Shoot For The Stars (because they're in the visible spectrum!)

For Pizza Friday I made a pizza and sat down to watch a nice nerdy show about super novas. There is more than one reason why I love science. One of them is that it simply blows my mind over and over again! I am fairly certain that you are unable to know everything about everything. I would love to try, but at this point, I don't have time or the energy. On this episode of 'The Universe' they used an old movie reel to demonstrate the actual size of the visual spectrum of light in comparison to the rest of the light spectrum. If you were to stretch the movie film from California all the way to Alaska the entire visible light spectrum (the only light we can see with our unaided eyes) would lie right in the middle of the stretched out film and would only be about one and a half inches in length!!!!! Out of all of that, that is all the light we can see! Pretty neat stuff! Science has used different techniques to turn all the other 'invisible' light into visible. But....my God Experience is that almost all of the stars (if not all) shine within the visible range. And that visible range is visible for who to see? God's creation!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Eagle_nebula_pillars.jpg/250px-Eagle_nebula_pillars.jpg

: )

Morning Meeting!

Today I was blessed enough to be part of a brainstorming team for my church. Our church is looking to focus on getting more church attendees involved in a life group (what I have always called a 'small group'). We are looking to stress how critical they are in your life for support, accountability, friendship, new perspectives on things, bless someone else's life (and most likely be blessed yourself), potentially interacting with different generations than your own (scandalous, I know), develop close relationships with people in the church, and if that wasn't all, they are a great way to get more involved with the church.

We talked about reasons why people are not already or currently involved in a small group. Maybe they are too tired or busy and can't seem to find extra time. Or, there is also the argument that life groups are simply 'not for them'.

We also discussed ways to collect people's information to allow them to be placed into a small group oops, I mean life group that best fits their personality, demographic, and location. It was a great experience and I look forward to seeing where this outreach goes and be able to quantify the results. (We are looking for quality of course but at this point it is completely up in the air about the number of responses we might receive!) God is SO good! (ALL THE TIME!)

To top this whole thing off, I got to spend quality time with a friend from church before the meeting! YAY! All in all, today was filled with fellowship, time focused on developing my leadership, and great people!

Don't Be One of Pavlov's Dogs!

While waiting for comparisons to run for my research I was able to spend a good amount of time on Pinterest (which is awesome by the way). I mostly looked for new recopies for baking and cooking. But, this morning while I quickly glanced on there to see if there was anything new there was one post that caught my eye. All is said was "Seek God, not His gifts". Hummm....Interesting. Am I seeking God for God? Or, do I seek Him because I get stuff in return?

There was a scientific study, done by Ivan Pavlov, where the scientist rang a bell right every time right before he fed the test animals, dogs. After doing that for a while, he decided to just ring the bell (with no food to follow). The dogs started automatically salivating because they had associated food with the sound of bell.

God loves us and wants to bless us. But, He doesn't bless us when we do things right. He also doesn't bless us when we do things wrong. He blesses us ALL THE TIME! "There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more. But, there is also nothing you can do to make God love you any less!" We should all be striving to seek God because we love Him. Because He is all-powerful, awesome (causing awe), all-knowing, splendid, perfect, HOLY, generous, gentle, ..............................think of other words today..........

I Have Missed Out

Short and sweet today. Tonight as I was driving back to the lab I got to see the beautiful sky that God painted just for me (well, anyone really but it always feels like it's an artwork specifically for me) How many times have I been so upset or busy to miss some of the art that God has scattered all around me? I simply need to pay more attention!

This picture was taken from the passenger seat while the car was driving, so I am sorry for the blurry trees

Science Sunday: DNA's Auto Correct Buttons!

The video above isn't the most entertaining video but today is SCIENCE SUNDAY and what the video explains is nothing short of amazing!

While I have not explained the structure of DNA (which will have to be a whole other Sunday post) this came to mind today.

One of the reasons you should wear sunscreen is to prevent burning, and to prolong aging on your skin. It is also prevention of skin cancer. Ultra Violet (UV) Light and X-Rays are the top most potent carcinogens we are exposed to, and we encounter UV every day!!! It can do many things but the major one is causes mutations in our DNA. Naturally, when our body is copying DNA and making new cells it makes errors in our DNA. But.....here's the cool part. When God designed our bodies He incorporated a natural proof reader for or DNA! It is able to go over the DNA strand and find the mistake, cut out that piece and fill in the gap with the correct bases! Same thing with the damage from the sun. It causes thymine dimers on our DNA and specific enzymes go over the DNA and remove/fix those spots. Without these proof readers, over the years of our lives we would have collected so many mutations we would have many more health issues that already exist. Pretty cool stuff!

