I Tweeted

Ok, I've given in. I can't put it off any longer, not when I've been applying to social media jobs. I hopped on board and let Twitter join the battle for my free time. When you decide to give in too, follow me here! 

Killing with Kindness

I always thought killing with kindness was a terrible idea. Well, maybe it wasn't the concept that bothered me as much as the motive. When someone told me I should kill with kindness I always thought to myself wouldn't God want me to be kind to them out of love rather than a desire to murder them? 

However, it turns out that the whole idea is a biblical one! God Himself said that by being kind to our enemies we'd be heaping burning coals on their head! (Rom. 12:20) Interesting, huh?

I actually quite like the whole passage in Romans. I know I often find myself asking God how I should live. How I should behave or treat people. Where to start. I think this passage sums it up. This is what God desires of me:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' 

To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  --Romans 12:9-21   

Not-so-Small Town America

Yesterday I was driving around my hometown of Lexington, SC (well, more specifically Red Bank, SC) and I started feeling a little nostalgic. I'm generally more of a city girl than a small town one. I prefer skylines and big buildings to mountains or trees. However, yesterday I found myself feeling sad that the town I grew up in has changed so much. As I drove, I saw traces of what used to be. An abandoned tractor under some trees. Some old victorian style houses that have been turned into offices. When we moved into my house more than 22 years ago, we were one of two houses on the street. We grew vegetables in the backyard and the deer would sometimes eat our corn. Now our little street has neighborhoods branching off of it and is filled with houses and cars flying up and down the road. Where there used to be nothing, Red Bank now has a huge high school, middle and elementary schools, a Wal-Mart, Lowes and fast food restaurants growing out of our ears. When did that happen? When did big business come to Red Bank, SC? 

Maybe I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want to go live in a big city and still come home every now and then to trees and tractors and little churches where everybody knows everybody else's business. But that just isn't realistic. So I'll just jump on board and be happy about the fact that now when I need to go to Wal-Mart it's only a 4 minute drive. And I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite city in the world. 

  

"responsibly irresponsible"

I've started reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson (the sequel to In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, which I highly recommend) and it has got me thinking about my life, which is currently consumed with job searching. 

Mark writes about being spiritually adventurous and choosing to be irresponsible if that's what it takes to passionately pursue Christ. The concept led me to reflect on why I'm having such a hard time finding a job. Yes, the economy sucks, but more than that the jobs suck. They're all safe, boring, office jobs. I want to do something crazy. I long for a Wild Goose chase. 

My heart is yearning to just pack up and move to London and see what happens. Or to drive cross country and blog about amusement parks along the way. I want a job where I can travel and meet interesting people and do something different everyday. I don't want to be responsible. I don't want to be worried about insurance and 401K plans. I'm 22-years-old and I've done exactly what was expected of me my whole life. The most fun I've ever had was the semester I lived in London where everything and everyone was unfamiliar. 

In London I got lost all the time. I decided one day to go to Italy with a sketchy Englishman I barely knew and the next week we packed our bags and went (we're now good friends and I no longer think he's sketchy). My point is that I took risks. For once, I was adventurous and it really paid off. I had fun and got to see God do amazing things. Spiritually I was growing more than I have at any other stage of my life. 

I think that's why I feel so unsettled right now. It's not an office job that will give me peace. It's a spiritual adventure. It's being irresponsible in order to chase the Wild Goose. 

I want that back. Sign me up for something exciting.  

driving is the worst

So far I've written about three different things and then erased it to start completely over. All of them were trivial and this subject won't be any different. 

Over the last couple of weeks I've spent a lot of time driving. Being alone in a car is the worst. Add fatigue and heavy downpours and it's pretty close to purgatory. On my last trip (Atlanta to Rock Hill) my ipod decided to die and nothing was playing on the radio. I think my car may have been rebelling... tired of listening to me sing at the top of my lungs. Unfortunately singing loudly is the only thing that makes driving alone bearable. 

Also, when I'm driving people seem to think it will be fun to not answer their phones. What's that about? Why do they call when I'm busy and decide to ignore me for the four hours that I'm bored out of my mind? 

Maybe the next post (you know, months from now) will be more upbeat than this one.   

Most likely to never update her blog, again.

On behalf of Jennifer, I apologize for her lack of updating this blog. She "says" she will update it soon, but I won't believe until I see it.

Don't lose hope in our little blogger here. 

In the meantime, you can satisfy your blog needs by visiting my own at:

www.deni-catching-tales.blogspot.com 

Thank you,

Deni 

most likely to never update her blog

... that should be my senior superlative. I've been awful at updating, but I suppose it's not the end of the world since I only have one follower and she already knew I was a slacker. 

I just read my last post and it was slightly depressing. I still feel exactly the same way I felt then... unsure about my future. The only difference is that I just got back from London and am more convinced than ever that I want to work at 10 Cabot Square in Canary Wharf. It's unfortunate that I haven't even mustered up the courage to send them my resume. 

London was amazing, just as I knew it would be. Deni and I hopped on a plane (with Flo Rida) the Thursday night before Spring Break and headed across the Atlantic. We got to see everything from Ogilvy in Canary Wharf to BBC in White City, from Surbiton to Swiss Cottage and all the things in between. Our host was wonderful. He kept us laughing and it was good to visit with old friends (and meet new ones). 

But alas, I'm back in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where the weather is warm but I have no time to enjoy it because my school work has been piling up for the last few weeks. I also have no time for job searching. Or updating this blog. 

That being said, I will try to write sooner and come up with something slightly more profound to say. For now, I'll just end with I'm sorry, Allison, for being a slacker. 

A Legacy

Well, it's a new year. A big year. In 12 days I turn 22. In 128 days I'll be a college graduate. And in 129 days I'll be a grown-up. Well, sort of. In the mean time my mind will probably continue to be cluttered with questions about where to work and where to live. I'll be checking off the remaining items on my list of things to do before I leave Rock Hill (don't laugh, it's a pretty exciting list). And somewhere, in the back of my mind, I'll be wondering what kind of legacy I'm leaving. That sounds so dramatic or something. But in the midst of these dramatic changes in my life, I think I'm allowed to write about these sorts of things. It seems appropriate to think about how I want people to remember me. As for the people who have been a part of my life through the high school and college years, I'm not sure if they will think of the mistakes I've made and the people I've hurt or if they will think of the laughs and fun (but mostly stupid) stuff we did when they hear my name. Maybe, if I'm really lucky, they'll remember that even though I was far from perfect, I loved God and tried to love others. 

There isn't much I can do to change the way people will reflect on the last 21 years of my life. But I can decide what I want people to remember about the next 21. I don't know what my life will look like 5 months from now. I could be in London or Atlanta or Charlotte. Maybe I'll be working at a top advertising agency or writing media releases for a major sports team or filing papers for some executive somewhere. Wherever I end up, I have a chance to start over. To put my priorities in order and reflect those values that are most important to me. I have a chance to create a legacy for myself. Here's what I've got so far:

My name is Jennifer. I believe in the one, true God. I like dresses with pockets and strings of pearls.