Boston and New York City

Since on my vacay to Boston and NYC with Marie, I have noticed a few key things about life in a big city... but more specifically, life in the Northeast.

1. People are RUDE. Seriously, no one says excuse me or exchanges pleasantries, and almost everyone walks around in a foul mood ready to snap at the first person who does something to set them off.

2. You take public transportation everywhere. This is nice for some of the trips downtown where parking is scarce or expensive, or traffic is too frustrating to bother with, but for the most part, public transportation means unnecessary contact with strangers... and yea...i mean physical contact.

3. Summer here means mid 80's. This has probably been my favorite part of the trip :) the weather has been absolutely beautiful. But, from what I hear, it rains more than shines here in Boston. I'm just glad we've had good weather so far. Our first full day here was like 75 degrees with sunshine and a light breeze (aka PERFECT).

4. Generally speaking it is a lot more liberal here. Example: gay couples and anti-Jesus bumper-stickers are a LOT more common.

5. It is a lot healthier to live here than it is in cozy little Cypress. You walk everywhere (when you aren't taking "the T"), there are hardly any fast food restaurants, and people seem genuinely more concerned with their health.

6. EVERYONE here smokes. I know this completely contradicts my last point, but seriously, it's ridiculous. New York was the worst! You couldn't walk half a block without being immersed in someone else's cigarette smoke. Yuck.

7. Everything is really fast-paced and the people are really high-stressed. It seems like everyone is in their own world... a world that will collapse if they don't make it to their destination in time.

8. People in Boston don't use the letter "r" except for in words that end in "a"... then one magically appears at the end. It is kinda ridiculous. Example: the harbor= "habah" and idea= "idear".

9. Baseball is life. It is as close as a lot of people here come to religion. And it's not any baseball team. If you live in Boston, you live and breathe the Red Sox's. If you live in New York, you live and breathe the Yankee's.

10. Everything is super crowded. Whether it is the train station or just walking through downtown, you officially have no personal space once you arrive in NYC (or Boston for that matter).

Fall Sched.

I know many of you are DYING to hear what I'm taking next semester and what my class schedule looks like, so I won't keep you waiting any longer... Careful, it's pretty exciting ;)

Monday:
8-9: GREEK
12-1: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
2-4:30: INTRO TO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Tuesday:
2-3:15: STATISTICS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

Wednesday:
8-9: GREEK
12-1: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
1-2: GREEK LAB

Thursday:
2-3:15: STATISTICS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

Friday:
8-9: GREEK
12-1: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY

I'm also going to try to squeeze in an online English from Lonestar and a mini-mester or two! That plus 30 hours of work a week should keep me pretty stinkin busy. Wish me luck!

A Danielle Moment

Lately, I've realized I'm a little bit crazy (and by "a little bit", I mean "a LOTTA bit"). For some reason, whenever I'm trying to explain something or argue a point, I have trouble getting an entire thought out before I contradict myself or argue against myself. I tend to just say what I'm thinking... but sometimes my thoughts are moving too quick for my mouth and I end up saying things out of order, or moving on to another thought before I finish explaining the first one. Make sense?! Yea, I don't get it either.

Here's an example of something other people might hear me say:

I would really struggle if God told me to cut off my hair.
But even if I did it I'm sure God could...
BUT THAT'S NOT MY POINT!
I don't have to do it because it doesn't define me!


When in reality, I was thinking this:

I would really struggle if God told me to cut off my hair;
1) because I can be pretty vain
2) I'm ridiculous about my hair
3) I love red hair
4) there aren't enough red heads in the world
5) girls shouldn't have to cut off their hair if long hair is their "glory"
But at the same time I'm sure God could teach me something and grow me from that experience...oh wait, everyone has that glazed over look in their eyes...wrap it up Danielle! Make this point make sense! Quote Leviticus, yell something, anything! Red hair doesn't define me! Yea... go with that. Wait, why does everyone look so confused?


So next time I say something that doesn't make sense, just nodd and smile...because chances are I don't know what I said either.

