Hipster take-over

Plaid shirts. Lumberjack beards. Mason jars.
These are all things that can be found in excess at a Bon Iver concert.

What can also be found in excess is stellar music.
And by stellar, I mean incredible.
And by incredible, I mean phenomenal.

It was a wonderful night spent with one of my best friends, my bro.
The lovely Georginia made an appearance, as well.

My favorite moment of the show was when they did "Skinny Love"... being a Bon Iver staple, the crowd sang along with passion and vigor... It was pure magic.

Thanks to a random YouTube entheuseist, who had this video posted before the night was over, I can share this gem with you.

A psalm for today

You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

    and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

    the night will shine like the day,

    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

 Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand—

    when I awake, I am still with you.

...

Search me, God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 See if there is any offensive way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.

-- Psalm 139

Rainy day thoughts

I noticed recently how frequently I hear complaints coming from my own mouth and the mouths of others. We are so quick to voice our grievances, so effortlessly we grumble at the way things are. This is an every-day observance I've slipped into… 

Not to say that complaining about life's frustrations is terrible. We're humans, it's normal. But when it becomes excessive, the effects are less than advantageous.

I realized this, and then I came back to this truth: 

Life isn't easy and it was never promised to be. 

The idyllic "perfect life" does not exist for anyone. We all have issues, we all face difficulties, we all have challenges to overcome. But that is where beauty has the chance to come in. Through our suffering, amidst the struggles we come across, we have an amazing opportunity. An opportunity to see and feel the grace that God has covered us in. An opportunity for redemption from a loving Savior. An opportunity to love others fully and unconditionally. An opportunity to honor God with the lives he has granted us to live.

"though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

-- 1 Peter 1:6-7

God made us unique and individual from one another. We were all created with intended purpose. Let's embrace the life we've been given.

JS

Love is patient, love is kind.

I love filmography. I love weddings. Typical Digital Media female college kid.

I've seen quite my fair share of wedding videos… most of which have been beautiful and spectacular, eliciting emotions I didn't think I could have toward people I've never even known… What a sap. 

I just love the creativity of the filmmakers, I love the joy in the hearts of the lovebirds and their families, I love the sweet music.

Just today, I came across another one of these wedding videos…  But this one was different. And it was incredible. A marriage full of selfless love and deep reliance on God. This brings my heart much joy.

Please watch. You will be encouraged. This is what Christ's love looks like.

The Story of Ian & Larissa

Home, sweet home

Talking with a dear friend the other day, we agreed that there's really nothing quite like the feeling of going home after a long time spent elsewhere… After a busy semester, jam-packed with an endless "array" of projects (pun intended), nothing sounds quite as sweet as a little visit to mi casa.

[CUE: sigh of relief] 

Home is where I am welcomed by my favorite furry friends via vocal yelping and spastic body movement.. It is where we watch weird indie movies that my dad is convinced will be great because the anonymous critic on the cover gave it "two thumbs up".. It is where there is a surplus of delicious home-cooked food (including, but definitely not limited to, fresh guacamole, whole wheat waffles, and enchiladas… YUM.) 

Merriam-Webster defines the word "home" as "one's place of residence". If you asked where my home was, I would probably recite my address to you. But I don't think a home is just a physical location. When I think of the reasons I love home, it's not because I adore the decor or think the floorplan is super efficient. I love home because of the people who embody it. In the Lord's perfect provision and deep grace, he has greatly blessed me with an incredibly loving family. Their love and endearing support are what make this cement dwelling a home. 

Whatever I am lacking, he never ceases to provide. 

I've been here for approximately two hours and I already feel myself unwinding into a comfortable state of leisure. I think it's going to be a nice week of some much-needed rest...

Oh, hey there.

So, I have decided to start a blog.

Obviously.


Cliche? Maybe. But I think it will be a fun little adventure for the summer.

I'm not exactly sure what my purpose is in writing... to chronicle the exhilarating life of a UCF Knight? To document the summer's crazy shenanigans? Because there's sure to be some. To share thoughts and things that I am learning? It will probably be a combination of all of these.

I can't promise to captivate every fiber of your attention with stories of foreign romance or police espionage. Try visiting your neighborhood Redbox if that is what your looking for. I can, however, share with you a glimpse of what it is to be an almost-twenty-one-year-old college student seeking after Jesus and attempting to live a life fully glorifying and honoring to His name. He is my source of strength, my source of joy.

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High."
(Psalm 9:1-2)

That being said, I'm looking forward to these next few months. Good times and tough times, I'm sure there will be both because, hey, this is life, but there are two things I am certain of:
1) I know that there will be growth, and
2) I know that God will provide.

And that excites me!

Until next time...