10 Books

Just posted this on Facebook, and decided to post it here too since it will be easier to come back and find this way! :)

"Make a list of 10 books (in no particular order) that have affected you in some way. Good or bad, thought provoking or just straight up adorable.
Then tag a few book loving friends as a subtle hint that you would enjoy seeing a similar list from them."

So.....Mrs. S tagged me for this a few days ago, and I'm going to do it before I forget! :)  Please note that they are in no particular order (as instructed above), and that for the purpose of this list I've chosen to leave the Bible off. Obviously it belongs here - but 10 is too small of a number as it is!

1. Expecting to See Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz ~~~ Last summer I had the opportunity to hear her speak in public, and we also received copies of this book by her! Then I landed at home in Dallas for the fall, and there "just happened" to be a Bible Study group going through the video series by the same name. God definitely used that in my life, and also the book as I read through it this year.

2. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis ~~~ I read this mostly over Christmas Break of 2011/12. It made me want to quit school and go help people....somewhere, anywhere! Little did I know then how God would work things and take me to Uganda in 2014....something which only came about because I stayed in school and persevered.

3. Love: The Greatest Thing in the World by Lewis A. Drummond ~~~ A small book that packs a powerful punch, it's an extended devotional on 1 Corinthians 13 that also manages to address spiritual gifts and a myriad of other topics. I "just happened" to find it in N. Ireland, and it helped flesh out lessons God had already begun bringing into my life recently! I've been meaning to blog about it ever since and just haven't yet!

4. The Second American Revolution by John Whitehead ~~~ Reading this book during the spring of my high school senior year is what made me decide to pursue political journalism, which is part of what took me to John Brown University. And if I hadn't gone there, I would definitely not be the same person I am today.

5. Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer ~~~ I read this one about the same time as Kisses from Katie, as I was trying to decide whether to take an internship opportunity in D.C. I did, and God used that time to shift my focus from political journalism to writing for non-profit organizations.

6. Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard ~~~ Such a beautiful story - I love it every time I read it! Filled with good reminders.

7. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss ~~~ I haven't read this one in a long time....and making this list makes me want to add it to the pile of books going to Uganda! When I read this in high school, I always wondered how she could be so foolish, so back and forth. I was in denial--since then I have learned that I do the same thing, over and over and over.

8. Surprised by Joy & The Chronicles of Narnia ~~~ I remember listening to my parents read Narnia to me, and watching those old BBC movies as a young kid...but then I took a hiatus from them until 2004, when I dove back in headlong and discovered the amazing, beautiful world Lewis created. I can't even tell you how many times I've reread them since! So far I haven't re-read Surprised by Joy....but I really should. The joy Lewis talks about there is what Narnia so often gives me!

9. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Don Miller ~~~ Another one I want to reread! One of the earliest things I remember (read this fall of junior year) that got me interested in the concept of STORY and led to me writing a 35+ page Capstone about it my last semester of college.

10. Joy for the World by Greg Forster ~~~ I must admit, I still have not finished reading this, and it has been in my reading stack all summer! I must finish it before I leave. Anyway, it is a very interesting and thought-provoking critique of modern American Christianity. The subtitle helps explain it: How Christianity Lost Its Cultural Influence and Can Begin Rebuilding It.

Honorable Mentions: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt and A Lifetime of Wisdom by Joni Eareckson Tada ~~~ {my perfectionism constrains me to mention that I listened to both of these rather than actually reading them}. Both memoir-style, so very well written and also thought-provoking! Each one was read by the author, and hearing her voice tell her own story added to the power of the words.

Joplin Experience Plus

Wanted to get another update posted here! This one’s mostly about my trip to Joplin J

Orientation—the week that I posted my previous update—went fine. It was great to get a bird’s eye view of the whole SP operation, even though I already knew some of the information from reading most of the articles that have gone up on the website over the past couple of months. We got to hear more about some of the “background” things of SP, such as donor ministries, and we got to tour the campus which was fun.

Thursday the 18th I skipped out on the last few orientation sessions because I had to drive to the airport to head out to Joplin! Lots of firsts on the trip – first time to rent a car (ended up with three rentals by the end of the trip!), first time to drive a long distance by myself (total of nine hours in big chunks), first time to stay in a hotel by myself (which was fine).

Ahead of time I was pretty nervous about the trip, and especially about interviewing people I had never met before. But everything went beautifully and looking back it seems silly to have been so worried. So I grew in self-confidence a good bit from it. J I’m actually going on another similar trip next week, and I’m really not worried about it. Though this time it’s in New York…so hopefully the driving there isn’t too ridiculous…..