Women in Ministry

Lately I have talked to a LOT of people about what I believe a woman's role in ministry is, what I base that off of, and what I think about how Baptist churches have handled it. Since I'm going into ministry, this is obviously something that has been heavy on my heart for quite a while (two years to be exact ;)). And after all the research/soul-searching/prayer/etc., I think it comes down to a few basic principles that everyone needs to understand when they make up their mind about this issue. They aren't fun to hear for most people (especially women), but God's Word is pretty clear. I'm not saying my view is flawless, or that I'm an expert (I most definitely am NOT), but I think a lot of people (mostly women in my experience) need to be reminded of a few things when forming their opinions on this issue.

So here is what I've come up with so far...

1. Before you form an opinion, you HAVE to understand what Scripture says about women in general, but more specifically, what it says about women in the church and church authorities. Passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-14, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 are very clear about this issue.

2. You must understand that this is not about male chauvinism or female empowerment, it's about biblical interpretation. I know that a LOT of women and men think the only reason the whole "women in ministry" thing is an issue is because of outdated viewpoints and overbearing men, BUT the reality is, it's an issue that has been around since Paul's time (and even before). Just because women have been "liberated" (whatever that means) since Paul's time, doesn't make the issue any less applicable or valid! Our flesh is deceptive, and it will always question those things that don't seem to feel right...which brings me to my next point...

3. You have to look at this issue separate from how you feel about it. Like I already mentioned, it's about what God's Word says, not how you think or feel it should be. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that as women, we have a tendency to live life based on our emotions, but when it comes to the foundational belief's of a church, or your personal belief's about what Scripture says, it is important to see beyond how you feel and really look into God's Word. Do research, ask older, wise men and women, just don't base it off how you feel. Your emotions are not the same as Truth.

4. Since we come from a generation and culture that teaches self-entitlement, it is important to make a conscious effort to break through that mindset. People are sinful and our flesh is weak...so how is it that Christians (those of us that should be the most aware of our own depravity) would think that we deserve anything? It is by God's grace that people are saved from themselves and their own wickedness, so how did we get the impression that we deserve anything other than God's wrath? Our culture tells us that we deserve things (in this case it's authority and leadership positions), when God's word tells us we deserve death.

5. We have to remember that Christians are set apart and called to be obedient to God's will and commands regardless of whether of not we understand them (Matthew 5:18-19)... I had to remind myself of this a lot when I was searching through scripture looking for "answers". God has laid out a plan for humanity through his Word. I don't understand why some things are the way they are because I am not God. His ways are higher than our ways! I will never understand why people feel that they can pick and chose what scriptures to believe and honor based on convenience. I'm sure most of us have been guilty of this at some point, but when you recognize it for what it is, it's ridiculous! Sure it may be easier to pick and chose what you believe or practice, but God is omniscient. We have to be satisfied with our belief that God is good and wise and wants the best for us!



Now the rambling begins...

The main argument I have heard in favor of women in authority positions over men (in churches) or pastoral roles, is that, when scripture talks about women in ministry, it is talking about a specific group of women at a specific point in time. I've been told countless times (even by professors at my Baptist school! ha) that it was culture/tradition/etc. that influenced Paul's words. I would be a fool not to acknowledge the specific instances Paul was addressing, BUT I also believe that God has established a set system for the way he desires the Church to be run. Isn't it possible (and maybe even probable) that God would chose to use these specific instances to inspire Paul to speak His words of Truth? In 2 Timothy 3:16 it says that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness". That verse serves as yet another reason we should not take lightly God's instruction... even though it may seem "inconvenient" or "unfair" or even "sexist" to us.

I also don't understand how people can justify looking at this issue from a purely cultural standpoint and not other issues. If 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is only addressing the women in the church of Corinth, then who's to say homosexuality wasn't a problem that was only applicable to that time and culture? A lot of churches and denominations are dealing with this very issue...in fact, the Episcopalian Church is dealing with it right now just like the Baptist Church is dealing with the "women in ministry" debate! When we start dissecting God's Word to the point of declaring what is and is not valid, we walk a fine line. Again, WE ARE NOT GOD.

