Opinionated Journalists

Keith Olbermann of MSNBC recently donated funds to a specific political party. Due to the network’s rules, he violated one by donating the money. The company says that none of their employees may take public sides to any political party by donating funds unless there is specific permission (which Olbermann did not have). After suspending him, the company representatives decided to lift his suspension, deciding that the temporary suspension was a sufficient punishment to Keith Olbermann.

It’s a pretty controversial subject to whether or not journalists and news reporters should be able to present their opinions on different topics such as interests, political parties and also controversial topics such as gay marriage or abortion. For me personally, I think it is important to remember what the purpose of the writer/reporter is. For instance, if your purpose is to persuade, then yes, taking a side is vital and mandatory. But with news, the purpose is generally to inform, which requires a non-bias standpoint. For all intensive purposes let’s say for this blog post that the purpose is to inform. In that case, I am going to say that indefinitely, the reporter or journalist should present his or herself in a non-bias context.

First of all, when it comes to informing, if the informer (writer or reporter) has a certain standpoint on the subject at hand then when they present their information, it will be presented strongly and more informatively from the informers interests rather than a non-bias report. This leaves the reader only being halfway and not wholly informed. Next, it’s important to avoid taking sides in order for the network to avoid conflict and strife from their views/readers. Many people are passionate about beliefs, and taking sides could possibly be the downfall of a networks proficiency. Finally, it’s important because taking a stance on a certain topic can be seen as favoritism and the company/network may even possibly lose their viewers/readers in that case.

It’s important for reporters and writers to remain un-bias by doing their research on the different subjects and topics their presenting in order to inform the audience of the topic wholly and not one sided. Giving a one-sided presentation on a topic leaves the viewers upset and frustrated due to not being able to fully understand the topic at hand; but only one side of it.

Sam I am

In the feature article "The Boy Behind The Mask" Tom Hallman, Jr. beautifully recalls the story of Sam. Sam was born with a birth defect called vascular anomaly. Which is a deformity that left half of Sam's face looking bloated or swollen. On the outside, Sam was easy to judge by bystanders and the general public, what these people couldn't see explained by Tom Hallman Jr. is that on the inside, Sam is a completely normal kid playing sports, attending school as a great student and making friends. Hallman jumps into the life of Sam describing his circumstances in a heart-wrenching way. The reader will have no choice but to fall in love with Sam and his story. Hallman depicts sam as a brave, amiable and fun kid who really just wishes to be normal and able to fit in. Hallman is able to write this story from so many different angles, going through Sam's struggles, ending in his overcoming them. Hallman describes how Sam didn't notice his own differences until he was 3 years old, and when he did, he cried. Sam, 12 years-old decides being different is too difficult, and he'd like to try to have a type of plastic surgery. Although the plastic surgery wasn't able to fix all of his deformity, Sam's first day of high school showed Sam's bravery and character; not willing to be the boy with a deformity, Sam decided where he belonged and embraced school and society and in return was loved and cared for. His story will not be one that is soon forgotten.

This feature article and Pulitzer Prize winner was definitely not by accident. What makes this article a feature is how Hallman gets a profile of Sam and his life, interviewing him and his family with beautiful quotes as well as getting behind the scenes or analyzing the story and life of Sam and his family. The way Hallman writes this article will leave the reader in aw, and quite possibly teary-eyed.

If you wish to read Hallman's feature yourself, you can find it at the following link: http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2001-Feature-Writing

Changed standards?

In response to watching the News War videos part three:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newswar/view/

Reporting, writing, and all occupations incorporating providing the raw news to the public, used to be jobs of integrity and individuals held in high esteem. News reporters getting in the nitty gritty part of news, delivering the best stories, and even endangering their lives to do so used to be held as daily heroes. These days, not only have those reporters lost their view of heroism but there seems to be a very negative outlook on the character of these reporters. According to the public, reporters these days are associated with words such as: deception, liars, and quite frankly just people not to be associated with.

