September | A Month of Pictures in Review

I know, I know, I'm lame. This month has flown by and I'm not sure where all it went! But here's a month in review of my picture-a-day project. I have two or three pictures that I took on my phone that I'll put up later. And this past week has been absolute chaos, so I'm missing a few days. But if you want to know where I was in my absence, I was taking the GRE and Spanish tests. It's been insane. Hopefully after a presentation Monday and Homecoming this weekend life will slow down. Despite the craziness, God is doing big things! Maybe later I'll fill you in on them. (: 

I uploaded the pictures as if I had posted a new post each day, so they are in reverse order. You might want to start at the end of this post to get the full effect because some pictures relate to the ones before. (: I also found a neat collage program on my computer, so I can now upload many pictures and not take up so much space! (: 

Day 31 | See You At The Pole

September 28

Always a favorite time for me in the Fall! I went to the middle school to pray with our kids in the morning and then we ended with a community-wide service that evening. God did big things this day.

Day 30 | School House Rock

September 26

Our theater department put on School House Rock and Becca and Angela and I went! So much fun to remember all the songs that taught us Grammar and Math! 

Day 29 | Tiger Serve Day!

September 24

We got a Tiger Serve Day team together with our youth girls. Such a good time to build relationships AND help the community. It was good. Really good. (:

Day 28 | Sunset

September 22

We have a terrific view from our window and the sun was setting perfectly. So I took lots of pictures of it. This one is my favorite.

Day 27 | Austin's Picture!

September 21

Austin drew me a picture as I was leaving the school! The green person is me and the blue people are him. It was so cute and basically made my week! (: 

Day 26 | Flowers + Sun = Fun

September 20

These were too happy and the sun was too pretty not to take a picture of them. 

[I got these by basically laying in the grass. One of the guys in some of my classes walked by and thought I was really strange. ha! All in the name of photography!]

Day 25 | Fender Bender

September 19

A man ran into my car. Poor Eugene has some lovely scrapes on his rear. Not a fun start to my week.

Day 24 | Rain!

September 18

It rained for the first time in many weeks! Not the best picture, but at least I took one! (:

Day 23 | Boomtown Classic

September 17

The OBU band traveled for the first time in 6 years to El Dorado, AR for the Boomtown classic. The team won, the band was great, and despite being really bus-sick, it was a great little road trip. 

Day 22 | Clark County Fair

September 16

Becca and I explored the fair. It was so cute and fun! I mean, we were finished walking the entire fair grounds in about ten minutes, but it was definitely a fun time of craft rooms, people watching, animal contests and of course, cotton candy and carmel apples!

Day 21 | Little Italy

September 15

After band practice one day, Erica had a craving for Little Italy so we introduced Kelly to the great restaurant! 

Day 20 | Sonic

September 13

Kim and I took Laura (one of our youths) to dinner at Chick and then to Sonic one evening. A good time of fellowship and relationship-building. (: 

Day 19 | Abnormal Starbucks

September 12

Erica, Angela, and I are taking Abnormal Psychology this semester and we had our first test. We got together and reviewed the material. We all aced the test, too!

Day 18 | Decisions

September 11

We have hired new interns to work with our youth this year. Most of our crew graduated last year, so we expanded to hire on awesome new ones. Many applied, and it was our job to accept or not accept the applicants. This was taken as I was thinking and praying over the candidates and if they were fit to work with our youth. It was a heavy decision. I take the lives of our kids very seriously and we only want committed interns. It was an intense, but good decision. (We kept all five applicants, in case you were wondering, and it has been a good decision so far!) 

Day 17 | OBU Football

September 10 

I can't remember who we played, but I remember we won! This was taken at our first football game. It was surprisingly more fun than previous years. (:

Day 16 | CogLab

September 9

Every Friday night we have an assignment due for my Cognition class.  We get to participate in psychological studies and learn how the brain learns. Crazy!  This was taken as I was finishing up one Friday night.

Day 15 | Spanish Homework

September 8

A typical sight on Monday and Wednesday nights as I try to finish up "Tarea de Espanol" for the next morning. 

Day 14 | America Reads

September 7

I joined the America Reads team this year as a volunteer. America Reads is a program that sends students into the elementary schools to help students learn to read. I get to tutor a 1st grader named Austin. It has been a blast! September 7th was the first day of tutoring, and it has been amazing ever since. Austin loves to learn to read! He is so excited everyday as I show up and loves reading to me. We play fun games (which teach him letters and words without him knowing). He is a precious kid! Tutoring has definitely been a stress-reliever in my semester. To get outside of normal activities and be around first graders is a definite change, but so worth it!

