Because it's TRADITION!

Tradition may be one of the most manipulative words in the English vocabulary. Do you know what I mean? “But why do we all have to stand in a line by the same Christmas tree every year for a picture? They all look the same and no one ever uses them beyond that moment!” “Because- it’s TRADITION!”

It’s that time of year where the “tradition” card gets played on a much more frequent basis. Please note, this is not a post about me being a Scrooge. If you read further, you will find that I rather like tradition J

Christmastime at the Branch household is a hotbed of tradition examples. Some have changed and morphed into something new over the years, but the foundations of what Christmas looks like on Ashcroft seem to stay the same. Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order:

1)      Christmas Eve Eve- This tradition started about ten years ago, and it’s grown into one of my favorites. The idea for Christmas Eve Eve began out of a conundrum- every year, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations switched off back and forth between both sides of the family, and that always left very little time for immediate family celebration. What to do? Celebrate Christmas Eve Eve, an eventful night that occasionally includes a trip through a rand-o neighborhood to marvel at their ever-decreasing Christmas lights and spirit, hot chocolate and coffee, dinner (preferably prepared by our personal chef known as Macaroni Grill) shared on “fancy” Christmasware, and time by the fire in the dead of 70 degrees Texas winter. “Allie and Raegan” presents are opened, and our sneak preview of Christmas begins. This tradition has morphed quite a bit from its humble beginnings. As boyfriends have joined the festivities over the years, their musical gifts exploited by well-meaning mothers and grandmothers, traditions have altered to fit our way of life. Games are usually played, tears of laughter are usually shed, and great times are most certainly always had. This celebration seems to grow every year as our “family” in Christ joins us in larger numbers with each passing year. It’s grown to be one of my favorite events of the holiday season, the inspired creation of my very hospitable mother.

2)      Duffie’s Christmas Breakfast- This is the Duffie’s much more elaborate, much more tradition-wrought event that has marked my calendar since the 6^th grade. Mr. and Mrs. Duffie (or Claus?) gather one and all around their trademark breakfast one Saturday each December consisting of bacon, breakfast casserole, sweet rolls, fruits, hot chocolate, and whatever else Mama D decides to whip up. May I mention that all of these items are award-winning and anticipated once again for next year on the very afternoon they are consumed? Now that I am several years out of high school, this event is special, as members of my Faith family are generally gathered at this tradition and much catching-up is done.

3)      Christmas Eve Service- This one just always tickles me, and it is the epitome of Christmas tradition. Whether it be actors on stage posing in the signature shape of the painting “The Lord’s Supper” or Mrs. Patti reading the children their Christmas story on stage, Church at the Cross never fails in their consistency. Sure, there’s always a little something different- the arrangement of Christmas songs to be sung will always throw you for a loop (Silent Night or O Holy Night first? You can never guess), the candle-lighting is a certain mystery (paper wax-catchers or the fancy plastic cups? Who knows!), and the biggest suspense of all- which Gospel will the pastor read from? One in four wins! All kidding aside, each sweet memento of these Christmas Eve services make up the very things I love about my home church- tradition and consistency. My church back home is the essence of a family, and the people I am blessed to know at that church are the very reason I love my very traditional church. And for goodness sakes, Raegan, it’s Christmas! Christmas songs must be sang, candles must be lit, and the story of the birth of Christ is a must! Exactly- which is why it makes my list of favorite traditions.

4)      Christmas at the Grams’- This is what we call traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It’s the bulk of our holiday season. Yes, we have grandfathers, but it’s very convenient that both of our grandmothers are named Gram. Every year, we switch off who we visit for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and every year, we forget whose turn is whose. That’s part of Thanksgiving tradition- everyone try to figure out who gets Christmas Day this year! Not that it matters all too much- my grandparents literally live around the corner from each other, and we see both of them on both days, and it’s time with family that everyone really wants. It’s the principle of the matter, of course. As a kid, these two days seemed to last two weeks. After presents were opened, the floor was found again under a volcano of wrapping paper and Barbie time could begin. Everyone got Barbies for Christmas- minus the boy cousin, Austin, of course. His job was to see how many Barbie’s heads he could pull off before we found out and burst out crying. Barbie time unfortunately and embarrassingly lasted well into junior high in our family- thankfully, Stephanie (oldest cousin) went to high school and we were all brought to the reality of our ridiculousness. I wouldn’t trade a second of it though. Once jammies were on and the second helping of lunch was brought out for dinner, everyone would gather round the television to see who won the debate this year- if it was the men, basketball would be on; if women, figure skating or cheesy Christmas movie.

5)      Skipping Contest- I debated putting this in the list simply for dignity’s sake, but it’s just too good to leave out. The legend of the skipping contest is shrouded in mystery, some believing it began even before the grandchildren’s time. What is it? A very simple, senseless event that begins with one family member asking, “When will we start the skipping?” *Editor’s note: Gram Henri (this is my mother’s side) and Pop have a somewhat circular house. We imagine a sort of “track” that winds from the living room around through the hall (that is walls on all sides) and empties back out into the other side of the living room. This is the location of the aforementioned skipping contest.* There is much debate from anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour. Usually, the youngest in the room is chosen as the guinea pig who must begin the contest. They must skip from the living room, through the hallway (where no one is watching) and skip back out into the living room. Scores are then determined on form, believability, and excitement level. Volunteers are then taken for the next several rounds. At the end, there are still those that must be coerced into skipping on account that one does not get to sit back, judge, and laugh, and then decline participation. Inevitably, when aunts, uncles, and grandparents begin skipping, tears of laughter begin flowing. There’s something that happens to you when you round that corner into the hallway- no one’s watching, are you still going to skip? That’s where the believability factor comes in. if you aren’t about to pee your pants from laughing and if you don’t look like a little kid at a carnival when you round that corner, you didn’t skip in the hallway, and that’s crucial. That’s the crux of the skipping contest. Why we do this, no one knows. For boyfriends and girlfriends that have joined these Christmas celebrations over the years, the skipping contest has served as a sort of initiation into the family. It says, “Can you handle the weirdness of this family? More importantly, how can you not want to be a part of a family where part of earning your Christmas presents is a skip around the house?”

I hope you enjoyed a few of my family Christmas traditions. There are many more peculiarities about my family time I wish I could share, as I’m sure there are many more in your families as well that I wish I could know. All in all, I love traditions, because the more things change, the more some things stay the same. It’s part of the balance that holds life together, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

Why I Love Him

I feel that with how sweet Boyfriend is being by coming back to College Station with me just days before Christmas to keep me company, he certainly deserves a blog posting of his own. If you are reading this blog, you probably already know Clayton, or at the very least, know who he is. But since writing is one of the ways I show love and because he truly means the world to me, I want to tell you a little about him from my perspective and give you some insight into why I just think he’s great!

I don’t remember a place and time when Clayton and I first met. I’m sure it was probably some junior high math class, but at that time, basketball held my heart more firmly than any boy could. I know I probably appreciated his math skills as a junior high girl, amazed that he was so willing to help any student in the classroom even though he was all their junior. Beyond that, he was just the curly headed smart kid that sat quietly in the corner and made straight A’s. I was always a good student, but he was a great one.