Not only has the view of reporters changed, but the news in general has changed in how they run things and the content that each news station delivers to the public. In all sections of the news the question that arises is: Has the standard for news changed? It seems as though in this decade, each year that goes by there is less and less hard news and more covering the latest entertainment story of hollywood movie stars. Has the news changed to strictly entertainment?

As said in the News War videos, to the producers dismay, the comedy show with John Stewart has become statistically the top news show for which Americans watch to gain knowledge. The producers don't see this as an accomplishment, but see it rather as the other news stations failure. So what seems to be the problem? How can a news station make people want to watch what's going on in the middle east rather than which movie star got a DWI this week? It seems as though local news channels have found their niche in entertainment and hard news; but has making money become more important than delivering the important details of what's happening around us? Some believe that the standard for news has changed; they believe that it has lowered, and yet others in the industry believe it has just broadened in what they report about.

How do these controversial topics affect the current college students who are hoping to work for the news/media industry, and what should they be expecting upon joining the industry? Well, first of all that yes, times have changed and the expectations and standard of news has changed as well. It's important for each student to realize this, and important to hold onto their passions if delivering hard news is just that, then chasing after truth at all cause should be their goal. Although society and other news channels have cheapened what they call news, it's important to continue the fight in finding different ways and creative ways to present the news.

Objectivity in journalism

As a journalist, to be objective is all about the raw truth. In David Brooks article, "Objectivity in Journalism" he describes a writer being objective to an, "Old-fashioned virtue that has to be respected above the good of partisan opinion, the reason being, that there is something that exists out there called truth."

The entire reason this statement by Brooks is so powerful revolves around the truth that it brings. Every single individual has an opinion on just about every subject out there. Whether it be hairstyles, sports teams or gardening. Everyone has an opinion and it is easy for them to generally force/express their opinion on anyone who will listen. Generally speaking, it is not a reporters job to give you their opinion. A professional reporter/journailst is there in order to give the latest news, the latest stories, and talk about things that spike other individuals interests. In doing so, it is absolutely vital for those reporters and journalists to give the raw facts, also known as the truth.

Each writer has a decision of the outcome of their story. They can choose to tell the facts that they want in order to make the outcome of the story look the way they want. They can also choose to present the facts and allow the reader to choose their own outcome. Journalism can definitely be objective and it should be objective. No one in their right minds wants to or should be manipulated or swayed into thinking a certain way. The reader wants to be able to determine their own opinion on the topic. It should be the absolute goal of every reporter and journalist to write as David Brooks said it, with the old-fashioned virtue of objectivity by presenting the unbiased facts that they are presenting.

Little white lie?

When it comes to journalism, particularly those who are Christians, when does stretching the truth, changing the story, adding details ect. become a lie? How important is it for Christian journalists to have every detail true in their writings? As the Bible talks continuously about telling the truth, and and how not doing so is a direct sin to God, it should be every Christian journalist' desire to strive for excellence in telling every aspect of the truth. In the article, "Why Tell The Truth" Joseph Stowell expounds specifically on what the Bible has to say about telling the truth. In one section of his article, Stowell talks about the spiritual consequences of lying. His first point is that the truth aligns us with God. He said, "God's intense concern for truthfulness centers on His very nature. He is the "God of truth." As Christians, it should be our purpose to first and foremost bring God praise, and in doing so align us with the nature of God which is truth. Another point Stowell gives is that we (Christians) are redeemed to reflect God's character. Christ coming to earth, and dying on the cross to redeem us was a selfless act, accepting His redeeming and becoming a Christians requires us to reflect that very same character.