But, if you collect too many mutations or thymine dimers the proof readers become overwhelmed and they are unable to catch and fix every issue in the DNA before it is replicated. So wear your sunscreen and thank God that your body is fixing your own DNA right NOW!

God is like Coffee (only better!)

I am not an avid coffee drinker. Over the last couple months I finally started being able to drink it black, but I still am not at the point where it is necessary every morning for me to wake up properly. (I never want to get to that point). But, I have noticed that my bodies toxicology (how it processes toxins aka caffeine) is a little strange. For example, if I were to drink coffee before Sunday School at around 7am I am still tired through Sunday School and the church service, but once I get home for the afternoon I start running around like a mad women getting things done and at about 100 mph! (Absolutely the coffee, I don't run around or get things done). So, there is around a five hour processing time. If I wanted the 'Good Morning Coffee' effect I would in theory have to wake up at 2am, drink a cup, and then fall back asleep. By around 7am I would be wired! All of this information is strange and not really necessary for my God Experience yesterday.

I had a rough day yesterday. (so, if you could add me into your prayers, feel free. Hint, hint). I got to the lab early, and started working on research (imagine that). But, what I was supposed to work on was not what I ended up working on because my adviser and I added another processing step and we were having some issues. Anyway, I was getting frustrated and it took until about 12:30 to make one graph, and that means that I hadn't even started the 14 hours of work that my adviser wanted done that day........

Since it was Thursday, I had to leave the lab at 5:30 to go play volleyball. (which sounds like fun and a good break but the team played bad, wait no, horrible, and the attitudes were not any better, which resulted in me being angry/stressed out from VOLLEYBALL!

Then, (I haven't talked to my Mum about this yet so Mum, if you are reading this....feel free to call but it seems that everything is fine) on my way home from volleyball (and when I say 'home' I mean 'the lab') I got a little confused about a turn and ended up hitting the edge of the curb with a bit of momentum. I pulled over, put my hazards on, and got out to look at what I had done. Well, the tire wasn't flat (which I was kind of expecting) and I had knocked my hub cap off. (I had always wondered how people lose those things...I now know) and so I ran back down the side of the road and pick my hub cap up and went back to the car. Since the tire wasn't flat and it didn't seem like anything else was wrong I was about to get back in my car to make the rest of the drive to the lab. Then a cop pulled up behind me with his lights on......."yay a cop" my mind cheered. (My comments to myself are just about as sarcastic as I am in person). I didn't know what I was supposed to do. He stayed in his car and was talking on the radio.....am I in trouble? I had only been stopped twice before (once for speeding, which I got a warning for, and another time for The Limo's inspection being expired) so I had no experience with me not really doing anything wrong and being "pulled over".......(well, I guess hitting the curb is wrong but I didn't know that you could get in trouble for it). To cut the story shorter than an other three paragraphs long, basically he asked me a few times if I had been drinking....I told him "no" and then I clearified "well, a little bit of water at volleyball" because it was SCALDING out. He then asked me for my license, registration and insurance...(I was a bit scared at this point. Am I really in trouble right now?). That was about it. He ran my info, came back and then I drove off........Needless to say, no ticket, no warning, but I cried the whole rest of the way back to the lab. I was so tired, frustrated, sad, angry, and probibly a few other emotions. I don't know what I was more frustrated about, working on my research all day every day and still not getting anywhere or the fact that I just had an interaction with a cop and he was convinced that I had been drinking.

For this whole day to be a proper God Experience I needed to process all of it. And what I came up with was Isaiah 40:30-31:

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
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.

I was very tired. (I was also a tad bit dehydrated which made me a little weary). I need to allow God to be my coffee every morning till my research is completed (well, actually, for the rest of my life). And, God is even better than coffee. There is no coffee crash with God. You will never develop a tolerance (why you need to drink more and more coffee and more coffee for the same effect). And.......since God is Living Water, you will never go thirsty (unlike coffee, which dehydrates you something fierce).

http://creoleindc.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5e0053ef016764a1b73a970b-800wi

I am sure I could make a few more comparisons but I am in the lab and need to get some work done. I feel a little better today and am going to have a great Worship Song session while I'm submerged in my research. Are you relying on coffee for your morning kick? Why not try God for a change? (I know that was a tad corny but hey, I am corny!)

