oceans | hillsong united | zion

click.  listen.  repeat.  worship.

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harmony

Make anyone else want to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou?  Add that to the Christmas list.  Only 10 days of class, a trip to North Carolina, hours of studying, one paper, and four exams to go.  

P.S. If anyone wants to get me Avett Brothers tickets for Christmas too, I'd be ok with that.

czech it

http://allthingsyours.wordpress.com/

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Katherine's South Africa blog is up and running!  Check it out whether you know her or not.  She is one of the coolest people I know, and she is up to some awesome things overseas!  I miss her terribly.  I miss South Africa a lot too.  Just trust me.  You want to see these photos/read these words.

Happy Friday, everybody.

be inspired

Here’s to the new possible.

So says one of the many Olympic-themed commercials that have aired on NBC throughout the past two weeks.  Of course I love the commercials during this time, because I love everything about this time.  Watching every sport, learning about every athlete, celebrating every time the US national anthem is played.  I really am obsessed, and it makes me stop and wonder at times…why?  Why do I love this so much?  This AT&T commercial holds part of the answer.

The Olympics represent more greatness, more perseverance, more determination and drive than anything I’ve ever seen.  These athletes are among the most dedicated people in the world, and it is seriously inspiring.  I mean, try explaining the amount of work that goes into winning 22 medals – 18 of them gold – to become the “greatest Olympian of all time.” 

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I can barely even begin to fathom that.  I would say that it’s impossible.  But it’s not.  Because Michael Phelps just did it.  Of course, he is a one-of-a-kind example.  No one has done what he has done.  But no one has done what a lot of other athletes these Games have done either…

How about Gabby Douglas, being the first African American woman to win gymnastics all-around gold?  Or Kayla Harrison bringing home the first United States judo medal ever?  Misty and Kerri winning women’s volleyball gold for the third Games in a row?  Things that might not have seemed possible.  Turns out they are.

But the list goes on, and oftentimes, has little to do with winning an actual medal.  Think about Oscar Pistorius of South Africa, a double amputee running – and often keeping up with – the rest of the athletes.  He epitomizes possibility.  Or Mohamed Mohamed and Samsam Mohamed Farah of Somalia, both excited to simply compete and represent their beloved but ravaged nation.  They represent hope.  What about Sarah Attar, the first woman from Saudi Arabia ever allowed to compete in track and field?  She is a dream come true, and an example of change before your very eyes.  And Manteo Mitchell, the US runner who completed the last 200 meters of the relay prelim despite breaking his leg in the middle of the race.  He reminds all of us to never, ever, ever give up. 

You don’t have to chase gold medals or athletic perfection.  The inspiration these athletes provide translates into just about every area of life.  Like another Olympics commercial says (Nike, this time) – “find your greatness.”  And again, from Powerade - "Favorites don't shock the world.  You do."  Propaganda and nicely timed marketing?  Maybe.  But it's true.  Haven't you just witnessed it?  With dedication, determination, and drive, you can accomplish anything, overcome incredible obstacles.  These athletes just did, and so can you.  So take a lesson from the Olympics and chase your dreams, whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever your dreams might be.

Here’s to the new possible. 

Be inspired.

the fun has arrived

Source: behance.net via Katie on Pinterest

5 hours + 33 minutes and counting...

Be prepared for a complete inundation of Olympics posts.  I am slightly obsessed, and after all of the waiting, it is finally time!  Party at the Smith house to watch the Opening Cerermonies, and every other day for that matter.  Something inside of me just loves international competition; I appreciate the nations and become extremely patriotic at the same time.  

Go World.  

But still.

#USA

song of the day

There's a hole in the roof

For the stars to fall in

I gather them up for you

Fill up my pockets, start walking again

Bringing these stars to you

Bringing these stars to you

Bringing these stars to you.

(Worn Out Shoes, Joe Purdy)

april showers (part 2)

Last time I wrote about the rain showers, and the blessing showers, but I forgot to write about the best April shower yet!  Drumroll please...Saturday night's meteor shower.

Just like I said that we would, all the brothers and sisters dressed up Saturday night, went to dinner, and crashed DG Parent's Weekend to dance the night away.  After that, we changed clothes, met back up at the Brick House, collectively dominated a half gallon of Cookies and Cream ice cream, and headed out to a dark place to look at the stars.  It was really cold, and we were really tired, but it was really beautiful.

Brothers.  Sisters.  Blankets.  Half silence, half singing, even though I think we'd all admit our voices were sounding pretty rough that night.  And the best and brightest shooting stars you've ever seen, many that left a trail in the pitch black sky.  It didn't matter if we were having a conversation, singing a hymn, laughing, or laying there in silence.  As soon as we would see one, everyone would scream.  It's so amazing!  You can't help it.

