Friday, March 23, 2012

Bethany-ese Adventures!

Title explanation: My best friend dubbed the way that I talk it's own language. He calls it "Bethany-ese". And the name kind of stuck because secretly (well maybe not SO secretly considering it's on my blog) I kind of like it ;) AND find it funny, because he's slowly but surely starting to sound like me.

So a blog post has been very overdue. Actually it's really only been like a week....2 weeks....whatever :) Anyhoo! Part of the reason I haven't blogged or been profound..."profound"....in a while is because it's been ridiculously busy! Well. Rather busy :) So. CATCH UP TIME!

1. I finally finished my CIU application! Now, there are people *ahem* bestfriend *ahem* who find it absolutely ridiculous that it's taken me this long. But it's a process! Also, I'm quite the procrastinator. Bad habit. Jesus & I are working on it. BUT. By finished I mean transcripts requested & on the way, essay sent in, test scores received and fees paid! Now, that doesn't mean I'll GET in, but Lord willing I will and I'll be able to look forward to an awesome, awesome 4 year college experience.

2. WOMANHOOD RETREAT! Yep! After the men came home and we got to experience a week back with them, we women (in the making) loaded up into a bus and headed up to the Summit in Alabama! We left Thursday and came back Friday and spent those days hearing God's truth straight from the mouth of Mrs. Jena Forehand. Who incidentally, is crazy. In the best most incredibly awesome way possible ;) It was a weekend of God teaching everyone lessons. For me, I was reminded and slammed in the face with the truth of whom God says I am...as well as how absolutely essential it is for me to learn those lessons and begin to live as the redeemed daughter of God that I am.

We also made these incredible little "truth" books. The concept is, on one side of the page you write a lie that Satan or the world tells you about who you are. For example. "I am not good enough." Then on the OTHER side of the page, you write the truth about who God and the Bible says you are. 1 Corinthians 3:16. "Do you not know that you are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you?" Boomskis. 

Plus on top of everything else....we came home to the men of Impact 360 2012 all dressed up and decked out in suits, singing "My Girl." To us. It was a week maker :) 

3. HUNGER GAMES! This applies to both the movie (which will be happening) and the preview day! "What?!" you may be asking. Yes. You heard right. Last night we had our very own Hunger Games. Now granted, there were no weapons, blood, or gore involved (because we were told that legitimately killing students is generally frowned upon) so we had to substitute water balloons, water guns, food coloring, and a thunder storm ;) Granted we didn't have all that much to do with the thunderstorm, but it was a nice touch. It was FUN. 

4. Talking :) Lots of talking has gone on these past two weeks, whether it was with roommates, best friends or the Lord. Basically to sum up, I have no clue where my life is going. Now, they give the impression that once you get past graduation you figure everything out and things tend to fall into place. LIES. You still don't know. There's been a lot of talking this week to a lot of different people, and a lot of different situations that I thought I was counting on that fell through. But what I'm learning, and what I'm overjoyed about, is that God is teaching me that HE is bigger than those circumstances! And through those circumstances He is teaching me, however painfully, what it really means to be a friend, daughter, person, and wife (futuristically) that is living for the purpose God has laid out before with her eyes fixed on HIM. Long road. Long lessons. But so incredibly fulfilling. God is SO good! He's also (these past two days) given me a new, unheard of confidence in Him and His plans. and a peace about the fact that He holds me unshakably in the palm of His hand. God is SO. GOOD. 



5. Just a lil' note ;) Currently my family (especially my little brother) are in Springfield, Missouri where they are playing in the National Homeschool Basketball Championships. GO HCYA WARRIORS. That is all <3 




Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tunes of Impact 360!

So, there have been quite a few songs these 7 months at Impact that have stood out (for me at least) and have memories associated with them, so since it's super late and I haven't done just a FUN blog post in a while, I figured I'd have at it!