A Filtered Image

Today I don't really have a lot to say. I am trying to stay motivated on my thesis/research.

I have avoided becoming stressed or frustrated with all the work I have to get done in the next couple weeks (yeah, the count down is in weeks!!! :\ ). But today I had two hours of frustration and doubt! It was not enjoyable at all. Lies flashed through my head that kept me from thinking clearly. "Your not smart enough to complete this!" "Why do you even try, your going to get it wrong" It got to a point where I just had to chill and step away from the computer for a few minutes.

Later I started listening to the worship music play list (which happens to contain a few songs from Chris Tomlin). I had calmed down by now and the songs I was reminded me that God accepts me where I'm at. Even though I am never good enough to get into Heaven (because only those that are perfect get that honor) I know that God looks at me through a filter, a Jesus filter. Whenever He sees me, He doesn't see all the times I've failed. He sees someone who is perfect! (I wish my mirror had a Jesus filter on it....haha) I am SO thankful that I can depend on Jesus and His sacrifice to allow accesses to God! I went from a mindset of doubt and almost anger to an overwhelming thankfulness! Phew! : )

Roll Up Your Sleeves so Your Heart Doesn't Get Dirty!

For a large part of my life I never fully understood the saying, "wearing your heart on your sleeve". But, after a few years of learning a lot about myself and hearing others opinions about my character I have determined that my heart is embroidered on just about every sleeve in my closet. I try to be happy most of the time (or at least appear happy) but more and more it seems that I do not do as good a job as I thought. I also develop very strong emotional/sentimental feelings quickly which can really mess with your heart.

http://www.gomedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/broken-heart-syndrome.jpg

Insider Scoop: For any male reading this post...Women (there are always exceptions to things but I am fairly confident that there is a high percentage of women who fit the following action) tend to over-think/complicate

things. Well, really, everything. This happens even more frequently when there is an association to our emotions or heart. (especially with love (or what some women think is love)).

I'm no going to lie, I have absolutely lost sleep over some guy and I have nothing to show for it. I literally could not sleep because my mind kept flipping through interactions with him. How he smiled at me when he entered the room, the sound of his laugh when we were talking, how our arms brushed when we were sitting next to each other.....etc. All of the events are trivial but they kept playing and re-playing in my head and quickly you develop an imaginary relationship with this person. You end up flipping through everything that would make the two of you a great couple. I have even re-told the different events to other people to get an 'unbiased' opinion. (when it is still biased because I'm telling the events and I get to pick what parts I tell and what ones I leave out). You can even enjoy this whole process to a point because you feel like there is this real thriving relationship between you and some guy when really he was just being a good friend. (ie. smiling at you when you see him or asking how your week was) While it is fun to 'feel' like your in a relationship, this is not exactly healthy. You can make this an obsession and there should be one relationship that becomes your obsession: your relationship with God.

What I have been trying to get to with all of this babbling insight into my persona is that I have been trying to roll up my sleeves to protect my heart. When God designed our bodies He put our heart (the organ/muscle) hidden underneath a whole cage made out of bone and a thick layer of muscle and then some skin! He did this because of how important this organ is for our survival. Our skin (the largest organ) covers the outside of our bodies. As important as skin is, it was put over the rest of us because it is semi-permeable, and it is constantly dying and replacing itself. Organs with higher protection are ones that if damaged or lost would prove to be a big issue for the host (ie YOU). (why the heart and brain are tucked away nicely in their own little cottages).

If God spent so much time protecting our physical heart we should take more time and effort protecting and guarding our emotional heart! 

Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

When our physical heart is damaged in some way the whole body is effected. Same thing when you allow your emotional heart to be exposed and it get's damaged, all aspects of who you are is effected. When the Bible says 'guard your heart' it doesn't mean lock it up and never let your emotions show. When the President of the United States is guarded he is still allowed to move about the White House (and even leave the White House). No matter where he is or what he is doing there is always a form of protection somewhere. In some areas it means that he is sandwiched in the middle of a pack of service men or in other instances there are just a few guards around a larger area allowing for the President to move about at his leisure.

Guarding your heart is also not only dealing with your romantic feelings either. Your heart needs protection from many different kinds of assailants. And, it takes practice too. It's not as easy as entering a code and the alarm is set. Think about where you wear your heart and if you need to roll up your sleeves a little.

Science Sunday: God's Favorite Animal!

