedness situation. If you are interested in hearing/seeing more about that see here, here, here, and here.
I do realize I had you worried for a bit that I was lost and gone forever (dreadful sorry...). I feel like I owe you an explanation. There are several, so lets get started.
Firstly (but not as important) I have been busy with school. Coming to the close of the semester and I have had lots of papers due and exams to take and what not. Going out like I started: great! Only about 2 weeks left! Then SUMMER! (but only not really because I am taking extra classes all summer long. Hooyah education...)
Secondly, and far more worthy of a blog post- ly, is what I was doing last week- April 18th-25th.
April 18th I got up, went to school and when about my life as usual. In the afternoon I headed to a certain person's house to babysit some certain kids who I like ever so much. Normal sounding scenario, eh? But when I knock on the front door and it swung open, it wasn't the mother or one of the little girls, who answered the door.
It was the oldest son.
As in the oldest son who happens to be my boyfriend.
The boyfriend who is an Airman in the US Air Force, is in tech school in FL, and isn't supposed to be allowed to come home.
The boyfriend who lied to me for 3 weeks and then showed up and surprised me like I have never been surprised before. (Actually, I have NEVER been surprised before. Honestly.).
By some miracle of God (literally) he managed to get leave and come home for the week leading up to Easter. He also managed to keep it totally hidden from me. Though his family and 2 of our friends knew (buncha lil sneaks...), I was left totally in the dark until he was standing in the doorway. It took me like an eighth of a second to leap at him and sort of tackle him joyously into a wall. Then I was speechless. Then, when I started breathing again and was able to form words, I yelled at him.Typical. I think normal girls cry and shriek "OMg" fourty six million times? Yeah...not me. (*by the way, his sister got this is all on video, and hopefully I can load that for you guys later this week). I cannot even tell you how amazing it was. Just....wow. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful (and conniving :p ) fellow in my life.
Now I know some of you are rather surprised and had no idea I even had a boyfriend. I understand your shock. Anyone who knows me knows that I haven't before, but now, for the first time ever, I do.
When I was 14 years old I decided I wasn't going to be one of those girls who dated and went around testing out guys until, after going through as many dudes as she could and having her heart broken and crushed over and over again, found the one. I wasn't doing that. I was crazy enough to be totally convinced that if God had a plan for my life I didn't need to search for the perfect guy. He would show up. I stuck to that decision all throughout my teens and I am glad I did. Little did I know but there was a guy who, when he got saved in high school, made that same decision to do things differently than what the world said was normal. And I am so glad we did decide that early on. Because, though it wasn't easy being different, it was totally worth it for both of us. What we have now is phenomenal and beyond.
As to how this all came about...I met him at my church about 3 years ago when we were both playing on our youth group's worship team. He played bass, I played keys. We started talking when we realized we both loved to write. We became friends--> good friends-->best friends. He joined the Air Force. There was a loooootttt of praying and seeking God. And back a few months ago he made a phone call to my dad an asked if he could "court" (meaning not dating just for the emotional heck of it) me. That all being said...
Dear everyone...meet my best friend/boyfriend JoJo.
Dear everyone...get a load of US!
We apologize in advance for being so incredibly cute that you just don't even know what to do with us. Sorry.
We had an amazing week together. It was so great to see him again. I hadn't seen him since December, and even then it was only for a few days. We got to do lots of stuff with each other and our families. It was great. It only lasted a week and the following Monday I drove him to the airport and watched him leave. Not so great...
Whatever you've heard about long distance relationships being hard I am here to tell you it is all pretty much true. It is HARD. If you don't have a whole lot of commitment don't even bother trying. And whatever you've heard about long distance military relationships? Yeah, he hasn't yet been gone a year (first left in August 2010 and is in for 4 years at least) and has been within the USA so far, but I can tell you that is hard too. Super hard. But for us it is super worth it. Since I met him we have never done anything by "normal" standards so doing this is really quite fitting for us. We believe that God is in control of our individual lives and at the center of this relationship.We believe that He has a plan. Maybe we are crazy, abnormal, radical freaks for thinking that, but I am totally okay with that. I know I wouldn't trade this, or him, for anything. Because is it is easy, it ain't worth doing.
*all adorable pictures accredited to my paparazzi extraordinaire mother.
The same awesome mother of mine has been blogging up a storm about the whole week of surprisedness situation. If you are interested in hearing/seeing more about that see here, here, here, and here.