I realize Scripture may not give us a black and white diagram of what women are and are not allowed to do, but it does give us principles and guidance for deciding what is and is not Biblical.



My personal conclusions...

It has taken me a LONG time to come to my conclusions, but I have finally reached the point where I feel grounded in what I believe about this issue. I would be lying if I said this process was easy...it was really hard. It challenged me, stretched me, and made me really look at what I believe about God's Word, His character and Biblical interpretation as a whole. When I first felt called into ministry I pleaded with God to change His mind because I didn't know what or how He could possibly use me, BUT he was faithful and pursued me, and after a lot of prayer, sifting through Scripture and Godly council, I am confident that God has made a place for women in the Church. I could list "jobs" that I think would be appropriate, but I'd rather not. If you really look at Scripture and believe in the infallibility of God's Word then I think it's relatively clear. The Bible has laid out some things women should do, like in Titus 2, or the countless examples of women raising up children in the Truth. Unfortunately, a lot of people (including myself for a long time) focus on the negative aspects and the things women have to "miss out on" or are "forbidden from doing". The reality of the situation is that it's a hard Truth for a lot of people, but it is Truth nonetheless...


So what do you think? What are your views on women in ministry?

Random Bits and Pieces

I don't know what is up with T-Mobile lately, but ever since I got home from school, I NEVER seem to get signal in my house. It is really annoying. I almost always have to walk around or mess with it till I can score some bars. LAME.

In other news, this week has been really crazy so far. VBS is next week and there are a lot of things that need to get done that can't be done until last minute, so yea, it's been pretty intense. BUT I am so excited about VBS! I have never been a part of one (and I can't think of a single reason why...mostly just me being too shy or intimidated to get involved), so I am really pumped to see how it all unfolds.

Reasons I think it's going to be awesome:

1. It's a "Bible times" VBS.
2. Bible costumes!!
3. NW ususally has over 600 kids. WOW.
4. Different rooms for "the underground church" and Paul.
5. The curriculum and verses we are using are powerful.
   

My prayer for all of this is just that God puts the kids there that needs to be there and that we are able to use whatever means available to share the Gospel and hopefully help kids understand Scripture more fully. Gah. I love Children's Ministry.

Oh, and P.S. tomorrow night we have a "mad scientist" coming to put on a show for our Summer in the Zone night!! SOO TIGHT. We're also having a contest to see who can dress up as the most convincing mad scientist. Pretty sure it will be the highlight of my week. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?!

:)

Sin

Last Friday marked the due date of my mammoth research paper on sin...and I am SO glad to be done. The basis of the paper was supposed to be about why it is important to talk about sin and why Christians seem to always focus on the "negative". I chose that prompt out of probably 15 others because it was the one that most appealed to me, and even though I procrastinated till the last second (like always), it was still a really fun* paper to write. One of my sources came from one of John Piper sermon's, called The Greatest Thing in the World: An Overview of Romans 1-7. You should check the whole thing out, but what really caught my eye was this description of sin...

The glory of God is not honored.
The holiness of God is not reverenced.
The greatness of God is not admired.
The power of God is not praised.
The truth of God is not sought.
The wisdom of God is not esteemed.
The beauty of God is not treasured.
The goodness of God is not savored.
The faithfulness of God is not trusted.
The promises of God are not relied upon.
The commandments of God are not obeyed.
The justice of God is not respected.
The wrath of God is not feared.
The grace of God is not cherished.
The presence of God is not prized.
The person of God is not loved.

The infinite, all-glorious Creator of the universe, by whom and for whom all things exist (Rom. 11:36) - who holds every person's life in being at every moment (Acts 17:25) - is disregarded, disbelieved, disobeyed, and dishonored by everybody in the world. That is the ultimate outrage of the universe.