This post was inspired by the church service this morning. We are still deep into Job! I have learned SO much!! Today's lesson was set up a little different than some of the other services as far as content. Anyway.....

This is going to be a short post. Think about this. Why does God make our planet SO beautiful? Why are there so many different species of anything? (Bugs, birds even types or rocks?? (which I know different rocks are not species)). So, if you figured out why God made our planet so pretty, what about the parts of the world that are simply stunning but NO HUMAN HAS EVER SEEN IT? Why would God spend time to design parts of the planet that no one is going to see? If you are having guests over to your house, you are probably not going to super clean the entire house when you know they will only be in the kitchen and living room. And how about all the different plants? (or even trees?) Really God? Was that necessary?

In Job Chapters 38 and 39 God finally talks to Job. God puts Job back in his place! And..........God even talks about an ostrich! Yes! Those birds are simply hilarious looking. (one of my brothers got nipped on the finger by an ostrich at a zoo once). What our pastor was getting to in this part of the sermon was that what was the purpose of God creating an animal like the ostrich??!! They can't fly, they lay their eggs in the middle of the ground, basically unprotected, and they are wicked fast! But why? Well, what God makes that humans will never appreciate, the ostrich, the rest of space we don't have access to, and parts of creation that we will never stumble upon was all created for God's pleasure. Basically, He made it, because He could.  I have made paintings and plenty of artwork that I simply made because I wanted to, not for anyone else's pleasure. Wow! This is something I never thought about! EVER! All the flowers in the middle of the forest that bloom and die with no one every appreciating it is for God's pleasure! SO COOL!

Enjoy these images!!!! Ha ha!

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs15/i/2010/055/e/3/Open_Mouthed_Ostrich_by_AndySerrano.jpg

http://tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/ostrich_feet.jpg

Look at those feet!!! Ah ha ha!

http://www.animalpictures1.com/data/media/9/Baby_Ostriches.jpg

And I have decided that ostrich babies are absolutely ADORABLE!

http://www.animalpictures1.com/data/media/90/Ostrich-19.jpg

Perfecting the Art of Listening

Yesterday I read a few chapters in Jeremiah (27, 28, and 29). Most of the verses that these chapters were composed of repeated one another. There was a reoccurring theme so I decided that was my God Experience for the day (which is funny because I listened to what God was trying to teach me and it fit right in with the verses! Funny how it works out like that.....almost if it was planned......hummm....). The verses consist of God giving instructions to the people and reminding them to listen to His words and not the conflicting words of the Prophets, wise men, dream interpreters etc. God gave them instructions about what was going to happen to them and how they were expected to deal with the situation (the situation not being from the Jersey Shore but being King Nebuchadnezzar).

But what happens if you don't know whose voice is God's and whose is a false prophet or who is passing along false information?

Here is where my collegiate experience comes into play...haha. Just kidding, well, kind of. In a couple of my sports teams through my college years we did many different team building exercises. Some of them were as silly as playing a rousing game of Cranium while others were learning experiences. One of these more important team bonding experiences involved an obstacle course set up in the gym and some blindfolds. Needless to say (if you hadn't guessed by now) the team was split up into pairs and one person from each pair was blindfolded and the seeing partner needed to safely guide the sightless one through the obstacle course. Due to the fact that our gym was not super large and that there were specific goals involved other than simply being directly successfully through the course there was a tad bit of congestion at some points. While being blindfolded if you followed the directions from one of the other pair leaders you would have gotten tangled up or even lost. (What I am glad our team did not do is try to trick partners and give faulty directions to try to trip up another team). It was important to know your partner's voice and to listen to what they were saying. Sometimes it was confusing or I did not understand what my partner was quite saying. You know what I did....I asked questions back. But it mostly involved listening.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2004/Jul/11/islandlife1blind_b.jpg

This talent of listening isn't just for sports teams. It is also a key component of your relationship with God. (well, any relationship that you care about for that matter). It is ESSENTIAL for you to listen to what God is saying. Not just what other people say about God but what He is saying to YOU. How do I know it is God talking to me and not someone else (like your own desires etc)??? Well, that is a great question....(I absolutely just felt like I was talking to myself). When you are at the point of recognizing someone's voice, how have you gotten to that place? Did you read letters that they gave you? Did you sing to them? Well, I didn't. I spent time with them, talked with them and listened to their voice over and over and over again. It took practice and repetition. I am not here to tell you that I have fine-tuned the ability to hear God's voice. I simply know that it takes practice to be able to figure out A) what God is saying to you and B) that it is in fact God doing the talking and not the burrito you ate at lunch. I do believe that people have and do hear an audible voice from God but until God speaks to me in that manner on a consistent basis I need to perfect the Art of Listening.