Day 13 | 125th Musical Showcase

September 6

This year is OBU's 125th anniversary. Sept. 6th has been named state-wide Ouachita Day by governor Beebe. The music department put on a showcase to celebrate and I snapped a few pictures while I was in the audience. The performances were awesome!! 

Day 12 | Labor Day

September 5

This one might should be called "Labor-less" Day. I spent the day reading and relaxing. 

Day 11 | Frisco Date

September 4 

Kelly, Erica and I are all native Frisconians and happen to all attend OBU! It has been an absolute blessing and a blast having all three of us around this year! (Kelly joined Erica and I this fall). We decided one Sunday afternoon to go on a walk to the train park. It was such a relaxing and fun time!

Day 10 | Downtown Photowalk

September 3

I wanted to go shoot some pictures, so I picked a theme for today: Buildings, wheels and reflections.  I wandered around downtown for a few hours and had a blast finding a few neat gems. Next time I'll have to take someone so its safe to explore sketchy parts. (: 

Day 9 | AHS Football

September 2

I went to the football game with Becca and Angela to support some of our youth in the band. These little girls were precious! So I kinda stole some pictures of them. It was fun to join in the community event and actually sit at a football game. I've realized that I'm not sure how to behave at football games if I'm not in the band. Arkadelphia football games are definitely a community event. I've decided that I like football (Americano and futbol!)

Day 8 | "Men Working"

September 1

There has been construction in our lobby for a few days to correct some water damage, and I passed this sign a few times today and found it really funny. One time that I walked under it, it was hung on a clothes hanger... Oh Arkansas! 

Day 7 | Youth Games

August 31

Our first official "regular" youth night! It was actually the parents' meeting, so I'm not sure how regular it was, but Nate and I got to lead games, which is always a blast

Day 6 | Bugs!?

August 30

Danielle and I were getting ready for bed and we found this lovely slug on the wall. Naturally we freaked out a bit. It took some guts ( no pun intended ) but we captured the little guy and flushed him. The next morning, I got up early and went to breakfast and came back to a text from Danielle saying she had found the giant bug on the ceiling when she woke up! Not something fun to wake up to. This time we were real grossed out so we got our dorm mom, Sarah, to come help us. He was flushed too. We don't usually have gross bugs on the third floor of new buildings, but we think these guys were from some construction they are doing to the lobby. They have sprayed our room twice since, and we've only found a few crickets. I know God made them, and they are sort of neat, but I sure hate finding them in my sleeping space!

Day 5 | Ice

August 29

I opened my fridge today and found this stalagmite (or is it a stalactite?) on my little ice tray. So I thought I should photograph it because it was kinda funny and neat. My life is exciting, I know. (:

Day 3 | Guitar Hero

 I got to hang out with two of my favorite Arkadelphian kids tonight as the Beans went on the Campus Ministries retreat. We had a blast eating favorite fast foods (Subway and McDonald's, of course!) and movies followed by some intense Guitar Hero Competition. These guys bring so much joy to my life.  If you can't tell from Caleb's dancing, we have a fun time together. (: Tomorrow morning holds some monkey bread baking, a Halo tournament, and more laughs.

Day 2 | The Second First Day of School

So...Here it is. My "Back-To-School Picture." Because OBU is on a block schedule, we have a different set of classes every other day and today was the first day of my Tuesday-Thursday classes. So it counts as a "back-to-school" picture, right? (Mom?)  (:  My suitemate, Alyssa, took this as I headed to class earlier. I had wanted to make today's picture one from a Waffle House run after Refuge, but we ended up not going. Sad. It will come, I'm sure. (:
First impressions of my Tuesday-Thursday classes, you ask? Well, I had a blast in Spanish Short Stories. It was so fun to speak Spanish and be able to understand what was being said. It will be a challenge, but I think I'll like it. And then this afternoon I had Abnormal Psychology. I love the professor and think the topic will be so interesting! I can't wait to get started! [I might be a nerd...]
The day was complete by our first Refuge of the year. I've been excited about it all week. (: Refuge is our weekly student-led worship service. It has become a highlight of every week and I've certainly missed it this summer. Tonight's service was wonderful! The sermon was about abiding in Christ and what that truly looks like. So many times we know the verses in John 15 (funny that I just read that yesterday, huh.) but we don't live them. It was a good and challenging sermon followed by awesome worship and prayer for one another and our school. Oh how I've missed Ouachita!
So...There you have it...Happy first, second day of school!

