Pop-theology: When God shows up in pop culture

Living in the same house as a 10-year-old four months out of the year, I get an all-access pass to all things One Direction round the clock. I also am kept up-to-date with concert ticket prices and new songs by the “too cute” boyband. The latter I have actually come to appreciate, because, in all honesty, the little British buggers aren’t so bad.

{I don't always take "selfies," but when I do, I make sure cardboard celebrities are included.}

The other day, I was in my car singing along to the 1D “oldie but goodie” “What Makes You Beautiful” and mentally doing the Just Dance routine to the song (it happens). When I started really listening in to the lyrics, however, I could have shouted “eureka!” While the song is obviously originally intended for a bashful British babe, the message of could also be a love song from God to His children.

“You’re insecure,

don’t know what for,”

At times, I find myself talking to God with my head down, insecure due to daily screw-ups and hang-ups. But, God looks past my imperfections and sees me as His own.

“Don’t need make-up,

to cover up,

being the way that you are is enough.”

I don’t need to work extra hard to please God. All He asks is that I love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

“You light up my world like nobody else”

God loves humanity SO MUCH! We are so special to Him. Otherwise He wouldn’t have let His own son be brutally killed just so we could be with Him forever.

“You don’t know,

Oh, oh,

You don’t know you’re beautiful.”

We don’t see ourselves the way God sees us!

“If only you saw what I can see,

You’ll understand why I want you so desperately,

Right now I’m looking at you and I can’t believe,

You don’t know,

Oh, oh,

You don’t know you’re beautiful.”

God wants a friendship with every person so badly because of His extravagant love. 

You are beautiful in God’s eyes!

Just the Beginning

Mark Twain, literary rockstar with a mustache the hipsters would kill for, once said, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." Oh, the Twainian wisdom.

Before this quote crawled out from my memory, I was sitting at a table in Starbucks, sweating bullets over how I was going to stuff my entire junior year of college into one blog post. Well, Mark Twain, challenge accepted. 

The end of this year feels like just the beginning. There is more to life than I ever thought possible. 

Cabin Fever

Its official. I need summer. Only 11 journals, 4 papers, 2 presentations, and 2 finals stand between me and a little R&R before a brand new adventure begins! Food has lost its flavor, my bed has lost its comfiness, and my ability to focus has been compromised in anticipation of the marvelous day I bid campus, "Sayonara!" This phenomenon, usually occurring in mid-April, characterized by insatiable restlessness is known as cabin fever. And I've got it. Bad.

The cures for cabin fever are few and far between. However, I have found one temporary relief in one heaping dose of a summer bucket list.

(In no particular order)
1. Document my junior year.
2. Finish freelance "Words and Color" project.
3. Read books. Lots of em.
4. Make a significant dent in "642 Things to Write About."
5. Catch up with old friends over lunch/coffee.
6. Learn a new trick on the trampoline.
7. Train for a half marathon.
8. Get super tan.
9. Move into the new apartment!
10. Buy a new professional wardrobe.
11. Explore my brand new city.
12. Learn a new language (Sales and Marketing speak).
13. Write several inspirational corporate blog posts.
14. Cook an entire meal.
15. Run the July 4th 5K with my Dad.
16. Dairy Shed.
17. Tube it up at Dale Hollow.
18. Make new friends.
19. Go to a concert.
20. Collect data for my Senior Project.
21. Talk to Jesus LOTS.
22. Go thrift shopping.
23. Expect the unexpected.
24. Carpe all diems.

(Amendments to follow. I'm super open to suggestions!)

Carpe Diem Project Update

Well, its been about three months since I set off on the adventure of attempting to abstain from mindless media consumption in pursuit of more seizing of the days. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this post.) And it started out great, it really did. I was able to get more accomplished in the way of school work, fall asleep faster at night, and think more creatively in my own endeavors. However, lack of accountability and boredom eventually got the best of me, and I slowly began slipping back into old habits. In my defense, I still only watch Netflix when I'm on the treadmill, and only check Instagram once a day. Facebook and Twitter invade my consciousness more than they should, but I'm working on it.

My junior year ends in less than two weeks. After the last exam has been crushed and my junk moved out, I have three and a half weeks to rest and relax...AND work on personal projects I've been DYING to start. Therefore, I'm recommitting to the Carpe life after finals end for FOUR weeks (a more manageable chunk of time if you ask me). Until then, I'm going to need a little mindlessness after busy days of studying, paper writing and project presenting.

Almost....There.

This will be me after finals! (K-Burk Photography featuring the baby sis).

Lazy Thursday

As much as I adore adventure, sometimes nothing beats a little laziness. After yesterday's monsoon almost ended in Noah's Ark: The Sequel, I have wanted nothing to do with being outside. Therefore, this morning I loved my life from inside my bed, cup of hazelnut coffee in hand.

After a crazy busy couple of days, nothing has made my heart happier.

So, here I lay, with the window cracked ever so slightly and the warm glow of a lamp casting faux-sunshine on the walls. Today is a Jack Johnson day, a deep, cleansing breath day, a daydream day. With the world spinning at an ever increasing rate, sometimes we forget that its ok to sleep in, take it easy, and take it in.

A word for today

Confessions of a Twenty-Something In-Between

I think I need to get my watch checked. Same with the mirrors. Something sketchy is happening, but I just can't seem to figure out what. See, I could have sworn that yesterday I was sixteen, living with little thought to what tomorrow would bring, let alone the next several years. But when my alarm went off at 6:50 this morning, I was 21, about to finish my junior year of college, and thinking ahead to being an adult. Curious, huh? 

As weird as it is being stuck between a kid and an adult, I am excited about what the future brings despite being faced with the giant question mark that will accompany my diploma at graduation. However, I feel a part of my heart will never pass the ripe age of ten. So what does this "second awkward stage" look like if you will?

Well, I must confess...

1. I'm really interested in branding and using social media to promote brand identity and stimulate brand loyalty.

2. Somewhere deep inside, I still want to be a ballerina when I grow up.

3. I'm going to publish a book someday. 

4. My first paycheck of my first job after college will go towards buying myself a puppy or a kitten.

5. Drinking a glass of apple juice on an airplane is a non-negotiable.

6. I actually enjoyed writing certain sections of my last research paper.

7. Last movie I saw in theaters: The Croods. 

8. I'm super pumped to be doing an internship this summer in an unfamiliar city.

9. However, I will desperately miss my trampoline while I'm away.

10. I'm saving every dollar I can in hopes of moving to the West Coast after I graduate. Besides the 20$ I just dropped for a concert ticket...oops.

In the end, I guess there's a little "kidult" in all of us.