Best Friend Tag!

Today I'll be having a best friend tag!  This is something I kind of made up, but it's basically a blog post dedicated to your best friend (or a special friend, if you don't have a best friend) to make his or her day brighter.

Post a picture of your best friend and five things you love about her.

This is Ali.  She's my best friend and also my adopted sister.  I love...

1. Her willingness (and eagerness) to participate in adventures with me, such as Facing Prejudice.
2. Her heart for young girls.
3. Her big hair (yes, I said it).
4. How she'll always allow me to take pictures and videos wherever we go.
5. Her servant's heart.

Describe the day you met.

Ali and I met when we were in the fifth grade... on Valentine's Day, to be exact.  I had just transferred to a new school.  Because I was shy, a former home-schooler, and a bit of a nerd, the other girls in our class who were supposed to show me around ignored me.  Ali reached right through my timidity and we became friends almost instantly.  I spent the rest of the school year eating lunch with Ali.

A picture of you and your best friend together. 

Because Ali is now my adopted sister, we had our senior pictures taken together.  I love this one.

A song you both love. 

Our senior year and this year, we have become addicted to the Shane and Shane song "I Miss You."  It's a worship song, but we often sang the chorus whenever we were separated for any length of time (even an hour).  "Ohhhh, I miss you soooo!"

What was your biggest fight or argument?

In the seventh grade, Ali and I ended our friendship for about a month because I stopped being friends with another girl in our class (middle school dramaaa) and Ali said, "Be friends with her again or we can't be friends either!"  I'm stubborn and wouldn't, so we ignored each other for a few weeks.  I'm not even sure how the squabble ended.  But we're fine now, six years later. :)

A video of you and your best friend together. 

Five things you have in common with your best friend. 

1. We both love Wentworth Miller from Prison Break and think he's very handsome.  Don't believe us?  Look him up.
2. We both like the colors black and white put together.
3. We both love Shane and Shane.
4. We enjoy stalking people on Facebook together... for real, and I know that sounds creepy, but it's something we actually do.
5. We both decided not to have boyfriends in high school.

 Five ways you are very different from your best friend.

1. Ali loves chick flicks (in books and movies) and I love action, mysteries, and thrillers.
2. Ali loves country music and I love rap.
3. Ali can fall asleep at any moment... I am an insomniac.
4. Ali likes arts and crafts, while I prefer music and writing.  All of these things are art, but still different. 
5. Ali thinks about marriage all the time.  I think about... well, anything other than marriage. ;)

Describe the last thing you did with your best friend.

Although Ali and I have not seen each other since late December (wow, I can't believe it's already been a month), we Skype and text frequently.  Last night, we Skyped because Ali has been wanting to blog... however, she lost both her password and email address to log into Blogger.  (Read her blog here.)  So I had to show her step-by-step how to retrieve her password and etc. and etc. and etc...

In person, the last thing we did was eat lunch at a delicious Chinese restaurant with two other sweet sisters in Christ, Rebecca and Rebekah.  We were a little sad because we knew we had to say goodbye, but the day was still fun. 

Complete this: "My best friend is..."

A weirdo.

Okay, just kidding.  My best friend is my sweet sister and I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Your turn!  Share a best friend tag on your blog... and then send it to your best friend and make her (or him) smile. :)

Reviewing: Top 5 Songs Right Now

Today I'll be reviewing the top five songs on the American charts from a Christian perspective.  Songs I think are clean, appropriate, and fine to download will get a thumbs up; songs that don't have a lot of admirable qualities but aren't awful either will get an "ish" and it will be up to you to decide; and songs that are plain inappropriate will get a thumbs down.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the lyrics this week.  See for yourself. 

1.) ISH: "We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

It seems like every grocery store, gas station, or public building is blasting "We Found Love" from the speakers.  It's a very catchy song.  I looked up the song's music video on YouTube and was pretty shocked by the content.  Drug use, sex scenes, and domestic violence consumed the entire video.  I didn't feel a sense of hope or love or even redemption.  All I saw was darkness and confusion.  Rihanna and her Chris-Brown-look-a-like make out, do drugs, fight in a car, overdose, tattoo Rihanna's backside, smoke, and set things on fire.  While the song on its own sounds innocent enough, the music video adds an entirely new dimension of pain and sin.

The lyrics of "We Found Love" are surprisingly clean for a Rihanna song.  They mostly consist of "We found love in a hopeless place. We found love in a hopeless place..." and so on.  However, after watching the dark and somewhat frightening music video, I can't give "We Found Love" a thumbs up.  I'll let you decide for yourself whether you want to add this to your playlist.  I give it an "ish."