Babies

In high school, Clayton and mine’s paths crossed a little more often as my interests turned more towards football and friendships. We were both on the track team together, and while intentional conversations were probably non-existent, we did spend a lot of time in the same tent with dozens of other sweaty and stinky teammates at meets. Our time together increased as his role as my math tutor became more prominent- my math skills reached their peak in 8^th grade, and so his aid was all the more necessary as classes amplified in difficulty.  While I dated a good friend of his and started hanging out in his closer circle of friends, our friendship grew beyond the classroom and after school math sessions. I began to see Clayton as more of a friend, and his sweet temperament, unrivaled patience, and calm sense of confidence grew on me more and more. Finally, in my junior year, Clayton took me to homecoming. At the time, I sincerely thought it nothing more than a genuine gesture of friendship, and our time together that night was amiable, although I believe that he felt otherwise. For a period of time, our feelings for each other didn’t line up, but that’s ok, because all that matters is that they eventually did, and the roads we both walked down, albeit short and sweet, led us to the place we are now.

Football games with him were the BEST! 

The stars aligned my senior year and all was right in the world (ha). What began as giving this sweet, curly-headed friend a chance turned into the ride of my life with my best friend. While the road was rather rocky in that first year as both of us struggled to figure out what dating was really all about while trying to navigate life with new baby wings, I think we learned a lot along the way. That first year of college was a little rough as my time with him was much more limited than I was used to. However, I think it helped us a lot in still maintaining separate lives and really growing as individuals, something I would never take back. I see so many couples who didn’t get the blessing of going through that, and they played marriage all through college and severely missed out on so many of the God-sent blessings of friendships that Clayton and I both received. I realize that was nothing we did and all God’s great wisdom and greater purpose for us.

Surrounded by members of our Impact family!

These past two and a half years of sharing college life together really seems like a dream. I can’t even sum up in words the goodness that was written all over these years, especially this past one. God dropped a bucket of blessings on us through genuine and sincere friendships, both individually and together, mentors and role models, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, leadership positions, organizations full of godly people that pushed us to pursue Him more recklessly, a God-fearing church, and just through community in general. He built a family for us here in College Station, and even though I know life only gets better from here, I can’t possibly imagine a better life beyond knowing the incredible people I’ve been blessed to call friends. I focus on this so much because they truly helped grow Clayton and I into the man and woman God desires for us to be, and without their constant love and support and encouragement, we wouldn’t be who we are. Most importantly, I think our relationship is consistently affirmed through the mutual friendships we have because we get to spend time together and with the body at the same time as we have found circles of friends we both enjoy.

More wonderful friends-turned-family!

Clayton loves the Word of God and feeds on it like it is the very bread of life that it is. He loves God more than He loves me, and because of that, He loves me well. I’ve seen Clayton become sharpened as a man of God, and even in his growing, I see his humble acceptance of who he was created to be coupled with a desire to go even deeper still. Clayton challenges me to know God more as well, giving me encouragement, motivation, wisdom, and excitement to pursue Him wholeheartedly.

Clayton is my best friend. I love that about our relationship. I’m so thankful that it was built on friendship and an authentic care and respect for one another. There is so much honesty and clarity after more than 4 years, that of course was worked at and paid for, and trust is the cornerstone of this relationship. He is the biggest goober one moment and will wrap you up in the most empathetic hug the next. He has such patience with me, whether through tears and bloodshed during math class, or simply handling my sometimes abrasive nature and vicious rhetoric.

Clayton's high school graduation

My college graduation- we've come a long way in that time!

He loves people so well. We are always the last to leave any room or social gathering, because Clayton will not leave until every person there feels like a million bucks. This has probably been my favorite part about watching Clayton grow up. He has always had this heart of gold and relational mindset, but it has been so neat to see how college has challenged him and how he has opened up to so many people and truly blossomed into the hands and feet of Christ. Who would have ever thought that my often-shy math friend would transform into Mr. A&M?

I’m so proud of all that he is and all that he will be. Clayton is brilliant, if you haven’t already guessed by the relentless references to math. As a biomedical engineer in the making, Clayton could truly take any path after May 2012. The thing I love about him is that he is sold out to following the will of the Lord for his life. He has so many gifts and talents beyond the classroom that I have no doubt the Lord will use him in a mighty way, and Clayton is more than willing to lay those gifts right back at his maker’s feet. I’m excited to follow this boy one day because I can trust that he won’t chase money or esteem- He’ll chase Truth.

My best friend :)

I could go on and on and on. What I really want you to know is that I’m just tickled pink that I get to call this boy my boyfriend. I’m so proud of him, and I just wanted to love on him a little with my words and let him know how thankful I am for his presence in my life. It’s a relationship that has been tested and has consistently come out stronger through the flames, and with only 4 years behind us, I know there’s more of that to come. But I couldn’t choose a better friend to walk through this crazy life with than Clayton Scott Messinger.

Coffee and Chocolate

On a more simple note today, I am so thankful for coffee and chocolate.

Simple pleasures that the Lord gave us. I can fix almost any mood with coffee or chocolate. This is something that Clayton caught onto quickly and usually uses subtly to his advantage when my moods start turning south. Whether I’m sleepy, grumpy, anxious, frustrated, joyful, peaceful, sad, happy, or some crazy mixture in between, coffee and chocolate are my go to foods of choice.

Every morning this week, coffee has been there at the bottom of the elevator, preparing me for the cold blizzard outside, warming me from the inside out. After dinner, chocolate chip cookies or hot chocolate finished off my cravings with a hint of sweet to close the night out.

The best thing in the world? Mocha. Also, coffee and chocolate are both better the darker they are. The best cereal in the world is Special K Chocolatey Delight. Chocolate-covered coffee beans are also a win.

"As for me and my household..."

Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I haven’t told you nearly enough about my family yet. They are my rock, a blessing of faithfulness to the very core. They are some of the most wonderful people you’ll ever get the chance to meet (and I hope you do get that chance), each with their own individual personality. Can I tell you about them?

Mom: She’s a beaver through and through (if you don’t understand that reference, you probably didn’t go to Faith). She’s meticulous and well-planned, thoughtful and considerate, meticulous and hard-working. She’s a rule-follower, she sees everything black and white, she stands by her convictions, yet she loves with open arms. If you ever want something done right, take it to her, because she takes pride in her work like no one I’ve ever seen, and she’s taught me so much about integrity, honesty, work ethic, and doing your best unto the Lord.

She’s more than her job though, obviously. She’s hilarious in her very own special way. It’s a weekly event that her text messages crack me up and I show everyone around, and normally she has no idea why she was funny. Those people are the best kind- it’s just natural. She is so ever-devoted to her family, and that comes first in life. Her first concern above anything else is always our spiritual health, and because of that, the rest of the characteristics of the wife of noble character follow in suit. She would sacrifice anything for her family, and I’ve seen her do it again and again. Our relationship is so special because she has seen me through every stage of life thus far with patience, prayer, and laughter. My mother laughs so much, and when she does, it is absolutely contagious! I get my laugh from my mom, and I’m proud of it. She’s grown into more of a friend these days. Not that she’s not still very much my mom, but I so appreciate the way she’s let me grow up with grace, and because of that, I’ve very much wanted to seek her wisdom and advice on things. She’s beautiful, too, inside and out. Get to know my mom- she is one smart, funny, and very pleasant person to be around.

