All Things New

*Reproduction of an article I wrote for Redeemer Church 's weekly newsletter. (By the way, if you are anywhere near the Norman, OK area, you should definitely check out Redeemer.) I love naps.   I’m not talking 10-minute snoozes in the recliner or half an hour cat naps on the couch. I’m talking full-on, Sunday afternoon, post-lunch, 3-hour, out-like-a-light, puddles-of-drool-on-your- pillow kind of naps.   However, as much as I love naps, I rarely allow myself the privilege. When I do nap, I usually wake up feeling guilty, even though my body and mind needed the rest.   Why? Because I’m a doer. I like productivity. I like to get things accomplished, and often I feel that I need to get things accomplished. I don’t like to waste time, and that’s what happens when you nap. There’s laundry to take out of the dryer. The floor needs to be mopped. There are bills waiting to be paid. And none of that happens while I’m konked out.   This is how

If you didn't see the Video Music Awards on MTV this weekend, you really didn't miss much (other than a glorious NSYNC reunion... but that's for another place and time). But you probably haven't missed hearing about Miley Cyrus' vulgar "performance". There have been loads of opinions offered on her wild, televised, highly-publicized VMA antics, so I figured I'd add my voice to the mix. I've read that Miley's performance exhibited gender inequality. Many people are arguing the unfairness of young women feeling the need to put themselves on display sexually in order to gain attention. It has been said that because all the attention of the aftermath of the performance has been focused on Miley rather than her just-as-raunchy male counterpart Robin Thicke, it proves that women have not yet gained the equality they desire. I've read that Miley's performance exhibited racism. It has been pointed out that Miley is trying to portray &

" We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time. It's miserable and magical..."  -22 by Taylor Swift Say what you will about T-Swift, but if you were 22 when this song was released, it automatically became your JAM. It's just flat-out relatable. She demonstrates the spectrum of emotion that often accompanies young adulthood. Seriously, we are all OVER the place sometimes. But today, I am 23 . (Unfortunately, I've yet to find any cool songs about this age...what a disappointment...) I don't yet know how it will compare to 22. But before I move onward on this journey called life (nice cliche, eh?), I think the year of 22 was good enough to celebrate with some highlights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I was 22, I was a student. I began my final semester as an OU undergraduate. Four months and several papers later, I walked across the stage and received my diploma

Today, a friend asked, "So, how do you feel right now?"  Where to begin.... Overwhelmed.  Inspired.  Skeptical.  Really old & really young. (How is that even possible?) Like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough but still know nothing. Grateful for wise counsel.  Wondering how to sort through possibilities. Scared. Anxious. Excited. Breathless. Desperately wanting to trust God in every moment. Basically,  I'm a ridiculous mess of "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, GOD?"  At times I feel like I have the whole world at my feet, that there are endless possibilities in my life, and that I am FREE. Other times I feel that I'm stuck in a rut, that I will be paralyzed by options, and that there's no real direction in my life.  While there are a few times that I get a radiant glimpse of His brilliance and understand that God is working out the details of my life, most of the time, I just don't know which way is

Post-grad life. Hmm. It's only been 3 months and it's already given me a number of conundrums and complexes.  Okay, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic. But it is definitely a confusing time.  Even though I've recently been learning a ton about waiting (see last blog post), I've still struggled with having one foot in the present and one foot in the future, seeking out my next successful path. However, one simple sentence from one person has been destroying me for over a week. "Bethany, I can see that you're not settling into your new life here in Norman."  All kinds of thoughts went off in my head when I heard that, but the most noticeable was that I automatically equated "settling in" with "settling".  Part of the problem boiled down to my definition of the word "settle". I was using the definition that says "to become fixed, to become quiet and orderly, to take up an ordered and stable life". In other wor

As a single, twenty-something recent college graduate, I do a lot of thinking about the future. (Thinking...freaking out...whatever you want to call it.) Where will I go? What will I do? What job do I want to pursue?  Where will I live? How long should I stay? What do I enjoy? Who will I marry? Will I be a success? Who will be with me on this journey? Graduate school or career? Step out or play it safe? Start fresh or build upon the foundation already in place? What am I passionate about? How can I make a difference? Listen to logic/reason or listen to my heart? How will God use me? Am I making the right choices? These are just some of the questions that I seem to continually ask myself. And the thing is, I really don't have answers for any of them, at least right now. That's the frightening thing.  I have many viable options, but it seems so easy to become paralyzed by fear -- fear of making the "wrong" choice, fear of failure, fe

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Italy with one of my best friends in the world, Kaydee. (A European vacation...not a bad way to start out 2013!) Kaydee has been living in Italy since the summer. She works with a university study abroad program in Arezzo. Last spring when she was considering the job, I told her that if she took it, I would come visit her. Lo and behold, it worked out so that I could fly back with her at the end of her trip home for Christmas!  At the Colosseum Inside the Colosseum Long story short, the trip was phenomenal . I lived with Kaydee in Arezzo during the week. We did a lot of fun things around town (and pretty much ate gelato every day...oops...). She had to work a bit during the week, and even though she was worried about me having a good time while she was at work, it was actually a huge blessing. I split that time between going to work with her and trying to help her out, wandering around and exploring the city by myself, and resting/reading/medi