Focus On Volleyball Not The Carnival

All yesterday I spend in the lab working on my research (imagine that). Seriously the whole day.....9am-8pm (which is actually less time that average).

So you can guess just how excited I was to get to play volleyball last night!

YAY VOLLEYBALL!!!!

Let me tell you...I was in rare form! I could not stop laughing (which isn't too far off from normal, but as a team, we were playing terrible so for me to still be laughing was probably not the best thing). I was having a grand old time, until it was my turn to serve. I didn't even get the ball over the net. (For anyone who knows me or has played/watched my volleyball, this is unusual. My serve is what I depend on.) My team mates (who I haven't played with but a couple games) were shocked! One of them asked 'What was that?" I told them not to worry and that it was the beginning of the game and I just needed to warm up.

When it happened again (and AGAIN!) I knew something was up. I could not focus on the volleyball. The court where we were playing was outdoors, and the park surrounding it was hosting a small carnival/fair. There was music (loud music), people, and light flashing rides all around us. Also, it was just after dusk and the lights for the courts were very bright (if you stared at them). To top the whole thing off, I had forgotten my contact lenses at the lab and was forced to wear my glasses which completely eliminated any chance of peripheral sight. The combination of all of this was distracting my eyes from my purpose. I was there to play volleyball (and to play it well).

At this point, you might be wondering where I am going with this long, pointless story. Well, here it goes. Each of you have a purpose for being alive. You all have gifts God has given you to use for His glory. Some might be made to teach, others were blessed with the ability to make anyone and everyone feel loved, and still others were designed to be grand leaders. How many of us are using our gifts completely? The world around us can take our attention away and distract us from what we were designed to do. Does the looming rent payment for the next month distract you from serving others? Are the issues with your car keeping you from praising someone with a 'job well done'? Our distractions don't necessarily have to be a bad thing either. Your family can keep you from using your spiritual gifts. The carnival surrounding the volleyball court wasn't evil. But it was distracting me from playing my best. Today, think about what God has designed you to be. List your gifts. (Yes, take the time to be positive about yourself). Maybe even take the time today to compliment someone else's spiritual gifts and remind them of their purpose!

Hopeful Not Stressful

Today the word 'Hope' came to mind. I started looking up "My Hope" in YouTube for a fun worship song that we would sing at BYC (Baptist Youth Camp: www.byc.cc). But, instead of finding that song I found "My Hope by Aaron Shust" (below). And that song fit exactly what I was thinking! Yes! So enjoy the song....

The reason why 'Hope' was on my mind was because I spent the entire day doing research. For anyone who has read any of the other posts...that is what I do all day, every day. So why would this day be any different?  Well, that is a completely reasonable question to ask! (I asked the same one myself). Well...today is the first full day back in the lab after a nice break visiting my family for my youngest brother's high school graduation. Even though it was not a physically restful vacation, I felt rested mentally when I got back here today. I even felt peace about by research and the thoughts of 'you can absolutely get this done by the end of July' crossed my head! WOW! What a vacation! 

The song speaks of Psalms 62:5....

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

So....the question is....do I wait in silence because I have complete faith with God. Is my hope rooted in the Almighty? When I get stressed thinking about all of the deadlines I am faced with or all the work that needs to get done it is so hard for me to lose sight of the eternal hope I have! Why is that? How is it so easy for us to forget how much God loves us or how He knows what He's doing in our lives better than we ever could and yet we can remember all the words from songs (and even a couple air guitar solos) that we haven't heard since the 80's (or even longer)? I know I need to work on realizing the source of my hope! When all I can see is a cloud of research and it seems like I will never be finished with my degree.....I need to settle down, take a deep breath (or two...or three), and remember of the hope I have found and will keep!

You Can't Get Lead Poisoning When Pencils Are Made From Graphite

Yesterday my 6' something baby brother graduated from high school! I was so blessed to be able to be home for this event in his life! Living so far away from my family for the last six years I done all I could to still be an active part in both of my brothers' lives. In Sunday School they the high school graduates were the Guests of Honor. We listened to where they are off to next with their lives (school, work etc.), prayed for each one, got to watch a wonderful slide show of photos of each graduate through the years, and listened to a short but sweet lesson.