Dad: My dad- he’s a saint. I realize that more and more all the time. He’s not the most vocal person you’ll ever meet, because he’s busier living out his faith than just putting words to it. So when he does talk about what he believes and knows to be true, people absolutely listen because he backs it up with action. He’s dedicated and loyal to his family. Don’t ask me how he did it, but growing up, he very rarely ever missed a sporting event or school activity, despite the fact that he worked like crazy to provide for his family, often on very few hours of sleep. He’s a family man to the core, and the things he does to provide for his family, he does out of the joy of his heart; I know this, because I never hear him complain about it.

Also, he’s maybe the funniest person I know. Deeply sarcastic in the very best way, my dad can find humor in the day-to-day trivialities of life. He can bring the whole family belly-aching laughter with so very few words because he’s quick-witted and spot-on. Vacations with him and my family are the best because there’s never a dull moment. My dad taught me to love sports- that may seem simple-minded, but the mornings I spent riding to basketball practice at 6 in the morning, talks we’ve had over the sports page, or even making brackets for March Madness constitute some of the best memories I have of him. My dad always supported me in my athletic endeavors, never missing a beat, truly engaging in what I found joy in, and our relationship grew in those moments. I still love a good talk on Big 12 football and trying to no avail to beat him just once in bracket selections.

Allie- My little sister is better than yours. She is the best friend a girl could ask for! While Allie and I are different in almost every way, we make for two great puzzle pieces that fit together in all the right ways. Where Allie is a basket case, I come in with organization and order. Where I am uptight, Allie reminds me that small things are just that- small. However, we both have the silliness of 8 year old girls still in our hearts and I laugh the hardest with her. She’s cute as a button with a heart full of genuine love. Even though she is my little sister, I look up to her for so many things.

Allie deeply loves people. Her foremost care and concern on any day is the needs of others. Her social calendar is fuller than any freshmen I’ve ever met, and while some of that is definitely due in part to her awesome roommates (J) she has definitely put herself out there and gone the extra mile to make friends and serve others. She’s super easy to get along with, she’s fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and she brings joy and laughter to my life every day. She loves the Lord with all her heart and seeks Him above all else. Her spiritual wisdom is evident in the way she ministers to others and worships wholeheartedly.

I love this family with all my heart and feel blessed beyond anything I deserve with them. However, I know that to whom much is given, much is expected. My family is a prime example in my life of blessing in abundance, and I know that it is my responsibility to love others and invite them into the family of God as joy spills out and my cup overflows with His goodness. I could not be more thankful for the beautiful family God has given me!

"Pleasures Forevermore"

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

There is nothing in the world like a good, hearty laugh. When I really get to giggling, my whole body gets that “good hurt” feeling, tears are normally streaming down my face, and oftentimes the noises that come out of me are not very flattering. But I don’t mind, because when those good laughs come around, you can’t help but smile the rest of the day! I praise the Lord for laughter, it’s such good medicine, and such a funny and wonderful gift He gave us.

One of the things I’ve been learning heavily this year has been that God made us to experience joy. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” The thing that has hit me anew this year is what satisfaction really means in the Lord. So often, I thought satisfaction meant just being “ok” with what the Lord has given me, like no matter the circumstances, if I could just find satisfaction in God by hanging on by a thread, He was glorified. As long as I put on a good face and really just give all credit to the Lord in any and every situation, He was happy with me. But only half of that is true. Absolutely, when we turn around and give glory back to the Lord and praise Him through everything, He receives glory. But He doesn’t just desire for us to hang on by a thread either. He wants us to experience the fullness of His joy, truly He wants us to experience the pleasures that are at His right hand. He created the pleasures of this world FOR us, that we would delight in who God is, that He is a loving and caring God who wants us to enjoy good things. That’s the other half to being satisfied in Him.

I began to realize that when I laugh with my friends and enjoy life together, we give each other joy that is from God alone, and He gets glory out of that. When I admire His handiwork, when I notice the beauty of His creation, when I sing to Him, when I spend sweet time with family and friends, when I enjoy serving my customers, when I read His Word, when I talk about His goodness…I’m drawing from His never-ending well of joy and glorifying Him by tasting and seeing that the Lord is indeed GOOD! He is such a good, good God, and when we try so hard to look for ways to be satisfied in Him, I imagine He just thinks, “stop trying and just look around at the entire universe of joy I gave you!”

Laughter is one of my favorite things the Lord gave us, because it just shows His extravagant love for us. Why laughter? Have you ever thought about why we laugh? When we laugh, we literally feel good all over; it’s designed for that. God gave us all kinds of feel-good pleasures, and when you think about it, He didn’t have to give us any of those, it was truly out of the goodness of His heart! He so wants us to experience His joy that He commands it over and over in Scripture! What a good God- His commands are that we just love Him by loving the life He gave us! Nothing He commands is for our harm.

It’s Friday, and that means a weekend of friends and fun is ahead. I hope you have an opportunity to laugh your little head off this weekend.

Proverbs 31:25 “…and she laughs at the days to come.”

"The Lord will fulfill His purposes for me..."

Psalm 138:8

As I finished up packing parts of my office up for the travelling that will ensue these next two weeks, I couldn’t help but think of how thankful I am for my job this holiday season. As I’ve told you earlier of how the Lord truly led me to this job, at this time, and in this place, I’m really thankful that He gave me a job that not only provides, but that I also enjoy. Knowing full well the state of the economy at graduation and the fact that I had virtually nothing to offer an employer besides a young mind and a bachelor’s degree, I consider it nothing short of a miracle that I found employment right where I want to be doing exactly what I had no idea I wanted to do.

On top of the fact that I’m surrounded by intelligent, sweet, and hard-working people in my office, I get the opportunity to travel several times a year with the rest of the camp department. This coming week’s trip will be to Asheville, NC, for a trade show for Christian camps. I’ll get to represent the company and meet my customer’s for the once-a-year face time I’ll get with them. I’m looking forward to seeing a new part of the country and getting to experience and learn about what my customers do for a living!

The following week, I’ll be packing my bags for Pennsylvania, as a co-worker and I will be travelling through the backwoods up north. I’ll be her “assistant” for lack of a better word as she meets with her customers, while I help make things easier for her and take note of how she does her job. I’m so looking forward to seeing snow during the holidays and being up north! Never did I think while looking for a job that I would be blessed with these opportunities of travel!

One of the other perks that I didn’t share earlier is the opportunity I will have in the future to work from home. I think when my boss said those words in my interview after I was already sold on everything else about the job, my heart soared. Knowing that I can pick up and take my job wherever the Lord leads me in the near future was such an encouragement and an affirmation that this job is right where the Lord has me. One of my hugest frustrations in looking for a job in College Station was that I didn’t’ know if I was supposed to be here, or for how long. I worried that I’d find a job and sign a lease, only to find out that I hate it, or I don’t feel called to College Station, or something would happen where I’d feel stuck or trapped. It was like icing on the cake to hear that my job is portable. I think it’s nice that that pressure was taken off of my decision, and Clayton can 100% focus on his career plans and feel confident and assured in wherever the Lord leads him. I love that the Lord took care of my “Martha heart” by giving me a job that allows me to take my mind off the future and truly enjoy the present!