2.) THUMBS UP: "Set Fire to the Rain" by ADELE

"Set Fire to the Rain" is a song about a girl who falls in love with a man who uses her and breaks her heart.  "There's a side to you that I never knew, never knew. All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true. All the games you'd play, you would always win, always win."  The protagonist finally stops searching for her lost lover and sets fire to the remainder of their love.

The lyrics of this song are clean and they describe a broken heart with painful sincerity.  The music video for "Set Fire to the Rain," which consists of Adele singing in front of a large audience with an orchestra playing behind her, is also quite clean.  Something that amuses me is that while "We Found Love" by Rihanna describes finding love in an abusive and destructive relationship, "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele describes fighting your way out of a terrible relationship.  Two songs with vastly different meanings have made it into the top five on the charts... and honestly, I like the idea of "Set Fire to the Rain" much better.  I'll go ahead and give it a thumbs up.  

3.) THUMBS UP: "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida
Honestly, this song confused me a little.  The lyrics didn't seem to have dirty innuendos, unless I just didn't catch them.  At times, they didn't make much sense, but they didn't seem bad.  The song seemed to be about how Flo Rida has found fame and success and he's feeling great about it.  "How many Rolling Stones you want? Yeah, I got a brand new spirit. Speak it and it's done. Woke up on the side of the bed like I won. Talk like a winner, my chest to that sun. G5 dealer, US to Taiwan."

Other than focusing heavily on material possessions and the importance of wealth and fame, the song is clean.  The video was even surprisingly clean, featuring mostly fancy cars, boxing, and Flo Rida performing for an audience.  I'll go ahead and give it a thumbs up. 

4.) ISH: "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars

"It Will Rain" is a song about a man who is about to lose the girl he loves to another.  The song is his desperate plea to convince her to come back to him before it's too late.  "There'll be no sunlight if I lose you, baby. Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same if you walk away. Everyday, it will rain."  While the song is free of sexual innuendos and curse words, I'm not a fan of the words Bruno Mars uses to describe his need for the girl he loves.  "If you ever leave me baby, leave some morphine at my door, 'cause it would take a whole lot of medication to realize what we used to have, we don't have it anymore."  In other words, Bruno Mars would turn to narcotics to numb his pain over a breakup?  That isn't a great coping method and I don't like the idea it suggests.  "There's no religion that could ever save me, no matter how long my knees are on the floor, so keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm making to keep you by my side..."  Here, Bruno Mars seems to be suggesting that not even religion or faith could help him through the loss of his love.  The video is fairly clean, consisting of Bruno Mars staring despondently into a mirror and kissing his girlfriend somewhat suggestively on a bed.

Because there are only these quieter issues that weight down a few of the lyrics, I'm not going to give the song a direct thumbs down.  However, I'm going to give it an "ish."  I realize Bruno Mars is probably not a believer, but it is healthy to listen to words like his that will enter our minds during difficult times?  I don't like the idea of happily listening to a song that declares the futility of religion, the necessity of narcotics during difficult times, and such a desperate need in a girlfriend that nothing else matters. 

5.) THUMBS DOWN: "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO

"Sexy and I Know It" is supposed to be a funny song, but after reading the lyrics, I could not help but feel disgust at its cockiness.  Inappropriate innuendos are scattered throughout the entire song.  Most I don't feel comfortable sharing here, but a 'lighter' example would be: "Everybody stops and they staring at me.  I got a passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it.  I'm sexy and I know it."

The video made me feel so uncomfortable that I stopped watching halfway through.  The video consisted of LMFAO stripping down to skimpy Speedos and shaking certain parts of their bodies to the beat while girls watched in awe.  One part of the video I noticed was that when the men stripped down, someone dressed as Jesus stood in the background watching.  While I'm sure they meant this as a blatant disregard of Christianity, I couldn't help but shake my head and think, "Yes, Jesus does see this."  The presence of Jesus in the music video, joke or otherwise, should be a reminder of where we should keep our thoughts.

Which is Home?

I know I haven't been posting much.  Believe me, I know it's been too long when I start getting texts from several different people saying, "Is everything okay?  Why haven't you been writing?  Is your blog messed up?"  No, no... it's just that I've been so busy.  The first couple of weeks of school and a packed social life has consumed a lot of my time.  But I need to set aside more of this time to write.

When I first came to college and moved into my dorm, I was adamant about not calling it "home."  If I got a ride from a friend and he said, "I'll take you home," I would feel a little offended.  I always called it "my dorm" or "I'm going back to relax now," but I never said "I'm going home to relax now."

Home was where my family lives, where my real bedroom is, my hometown.  Home certainly couldn't be this small and unfamiliar dorm in a college town where no family is in sight.  How could I ever call a place like this home? 