Things Spoken Lately

"Lamb says somewhere that if, of three friends (A, B, and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but “A’s part in C,” while C loses not only A but “A’s part in B.” In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald. Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, “Here comes one who will augment our loves.” For in this love “to divide is not to take away.” Of course the scarcity of kindred souls – not to mention practical considerations about the size of rooms and the audibility of voices – set limits to the enlargement of the circle; but within those limits we possess each friend not less but more as the number of those with whom we share him increases. In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to Heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah VI, 3) The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have.” - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves


This was read at Refuge tonight, and it really spoke to me. I think that it was exactly what I needed to hear in my life right now. I wish I could share all with you, but there simply aren't words and this isn't really the place. I haven't fully comprehended what God wants me to do with it now, but I definitely am pondering how this applies to my life and my friendships.

Happy weekend to all! I'm now on Spring Break! Castle Bluff, here we come!

Christian Focus Week

I have never fully understood why we have a week devoted to "focusing on Christianity" on a Christian campus until today. Every year at Ouachita, we have a week devoted to Christian focus. What the week consists of are worship services in the mornings, speakers, worship bands, breakout sessions, Q&A, etc. Well, I have always loved this week because it is a nice way to center my days around Jesus. But as each CFW (Christian Focus Week) comes along, I always wonder why, at a Baptist campus, do we need to focus on Christ this one week. Shouldn't we be doing that every week? Everyday?
Today, it was made clear to me that, while we do center daily Ouachita life around Christ, CFW serves as a revival of sorts. It is for a new perspective, a breather, a re-focusing if you will. It's a beautiful thing. This year, we have with us Brian Loritts as a speaker and Lindsay McCaul leading worship. They are amazing! 
We read tonight in the Bible study, which we hold weekly with my friends, about Paul being overwhelmingly encouraged by the Thessalonians' faith and all that they were doing.  How cool is it that Paul was refreshed and refueled simply by hearing what other Christians were doing in their faith?? It was as if Paul were sharing in the Thessalonians' work and sharing of the Gospel. He was moved by hearing of their actions. Why are we not more like that?  
This verse came to life to me as I was encouraged by the testamony, singing, and sharing of Lindsay McCaul's heart tonight. I wanted to share in her ministry, and know her more. It was a wonderful reminder of why CFW is so important and good for us Ouachitonians. We tend to live in a bubble here and get in a rut. Whether or not that's good is not really for me to say. I see both sides. However, this week is so that we can hear new perspectives on the same thing that we know and hear often.  It is to refuel us so that we can know the bigger, eternal, Kingdom picture.
I am so overwhelmingly blessed to be part of such a special place where not only is our education valued, but our spiritual health is cherished and encouraged.  It is put at top priority. It is strengthened, at a time that is so critical to the development of people, Jesus is constantly placed at the center and we are encouraged to "grow up in our salvation." 


A few highlights from sermons the past few days:
Monday, Brian Loritts:  Compassion: Seeing a need, feeling for that need, doing something about that need. We cannot be compassionate people if we do not expose ourselves to the suffering of this world! 
Tuesday, Brian Loritts:  1 Corinthians 9.24-27. Finish Well. "The Bible doesn't say that God will say at the end of your life, 'Well Start, my servant.' He says, 'Well Done.'" God is not finished with you yet! Despite bad starts or bad middles, God is still working in you so that you may finish well. Run the race: Give it your all. Be people marked by excellence, endurance, and integrity.
"There is a misnomer about Salvation that it's cheap. No. It's free. But it cost someone something so that it could be free for you. but it was not cheap. God is saying to us, "Because I've paid, you stay in this race. Don't come talking to me halfway through. Quit is not in the Christian's dictionary." 
Those who finish the race are those who push through the pain. It's not a sprint, but a marathon. There will be pain and suffering (i.e. Job, the teachings of Jesus). Take up your cross: identifying with Jesus and sharing in His death.

Tonight: Charlie Hall Band came in concert with Lindsay McCaul opening for him. It was such a great night!!
Here are my pictures for the week and a little video to let you semi-experience what my night looked like. [they're taken from my phone, so they may be a bit rough..]