I love what I do. I couldn’t be happier with a just-out-of-college career. And I think that’s something else I love about it- it’s truly a career. The one thing I didn’t want was a job. Jobs come and go, there’s no real goals to meet or expectations to exceed. There’s nothing to shoot for in a job, because normally it’s a gateway to your next step in life, and it has a real beginning and end in mind. It stifles creativity and drive and can suck the life out of you. I’m thankful for a career I can push myself in, grow into, and really blossom and succeed in. I’m thankful for co-workers and employers who are quickly becoming friends.

I’m thankful for the opportunity and blessing to begin to provide for myself, to take on new responsibilities, and to mature as I enter adulthood. I’m thankful for the lessons I’m learning about budgeting and bills and how to save for my future and the things I want most in life. I’m thankful that I can begin now to pay off student debt while my cost of living is so cheap. I’m thankful for new opportunities to bless people financially and serve in a new way. I’m thankful for the mission field of an office, and the fact that I get to work with both brothers and sisters in Christ as well as those other precious people I have a chance to reach out to and show love.

It’s not always easy to be so thankful for a place I spend 8 hours a day at, sitting in front of a computer writing emails and answering phone calls. It’s not always easy to be at work every morning at 8am, when everything in my 21 year old body screams that it is not yet ready for adult hours. I’m reminded every day by my college roommates that I don’t get to wake up and decide to skip like they can, or go out on midnight rendezvous, or participate in on-campus organizations that have defined my life these past few years. Every now and then, that gets hard, but for the most part, I’m truly grateful that I get to transition into this next phase of life slowly, still surrounded by friends. I only have to be an adult during the day. When I go home, I get to play again, and it’s nice to not have the looming deadlines of test dates and studying looming over my head. Overall, I think adult life will be pretty fun, but I must admit I’m ready for the rest of my college friends to join me here!

12 Days of Blogging

I haven’t blogged in a while and let me tell you why: I flat out didn’t have anything interesting to blog about. Nothing profound/interesting/funny/thought-provoking. The ideas I did have weren’t being followed with creative juices. And I’ve been a lot busier since that last blog post.

But now, I am proud to announce that my blogging juices are flowing again and creative thoughts have been rejuvenated. Between now and Christmas, I want to share with you 12 things in my life that I am truly grateful for, things the Lord has blessed me with, so that I can share with you who God is in my life and what He is doing. Some will be more light-hearted than others, but I figured it was in the spirit of the season and would keep my mind focused on the true purpose and meaning of Christmas- that Christ came to this earth to bring hope to every man. I have such a great hope and confidence in my Jesus, and I just want you to rejoice with me!

Looking forward to it. Please feel free to comment and post what the Lord is doing in your life over these holidays and throughout this past year!

RB

Raegan- Post May 15th, 2010

What are you doing with your life?

That is a good question. One that I get, at the very least, 3 times a week. Probably because I am living in College Station and not going to school. Wait….you can do that? I know. College Station, Texas, despite popular belief, is actually a functioning, normal town with real people in it and real jobs, and not even just professors and those that work at Texas A&M. Crazy, I didn’t believe it either. Let me tell you how I ended up here, or rather stayed here, especially for those sweet friends still attending school that I run into and are afraid to ask if I thought I was going to graduate and didn’t or wonder if I’m still bumming around.

It’s a neat story, actually, one that has God’s hand of blessing all over it, and I want to show you not just where I am, but where I am in His story.

I graduated on May 15^th, 2010, from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of arts in communication. One of the cooler days of my life, for sure. In the first three years leading up to my graduation, the most popular question was definitely, “So what do you want to do after you graduate?” Simple, harmless question, one that every college student gets the pleasure of responding to. In fact, what college student doesn’t like answering that question? You get to talk about your dreams and your expectations in life and all about the brand new business you’re going to start the second after you walk across that stage. Dreams are big in this time, as they should be, and I get so excited when I see friends achieve those dreams due to persistence and discipline. But for the majority of us out there, that question becomes so much more difficult to answer in that last year, and especially when it changes ever so slightly to, “What are you going to do after you graduate?” That simple word change changes everything, and the pressure is on in that moment. In the months and weeks leading up to May 15^th, that question seemed to be more of a dagger to my soul than an innocent question of intrigue, simply because I couldn’t answer it. I had so many transient hopes and dreams of what I wanted to do with my life that slowly got sifted through the sands of reality as each semester passed. I’m sure anyone who knows me well could easily rattle off 6-8 different career paths I was on at some point in college, ranging from journalist to wedding planner to teacher to hair dresser. But once it came down to actual graduation time, I was just as clueless as most of my fellow classmates sitting in the liberal arts ceremony, maybe in part due to the economy and the nation’s total lack of need for us right-brained folks.

This is the point of the story in which God, in His omniscience and great love for me, really began to show me a little about myself and a lot about Him.

God knows that I like order and plans and neatness. They are attributes of Him displayed in me as I am made in His image. However, there is sin in me and not in Him, and so even the gifts and qualities He made me with can be corrupted, usually by selfishness and a constant need for control. God knew that if I made plans and they all pulled through exactly as I dreamed that I would not be any better, and He so wants me to grow. He knew that I would depend on myself and not on Him, and it would be a false sense of independence because even when we think we are doing something on our own strength, we’d be humbled to know we couldn’t take our next breath without Him. He knew that my plans aren’t nearly as big or cool as His are, and He knows I can do so much more for Him in His plans. He knew my heart better than I knew it, and He gave me my heart’s desires without me even knowing it by drawing my heart closer to His and giving me more of His heart. So what did He do? Well, He messed my plans up a little bit.

Not that I had big plans, no. More like He messed up my plans to have plans, which if you have that kind of “planner brain” like me, that sentence just made perfect sense. Instead, He left me plan-less and just kept whispering softly in my ear, “Wait on me. Depend on me. TRUST me.” So I did…until May 16^th. Then I freaked out. Where was I going to live? What was I going to do? Should I go back to school? Should I go back home? Should I accept the first job that comes my way?

I said yes to that last question, and it really got me nowhere quickly. I learned a few life-lessons along the way, namely, “Don’t accept the first job that comes your way.” Basically, a month  or two in, I quit my first real job because, one, they wanted me to basically live in Laredo for half the year, and two, because it had no semblance of God’s plan for me on it, and I felt it in my soul.