*By "fun" I mean the kind of fun where, after hours and hours of research, you can still be completely floored by how awesome and full of mercy God is and how wicked and depraved we are.

Competitive Much?!

For as long as I can remember, I've always been SUPER competitive. I blame it on an entire childhood spent playing sports and the fact that I'm the youngest of four, but to be honest, it effects pretty much every area of my life. Recently, I've been trying to figure out appropriate situations to express my competitiveness...here's what I've come up with so far:

Good Times to be competitive:

1. When sizing up strangers to see who I could defeat in a random (but necessary) street fight.
2. When playing sports with other competitive people...not to be confused with playing sports with non-competitive people.
3. When showing honor (as long as your motives are pure and you don't lose sight of the ultimate goal).
   
4. While doing random things that don't matter (aka "who can finish washing their hands first", or "who can write the funniest thing on the birthday card", etc)
5. When saying outrageous things in the appropriate context.
6. When trying to get some much needed work done.
   

Bad Times to be competitive:

1. When eating. This is a really bad habit to form! Ha.
   
2. When playing sports with people who aren't competitive, or are just really bad.
3. When saying outrageous things in INAPPROPRIATE situations (still working on this one).
4. When no one else wants to compete.
5. When doing something that no one else cares about (like writing a paper or doing office work).

Typically, when I'm competing with people, they are completely unaware. I will just have a running tally in my head of what's going on. But sometimes I compete without knowing it...Marie is pretty good about calling me out on this one. Ha.

So what are some other situations/times that make it ok (or inappropriate) to be competitive? I'd love to hear from some other people on this one...

Oh hello, SUMMER!

So summer has officially started! Woop! I started interning on Tuesday, and so far I LOVE IT. It's my first time really working in children's ministry, and Stephanie (the CM) is keeping me really busy and is really good about explaining why she does things and the logistics of everything, etc etc. I'm totally eating it up.

Wednesday was our first event, and it was a really good one to start out on since it was the end of the year party...and since my life is one big party, it was like having two helpings of awesome ;)

There is just so much I want to learn this summer! Gah. I just hope I retain it all and God uses this to help me in the future.

This weekend should definitely be a fun one. Tomorrow I plan on sleeping as much as possible, then potentially a movie with people that night. Saturday I'm going to a wedding, then a grad party. Then on Sunday I have my first experience in Kidzone! Ha. I'm a little late, but it's better late than never, right? Anyways, I have every intention of blogging regularly once I settle in to a schedule, but I have no idea when that might be. There will definitely be some basketball posts in my immediate future...just a warning ;)

True Story

The other night I got to go on a late-night adventure with some friends...I don't know if I can fully convey the awesomeness of that night, but I'll give it a shot.

Let me start by saying that for the last couple of days there has been this HUGE fire off I20 (the highway we take to get anywhere and everywhere) and as far as we could tell no one knew what it was or why it was there. The first time I saw it, I assumed it was the beginning of a forest fire because it's surrounded by trees on all sides, but considering it hadn't spread in a couple days, we knew it had to be something else.

Monday night some girl friends and I decided to go grab some coffee around 11, and on the way back to campus we decided we were feeling adventurous and wanted to find out where this fire was coming from. It took us quite a while to find out where it was coming from, but we finally found the road that led to it...only problem was it was REAL sketch. It was a one-way dirt road with really tall trees lining each side (basically the same type of road they use in every horror movie). Needless to say we had come too far to give up, so we decided to call some burly "man" friends to come and help us finish out our adventure...something about just the three of us girls going down a dark road in the middle of the night didn't seem quite right ;) ha.

I kind of thought we were going to stumble upon some type of KKK rally complete with a huge burning cross...but I'm a sucker for an "adventure" so I just pushed this thought to the back of my mind. Well once the guys arrived we all hopped in to the back of one of their trucks and headed on our way (picture 5 college students hanging on for dear life). Anyways, we finally made our way back down that path and we could actually FEEL the heat before we could see it, it was that intense. Then, after what seemed like forever, we reached this HUGE clearing and saw what looked like a GINORMOUS birthday candle*. So there we were, standing in awe of this tunnel of flame, when we noticed a truck on the other side of the clearing making its way in our direction very quickly. Ha. So we ended up having to maneuver our way out of there ASAP.