There are a few different ways in which a Christian journalist can tell a lie. The first way is through beguilement. Beguilement is in short, jumping to the wrong conclusion of a story. For instance, if a writer were to assume a story were to end a certain way, and write it as such; consequently, they would be lying. Another way would be deceit, now this one is certainly a no brainer. Just as Judas deceived the Lord so do reporters deceive their readers by using crafty words in order to have them believe something that is untrue. Another one would be just lying. Lying straight about facts such as dates, times, or even names of people involved. The final way is by bearing false witness. This ones a little more tricky. A way a reporter can lie by bearing false witness is when they are bearing it against another person. For instance, when writing a story about any individual if the journalist writes a false testimony of individual, they are indeed lying.

All of these different ways and more are ways that reporters, even Christian reporters and journalists are lying constantly. As Christians, it's vital to hold to the integrity Christ calls the church to in not only telling the truth ourselves, but helping others, such as the people we work with or the company we work for to do the same.

World Wide Web

My father, Ron Russell, who is currently 59 years old and who grew up in the farmland of Missouri can recall a time before the world was dependent on communication through the World Wide Web. Living on his own since he was 16 years old, my father has always understood the significance of communication and hard work. Growing up without computers and without most technology, he explained that research was more hands-on; as in, actually having to travel to the library to do extensive research. He said that people didn’t communicate as well before the Internet simply because it was more difficult “There was no Facebook or Twitter, if you wanted to talk to someone, you had to call them which was expensive, or you had to write them a letter” (R. Russell). In the 1970s my dad used his first computer and first email at the age of 29. The differences between email/internet back then and now are substantial. He explained how when people first started using the Internet, it wasn’t as sophisticated as it is now. He used the analogy of a baby learning to walk, and having to take small steps before getting to the big ones. My dad explained that instead of people just being able to hop on the Internet, that there were actually separate networks that the different workplaces used and that the computers were tied in through work and hardwired through terminals.

I asked him when people started to use computers at homes and he explained that when the work environment started to have computers, people wanted them at their houses too. Mostly to be used as a word processor to replace the typewriter. People were excited to be able to have something fix their spelling mistakes before it was printed out. An interesting fact the my dad mentioned was that Personal Computers did not initially have a lot of space back then, and that you can buy a general calculator at the store now, that has a significant amount more memory than what a PC did back then.

My dad’s favorite thing about the Internet today would be the available research he’s able to find online. He specifically talked about how neat it was for people to be able to even do genealogy researches to learn more about their family’s history. He also talked about how great it was to be able to look up companies you needed to find out about them he said, “It’s the ease and speed of finding something.”

When asked what he thought the technology of the World Wide Web would look like in the future, my dad explained that it’s like an evolution. He talked about the historical aspect of the Internet and compared it to what an automobile was like 100 years ago “The first automobile is almost unrecognizable, without windows, heat, air-conditioner, and with solid rubber tires” (R. Russell). He compared the old automobile to the way cars today function with climate control and concert quality sound systems. He said, “What will it be like in a hundred years? The technology is always new. To imagine what it will involve into is almost incomprehensible.”

Besides a few negative connotations, my dad believes that overall, the World Wide Web has helped increase and develop communication skills. His final thought on this historically changing aspect of communication was, “I am 59 years old and proud to be this age. I’ve been a science fiction reader all of my life and I’ve always believed: If we can dream it we can achieve it. God has given us talents and abilities and we can either choose to use those, or not” (R. Russell)

Christian Journalism?

In the communication industry it is often a controversial subject to whether or not Christians should take part in the various concentrations of communications. Generally speaking, from broadcasting and journalism to public relations and advertising; the communication industry is seen as something strictly secular. In broadcasting, stories are generally either cooked up or received through deception. In advertising, as my communication professor puts it, you are generally talking someone into buying something they don't need. Is that not a lie? How can Christians be apart of these industries when they are generated around such character?