I quit that job just a few days before leaving for Impact as a prayer teamer. I had so many mixed feelings heading out there, so much joy to be with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the ministry that God had laid on my heart over the past two years, and also so much doubt (from that crazy Satan character) about my purpose in being there. As I sat in that prayer room for the first night, ready to stand vigil with my fellow prayer team girls, feeling “armed for spiritual warfare”, Satan decided to  aim for the jugular. He cut straight to the heart with accusations and lies, tormenting my heart with questions I wasn’t required to answer. I had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had me on prayer team for a reason before I even knew what that reason was. (Sometimes God gives you that total sense of peace when you take something on, and prayer team was definitely one of those.) Just when I thought I’d succumb to self-pity and doubt, the Holy Spirit went to battle for me, and as I wept over the pages of Truth, He promised me that I was in HIS hands, that Satan has no hold over me, and that I was free to enjoy His goodness and the moment He placed me in. Right then and there, He released me from the fear of not being successful, the fear of taking a step out of His plans for me, the strain of trying to live in perfection, the fear of uncertainty, and most importantly, my own control. These are all things He released me from when He hung on the cross; rather, He reminded me that I’m free, showed me the silliness of standing in a prison cell when the gate is wide open.

The next day was just a cool day. Let me preface this by saying that I know that when you pray for direction and guidance, you don’t always receive an immediate answer. The Lord always provides what we need, but not always on the timeframe we think He should work in. But this was one of those times when God saw it fit to blow my mind with His goodness and faithfulness and really show me that I can’t do anything apart from Him. After an afternoon with my camp, meeting freshmen and truly ministering with a free heart, I came back to my room to find 7 voicemails on my phone. Never in my life have I ever received seven voicemails in one day, much less all from potential employers/friends of potential employers. I took a step outside to listen to them before my next prayer session; I was curious! I literally sang of His goodness as I walked back in that room with such a portrait of His provision, knowing that when I got off that bus that Thursday, I had two interviews lined up for Friday.

Flash forward to today. I’ve been working for C.C. Creations for about two months now, and if you’re not from College Station, let me tell you what it is. C.C. Creations is a large screen printing and embroidery company that also specializes in signs and banners, trophies and awards, and promotional products- basically if you can put your name on something, we can do it. I had the privilege of working with this company on the other side of the desk for the past year as VP of Sigma Phi Lambda, ordering t-shirts, fleeces, sunglasses, shorts (plus 20+ other random items to outfit all 250 girls from head to toe in our letters). While we had our ups and downs on some orders (we suffered a few misprints here and there), I was so impressed by the professionalism of the business, and also their sincere desire to see that I was a satisfied customer. I liked that about them. I was in the office at least on a weekly basis, and I got to know several of the employees, and over time, we all began to joke that I was in the office so often that I might as well get paid for it. Finally taking them seriously one day, I offered the manager my resume. She was courteous, and informed me that she would definitely keep me in mind when they would be needing new sales reps come December. Thinking in my head that I have my life under control and there would be no way I could wait until December to have a job, I smiled politely and told her to give me a call when that became available and we’d see where life had taken me.

Well, I obviously took that first job in June and didn’t really think about C.C. Creations anymore. Until that whole episode I just explained. And low and behold, C.C. Creations just happened to be one of those voicemails left on my phone. I interviewed a few days later, and here’s the really neat part. The position I was interviewing for was not the position I thought I was interviewing for. I thought it was a local sales rep position, but it turns out they needed a Programs Sales rep sooner as their current employee would be leaving the company in a couple of months to be a full time mom. (Program Sales= working with camps and non-profits nation-wide). They picked my resume out for two reasons- 1) because I was a communication major and RPTS (recreation, parks and tourism sciences, or better known as rest and play til seminary) and for maybe the only time in my life that combination was exactly what they wanted, and 2) because I had some connections to this lady who would be leaving- she was a former officer in Phi Lamb at A&M! So after a long talk about all the other crazy connections, cool stories of how I had come to know this company, etc., I had this crazy perfect peace feeling about the job, knowing that whether I got it or not, the Lord had led me there to show me His goodness, to confirm His plan for me in College Station (that was a big one I doubted constantly- what was I staying here for, and why?) and when you are faithful in small things, He sees it.

So if you’re still reading, you must love me. I love you, too. That’s where I am. I’m making t-shirts, loving life, and understanding my workplace as my mission field. Totally cool. I’ll tell you more of the cool things about my job later because there are so many Jesus-stories packed into how I got here and how perfect this place is for me. Never did I think that making t-shirts could be part of where God wanted me right now, because I don’t think I understood completely that He doesn’t operate on our timetable, and careers, finance, education- it’s all part of this life that doesn’t translate in heaven. However, He has a HUGE interest in my heart, in my ministry, and in my complete and total dependence on Him and He wants me to see those earthly things as tools for what He wants me to do in His kingdom. Once I started understanding how to pray about the “why” instead of the “what” and the “where”, I started relinquishing my dreams and taking on His bigger ones. I don’t have it all figured out, obviously, I’m 21 years old. I’m not feigning any real wisdom here. I’m just taking the next step of obedience and trying to continue to be faithful in the small things, like first jobs and student loans.

Week 11 Lovin'

I tried really hard to think of something else to write about this weekend. I really did. But when you get to see your man finally receive his Aggie ring on Friday, take a road trip to Baylor for the weekend to watch your Fightin’ Texas Aggies take down the Bears, and return on Sunday to a #19 ranking, I mean, what else is there to talk about?

I’m proud of my Ags, I really am. They’ve restored heart and hope to Aggieland these past four weeks, and regardless of what happens in the post-season, I have to say, this is as excited I’ve seen College Station since I’ve been here. Instead of telling you about my weekend, I’ll let these pictures do the talking!

FRIDAY

Clayton got his Aggie Ring! WHOOP!

Now we match- Aggie love <3

For all of you non-Ags, it's kind of a big deal. Over 90% of the student body gets their ring, a tradition that dates back to 1889.

SATURDAY

Got to spend a wonderful Saturday night with this crew of Baylor Beauties.

This was Cyrus Gray. All. Game. Long.

These are incredible pictures from the game---take a look!

Doug Klembara's Awesome Pictures

This is stud, Ryan Tannehill.



Unfortunately, we still don't control our own destiny at this point.

No thanks to Texas this weekend.....fail.

This is Baylor pre-game. All smiles and bear claws.

They are good at that bear claw. Got it down pat. Also, their "kill" cheer, which scarily resembles something I've seen in WWII documentaries, makes me wonder if we're the cult....



I know this was last week, but still...Wreck-ing- Crew. Makin a comeback.



What Floyd Casey looks like when it's not serving as Kyle Field North.



Ok, ok, enough harrassing Baylor with images.

Here's what ESPN had to say...

• Best game: Texas A&M 42, Baylor 30. The Aggies rebounded from a terrible start that featured Robert Griffin III's longest run of the season, a 71-yard touchdown to earn a dramatic win in the Battle of the Brazos and set up a huge game against Nebraska in College Station on Saturday.
• Most heartbreaking play: Terrance Frederick, Texas A&M. Frederick returned a blocked field goal 71 yards at the end of the first half, but went out of bounds at the 1-yard line after time expired, meaning his play was all for naught.
• Best team performance: Texas A&M. The Aggies pitched a second-half shutout against a big-time Baylor offense and earned a 42-30 comeback victory on the road against the Bears to keep their slim South hopes alive. Honorable mention: Oklahoma.

Oh, and some super intelligent comments from the discussion section on ESPN that Clayton and I love to read for entertainment on lazy Sunday afternoons....