Anyway, Friday in Joplin turned out to be a long day for me. I went to the base church at 7:00 a.m. to meet the SP staff managing the project and to have breakfast with that last week’s crew of volunteers. Got oriented to things, then headed out to the home that they would be dedicating that afternoon to watch and interview the volunteers putting the finishing touches on it. Went to the homes of another lady and a family who had each received their houses this year to interview them, then back to the last house for the dedication ceremony.

It was pretty hot outside (almost my first taste of a “real” summer this year because of being in N.Ireland and Boone, both of which are much cooler than Dallas!!), so the 50+ people who turned out all crowded into the house. Which made it pretty hot in there too, but it was a miracle that the electricity was on at all, and everyone was excited to be there and to celebrate with the family. J It was like witnessing a family reunion – and most of these people weren’t related to one another by blood. But they obviously had a special community of relationships.

I ended up interviewing another homeowner there, plus the lady who received the last house. By then, it was time to go back to one of the houses I had visited earlier in the day for a farewell cookout that the family hosted in honor of the SP staff and volunteers. While there, I interviewed a fifth homeowner. I also got to continue witnessing the incredible love and care for one another that was so very evident among all of the people involved. There were a lot of tears too, as the Joplin homeowners bid farewell to the SP staff members who had been living and working there for months.

It was 8:00 p.m. by the time I got in my car and headed back to my hotel room. I felt so very blessed to have had the opportunity to kind of be a part of that weekend of celebration. It was a joy to hear and see what God had done in the lives of both the volunteers and the homeowners. And yet there was a heaviness there too—because all of the stories I heard involved so much loss, although every one of the people I talked to focused much more on being thankful for what God had brought out of the situation. But for me there was also a weight of responsibility. They had trusted me, a stranger, with their stories. And my job was to go back and write articles to share that with the supporters of SP. It was just a lot for one day…but in an amazing, good way.

The next day the Joplin staff had to pack up their office of two years and get everything loaded up and ready to move on to the next place. I helped out a bit, and enjoyed getting to learn more about the people behind the rebuild effort. That afternoon, I interviewed a final homeowner couple. In two days, I had completed 12 interviews, most of which were 45-60 minutes, and taken many many pages of notes (yes, I’m old fashioned that way…..).

Every one of the stories I had the honor of hearing that weekend was amazing and special in its own unique way. And in the days since then, I have had the privilege of attempting to retell those stories. So far, I’ve written five or six articles based on Joplin. None of them have been posted yet because of scheduling issues, but hopefully they will eventually be used somehow. One of those was a first-person blog post for the SP blog that goes more in-depth about what I learned from the people of Joplin…so once some of those stories get posted I will probably post links here.

I had a couple of adventures aside from the work aspects of the trip. One was locking my keys into my rental car. Yep, I managed to do that. Thankfully it was at the cookout and there were plenty of “Good Samaritans” there to help me! The hero ended up being the eight-year-old son of the homeowners. He had a metal bar that we were finally able to poke down through the window (which were thankfully cracked open!) to pry the door handle open.

The other was getting to spend Saturday evening with a couple friends from JBU! Joplin is close enough that one of the professors from our mission trip team was willing to come up to see me! We met up at a movie theater to watch Monsters University, and one of the other students who had also been on the trip showed up with her to surprise me. It was so very great to see them and to have a chance to wind down with them after the weekend. We enjoyed dinner together as well, and it was just a wonderful opportunity to catch up.

Sunday I retraced my steps from Thursday and ended up safely back in Boone! It was a really fantastic trip, even though it was a bit hard to come back and be “stuck” at my desk. In the week and a half since then, I’ve managed to keep busy at work…most of the time. I’ve worked on a few other things in addition to writing up the Joplin articles.

Then on the 26th, one of my best friends from college happened to be in the area on vacation with her family! So we got to spend the evening together, which was really special. I got to meet her dad and sister and see her mom, who I had met in May when I bid farewell to my friend. We had a great time catching up about our summers, and even though it was relatively short I was so thankful for the opportunity J

So yep, that’s pretty much been my life since my last post! Well, add in several trips hiking up the mountain I’m living on, which has been fantastic. :D I think I’ve been up there five or six different times, all to different little places, and all wonderful times to get away for some exploring and/or reflection. I’ve got some more adventures coming up! My parents are going to be here this weekend to see me, and then next week, as I said, I’ll be headed to New York! So I know these last 3.5 weeks of my internship will probably fly by pretty quick! And then? Who knows…. ;-)

The Whirlwind

Soooo…it’s been ten days since I flew out to the East Coast, and I have yet to publish anything on here telling you anything about what’s been happening.  I’m quickly realizing that there is more to do than there is time to do it…especially when all I want to do on the weekend is go play tourist or vege.  As a result, I’m going to try to keep this post quick.  I hope to come back later and add a few pictures…but realize that may not happen and that a little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing!  So hang on to your hats folks, it’s been quite the two weeks!