In the article, "Toward A Compassionate Press" written by David Aikman, he explains that, "An important element in journalism, and indeed a frequently mentioned motive among young journalists for their decision to enter the profession, is the belief that exposing wickedness in society can lead to beneficial social change." Not only does Aikam mention the desire for young journalist to draw up the wickedness in their reporting, but he later describes that self promotion and self awareness in the industry takes away from what the profession originally was itself. Which was simply, "To report and interpret the news" (Aikman). If this is the case with journalism and other branches of communication, where do the Christians in the industry fit in? As a Christian, to bring about wickedness and dwell on the negative, and to promote one's self worth are not considered enriching and pleasing to the Lord, how can Christians find a place among those who do not share similar morals and ethics? Aikam goes onto explaining what it means to be a Christian in the industry. He says, "First, Christian journalism should more than anything be about truth. As Clifford Kelly has said, "Truth is the Christian journalist's best friend""(Aikam). Although generally speaking, the industry of communication is seen as secular, that doesn't have to be the case for a Christian individual working in the industry. Aikman later uses the verse Ephesians 4:15 which talks about speaking the truth in love. No matter the circumstance Christian individuals are called by God to speak the truth in love. Whether that means not covering a story because it has false facts, or advertising a product that is known to be faulty. Christ is sovereign and is thankful for the Christian who lives above reproach by holding His commands. Jerry Falwell used to explain that anything that is Christian, should be the best. Reporters, advertisers, journalists who are Christians should be the individuals who are the best. They should be the ones with high morals and sound ethics. Those individuals should be the ones speaking the truth in love by providing the best truth to the best of their abilities to their customers and readers. The last point Aikman shares about the Christian journalist is, "Finally, a Christian journalist will always be only as effective for the Kingdom of God as his or her degree of godliness extends." However much the Christian journalist is willing to humble themselves and allow God to work through them by living above reproach, is how effective that Christian individual will be to their ultimate goal in furthering the kingdom of God.

My Future Husband:

I pray for you daily and I think of you often. I pray that the Lord is strengthening you and teaching you a lot. I pray you are relying on His strength and being submissive to His will. I pray that you are seeking His face and after His heart. I pray that you are daily growing in wisdom and stature. I hope you think of me. I pray also that the Lord is making me into the woman you need me to be. That I would also grow and be a woman worthy of your love. -aer

The Challenge

Something that has been hitting me hard lately is the cruelty of this world. It seems I've been told a lot in some way or another that: this world will only tear people like me up. That I need to be more guarded, that I need to be tougher, that I don't need to befriend everyone, that I shouldn't even be nice to everyone.

People seem to often mistake my kindness to ignorance. This is absolutely not the case. Initially, to be kind is my choice. But in reality, every ounce of kindness I've ever been able to give anyone has been Christ whose spirit dwells within me. I am called to love people; even if that love is not reciprocated. Because if we're being honest, kindness and love is not often something that is reciprocated properly. We tend to be selfish with our kindness and our love. What's funny is that we're not willing to give kindness and love because we're afraid that no one will give us theirs. It's an excruciating cycle that needs to be broken.

We need to love and pour kindness into people daily as if we'll never have another chance, never have another moment to do so... our selfish worries and desires shouldn't get in the way of that no matter what the world says.

'Guarding' and 'looking out' for ourselves isn't practical when the Creator of the universe is on your side. Regardless of whether or not this world tears down 'people like me' I could care less. My God fights for me. He defends me, He loves me and He is proud of me when I love His people without bounds.

It's hard to make amends
I know it isn't easy but try and understand
It's really not that bad
Through my eyes I'll see you there
Its hard to understand
When no one ever seems to care
And with my words I'll make a change
And try to rearrange

And walls of fear come crashing down
I won't look back don't turn around
And with my life I'll make a change
And hope we'll all be friend again

And walls of fear come crashing down
And ill never be the same
I won't look back don't turn around
And ill never be the same

-Hawk Nelson

I don't belong here

For whatever reason lately I've been feeling disconnected. From my family, from school, from Raleigh, from Virginia, from Illinois- from any place I've ever called home. Even when I am surrounded by people I love I have felt disconnected. If you've felt this way before, you know this emotion is not a comfortable one to have. I am sad to say that I know I have handled the emotion with immaturity. I have so full heartedly been seeking the Lord and His will for me, my faith has been strong and my doubt has been thwarted. In that, I know this feeling of disconnection is a tool from the enemy to draw me away from furthering the Kingdom. In this feeling of being distant and disconnected I began searching for my purpose. I've been searching everywhere trying to understand why it is that I am here and were I'm suppose to be and to who I belong.