You can't look at that kind of starry sky, filled with meteors flying across it, and not be instantly reminded of how small you are, and how wonderful that is.  You can't look at that and not worship.  Probably why the spontaneous singing of How Great Thou Art happened, along with various other songs.  We didn't really know how to respond, laying there all together on the dock staring at the beauty.  Singing seemed like a good idea.  So someone started and the rest of us just sort of went for it.  

This is the first time I had ever experienced a meteor shower, but it definitely won't be the last.  I'm waking up in the middle of the night for these things for the rest of my life!  You should absolutely do the same.  The cold and the tired is worth it.  Very much so.

number eight

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They did it!!! Number 1 in the nation to bring home the 8th banner. Victory is so, so sweet.

happy listening

This was an extra-good music week in Oxford. Last Friday night Drew Holcomb and the Neighbor's played at Proud Larry's, and Thursday night Jenny and Tyler came to Wesley! Two awesome couples who love each other, love the Lord, and make beautiful music. I definitely enjoyed both of their shows and have pretty much been playing their music on repeat ever since I saw them.

Drew and Ellie - "Fire and Dynamite"

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Jenny and Tyler - "Faint Not"

(Special note about Jenny and Tyler - I had never seen them live before Thursday night, but they are seriously awesome musicians and people. I was lucky enough to get to talk with them some after the show and take them to Bottletree Friday morning, and I have tons of respect for what they are doing and how they are doing it. All that to say, check out their music free online but support them and pay for some of it too, because it is worth it. Just throwing a little extra PR out there!)

Happy listening! I hope you enjoy both groups as much as I do.

perfect score.

This is just a little something we like to call complete and total domination. I would like to be able to take some sort of credit for this seeing as I am his biggest fan, but seriously. I'm beginning to wonder if he's completely human.

And this was supposed to be the victory lap.

on, on, U of K

Mom and Laura had 2 free tickets to the UK game yesterday, so Dad and I decided to head downtown and see what we could come up with. Lucky for us we found $10 parking and a pair of face-value, lower-level tickets right away! It was a perfect Christmas adventure afternoon.

Every basketball game everywhere should start with fireworks and streamers for the starting line-up, don't you think?

There's no place like home - especially when that home is Rupp Arena!

estrellas

I should be documenting so much more of this semester; every single day has been picture perfect. But it's hard to capture the significance of so much of this fall in a few words on a blog or in a journal, and even if pictures are worth a thousand words they still wouldn't be enough. How can I explain Milkshake Mondays, camping, brunch-making, baseball in the backyard? How can I do justice to my brothers and my sisters, the best friends in the entire world?

How can I explain nights like tonight, where for two hours I laid on a blanket in the Brick House backyard with three of my best friends (and the neighbor's cat, our new friend) and stared at the stars? It is so powerful to be reminded of how small we are and how big our Creator is. Seriously, I can't imagine a better way to top off an already amazing weekend.

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile... [Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature]

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Look at the stars, see how they shine. [Coldplay, "Yellow"]

going out with a bang

Packed with my favorite people, places, and things, this was one of those good weekends that you remember for a really long time. Good things included but were not limited to: tornado clean-up at Pine Flat, Allie's surprise birthday party, Old Crow Medicine Show at the Square, Double Decker, Bottletree, lots of time with lots of friends, and Memphis in May.

Double Decker is like Oxford's annual holiday weekend. The concerts Friday and Saturday nights are always great, and few things are better than walking around the Square with hundreds of other people enjoying a beautiful spring day, awesome local artwork, and some quality Mississippi food. Add these people to the mix, and I can't imagine a better time. [photo courtesy of the roommate]


After some deliberation, we opted to pass on the Saturday night concerts in Oxford and went instead to Memphis in May to see Mumford and Sons. (Also, we saw Ludacris and Ke$ha by default...for the record, avoid future Ke$ha concerts at all costs.) Anyway, these guys are incredible live. You should definitely check them out if you haven't jumped on that bandwagon yet. [photo courtesy of official website's photo gallery]


Solid weekends like this mean rough Mondays, but they're worth it. I'm ready for classes to be finished, but I'm not ready to leave this place, these people, or these adventures we like to call just another day in the life. I'm in denial that this was the last big weekend before finals, but if it had to be the last one, I'm thankful it was oh so good.

cheesy but true

I came back to the DG house and this song was randomly playing on my iPod. The beauty of it completely threw me off; I had to actually sit down, start the song over, and pay attention to the whole thing the second time around. While I totally recognize that slightly cheesy/predictable/feel good movies might not be your thing, everyone should watch this movie at least once in their life simply to appreciate the music. Especially the cello...the cello may go down as the most moving instrument of all time.

If you must save time, start the video around the 3:15 mark. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing. Something about music speaks to the soul.

ensueño

I want to go here again. (Here = somewhere near Canta, Peru. We ran into this abandoned-looking church up in the Andes Mountains.)