One line in the lesson stuck out in my mind more than the rest. (The whole thing was applicable for not only the graduates but also the rest of the people in the room and it was presented in a very entertaining manner). You need goals to keep you focused but also, 'write your goals in pencil' because they might change or evolve into something you never imagined before! What great practice for anyone's life! God puts things in your heart that you are passionate for and they might lead you towards a certain path. But, you have to be willing to allow God to erase and/or re-write parts of the initial goal (or even change it completely) or you will end up with a mess.

I was one of the students who would only write in pen (yes, even in math class), so, when I would make a mistake (no matter the size) I would have to scribble it out. I personally didn't mind the mess but it made it hard for my teachers to understand my homework.

 When you are resistant to let God change your goals or the direction your life is going, you could make your life a big scribble (which, there is nothing wrong with a scribble it's just that life written in pencil just makes more sense). Allow God to be the author of your life and remember that He writes in Pencil!

Don't Hide, Just Seek.

Yesterday my Mum and I went for a short kayak trip in the ocean. I hadn't gone kayaking in who knows how long! It was bright and sunny in town and once we got to where we were getting in the water it was cloudy, windy and pretty cold. With the wind comes waves. The water was choppy but the kayaks were still manageable. While paddling through the water I started thinking about how even though the water was not calm I still was at peace and relaxed in my little boat in the water.

Even in the storms of your life God can still provide a sense of tranquility. It does take effort to seek God in those times but He promises that  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). Well, I can only speak for myself but that is such a comforting sentence. If you put in the effort, you will be successful! But, here's the key...."ALL your heart!". Not most of it. Not all but one piece. Not all of it sometimes. God wants all of your heart, all the time. Why am I so reluctant to relinquish all of me to my Creator? Shouldn't this be second nature for us? We love Him so why not completely trust that He knows what is best for us and hand over who we are to Him? If you haven't found God, have you given Him your WHOLE heart?

Inspiration from Above

This post is specifically for Linda and my Mum.

During my visit home I found a hornet walking around on my pillow. (Right here I will fill everyone in that I have never been stung by either a bee or a hornet EVER and so I try to avoid them just with the small chance that I am allergic). I was very close to the hornet when I found it. With the realization that I was sitting a foot away from a live (healthy as far as I could tell) hornet I freaked out. In a mild panic I scanned the room for a way to get the hornet out of my room with out him attacking me. There was a hand towel near me so I threw the towel on the hornet and then quickly put a pillow on top of that (thinking that the hornet would not be able to move with that much weight on top of it). Knowing this was not a permanent fix to the problem I hunted through the room for something to transport the hornet from my room outside. The only thing I found that I thought could almost help me was  a lint roller (the ones that you peel off one layer and it is sticky all the way around). In my head I realized just how silly of a process this had turned into but I was willing to do just about anything to get this threat out of my room. Taking the lint roller, I carefully removed the pillow, then rolled over the towel and there he was. (I am SO glad that he didn't take flight at this point because A) I don't know if I would be able to chase a hornet with a lint roller in flight and B) I would have freaked out even more). I quickly stick the roller on the hornet and then trying to prevent him from detaching himself from the sticky trap I also covered the lint roller with the towel and then I ran (literally ran) down the stairs, and through the whole house to get to the back door and threw the whole thing on the ground. Then, not wanting the lint roller to get ruined and really wanting the towel back in the house I carefully separated them and allowed the hornet to crawl away.

This story is an example of how I take some of the most simple things and over complicate them, but also how I can be successful with unique situations.

When you are brainstorming about a project or trying to problem solve in a time of panic, God brings ideas to the front of your mind. I couldn't think clearly because of my fear but God was able to give insight into how I could remove the danger. Think through ways that God has helped you get out of a sticky situation......

Your Heart's Desires

Yesterday, I woke up from a 1.5 hour nap at 2am to drive home to surprise my youngest brother at his last tennis match! It was a last minute decision and I was so excited to A) see his last match (especially since I hadn't gotten to see any other match during the season) and B) leave the lab two days earlier than expected!