"Uh, why don't you read my posts a little more carefully there, you un-smart guy. Scroll down and read instead of just thinking you're so smart, un-smart guy. If you read down a little farther, and read my, uh, let's see, maybe 4 or 5 posts on this subject, you will see that I wasn't talking about Baylor there, un-smart guy."

SUNDAY

Ah, early, early Sunday morning, we drove back to sweet College Station. So good to see dear friends- thanks so much for letting me stay, Hope! I SO enjoyed it!



Oh yeah, and there was this bright spot in my day. Thanks for fighting, Cowboys, as a dear fan, I am very thankful



Oh yeah, and then we got this good news! No. 19 in BCS-Woohoo!

 

No. 19 Aggies just keep fighting

Great football weekend. I know, maybe not for everybody. Aggies from Dallas tended to like it.

And I do promise a much more girl-friendly post next time. I do like a lot of girly things, I'm very girly. But I also love football. Remember?


Other things I did this weekend:


Colossians Bible Study with my wonderful Coach Group!


Sunday afternoon coffee with Clayton.



Kelli Fyke's 21st Birthday!



Fun weekend, good football, great people. I love weekends, such a great time to unwind and relax. Looking forward to what this week holds!

Hope you are all having a very blessed Monday :)

RB

The Most Important Thing You Will Ever Read

What I believe, based on the inerrant, infallible Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17):

In the beginning, the triune God (2 Cor. 13:14) created the world (Gen 1:1). He then created man perfect in His own image. (Gen 1:27)

Because He so loved His creation and desired a relationship with the man and woman He created, He gave man and woman free will to choose to love, obey Him, and live in harmony with Him. But because they had this free will, they could also choose to disobey Him. And they did. (Gen. 3:6)

Sin ultimately separated Adam and Eve (and thus, all of creation) from God, and the consequence of sin was death. (Rom. 6:23) We all fall short of the glory of God, and it is impossible to come to Him; He had to come to us (John 6:44)

To atone for their sins, God’s people (the Israelites) of the Old Testament had to make sacrifices to God, a “scapegoat” to carry their sins. (Lev. 9:7)

Ultimately, God knew that He must send His perfect son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. (Heb. 10:10)

God performed a miracle and sent His Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18-25), fully God and fully man (Heb. 2:17), so that He would come and live a sinless life, and through His death, burial, and resurrection, He would be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all who believe in His name (Rom. 5, 2 Cor. 5:21)

Anyone who believes on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:9), and will live eternally with Him in heaven (John 3:16).

If we believe, repent, and are saved by the blood of Christ, God looks on us and sees us as holy, blameless, and pure because we have been covered by Christ- redeemed (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Christ left with us the Holy Spirit to be our intercessor with God, so that we are able to know, discern and test what God’s will is. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a relationship with God (Rom. 12:2)

It is not by works that we reach heaven (Eph. 2:8-9). Our works are fruits of the Spirit within us (Gal. 5:22-25).

There is SO much more to the freedom-filled life in Christ (Gal. 5:1), but there is nothing more to the message of salvation. Christ came once for all, offered us eternal life, and freed us from the bondage of our sins. In return, He asks us for our life. If we put to death our sin with Christ on the cross, we are raised again with Him as a new creation (John 3:3).

That is absolute truth, and it is the most incredible thing I know. I will never tell you again anything more worthwhile.

The Transitive Property works with Jesus, but not Big 12 football

So, after bull-dozing you with my love and affection for my dear girlfriends, I decided to take a little time off and enjoy my weekend a bit! And enjoy it I did- what a sweet weekend filled with great friends, quality down time, new adventures and a Fightin’ Texas Aggie win! One of the better weekends I’ve had this fall for certain. I truly hope you enjoyed reading about my friends as much as I enjoyed writing about them. It made me miss each one of them individually, and I’m more than ready to see them over Thanksgiving!

(old school, right there)

So as I thought on what to share out of the constantly- revolving wheel of thoughts in my head, my initial impulse was to ruminate on all things Aggie- a collection of sentimental memoirs from my time in Aggieland. However, I realize I’m much too under-the-influence of the “Aggie Kool-Aid” at the moment after an awe-inspiring scene at Kyle Field on Saturday, so I’ll wait to see how the rest of this season pans out before I have to eat my words. Not that I would spring to any rash conclusions, but my little Aggie heart might just beat too proudly for some of my Big 12 friends. I can’t help it- there’s just something special here- more on that come December J

I hope to use my deep understanding of mathematics (ha) to use logic in explaining some biblical concepts today, but unfortunately, the transitive property doesn’t always apply to football. Ex. If A=B, and B=C, then A=C works in my dumbed-down lesson on Jesus, but not in the Big 12. One would think (and if an Aggie, hope) that:

If Texas A&M beats Texas Tech, and Texas Tech beats Baylor, then Texas A&M will beat Baylor.

However, this same logic didn’t work out so well for us in this instance:

If Texas A&M beats Texas Tech, and Texas Tech beats Missouri, then Texas A&M will beat Missouri.

Yeah, not so much. That’s what’s so great about college football…anything can happen! I love it!

On that note, I wanted to go a little deeper and share something that has been on my heart these past few weeks. I’m leading a study on the book of Colossians with some college girls from my church, Grace Bible, on Wednesday nights, and I’ll admit, I’ve read ahead a little. There’s a certain idea that I have been grappling with this semester that Paul addresses in Colossians- being able to give an answer. Take a look at Colossians 4:5-6:

“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Early on in the semester, we talked out what that idea meant, specifically when it comes to sharing the gospel. There are so many different takes and methods on how we ought to go about evangelizing. Truly, I do love to discuss with others how to go about reaching the world for Christ, and I’m inspired and encouraged by friends of mine who are radical in their approach. However, I could talk about evangelizing with all my Christian friends every day and never get a single person any closer to the kingdom of heaven. So I had to start examining my own heart and life to figure out how to apply this verse. It seems so simple; we just make it so complicated.

I realized this when a friend encouraged me to have completely memorized the message of the gospel. My initial thought was, “well, of course I know the gospel, I’ve been taught this since before I could even speak!” But what she meant was more of what I consider knowing “how to answer everyone.” People have questions beyond Jesus’ death and resurrection- rarely will you find anyone who takes the elementary version of Easter at face value, and if they don’t have questions, are you really giving them the message of salvation? It’s the most confrontational, counter-cultural, radical, dumbfounding message they will ever receive; everything about it goes against our own sinful, human ideas of justice. When you show them grace, when you introduce them to Jesus, they’re going to have to deal with it, reckon with it, and truly search their soul. It’s confrontational and intolerant, but it’s also the best news they will ever hear. How do you present that?