I am actually quite content to be in Oxford; spring here is beautiful. But the closer it gets to summer, the stronger my desire for new adventures becomes. A cool thing about this summer is that even my time at "home" will be an adventure; it's basically all new for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing all kinds of places and things I never have before.

Travel quote #1:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth. [Mark Twain]

Travel quote #2:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say. [J.R.R. Tolkien]

statewide part 2/excellent day

"For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." [Philippians 1:21]

I've heard this verse a thousand times, and I've really started to grasp the significance of it many of those times. But I realized the power of this verse again this weekend at Statewide thanks to Kristian Stanfill. In the midst of his singing, which by the way was excellent, he shared how this verse has been impacting his life lately. All week I keep coming back to Kristian's - or, essentially, Paul's - passionate words...

To live is Christ. That means that when we speak, it's Jesus. When we act, Jesus. What we do, Jesus. And if we die, it's gain, because we will be in Heaven with Jesus. Either way, in life or in death, we get Jesus. Jesus is our great reward. Do we know that, really? Do we realize that we get Jesus now, that we don't have to wait until later, and that death is nothing to fear? To live is Christ, to die is gain. This is powerful stuff.

Continuing to think about all of the things from this weekend has made for a very inspiring week. To top it all off, today has been filled with just about the best things ever. Begin with a cup of English Breakfast Tea and time in the Word. Next, Lusa's for breakfast with Lacey. Mostly sunshine and warmish weather outside. Anna finding out she gets to go to Romania and Emily finding out she's been placed in Malaysia. Then, dinner from Emileigh's at Orchard small group. Finally, Dr. Blakemore speaking at Wesley and lots of time to catch up with his son Jonathan, who has been my friend longer than just about anyone else in the world. Good times, and more are on the way with Samuel and Hallie's wedding weekend and Mom, Dad, and Laura coming tomorrow! Gosh, life is good. Life is chaotic, and messy, and too often frustrating, but when it all comes down to it, life is very, very good.

raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

The first week of the semester has come and gone, and, overall, it went well. I like all of my classes, although I'm going to have to be very, very self-motivated these next couple of months. To top off the first week back, this weekend has been absolutely great and has included all kinds of my favorite things. Here are a few of them...

dinner party Friday night
Bottletree Saturday morning
Grove time
UK win over Georgia
(mostly) understanding my Spanish book
seeing all kinds of friends, old and new
The Orchard's 4th anniversary and amazing morning service
an unexpected home-cooked meal
Shaun White winning his 4th consecutive Winter X Games gold
free time to read a book of my choosing

The last two items of my list are making me particularly happy at the moment. Free time to read my own book is a miracle, and Shaun White...well...let's just say I'm slightly obsessed. Check out this run - no one in the world can do the things he does!


I mean, can you get much cooler than that? I continue to be amazed.

Good things happening all over campus this week! I'll update more soon.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end." [Psalm 48:14]

book a trip to the stars

When I was in elementary school, Mom took Laura and I to the public library for a kids' day. The program was space-themed, and we came home with lots of free space-themed stuff - most notably, dozens of black pencils that say "Book a Trip to the Stars." FOURTEEN YEARS later and we continue to find these pencils popping up in obscure places around the house...strange and a bit scary. "Book a Trip to the Stars" will not die!! Luckily, they're very good pencils with very nice erasers. I found one during the move and am actually using it right now.

In honor of "Book a Trip to the Stars" I will share a few of my favorite books and why I think you should read them. (Take note - these are in no order of importance whatsoever. One of these days I will make a list of the books I think are the best/most important for you to read.)

1. The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis. Of course there will be a C.S. Lewis book on any list of good books I make. Thought-provoking and provides the coolest perspectives. Some friends are reading it over this break, and I can't wait to discuss it with them.

2. A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare, the story line of this, and how quickly you can read it. One disclaimer: Naturally, Shakespeare's sense of humor is inappropriate at times. So just be prepared, especially if you prefer the "No Fear" edition.

3. The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl. Absolutely brilliant mystery set in 19th century Boston. Also a New York Times bestseller a couple of years ago. Think the Da Vinci Code without all of the controversy. Or, at least, less controversy. If you like it, Pearl has other similar novels that are also nicely done.

4. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas. This book is just plain good. Pay attention because the plot is extremely intricate; it may be confusing at times, but it's worth it in the end. It may help to draw out a family tree/character chart to keep handy while you're trying to help solve the mystery.

5. Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes. This will be one of my all-time favorites until the day that I die. This is the source of much of my Revolution-era obsession, which fueled my obsession with the Constitution, which means, in part, I can blame this book for why I'm currently stressed about the LSAT. And, oh yes, it's for 5th graders.


I really shouldn't get started making lists of books. I could do this all day.