But early in the trip I ran in to a couple snags....First, I had tried to put my un-listened podcasts onto my iPod to listen to them during the drive. I must have forgot to hit sync for the podcasts and only for the music so when I got the car packed and started driving I went to play the first podcast and there were NONE on iPod. There was still music so it wasn't too sad. Second thing that happened was that I needed to fill the tan with gas. I had enough gas to get into NJ where I wouldn't have to get out of the car and it would be cheaper. I think it was a combination of being over tired, and that it was 2:30am I couldn't find the exit that I normally took to get gas in NJ. I ended up getting off THREE different exits to find a gas station that was A) open, B) had an attendant and C) not 40 cents over priced! All of these stops wasted my time and made the long trip already longer. When I finally turned on my GPS the estimated time of arrival was 11:30! AHHHHHHHHHH! The match starts at 10!!!!!!!!!

I started to get really upset! This match was the only reason why I was leaving now and not waiting till Friday. Was I being selfish with this trip and this was a lesson God was showing me? Why was this happening? All I wanted to do was support my brother at his last match.

This is already a long story and so I'll skip out on the rest of the details but I ended up getting even more upset when I found out he was not delayed getting on the court, and that he was already playing in the second set (and they play best of 3 sets) and I was still 45 minutes away from the match! (oh yeah.....and I was also upset because I was tired (1.5 hours of shoddy sleep did not provide for me the rest I required and also driving for 9 hours starting at 2am didn't help). I DID make part of his match! I got to see him play 7 games and he WON!

When I was trying to stay awake after the match driving home (Which I still had about a 2.5 hour drive left from the match) I tried reflecting on the situation. I really really wanted to get to see his tennis match. God prevented me from seeing most of it but allowed me to get there in time to see the best part of the match and see him win.Was I being taught patience? I have many patience lessons in my life so that was a possibility. Hummm....well....I don't think that God puts strong desires in your heart in vein! God loves us and wants the best for us. Why would He put a huge desire to support my family and then not allow me to persue it? (Don't get me wrong, God does things that we feel are destroying the desires of our heart but in the long skeme of life....God's plan for your life is way better than any cockamame plan we think up.

Brain Matters

This is an entire two days late. This post is a short sweet God Experience that I had at the end of 05Jun.

I was talking on the phone to an amazing friend. She knows how to keep me motivated to get things done (even I don't know how to do that). Anyway, I filled her in on just how 'fun' my research had been that month and where it was headed. She reminded me that God gave me the brain I have and He put me in the position I'm currently in. God doesn't call the qualified.....He qualifies the called! I am in qualification! haha.

A Kick In The Face or A Whisper

I have come accross two ways that God speeks to us. The first way is when He is whispering to you and you bearly can hear Him and you try to figure out if 1) if it is actually a whisper and not some random background sound from your enviornment and 2) if it is even God doing the whispering. The other way that God speaks to us is He skips over the whisper and kicks you directly in the face (this is of course with all of the love our Great and Mighty King has.....which is a lot). This is when you can't help but listen/know it's God talking to you. (You also can't help but get a concussion as well...) I would like to say that I spend my days seeking God's whisper and heeding what it says....but in reality I'm waiting for a boot to the face. It takes a lot for me to cetch onto things. Whatever I am trying to figure out either needs to be spelled out in bullet form or explained directly too me (pictures help). Beating around the bush just gets me confused. God knows this about me (especially since He knows everything). He knows that if He is going to whisper, my heart and mind are going to need to be completly still and quiet....which doesn't happen. But, the kick in the face method, though it works, sometimes is painful, well, usually is painful. (I can't recall the last time I was kicked in the face and it didn't hurt) Anyway...my rambling will end today by just asking...how do you listen to God's calling/voice? Are you a victim of boot-to-face lessons or have you developed a keen ear to God's voice and can pick out His whisper over the chaos of everyday life? I'm working on my hearing!

Science Sunday: Water Water Everywhere?

The last couple of weeks have been filled with rain. It hasn't been normal rainy days that I am used to though. The days have either started out beautiful and sunny and by the afternoon it is pouring or the day starts out in a torrential downpour and then by lunch time the sun is brilliant out. Again today was a fairly nice day out until bible study and then it was as if a tropical storm was passing over us. The whole bible study stopped and watched the storm in action because it was so awesome. The trees were violently being blown every which way and the rain itself was coming down in sheets. As we watched the storm I focused on the water hitting the window....and then I had my God Experience for the day! WATER!!!!