In all of this searching and scrambling I've allowed myself to become consumed in all of these insignificant earthly thoughts. I've been pushed off track and worries and wonders have flooded my insight and passion. My instinct was to become disappointed in myself, but I've realized now more than ever that I am a target. No one ever said following God with every lashing effort was going to be easy. No one said you wouldn't cry. No one said your passion would come easy. The only thing promised, is that He would never leave us to stand alone.

Following Christ takes sacrifice and surrender. It's not always easy, and persecution is always on it's way; but when you enter this incredible journey and relationship with the One who has created you, you'll never be the same.

I've made my decision, I know where my inheritance lies.

In the midst of the enemy telling me I am alone and disconnected and that I don't belong here I've come to one realization.

I truly don't belong here. My citizenship is in Heaven. My heart can be tempted and tainted but I will forever rest in that truth.

My heart is steadfast, my mind has been made a long time ago. One slip off a path will not be enough from keeping my God from using me and captivating my every essence.

"Father, help me to see this isn't my full reward; help my soul to know it's not here."

-Shelly Moore Band

Father,

Keep my eyes on you. Please give me Your strength and Your wisdom to keep myself in check. Help me to continue to love Your people with an undeniable passion. Help me to understand the significance of surrender. Help me to deny myself the ways of this world in pursuit for your Holy will for me. I love you, too.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lost it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:34-36

A thankful heart

Lord,



You are bigger, You are stronger. You are the deliverer. You provide and You never stop loving. You have forgiven me, You died and saved me. You are jealous for me and Your ways are wondrous. Your love is vast and Your will is perfect. You have restored me completely and You comfort continuously. You have called me as Your own; You know me, and You have ownership over me. You are the only good in me. You constantly sustain me. You were before all things and all things come together for Your good. Abba, You bless me, You protect me, You FIGHT for me. You hold me in the palm of Your hand. You have called me Your child. You don't need me, but You use me anyways. You are my purpose. You set me FREE. You strengthen me. You are sovereign, You are bold with power and grace- Your mercy is UNDENIABLE. I am ever thankful Father that You have used me and love me. You have called me Your daughter. You have my broken heart; humble my prideful mind. You give me peace, You are the quencher of my thirsty soul. You are gracious to me; You are the example of selfless. You allow me the PRIVILEGE of worshipping You. and oh, I am so thankful.

I love you, too.

let the good times roll

"My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." -Psalm 84:2

Abba,

Help my passion for you rise, and my distractions fade; let my faith remain.

Please become my sole purpose

Please be my One and Only; my Beloved

Help my eyes to stay on You

Give me and obsession for Your Word

Let my life be a testimony to those around me

Allow people to look at me and see only You

Help me to do better; to be better

I love you too, father.

Time is on our side.

Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future:

I’ve been avoiding this one for awhile. It’s taken me a few days to decide how to answer it, but I’m just going to go ahead and compile somewhat of a list. I have a jar in my dorm room and the jar is filled with qualities that I look for in a husband; so here we go.

The man I’d be most interested in will:

1. Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He’ll understand the significance of being saved and of sacrifice and surrender to the King.