Wednesday June 6 – last day of nannying before setting off on my Washington adventure (for the latter see my previous post)…good happy day in some ways but still also a sad day.  Visited with a friend that evening!

Thursday June 7 – Packing….lots of packing and then almost completely repacking.  Included in this day was a breakdown under the feelings of overwhelmed-ness.  Emotions weren’t helping any.  But it all got done in the end….

Friday June 8 – Flew to Houston for a layover, then my flight to Baltimore got delayed.  Didn’t get in until after 11, if I remember right.  Family friends the Davises were kindly there to pick me up and take me to their home for the weekend.

Saturday June 9 – Mrs. Davis took me shopping for the stuff I didn’t bring, and it was also nice to just have some down time to relax on their beautiful back porch between the rush of packing and leaving and the task of acclimating to a completely different city.  Had fun with the Davis girls!

Sunday June 10 – Attended the Davis’ church…the sermon was certainly applicable to how I was feeling about then.  The pastor was talking about how even when we fail, that doesn’t mean God cannot or will not use us.  Here I was, facing a huge unknown, and God knew just what I needed to hear J
After lunch we loaded my stuff into the car and eventually meandered our way to my apartment! (Driving in DC is very confusing!).  Unloaded, then was dropped off at campus for orientation!  Met my apartment-mates later that evening and started getting settled in.

Monday June 11 – Amazingly managed to get everything unpacked and find a home for all of it by mid-afternoon!  Had our first class on Ethics that evening.  Long class sessions…..6:30-9:30 Monday/Thursday evenings and 9-12 Friday mornings :/  Professor is GREAT though – he’s a good teacher, there’s just a LOT of info.  Thankfully there’s a whole group of girls from the off-campus apartments I’m staying at in my same program, so we commute back and forth together, especially in the evenings.

Tuesday June 12 – Had a big welcome ceremony that morning, then an orientation session from the program with suggestions for how to make the most of our internships.  Five of the six of us who are working in the same building went together and tried out the route from campus to our internship location, then had lunch together.  It would have been totally great, except for the fact that it was raining…but it was still good J  Went on an adventure to Target to get a few extra things that afternoon.

Wednesday June 13 – First day of internships!!!!!!  Lots of orientation information, which was great to hear but a bit of an overload.  After learning some of the basics, we were able to head out early.  Interesting evening lecture from an investigative journalist that night!

Thursday June 14 – After some more orientation-type activities, we dove right in.  Summarized a press release into a story for broadcast, then worked on writing an article from a summary of a research study.  Couldn’t resist visiting the National Cathedral for a little while (only 15 minute walk from the office!)  Second ethics class.

Friday June 15 – Got up early to go run…class in the morning, then third day of internship. Had my story from the day before checked and posted, then wrote a second piece which was also posted that afternoon.  After arriving at the apartment, an apartment-mate and I went to the zoo just for a little while.  Headed to campus for a trivia game hosted by TFAS (the sponsors of the five programs, of which mine is one).  Joined a team with one girl from my internship and four other random people, and we won!!!!!!!  Had dinner with the other girl to celebrate.

Saturday June 16 – Attended a fascinating seminar about the Constitution by a Reagan administration official.  LOVED IT!  Then joined up with a couple other Woodley girls at the Smithsonians.  Wandered around the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, then called it a day when that closed.  Chilled with the apartment-mates all evening (including watching a movie) rather than doing anything productive…

Sunday June 17 – Father’s Day!  Met up with Josiah and Carolyn Davis to visit their church, had an IPJ friend along with me!  Absolutely loved it – very convicting and very good.  Invited out to the main Davis house for lunch, which was fun J  Came back just in time to change and leave the apartment again, headed for campus to join a bus tour of the monuments organized by the program.  Definitely a good experience!

Monday June 18 – Another internship day – completed two stories, both of which were posted to the web.  Also was able to learn more about how things are posted to the site, which is great exposure for me to get a little familiar with that!!!  Another night of class – followed by a feeble attempt at productiveness this evening.