I'm a huge fan of water. It tastes good (well, depends on the source), it feels great (such as swimming or cooling yourself off in the summer), it sounds lovely (If you have never just sat in your car for ten minutes listening to the rain.....do it), and it is beautiful (looking at a lake, or the ocean, or even staring at water in a clear glass cup)! Water is the only thing that naturally occurs in all three phases (solid, liquid and gas) AND what is super neat is that the solid is LESS dense, yeah I said LESS DENSE than the liquid, which is not a common occurrence (why ice floats instead of sinks)!!! One of my favorite traits of water is it's surface tension!  If you have ever had a spare penny, a straw and a glass of water you might of tried this....(well, I have countless times and it is great! So, if you haven't tried it....I know what you'll be doing at the kitchen table) you take a penny, fill a straw with water (holding the water in the straw with your finger on the top of the straw) and drop by drop (this is the most important thing) you gently place as many drops of water on the penny. Your goal is to try to get as many drops on the penny before it spills off the penny and onto the table.

When you do this or when you have done this...you will/or did see that the water can bubble much higher above the rim of the penny that you would think. This is surface tension!!!! It is caused by the interactions between the hydrogen atoms of one water molecule with the oxygen atom of another water molecule. This is the same reason why some bugs can 'walk on water' (the little water skimmers). Anyway, water is essential to our survival, along with any other living thing (I'm sure there is an exception out there that I am forgetting). Plants need water to survive. They use water to defy gravity, bringing nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. Something so critical to life on earth is something as simple as three atoms. God created a world so complex and detailed (refer back to my leaf post) and yet He keeps His creation alive with a simple, elegant, colorless, odorless, tasteless (once again, that depends, I honestly think that water has a lot of different tastes) liquid that in excessive amounts can even kill us. Next time you drink a glass of water (or try to see how many drops the top of a penny can hold) remember that God designed the simplicity of water to sustain the whole world!

for even more information about water check out: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/h2o.htm

Prepare To Be Provided For!

At this moment I am taking a quick brake from editing small parts of my thesis to write here. (So the length will depend on how badly I want to get back to working on that.....)

Today I kind of took a day off from research. I felt like I deserved it after this past week but honestly I can't afford to take days off until the end of July when I'll be DONE! So, I at least took the day off from sitting in the lab. 

Hit a couple yard sales in the morning and for about an hour helped a friend move things into his new living space. At one point he said, "wow, aren't I lucky to have some friends who actually like moving stuff?". I wouldn't really say you're lucky, more or less you have been taken care of. We already went through how God knows everything so obviously know knows our needs. (He also knows our wants and dreams but our needs are much more important). He knows when we simply need a mental break and we will provide that window of time for you. He also knows when you just need a friend to talk to, or someone to help you complete something. He not only knows our needs but he also understands them too. He gets that you have had a crazy week and just need your quiet time. He has been there. Thinking of all that Jesus accomplished in His short time on earth makes me want to take a nap. 

Anyway, what I'm getting at (if you didn't get it from the title) is that God is our provider. There might be times when we really need something (or think we need something) and we don't get it. Why is that? (Well, I wouldn't ask me that question...) Is he trying to teach us something? I'm not really sure why things like that happen other than it works out. Even if it means you have to change your life completely it works out. There are a lot of times where I think that the challenges that God has us fight through in our lives are A) for a way to help someone else through a similar struggle and B) to be an example of how depending on God is the only strength you need. To finish off today, think back through today, yesterday, the past week and see places where God provided for you. It could be as simple as a long chat with a friend or as awesome as finding money in your pants pocket! (which never happens to me because I never wear pants with pockets). 

Sing Your Song!

While working in the lab I either am listening to the podcast or I have music playing. The last couple days I wanted to listen to music. I had a couple Frank Sinatra moments and moved onto Perry Como (one of my Dad's favorites) and slowly drifted into Grits (which is a far skip and a jump from Frank or Perry. Today, Perry Como's song 'Sing' started playing. I actually stopped and listened to some of the words.

"Don't worry if it's not good enough, for anyone else to hear. Sing, sing a song!"

I have loved singing and music my whole life. It was probably because it was apart of my life from a very young age. But as much as I like music, I know that I am not an exceptional singer or guitar player. I don't practice or have any training what so ever and really don't have the energy to try to get better. But, this 'lack of talent' should NEVER keep me from worshiping. I think I talked before about how worship can and should be every part of your life. It should just be singing or playing music, it should be you mowing a neighbor's lawn just because you can or surprising someone with flowers for no reason at all. But that is not what I was thinking about earlier in the lab. What this song brought to my attention was that I should sing no matter what. Even if I think people are listening or even judging. Someone else's theoretical thoughts shouldn't keep my praise to the God who deserves it. Keep a song in your heart and know that all praise is beautiful in God's ears.