2. Seek after the Lord’s own heart just like David.

3. Pray for wisdom like Solomon.

4. Be equally yolked with me. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

5. Has to be okay with adopting an Asian baby.

6. Must enjoy: Hiking, climbing things, camping.

7. Some sort of artistic ability (music, photography, ect.)

8. Some sort of athletic ability (the desire to take care of them self)

9. A strong love for his family.

10. A strong love for his mother.

11. An actual sense of humor.

12. Discretion for serious situations.

13. Protective over what he loves.

14. Generous.

15. Stable.

16. Able to lead, but make decisions together.

17. Has a sense of drive and perseverance.

18. Encouraging and assuring.

19. Zero arrogance.

20. Able to criticize and take criticism.

21. Able to love without bounds (firstly of the savor)

22. Allow me to have the biggest dog in the whole world.

23. Have a strong passion and beliefs unable to be wavered.

24. Has a sense of adventure.

25. Could live in another country.

I think that’s good.

Ephesians 2:10

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advanced for us to do.”

1. We are God’s

2. We are His workmanship

3. We were created to do good works.

Let God love you.

In the heart of things.

Today has not been the best of days; my heart is not in the best of conditions and, through that, I am reminded of so many things.

First, my mission:

“As the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,so that it yields seed
for the sower and bread for the eater,so is my word
that goes out from my mouth:it will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose
for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led fourth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown. for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”

-Isaiah 55:10-13

I was created for a specific purpose. It has nothing to do with me, and all with furthering the kingdom of Christ. My heart can rest at knowing it has a purpose, at knowing it wasn’t created for nothing.

Secondly: I am so easily reminded of the steadfast heart that I am called to have-

Steadfast:

1. Firmly fixed in direction; steadily directed
2. Firm in purpose, resolution, faith
3. Firmly established; unwavering

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”
-Psalm 51:10

“They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.”
-Psalm 111:8

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts you.”
-Isaiah 26:3

“He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
-Psalm 119:5

Beyond anything, I know that no matter what goes on with my heart; the Lord has an everlasting hold on it. My heart is steadfast- fixed in direction, and unable to be wavered. It’s firmly established and firm in purpose.

I am so thankful for these reminders.

I’ve come to realize that not everything is what it seems. It’s not always easy, it’s not always pretty and it’s not always fun. But that’s what’s exhilarating about it all, isn’t it? If it’s not easy, we learn about endurance. If it’s not pretty, we learn to be grateful. If it’s not fun we learn to change it for the better. Endurance, to be grateful, and to understand change are such vital and important aspects of life. It’s like going through the bad to reach the good, spending time on earth before entering heaven…trial and error, shooting for the moon and missing. Failure isn’t the end of what we’re trying; it’s the beginning of something new, that could be better than what we ever had imagined. We’ve just got to give that possibility a chance before disqualifying it in our own minds. We’ve got to love without being loved in return to truly understand the significance of what love is. We have to understand what it is to be broken, before being made whole by the One who created us. We can question and ask why all that we please; when it comes down to it, “why?” is a constant pause. We have to continue; keep on keeping on so to speak. It’s ok to be angry, it’s ok to be mad, it’s ok to cry. IT’S OK TO FEEL, because feeling those emotions is what reminds us that we’re still here. We’re still breathing and alive and we’re still worth it. We’ve got to stick up for ourselves, which doesn’t mean always mean immediately reacting. Most of the time, it means stepping back, assessing the situation and saying how you feel. It’s time for us to be BOLD in what we believe, to love enough, to encourage enough, to FIND happiness in every direction; because it’s there, we’re just not always looking. We have to remember we can’t expect others to change if we, in turn aren’t willing to change ourselves. When we leave this place, life goes on. We have to leave our legacy and leave it to benefit those who come after us. It’s worth it, we’re worth it, and they’re worth it. Every decision counts.