1. All My Devotion by Kristine Mueller


I actually don't remember who the first person to bring this song up was, I think it was probably Mary Michael, but it kind of became the girls' theme song for a lil' while :) And as always, is an awesome AWESOME reminder.

2. 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman 


There's not even anything to say about this song. It's our classes anthem. Our fight song. It started on the Adventure Module and has carried over pretty much into anything and everything for the rest of our time here. We sing it in worship nights, spontaneously, with guitar and acapella. <-- spelling? OH well. So yeah :) REALLY really good song!

3. Brokenness Aside by All Songs & Daughters 


I'm pretty sure this is another one of those songs that most of the class (at least the girls' 1/2) knows. I actually think of it because Beth and Jack put this together and sang it for Mary Michael on her birthday, and ROCKED it! But it is an incredible song to hear, especially when the days get longer and nights get harder.

4. She's Like Texas by Josh Abbott Band


This is more of a roommate moment :P But this was my first impression of Payton, my roommate, and for some reason this song always sticks with me when I think about that 1st week when we were all getting used to each other. So! That's what it reminds me of! Oh. And plus it's super cute. Dur.

5. Anything by Dave Barnes


For a couple of weeks, a few of us girls rode to Crosspoint Church on Sundays with David Blanchard our SLC, and he played this in the car riding up there. Just for clarification, the SONG is not called anything. I literally mean, any song by the artist Dave Barnes :D teehee!

6. You Won't Relent


First of all, this is just an awesome song. Second of all, it reminds me of the amazing Lynz Buchanan and her incredible singing voice. She basically ROCKED this song constantly in Brazil (I'm told) and she sounds beautiful singing it in America too. So :)


7. The Wobble


Yes, the wobble. Complete with dance moves. During 1st Semester a group of us took a road trip up to Mississippi College for the weekend and we got housed by some AWESOME Impact 360 Alumni + a couple of cool girls that "technically" weren't alumni, but pretty much should have been :P All that to say, we got dance instructed. & the wobble was part of that instruction.

Also, there is a video on my computer of me and my roommate DOING the wobble. Which is hilarious in its own lil' way :P


8. Broken for Love's Sake by Tricia Brooks 


This song reminds me of a long ride home from a screamo concert, in which Daniel & Tyler fell asleep in the backseat, and Kartwright, Miriam & I DJ'ed encouraging, uplifting music basically all the way home. It was a hard night and the long ride was just what some of us needed. It was kind of an emotional oasis moment, and it's stuck in my mind ever since :)

9. Stop This Train by John Mayer


This song reminds me of Brazil & Brandon Barber. Because he played it in Brazil during those chill afternoons/nights, and it just calmed me down :) Not much there, but it sticks out in my memory.


10. I'm Still a Guy by Brad Paisley



This song reminds me of our C-Group, and when we get put on Breakfast/Dinner or Lunch cleanup/setup/awesomeness crew. Because somehow no matter what this song always seems to come on. SOMEHOW :D So we sing it, and it's a lot of fun.


11. Never Once by Matt Redman


Okay. This song is super big for me because it basically kept me going at some points in Brazil. I literally blasted this in my iPod to remind myself of what truth was when I got so tired & so confused that I couldn't even think straight anymore. Than we had a day of prayer after we got BACK from Brazil and Kartwright played it on his guitar. So that's basically been solidified in my memory for all time as a song that kept me going when I couldn't go on my own any longer :) Just one more way to see Christ in unexpected places.

12. Everything Else.....


Explaining. There is SO MUCH musical talent on this campus!! So a few of the huge musical memories aren't real songs at all :D For example....

David Teston's various remixes of AWESOME dubstep songs that then make the songs even more potentially awesome.

Janae's song that she wrote...it doesn't even really have a name I don't think. But she wrote it in Brazil, and Kartwright put music to it and we sang. And God worked through that in ways that were truly incredible.

My best friend writes music. He has 2 songs in particular that basically make my day every time he plays them. I'm not even sure what they're technically called (I'm an awful fan....) but they can put a smile on my face. Every time :)

London playing this piano is a huge musical memory, just in general.

