I'm So Thirsty!

Hi all!

I wanted to expand on my Facebook status from this morning.

Think about how your body feels when it is dehydrated...now apply that to what happens to your spirit when it gets spiritually "dehydrated."

The Lord dropped this example in my mind about this time last year. I talked about it with my brother and we had a good conversation picking apart this example. 

One doesn't have to be a doctor or a nutritional expert to know that the body suffers mightily without regular amounts of water. Body systems, brain function, skin quality and so many other aspects of the human body depend on drinking water, and a lot of it. 

We all know this. I'm not revealing something radical.

This applies to our "spiritual bodies" (a.k.a. our spirits) as well.  They too must be regularly hydrated with "living water." 

Do we hydrate our spirits adequately? Do we know when our spirits are thirsty? Can we tell before it's too late that our spirits have become dehydrated?

Our physical bodies are noisy, constantly announcing its need for food, drink, sleep, etc. 

Our spirit is much quieter, and sometimes cannot be heard over the annoying clamor of the body. 

Knowing this, we must be proactive to take in the water of God's word. (If you're thirsty, you are already somewhat dehydrated). We would never intentionally deprive our bodies of water.  We should be far more worried about cutting off the flow of Living Water to our spirits. 

Read that Scripture one more time. Listen to that podcast. Drink some water! To start with, check out John 4:1-15 and Isaiah 55:1-2. 

One more thought.

It doesn't cost to quench your thirst or hunger for God. He gives spiritual drink and food freely- without cost. 

Isn't that refreshing?

Why I Write

My mom's best friend from high school made me a coloring book for my 7th birthday. One particular page was blank, except for some simple script at the top that read "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up."

I listed different things on that page over the next few years. My occupations of interest ranged from reference librarian (Don't judge me, the mom on "Wishbone" had this job) to a dolphin trainer (What kid hasn't wanted to be this?!) and several other um...random careers.

However, one occupation was listed on every entry, without fail.
Author.

Even though I do not want to be an author in the strictest sense of the word (churning out novel after novel), for as long as I can remember, I have read and been read to, and consequently developed an abiding love of reading and writing.

With a very concentrated semester of writing ahead of me, I have arrived at three reasons why I am passionate about writing. I know, I know...I'm a senior...maybe I should've come up with these ideas sooner.

1. "We write to taste life twice."  
While perusing the journal aisle at Target, I saw this quote on a journal.

I thought, "This is exactly right." We taste life as we experience it and as writers, we enjoy it a second time as we relive the moments in our head and carefully select words to frame those moments.

2. We write to find connections between ourselves and our fellow humans.
In one of my classes, we have focused quite a bit on why people will always read stories about other people. I have been thinking that one of the reasons is we like to make connections between our life experiences and others' life experiences.
Whether it is in an in-depth profile piece or an anecdote or a comedy bit, we enjoy, we laugh at, we remember these stories when we say to ourselves, "I've done something like this," or "This is something that has happened to me." Simple, but true.

3. Writing is therapy.
Writing is a creative activity and I have only recently discovered how therapeutic it can be. I don't know how it works for other people, but whether I jot down thoughts in my journal (I've been keeping journals for seven years now!) or produce a piece to be published, I have found that it truly clears my head and allows me to move forward.

Enjoy today.

The Backbone Blog

Our assignment yesterday in class was to examine the blog aggregator Technorati.  Long story short, blogs are everywhere.

In every industry. At every level of expertise and depth.

And my blog is just a face in a swelling crowd of those who think they have something to say.

In breaking down the demographics of those belonging to the blogosphere, Technorati described the hobbyist group as follows:


"Hobbyist: The backbone of the blogosphere, and representing 60% of the respondents to this survey, Hobbyists say that they “blog for fun” and do not report any income. Half of hobbyists prefer to express their “personal musings” when blogging... Because 72% blog to speak their minds, their main success metric is personal satisfaction (61%)." 

Backbone you say? That sounds like it is still an important part of the blogging infrastructure. 

Why?

It would seem to me that people prefer to hear from their peers on certain topics. If I am looking for a recipe or step-by-step instructions for an up-do or a craft project (Ok, you all know I'm not a crafter, but just go with it) I would prefer to get my info from a friend or a friend of a friend who has had success with said recipe or up-do. 

Why?

Because our peers are more accessible, literally and figuratively, than the "experts."

Before someone pipes up about how that's dumb and we shouldn't depend on the advice and knowledge of our peers for some topics, I will be the first to agree. Yes, you should go to an actual doctor for medical help. Etc., etc.

But for certain everyday tasks and trials, yes I might rather hear from my "peers." 

Technically, that is where this backbone of my peers ARE experts: the "everyday-ness" of the blogosphere.   

Read more: http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2011-introduction/#ixzz1kOqlmRJD

And We're Off!

My last semester has officially begun.

So far, so good. 15 weeks to go.

I was afraid that once the semester began, my little blog would again fall by the wayside. However, it just so happens that one of my upper div Mass Comm classes is indeed a blogging class.

How convenient.

I am now required to post at the very least once a week and I get class time to do so. Did I mention that this arrangement was convenient?

As a start, I have updated my blog design and added fascinating info to my profile, info which you probably already knew. I also changed how the blog looks on mobile devices. Take a look around!

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Carry on!