It ended up being a pretty exciting...mildly anticlimactic, but overall it was definitely an adventure to be remembered.

*Apparently they were burning fossil fuels

SUMMER? Yes, please.

So my plans have changed...yet again. Ha. But now they're even better than if I would have tried to plan them myself.

I just found out (kind of last minute) that I am going to be able to intern after all! I was dreading not being able to intern somewhere, but felt like I had to do summer school all day, so I didn't have many options. I even turned down an internship earlier in the year because I felt like I HAD to do SS. Thank Goodness God had different and better plans in store for me :) I'm really looking forward to interning in a children's ministry (especially considering that's what I'm thinking about doing for the rest of my life. ha) and I'll still be able to go to Boston/NY with Marie (woop woop!) AND take a summer school class online! Gah. It's perfect.

And as if that wasn't enough, I got offered a new position at work that is pretty stinkin sweet! It's going to mean 30 hour work weeks, and working full-time during our breaks, but it will more than pay for itself. Seriously, it's like the best position you can have on campus as a student :)

On a related note, I'm starting to realize I need to loosen the reigns a little bit. I have my life so tightly mapped out that it's getting a little ridiculous (can I get an Amen from my fellow control freaks?!). I'm sure my little plans make God chuckle...well I guess it's either that, or He is going to smite me for my false sense of independence! ha.

Anyways, I just figured I'd throw an update out there. I know you guys live and breath for this stuff ;)

Tuesdays are for...

...stealing molly's idea's ;)

I feel like blogging (which is rare these days) and since my brain is complete mush after these last few days of nonstop homework and work, I figured I'd just list out some current faves for you guys...but to be original, I'll do lists of four! ha. Enjoy :)

Boy Names

1. Noah
2. Elijah
3. Micah
4. Caleb

Girl Names

1. Grace
2. Delilah (don't judge me)
3. Rebekah
   
4. Bethany
   

Phrases

1. come get some! (said in my best ghetto voice)
   
2. hey boy, hey! (compliments of my RA)
3. thebomb.com (usually preceded by "we are...")
4. better than ever (because 19 feels SO good ;))

Short-term Goals

1. Do well on ALL my finals
2. Maintain my GPA
3. Sleep at LEAST 6 hours a night (this one probably won't happen)
4. Figure out my summer situation

Long-term Goals

1. Graduate (duh)
2. Work in ministry somewhere...anywhere
3. Marry and procreate
4. Be everyone's favorite grandma

Things about DBU

1. My classes
2. The wonderful people I've met
3. Having prof's who care enough to invest in students on a personal level
4. Campus

Things to do

1. Talk to people (what can I say... I'm a talker ;)
2. Sleep
   
3. Watch random movies (this one is hit or miss with me)
4. Procrastinate.

Musicians

1. Ernie Halter (my #1 for 3 years now, and he's STILL not getting old! ha)
2. Amos Lee
3. Frank Sinatra
4. Jeff Johnson

Songs

1. Arms of a Woman- Amos Lee
2. Hosanna- Hillsong
3. Darlin' I- Tony Lucca
4. Feeling good- Michael Buble
   

Things to talk about

1. Biblical Womanhood and scripture v. evangelical feminism ;)
2. Other people's love stories
3. My future
4. SUMMER

Blessings

1. DBU and being able to study something that really excites me
2. My job (as much as I complain about it, it has been steady and SUCH a help)
3. Having an amazing family that is supportive and willing to challenge me
   
4. Awesome friends that bring me so much joy :)

Most Interesting Classes (so far)

1. Old Testament
2. Educational Ministry of the Church
3. Intro to Christian Ministry
4. New Testament (sadly, this is in spite of my prof)

Movies

1. Fireproof (because it challenges me)
2. A Beautiful Mind (because it's my classic)
3. Far and Away (because Jeremy finally chose one I'd like ;))
4. Arranged (because I love learning about different religions...and an arranged marriage is REAL tempting these days! ha)

Foods

1. Soup...even though it's not soup weather anymore :(
2. Mocha Maddness ice cream
3. Really good bread...like the German Dark Wheat wholegrain bread I have stashed in my room.
   