Random notes:  ~~Otters say "maaaaa."  At least the National Zoo ones do!  ~~The Catbirds here don't know they're supposed to be shy.  I've seen more and closer than the rest of my whole life.  ~~The Pileated Woodpecker on the tree outside my internship window didn't know he's supposed to be out in the woods far from people either.  ~~Squirrels are all sorts of colors here!  Just yesterday saw a black one and a brownish-grey one almost right next to each other.  ~~And metro is crazy until you get used to it :P

Well that’s all folks, and now I must get to bed because tomorrow we hit the repeat button all over again J  Thanks for reading!  Comments always appreciated – it just might encourage me to post more often!

Honest Reflections on Hollywood

I'm in Hollywood, CA for the weekend, attending a college journalism conference with eight other Threefold Advocate staff members. After spending about 24 hours here so far (we got in late last night and leave Sunday afternoon), I'm experiencing a serious conflict/wide range of emotions. This is going to be an honest look at those, and an attempt to process what I'm feeling. I'll probably end up waxing poetic or lecturing. So please be patient and bear with me! (But before I really get started, allow me to add the disclaimer that I wasn't all that hyped about coming to Hollywood to begin with. I'm not into movies/pop culture/etc. etc.)

It all starts this afternoon when our group of students walked down the street to get some lunch. Our hotel (Renaissance Hollywood) is in the middle of Hollywood, in the middle of all that is shown to be glittery and glamorous. As we strolled down the sidewalk, taking pictures of famed buildings, I saw other tourists like our group. But I also saw something I wasn't expecting to see in Hollywood: homeless people. People waiting at a bus stop who appeared to not have seen a bed or a bath in days, weeks, months. And they were ignored. By the cars rushing by on the road. By the people around me. By me.

Traversing the popular Walk of Fame a while later, I was struck by many things. First of all was the idea that the stars embedded in the sidewalk were to honor the people whose names they bear. Each star now costs $30,000. And yet thousands, millions of people walk on those stars and on those names. They can't avoid it, they don't mean any disrespect by it....but these stars which are supposed to honors a person's level of fame are trampled on day-in and day-out. This made me think about the fleetingness of "fame," "popularity," and life in general.

On Hollywood Blvd, where most of the Walk is, we were surrounded by tourists who were taking in the sights and snapping photos of their favorite stars, just like my group was doing. But once again, there were people I was surprised to see: people digging through trash cans. A homeless man carrying all his belongings and walking with a scroungy dog on a leash. It reminded me of China. It reminded me of the "bad areas" of Dallas. But I wasn't in a third world country. I wasn't in what I would have thought of as a bad part of town. Come on, this is Hollywood! The home of movie stars and the hub of the entertainment industry. And yet I hear sirens of fire trucks and ambulances more frequently here (4-5 times today) than I ever have living down the street from a fire station. And yet there are people living on the streets who have nothing. Nothing.

Surrounded by this clash between my expectations of the glamor of Hollywood and its real life grittiness, I watched as tourists ignored the existence of the destitute people. I thought of the celebrities, living in their mansions not too far away. They had contributed to making this place what it is, and yet they apparently did nothing to help the people who call their Walk of Fame home. I was confronted by the difference between the star-studded Hollywood I had imagined and the sense of apprehension I experienced walking the streets. What if one of the homeless people tried to rob me?

What was I supposed to do about all this? We are trained to ignore homeless people. They could be dangerous and if you help them you are probably just enabling them to continue in their bad habits. What am I to do? When I go out tomorrow, I will be faced by the same dilemma and by the same people. Will I make the decision to go along with the cultural norm and choose to not see these fellow human beings? Will I instead take the challenge of interacting with them, sharing truth with them, and yes - loving them as Jesus would? I know what my inclination will be. I can only pray that God will grant me safety and wisdom to do as He would have me to do.

So those are my thoughts and feelings about Hollywood. Overall, I am not impressed. From my short experience of it, I am struck not by the grandeur of it, but by the hypocrisy of the people in it. I am not liking Hollywood (the city/atmosphere - I'm glad to be at the conference & visiting Gma Artie & Auntie Lynne!). I am eager to get back to Arkansas where I'm not faced with more than I can handle. I'm ready to go back to where I'm comfortable--to not have to see what I have seen tonight.

But can I really go back the same? This day in Hollywood has impacted me more deeply than I am able to properly communicate in this note. I don't know where it will take me. But I know I'll remember this night for a long time to come. And not because of how much fun I had in Hollywood, but rather because of what I saw by looking at my surroundings, not through a celebrity or tourists sunglasses, but with the eyes that see those whom society has made invisible to keep itself comfortable.