Starting this new job and taking a step out of the college scene (don’t worry, I still have one foot firmly in) has opened my eyes to a sea of opportunity before me- my mission field. I know for certain that God has me here at this place and time for a divine reason. I don’t know how long he’ll have me here as I continue to surrender my will to His daily, so this verse strikes me when it speaks of opportunity. I’m not guaranteed many, if any, so the hastiness behind the verbiage is compelling. I’m called to “make the most” out of these situations while being “full of grace”- that idea is so counterintuitive to the thought process of many modern-day “televangelists” or street-corner “prophets.” They display boldness without love- a message that a hurting world feels burned by, their hearts becoming more calloused with each Christ-void word. It also runs in contrast to the cushy-version of evangelizing- the relationship-centered approach, which so many lukewarm Christians lean too heavily on as their excuse for not proclaiming the Word- too heavy on the grace without enough truth, so once the relationship gets any depth to it, they are either overcome with a fear of hurting the relationship, or they have already misrepresented Christ and doubt that they would be taken seriously.

(not a good way to share the gospel)

Christ gives us the example (as always).

 He spoke truth IN love, mercy WITH justice. And of course, He did it perfectly because He was talking about Himself. He IS love, mercy, and justice. He is full of grace because He is full of Himself. He was able to give an answer because he WAS the answer.  And this is where I had my “EUREKA” moment a few days ago- it’s so obvious, and I knew it all along, but it was one of those times that the truth hit me anew, square in the face.

How do I act wise? By seeking wisdom; Christ is all wisdom; therefore, if I seek Christ, I seek wisdom.

How do I show grace? By seeking grace; Christ is full of grace; therefore, if I seek Christ, I seek grace.

How do I give an answer? By seeking the answer; Christ is the answer; therefore, if I seek Christ, I seek the answer.

How do I show love? By seeking love; Christ is love; therefore, if I seek Christ, I seek love.

I was never good at math, and I thank God I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be dating Clayton today if I had been, because his unrivaled patience with me as my math tutor from ages 13-19 brought us together. But I do get the concept of if A=B and B=C, then A=C. Because Christ is all, and in all (Col. 3:11), this idea works for quite a few things.

You don’t have to be into apologetics to apply this verse; I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not an avid student of it. There are some basics though, that as a Christian, you are required to know. Know the gospel. Know it backwards and forwards. Like I challenged my Bible study girls, write it out using your own words and your own set of Scriptures so that you can give an answer on a whim. Know it like you know your favorite song, be able to whip it out at a moment’s notice. And then share it. Don’t keep the most incredible gift you’ve ever been given to yourself. Sharing denotes a taking part in together- as members of one body, we get to share in the everlasting covenant our Father made with us, why would you not want others to share in this amazing grace?

I’m like most of you. As I write this, I look at my life and I say, “ok, why am I not doing that?” I’m not ashamed of the gospel, but I often fear man instead of God. That’s an idol. I know I’m forgiven, but I worry that my sinful self will get in the way of my presentation. That’s an idol.

I’ve been given an opportunity here in College Station to radically reach my world for Christ. I’ve been praying big prayers in faith, and God is faithful to answer. The question is, am I ready to give an answer? In my next post, I want to give you one.

RB

"She's Her Own Woman"

-by Brad Paisley, in case you didn't know :)

Sixth Character: Caitlin Holland

Caitlin may prove to be my most challenging character yet. It’s so hard to wrap Caitlin up in a nutshell, maybe because she is the nutshell (that was not meant to be an insult in any way, shape, or form- allow me to continue). Caitlin’s personality is kind of a smorgasbord of traits that really could encompass the whole of our sweet little circle. She’s quirky and sweet, artsy and down to earth, inventive and levelheaded. She’s creative and imaginative like Jen, classy and relational like Hope, full of grace and love like Emily, spunky and spontaneous like Haley, and satirical and reliable like Melanie. She really ties the neat little bow on the randomly compiled present of our friendship. Caitlin has defined friendship for me from day one; she is no different 11 years later. Our friendship goes back the furthest for me, and the road we’ve travelled together has been blessed with every bump and curve its taken. I truly can’t wait for you to meet my last, but certainly by no means least, best friend.

How I met Caitlin: Coming out of homeschooling for the first time as a fifth grader, my heart raced with so many emotions on that first day. I had no idea what to expect; surely I’d make friends, school couldn’t be all that hard, but how to crack into the tight-knit bond of all the students who transferred together from Covenant Christian to begin this new school was a whole other animal I didn’t see coming. Caitlin was on the fringe like me, just looking to survive in those early days. Surprisingly, she had just moved relatively recently from Minnesota and had been a home-schooler herself, and my nervous beating heart couldn’t have been calmed in a better way. She was half my size (more on my gigantism in my early years in a post coming soon), but she fit me just right. She was my only instant friend- I’m tearing up just a little as I think of our innocent bond in those first years.

My first memory of Caitlin: When I think of that fifth grade year, all that floods my memories are sounds of girlish giggles and silly games. I think we laughed more in those first few years than I have in the entirety of my life! We were inseparable. Whether we were reading aloud to each other medieval literature and gawking at each other’s speaking blunders or showing early signs of our literature-minded futures through stories we’d write together just for fun, laughs were never in short supply. I think our awesome factor hit its peak in junior high band- Caitlin the clarinet player, and I on the French horn. Oh, we were awful, but that made the experience all the better. We’d practice in our rooms together and legitimately drive anyone within a five mile radius insane. After practice, a quick round of the Barbie game would ensue, naturally altered by our own brand of fun and own set of rules. I have so many sweet, precious memories from my first true friend at Faith that I wish I could share every one- just know she means the world to me for being my rock from the beginning.

Highlights of our Glory Years: Caitlin and I were so blessed to be surrounded by every single girl I’ve acquainted you with, and our “glory years” can only be summed up by the consummating joy of daily friendship together. When I think of high school, I just remember Caitlin being there for all of it. Our hearts have always beat in rhythm, even if they beat to the sound of different drummers. I just remember sleepovers and laughter, growing pains into adolescence and into maturity, mums and garters, jamming to music entirely too loud while driving around aimlessly for hours, unabashedly embarrassing one another in public, awkward dates and fleeting crushes…I just remember life with this girl. Our friendship wasn’t built on emotion or feelings of the moment; as with all best friends, we had our ups and downs, but never once did I question if she was the “forever and always” kind of best friend.

Who she was then: I’ve told you so much about our friendship, now let me tell you about this rock star. Caitlin came into her own in high school; gone were the awkward-length denim shorts and Keds, and in walked current and modern Caitlin. It happened overnight, really. I was totally (and still am) left in the dust. It seemed that once the band instruments were returned to their rightful place, (anywhere out of our hands) the woman Caitlin emerged. I specifically remember people taking fashion cues from her outfits, as I’m positive they still do. She had a way of being edgy without leaving the boundaries- she pushed forward at the same pace as fashion, an early adopter, if you will. She could pull off vintage mod cloth on Monday, then channel a punk-rock diva on Tuesday, and any day of the week she could find at Forever 21 what you could never find if you looked for hours; her eye for fashion and her ear for music made Caitlin special, unique, and enviable. She had such a way with people, and often had to carry more than her fair share of burdens. She was like a magnet to the lonely and emotionally needy, and she cared for them as if they were her own sisters. She was the best listener around, and I feel as though people were constantly vying for the title of her best friend. She took it all so gracefully, making everyone feel like a million bucks and imparting the conventional wisdom of a very mature woman in her own Caitlin wrapping paper.