4. Cheese Enchiladas (because #1. they're delish and #2. I only get them when I am home, so they always go along with me and my rents "debriefing from college" talks :))

Things I miss

1. My parents
2. My friends from home
3. Big Love *sigh*
4. My bed

Things I need to do more of

1. Prayer
2. Cardio
3. Studying
4. Sleep

Random things I want to do over summer

1. Go camping...unchaperoned just cause I can.
   
2. Go tubing...because it's thebomb.com.
   
3. Cooking and Baking...on a regular basis.
   
4. Watch movies...lots of them.
   

Pastors I listen to

1. Mark Driscoll
2. Matt Chandler
3. Josh Patterson
4. John Piper
   

Productivity...

I am finding it increasingly hard to be productive. I'm just counting down the days till the end of this semester :) I am overdue for a little vacation. But before that I'm taking Christian Doctrine in a mini-mester, which I am REALLY excited about! woop woop! I think it'll be better if I just bullet my thoughts at this point...

• I starting to enjoy Christian rap. Yea. Judge me if you must.
• I have my first (and hardest) final Thursday! Yikes!
• I am SOOO ready to be out of college and in ministry somewhere (but that is a subject for another blog...)
• That being said, I still love my classes and the things I get to learn. It is such a blessing to be at a Christian school learning about the things I'm most passionate about!
• I have a new favorite ice-cream. Me gusta Mocha Maddness.
• It is ridiculous how many sermons I've listened to and books/articles I've read lately on the relationship between husbands and wives.
• Speaking of husbands and wives, I totally aced my research paper on Ephesians 5:21-33 :)
• I love babies (Just in case you forgot). And I am real excited about spending time with my precious niece over summer!!
• Oh, I am super-dee-duper excited about starting greek next semester. but I am also a little nervous that it's going to eat my lunch.
• The Spurs are already out of playoffs. It was tragic, BUT I am glad they get more time to rest and start rebuilding the team before next season. I feel a post about them coming up in the near future ;)
• I can't wait to reunite with BD over summer!! woop woop. Nothing like being home with besties!
• I've had a strong urge to play sports lately. I think it's because I've been couped up indoors writing papers and such.
• If I have to write this many papers every semester for the rest of my college career I would probably consider dropping out.
• I am really bad at procrastinating. Case in point, I have 7 papers/reports due tuesday and I've only done one of them.
• I pulled my first all-nighter last week...well almost. I ended up going to bed at 5am and waking up at 7am, but I still count that as an all-nighter. ESPECIALLY considering how much I like sleep.
  
• I am really sad I'm not interning anywhere this summer, but I keep reminding myself that this is only one season of life, and hopefully I will spend the rest of my life working in a church or being a part of ministry somewhere :)
• Verse of the week: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5
  

Lies I've Believed

Lately I have been reflecting and working through certain lies and misconceptions I have bought in to over the last few years. Lies that I've believed as a Christian woman, and lies that I think many Christian women believe. This is not an attempt to debunk Paul's teachings that women should be quiet in the church (or argue with any scripture for that matter!), it is just my way of dealing with the way I think our church culture has perverted and manipulated certain scriptures and principles. I am merely speaking from my own experience, so feel free to disagree.

Lie #1:

To have a gentle and quiet spirit, a woman should be practically mute. Strong personalities and women that are boisterous or outgoing are not walking fully in the light, or they are not as holy as those women that tend to keep to themselves.

Let me start by saying that I understand and recognize the importance of using discretion when choosing what you are going to say. Proverbs 13:3 says that, "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin", so there is a clear Biblical call to use wisdom and good judgment when choosing what to say and when to say it.