So yeah :) A lot of this year is associated with music, and it's pretty much been amazing.

the end!!

to be continued....





Thursday, March 8, 2012

Vulnerability, Lakes & a Manless Campus ;)

Super recently, I was put in a position where I was extremely vulnerable. I pretty much gave a good friend an unedited, unhindered view into who I am. The basest, most basic form of Bethany. No pretty little frills or curtains to dress up the fears, doubts or insecurities. And also, no pillows or cushions to soften the passions, dreams & love. Extremely new experience. Extreme vulnerability. It was without a doubt, one of the most uncomfortable and nerve wracking experiences that I have ever had happen to me. It was AWFUL. I walked around my room for a good five or ten minutes babbling because I was simply at a loss for what to do with myself! Not a position that I would willingly (knock on wood) want to put myself in again for a VEEEEEEEERY long time.

But it got me thinking.....I don't ever think I've felt like this before! And that made me wonder. How many times have I stood bare and vulnerable before my Savior? Stripped away from all the little strengths and dreams that I'm clinging too, unwilling to give God my WHOLE heart because I'm scared I won't know what to do with myself when I do? I literally don't remember ever feeling so vulnerable before. Which means, probably, I have NEVER turned myself completely and wholly over to God. Now, this is a lil' bit of a harder concept for me to wrap my head around, because God's not physically HERE. And if I'm being honest, I don't even know all the areas of my life I'm hiding from God behind. (Insert self-sufficiency devotion week from Pam HERE :D). So for the next two months, that will be something I'm praying about and something that (hopefully) stays at the fore-front of my mind.

On a slightly lighter, and much funnier note.

The men have departed from campus for the next 2 days so they can go learn to be better men. In the afternoon that they've been gone, the women have basically already had some very legit party times. We went reading down at Callaway....and yes, maybe some of us "happened" to fall in the lake ;)


Yes. We women are pretty awesome. ^They are the definition of awesome, because it is March and that lake was COLD :D But anyhoo. 

Here's to a couple of days where girls get to just be girls, where men get to seek the Lord, and re-union where we get to come back together and lift each other up for the rest of our 2 months together :) 

Impact 360 ladies and gentlemen. 

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

March Madness!

Again....not exactly original. yet again I'm stealing this idea from a friend. But here we go!

Stuff coming up. This MONTH. That I am rather excited about :)

1. My roommate, the lovely Payton Pierce, finds out whether or not she gets into Baylor. this is very exciting for a number of reasons. Plus, we're very excited to throw her a party, when she does in fact get in. SO.

2. My little brother turns 13!!! Yep. Little Daniel. Well...he's not little anymore. And he's GONNA be a teenager! This is incredibly exciting. (It's March 15th, if anyone's interested).

3. The Hunger Games movie is making an appearance as of March 23th. I can not describe how excited I am for this movie. Actually, I probably could but that would just turn into a lot of gushing and would make me sound rather like a tweeny bopper. So I choose not to :)

4. This weekend all the men are leaving campus for their Biblical Manhood retreat. And although this is slightly saddening (okay,  very saddening) it also means the women will have campus to themselves for the weekend. And THAT'S always interesting. Also, hand in hand with that (so we're keeping it in the same number) is the fact that we girls get to go on our Biblical Womanhood retreat the NEXT week! Whoop!

5. Starting March 31st and going to pretty much....April 9th? I will be spending Spring Break on a lake in Possum Kingdom, Texas, as WELL as getting to go home to Katy!!!! And the best part IS, it's going to be with 31 of my closest friends, AND I'm going to get to see a heck of a lot of people that I have not seen in far too long. And Ghost Hunters International Marathons with Rachel, Trish and Sam. Which is always a party in disguise as creepy ghosty things :D

Let's see...what else?

I think those may be the major things I'm excited for......right now at least :) I'm sure more exciting things will spontaneously come up. PARTY HARDY!