Lately, I've heard a few opinions on this subject that have really made me think.

At church on Sunday, the pastor took a moment to share why he believes we should call Aggieland home, even if we feel homesick for the places we came from.  He told us that if we refuse to call this place home, then we're putting ourselves into a place of transition and not living in the now.

If this isn't home, then it's harder to actually settle down and make a life for the Lord here, because we'll be pointing our thoughts in the direction of: "When I finish college, when I get this job, when I accomplish this thing, when I move away..." and not so much: "This is my home.  I am going to change it for the Lord with the abilities and resources I have right now."  I need to cherish this city and the people in it and decide to live in this moment and work for the Lord where I am right now. 

A week and a half ago, I was riding in a car with a friend.  She said, "I didn't always do this, but I call Aggieland home now.  Even if this is 'just' where I go to college, it's my home too.  The people here are special to me and I love it here.  My hometown will always be home to me, but this place is home too."

My dorm may feel uncomfortable and cramped at times.  It has more of an institutional feel and less of a "homey" feel.  I don't know if my dorm room will ever feel like a home, but perhaps the house in which I'll live next year will.  But this place, Aggieland, is homey.  It is familiar.  And I love the people here.

Although my hometown, the place where my family lives, will always be home to me, I'm going to allow this place to be my home too.

I don't want these four years to be a time of impatience, waiting, and transition.  I want them to be a time of transformation, but a time of joy... and being home.

Prank War: Toilet Paper and Fudge

Over the break, of course we had to revisit the prank war against Caleb, my mortal enemy... and buddy. 

We'd been lightly debating the idea of pranking Caleb over the break, not sure if we should continue the war or let things stay in the past.  At the end of the break, Zeek came to town for a few days.  Now, I've mentioned Zeek several times before.  He's a giant at 6'8, but he's like a giant skinny teddy bear.

On most days, he is extremely against pranking.  In fact, he had never pranked anyone before in his life.

It was Zeek's last day in town before he headed off to college.  We decided to meet at a snow cone joint (despite the fact that it was below freezing outside).  Caleb was supposed to meet us, but he did not.  In fact, he texted me and said that he was going to stay home and watch TV instead

Zeek and I were appalled by Caleb's disloyalty.  We knew then that he had to pay.  TV is no excuse to miss out on snow cones and friendship.  Right then and there, we decided to prank Caleb for the first time in six months.  He deserved our wrath. 

Since Zeek was new at pranking and a little nervous, we decided to go light... this time.  We headed to Walmart to see what goods we could find. 

We purchased eight rolls of toilet paper and a box of fudge Twinkies.  According to Zeek, they would go along with the toilet paper idea.  Um, gross!

Zeek's caption on Facebook: "Lots of toilet paper that was put to great use!" Oh, Zeek!

We then crept through the inky darkness of Caleb's alley and wrapped his car in toilet paper and smeared all of his windows with fudge.  It wasn't a terrible, terrible prank, but it brought us back to the old days and made a little mess for Caleb to have to clean up later. 

Later, Zeek got so excited that he went back and sprinkled water on the toilet paper so it froze onto Caleb's car.  That was a picture I wasn't able to get, but I'm sure it was amusing.

I sure missed pranking while in college.  :)

Why do you have hope?

I stumbled across a verse in 1 Peter tonight that I feel goes along with my post about praying for conversations. 

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.   

I adore this verse.  In the five months I've been a college student, I've been mocked a few different times for what I believe, in my classes and in my dorm.  At times I've felt frustrated with the angry words thrown my way because of what I believe, but this verse explains what we are meant to do with such clarity.

I love the second sentence: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  For the hope that you have.  Hope.

One thing we have as followers of Christ that other religions do not is hope.  Our faith is based on the Lord's grace, not on our own good works.  I've never heard of another religion that believes in salvation through grace rather than good deeds.  We understand how broken and sinful we are as human beings.  We certainly could never make it to heaven based on our works alone, yet we can feel confident of our salvation.  We are adopted and cherished children of God. 

Christ has given us hope.

People will see this hope you have--this unusual, beautiful, magnificent hope--and want to know why.  When you have a conversation with someone who is blowing you off or even laughing in your face, try your hardest to continue to speak with gentleness and respect.  Show them Christ's love through your words.

I was so encouraged by 1 Peter 3:15-16 tonight.  It brought me joy and comfort, and it reminded me of the hope Christ gives.  Let's continue to pray for the conversations we'll have this semester.  Through growing relationships, conversations, and the way we live our lives, we can show Christ to those around us.

You are a city on a hill.