However, what I think this has been turned in to is a scale with which to measure a woman based on her personality. In other words, women that are outgoing or talkative must be falling short in this area. I realize this might not be as common of a belief as I think it is, but it is something that has bothered me for some time. Why should a Christian woman be looked upon as inadequate or unwise simply because she is spirited? Sure, there is an extra responsibility that comes with an eagerness to talk, but wasn't this woman's personality shaped and molded by her Creator? Or on the other end of the scale, why should a quiet, reserved woman be put on a pedestal simply because of her quietness?

Women, like men, are endowed by our Creator with certain characteristics and gifts. I believe that even though culture and society can have a negative impact and shape certain (sinful and unbiblical) qualities in us, we are first and foremost the craftsmanship of God. He has equipped and prepared everyone in unique ways, and it is in these differences and similarities that the Body is made complete.


Lie #2:

Modesty is centered around a list of rules and regulations (as opposed to a pursuit of holiness).

This is just another form of legalism, and I am just as guilty (if not more so) than everyone else that has viewed modesty in this way. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most girls find the issue of modesty a controversial and fuzzy topic. Personally, I grew up being taught that it was my responsibility to control the thoughts (and lust) of the men and boys around me based on how I was presenting my body. That is an enormous responsibility, and one that I don't believe to be fully Biblical. I do believe that Christian women have a responsibility to their Christian brothers to help guard their hearts from lust and temptation...but it is impossible for a woman to know or control someone else's thoughts.

This is where I believe legalism steps in. It is so easy to think "well as long as my shorts are this long" or "no body part is overly exposed, so I should be ok". But that is not what the Bible calls us to do. There is a reason that there isn't a concrete list of do's and don'ts in terms of modesty, it's because it is so much more than a list of rules! This is a lesson I'm still learning and something I pray God continues to affirm in me, I just think it's extremely important that Christian girls (and women) learn that modesty starts in the heart and our clothing is just an outpouring of that.

Sinatra and Such

For those of you that don't know... I randomly go through different phases where I am obsessed with certain kinds/types/styles/genres of music. Right now I can't get enough Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin etc etc.

Here are some of my faves...







I know Michael Buble isn't the same as Frank Sinatra, but I like him...a lot :)

Updates

Ok Ok, I realize I haven't posted in a while. But don't fret, I'll do 5 Hail Mary's after this ;)

I know I'm probably the only one excited about my classes*, BUT since I am so excited about them, and seeing as this is MY blog, I'm going to go ahead and let that overflow on this post...

May Mini-Mesters:

• Christian Doctrine
  
• Marriage and Family

Summer School:

• Biology
  
• Language and Literature II

Fall 09' Classes:

• Elementary Greek (and lab)
• World Literature I
• Intro to Religious Education
• Social Problems
• Political Science

I really want to add one more class to my fall schedule, but I'm probably going to be working 30 hours a week, so more than 16 hours of classes might be academic/social suicide. I'd LOVE to take Jeremiah, but alas, I'll have to wait and take it in another mini-mester... *sigh*



*I got to view the unofficial fall schedule while I was at work (one of the few perks of my job) and decided on my classes for next fall. So basically I'm OOBER excited :)

Spring Sing

Last night was DBU's annual Spring Sing where some of the school organizations compete against each other in lip-sync battles. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not just songs and synchronized dance...it's SOO much more ;) The groups have to have dialogue, a theme, and typically they have to be funny (though two of the groups didn't get that memo).

There were some really funny things that happened though, so I figured I'd recap...

1. We have a girl in our SGA (student government association) that has a dog named Brody that is with her at all times. Technically he's a seizure alert dog that is trained to react in the event that this girl has a seizure. But they managed to work it in to the skit and he played her seeing-eye dog. Anyways, her group was all dressed up as old people, and at one point the guy next to her "drops dead". Automatically Brody starts freaking out and tugging on her arm and darting all over the place, while the rest of the cast kept trying to play along. It was HILARIOUS.
   