Who she is now: While Caitlin may or may not fully realize it, her power is in her words and her warmth. She effectuates change through her loyal friendship and the undivided attention she gives to lost and hurting souls. I’ve seen Caitlin walk through college with more courage and patience than most would be willing to endure. Starting her freshman year at Baylor, she returned home after her first year to make one thing for certain- that she was in the place that God desired for her to be. Leaving like that takes a lot of bravery, and Caitlin did it with passion. She served her family while she lived under their roof for another year, and when she was confident in the Lord’s calling on her life, she returned to Baylor a new, radically changed and buoyant woman. She’s studying communication at Baylor and her heart is to be in the will of God. She taught me how to pray that and expect that in my life, just as she’s taught countless others the power of the Holy Spirit and the way to find true peace and joy in life.

Who would play Caitlin if my made-up book hit the big screens: I’m going to be way off on this one. All I’m getting is Alexis Bledel, for her funky fashion and depicted intelligence. She also held the Sisterhood girls together, so I’m going to say it fits.

Caitlin and I have probably taken the most similar life paths into college and beyond. Not that we are by any means the same person, but our eventual hopes and dreams always seem to be on the same playing field. She’s found her niche at Baylor, but she’s not by any means defined by it. She’s incredibly witty- I don’t think I mentioned that- and she’s by far the funniest girl I know. She inherited so many of her qualities from her father, including her spiritual discernment, her clever sense of humor, her spirit for the unconventional, and her way with words. My personal opinion is that she should totally start her own blog. On second thought, maybe not, because she would probably show me up :) Caitlin, I miss you, and I truly pray often that life leads us back to the same city one day. You’re just too good of a friend.

Pictures of Caitlin










You are too beautiful, Caitlin Ruth

RB

The Princess Bride

Fifth Character: Melanie Cox Davis

The first thing you’ll notice about Mel Bell is her name- yes, she is our first friend that gets to fill in the “Maiden Name” portion of any paperwork. I’ll admit, seeing Davis by her name still freaks me out a little bit, and when she pops up on my newsfeed, I still have to do a double-take every now and then. She’ll be married a year in December, but it still seems like yesterday that she quietly came onto the scene at Faith and into our lives. It was Melanie that introduced us all to the wonders (?) of Taylor Swift before anyone was “thinking Tim Mcgraw,” her sweet spirit that always brought us down to earth, and her incredibly delicate palate that changed our lunch plans on a regular basis. She’s one of those people that downplays their own abilities to the point that you could miss the “yesterday I wrote a computer program” in the midst of the “I chipped my new manicure on the keyboard.” She is understatedly brilliant.

How I met Melanie: I don’t really remember. She seemed to just materialize into the fabric of our lives so effortlessly that I don’t recall a beginning in detail. She came to Faith in her freshman year, but she wasn’t the type to storm onto the scene, making waves and pushing buttons. Her quiet assuredness kind of made you wonder if she had been there from the beginning and you had just missed her somehow. But she didn’t have to try to be someone she wasn’t to make friends- she was easy to be friends with, and thus her presence in our little circle increased over time as we got to see the real Melanie, with all her curios facets.
My first memory of Melanie: If you can’t remember a beginning, “firsts” seem to escape the memory. In the beginning, Mel was kind of a floater; she didn’t need any one person or one group’s approval. She had dear friends outside of school, and I think that contributed to her less aggressive approach to friend-making at Faith. Which totally worked in her favor- I can’t think of a single person in the world who disliked her, but then again, how could you dislike her? I do remember her funny little quips to herself in class; she was always muttering something under her breath, usually sarcastic, that she didn’t intend for anyone to hear. I, however, sarcastic fool that I am, found her hilarious, and when we both joined the yearbook staff in our sophomore year, I got to see the full range of Melanie’s many moods. Oh, how she could bring even the most frazzled staff to belly-aching laughs with her high pitched squeals and candid retorts when Photoshop just wouldn’t crop or the text could not be watered down!

Highlights of our Glory Years: The great majority of our laughs stemmed from our yearbook days- Mel, you were quite the comic relief! Once she had you lulled into thinking she was harmless and innocent, she would unleash wrath on you in one violent, terrible eruption of emotion. And then you still laughed, somehow! She would always voice out loud (or at least subtly jibe) the things that you were only thinking. Her plethora of agitations and pet peeves led to the infamous Grievance List, a chronicle of all nuisances that plagued the yearbook staff. “Grievance” became a token word in class whenever someone would toe the line of idiocracy- whether they misused the word “literally”, used too many abbrevs, or couldn’t master the delicate differences of to, two, and too, Mel was the first to jump to the scene of the crime and throw out a “grievance” warning.

Who she was then: Melanie could best be described as our dose of sanity; she could always bring us back to reality when our emotions got the best of us. Whenever it was share-all time, she was usually the first to think and the last to speak, which generally meant she could say something a little more even-tempered than the rest of us. Sure, she had her spaz outs (who didn’t?) but the way she kept her distance from high school drama undeniably kept her head on straight. She always seemed to have a boyfriend (she may hate me for saying that), but what I really mean to get at is that she has always been relationship-driven. Not just with the opposite sex, but with people. It was no surprise to me that she was the first to say, “I do.” She was just so easy to get along with, so relatable. Her easy-going temperament made it easy to ask her to accompany you to the bathroom or help you on your homework, and we all know just how valuable those are in high school.
Who she is now: It’s so hard to pin down who she is now because marriage has a way of changing your life forever, and since I don’t yet know what that kind of change brings about, I can’t pretend I know her daily joys and trials. I do know the Melanie that I get to see on holidays is still full of life, but she also seems to be full of a little more wisdom as well. She still knows what to say when you’re hurting, still laughs just as hard at your stories (even if she doesn’t know the people you’re talking about). She’s absolutely brilliant; I truly can’t put into words what she does because, well, I just don’t understand it. She has an inexplicable talent with computers and has landed all kinds of jobs that are generally reserved for computer brainiacs and techies. I can just imagine the looks she must have received when she walked into businesses as their computer consultant- sweet little blonde Mel, they must have thought it was a joke! It makes me think of a movie when I picture the scene (or a great excerpt in my book??) She's living the dream right now, married, living in her posh Dallas apartment, working and finishing up her degree...but she's earned this new phase in life, her patience and hard work truly paying off.

Who would play her if my made-up book hit the big screens: I think someone quirky and sweet like Reece Witherspoon. Yes, that’s perfect.
Sometimes, when I just need to blow off some steam or vent some frustrations, I wish Mel was there to feel every anxious feeling with me, toss some humor at it, and help me casually move on from it in the way that only she can. I bet living with her would be so fun- she always pulls out the unexpected, shocks you with her witticisms and random talents, and just knows how to be a good girlfriend (I’m jealous, Grant, you found such a keeper!). On a more serious note, I think Mel could handle married life at an earlier age simply because she was ready; she’s wise beyond her years, her maturity level is much higher than the average 21-year-old, and her trust in the Lord is something I admire. She’s always had such a strong commitment to the body of believers the Lord has given her through her church home, and she invests in people, no matter who they are. I hope to take some lessons from you one day, Mel!
Pictures of Melanie










You are beautiful, Mel Bell!

RB