-aer

Perfection

My entire life it seems as though perfection has been my goal. This isn't exactly the issue, because as I strive to live a life sacrificing and pleasing to Christ it SHOULD also be my goal to be perfect just as He lead a blameless, perfect life. The problem with me, is that I am so hard on myself, that when that impossible perfection is not reached in my life I can't accept it. Not only is this extremely stressful as nothing in my life or actions are perfect, but at this point especially after this year, I am just exhausted. I am so tired of failing constantly and then beating myself up over it. I'm tired of holding onto my own strength and trying to persevere alone. I am weak in every single possible way. I can't focus on anything that needs to be focused on. (aka the exam that I've been trying to study for all day) In reality, Christ is going to be pleased with my striving to live above reproach; although what He will not be pleased with is me tearing myself down, and my trying to use my own strength. Hello reality check, and Father please forgive me for my human ignorance and insignificance.

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I am loved.

1 Corinthians 13

Love is patient; even when I want answers.

Love is kind; even when kindness is not returned.

Love does not envy; even when I see others progressing while I feel I’m on hold.

Love does not boast; even when I know I’ve done something right.

Love is not proud; even when I see wrong in someone else’s life.

Love is not rude; even when I feel attacked and broken down.

Love is not self-seeking; even when I am scared and feel alone.

Love is not easily angered; even when anger is the goal.

Love keeps no record of wrongs; no matter what is done.

Love does not delight in evil; no matter what.

Love delight’s in truth; especially when my heart prevails in His word.

Love protects; no matter what it costs me.

Love always hopes; even when I don’t feel that hope.

Love always perseveres; even when I want to give up daily…

Love Never Fails.

Day 8: Today, my human doubts engulfed me, and I prevailed through.

My own advice

This has been a very difficult year for me. I know people say that your first year at college will probably be the easiest, but I don't think that's true for me. My character, my heart, my faith my very essence has been stretched and torn apart in so many ways I wasn't expecting. I knew I was going to grow and mature, but not in the way that I have. God's way is ultimately better, but in my human insignificance I could have never thought I would grow the way that I have. When I look back to 8 months ago, I don't think I could have possibly prepared myself for the year I had ahead of me. I know that's why God didn't choose to enlighten me the way He was going to use me, and how He was going to use me this year... I'm truly thankful for that, because He does know my character and He does know that I worry and He does know that I allow myself to be overwhelmed so easily. (He also knows I'm working on that)

I think what frustrates me the most, is that I know I've come so far, but I am so aware of how far I still have to go from here. I know the ways I need to grow and mature in and I have such a desire to grow in my faith and knowledge of the love and word of God.

Being on leadership my freshman year was the best thing that could have happened to me. Through leading my prayer group each week I was given so much. I grew immensely through teaching, and I also bonded with a group of amazing girls and was able to love, encourage, and pray for them joyfully.

A couple weeks ago I did a lesson about pieces. I first used Romans 12:1-2 which talks about sacrificing our bodies as a spiritual act of worship to the Lord. I told them that as humans, we so easily take pieces of ourselves and give them away to people, or thoughts, worries, and more. Then I explained that as Christians, it should be our desire to be used by God to the fullest, and in order to do that we literally need to sacrifice all our will and desires in order to be used by His good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Rom 12:2) I was asked to give the lesson again last night to our Leadership Prayer Groups. But I added a something: I've realized since I did the lesson with my prayer group, that sometimes we give these pieces away subconsciously. I realized that I do this way too much... slowly but surely I begin to fall into pieces, then continue to take those pieces and give them to other people and to my own thoughts and desires.

An analogy I used was to think of flower pots. Now, flower pots, just as us have been created for a specific purpose. They were made in order for things to be planted and cultivated in order to grow into beautiful things. I took a hammer and broke the flower pot into a ton of pieces and explained that in pieces, the flower pot can't be used for what it was created to do. You may be able to put some dirt on one of the pieces, but nothing will grow. I feel like this is the perfect example for when we are in pieces.

My encouragement was to get serious about submission to Christ; take a step back, revaluate and see where the pieces of our lives our. Once we've surrendered all the pieces over to Him, everything else falls into place; we become whole.

I've so desperately been called out by this in my own life. I needed to take my own advice, and slowly but surely, things are falling back into place.