2. Another group decided to do famous people from the 1990's, so of course they included Bill and Hillary Clinton (no surprise there)...what none of us was expecting, was for them to include Monica. In the scene Bill and Hillary are walking together and Bill starts to lag behind, then out of nowhere comes Monica who holds up a "I love Bill" sign and runs to his side. Then as they walk away Bill slides his hand down her side to her butt! I was kinda surprised they got away with it, so it definitely earned points for shock value.
3. One of the funniest things of the night was the group that joked about Ray Boltz. Not only was he wearing a sweet mullet, but at the beginning I noticed him checking out Screech's butt... and as if that wasn't enough, they even had the guts to make a reference about "the closet" during his rendition of "Thank You". It was so funny, yet soo sad at the same time.
   

Ging No More...

The other day while I was getting ready for work I noticed something that I found very startling. At first I convinced myself that I was seeing things...I mean, SURELY it was some kind of mistake. But upon further inspection, I realized it was EXACTLY as it seemed.

I, Danielle "I'm-18-I-Do-What-I-Want" Weghorst, am going prematurely gray.

I was (and still am) kind of horrified. I had never even considered it as a possibility. It's kind of ironic since I always grew up with people telling me how much they loved my hair color, wanted hair like mine, blah blah blah. I'm still not totally sure how I feel about this new development, I'm just trying to not think about it too much. I also have no idea how long this whole process will take, so right now I'm just going to enjoy every day I have left being a ging :)

Whirlwind

Sorry about the lack of bloggage recently. Everything seems to be moving 100 miles a minute so I have everything to do and nothing to say at the same time. Ha. I'll just stick to the highlights...

1. For Spring Break I took a mini-term (Intro to Fine Arts) so that I could just knock it out. It was pretty easy, I still need to write two papers before I can officially put it behind me though.
2. Rochelles wedding was awesome! I'm so excited for her and Sid! Plus I got to hang out with my besties at the wedding, which made it the most fun I've had in quite a while :)
3. Had a huge family dinner which is always fun. Got to hang with my siblings and their significant others and my rents...and of course KAITLYN!! She is getting so big and so animated now! I can't wait till summer so I can get in some babysitting time.

I've also been making some big decisions regarding my future. Mostly just hypothetical planning, but that's still a pretty big deal in my book! Here's what I've got so far...

• I finally sat down to figure out what I needed to do in order to graduate in three years. It's doable, but it's going to take a little extra effort!

• I have also decided to take two more mini-mesters in May, and two summer school classes this summer. I know it sounds like a lot, but I'd much rather knock these classes out now and not have to worry about them later. I'm taking Christian Doctrine and Marriage and Family (two classes I'm really excited about) for my May mini's at DBU, and I'll be taking Biology and English back home at Lonestar this summer.

• I've also basically made up my mind to go on and get my M.A.C.E. (Master of Arts in Christian Education) degree after I finish my bachelor's. Originally I was thinking I would go to seminary to do this, BUT good ole DBU just started offering a completely online M.A.C.E. program that would allow me to live and work anywhere and still finish my degree...that earns MAJOR points in my book. Plus it's like 20 less credit hours to do it at DBU than it would be to get it at seminary, and it's the same exact degree.

Well that's pretty much it for now! I'll work on keeping the blogs a little more consistent from here on out...

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint
Isaiah 40:31

Papers, Papers, Papers!

Basically all of my professors decided to schedule our major papers around the same time. It's AWESOME. Luckily, I got to choose the prompts for all of them (for the most part). And even though you probably don't care, I'm going to go ahead and tell you what I'm writing about...

1. What makes a Successful Preschool Ministry for Educational Ministry of the Church
   
2. Living History Interview with someone who lived through WWII for History 1865-Present
   
3. Gender roles in my Family of Origin for Human Growth and Development
   
4. The Relationship of a Husband and Wife (based on Ephesians 5:21-33) for New Testament

It should be interesting (or extremely tedious ;)) ha. Oh man. Wish me luck!