I miss you.

Dear readers,

I'm back. I miss blogging and being heard. So, in the coming weeks, I'm going to make a better effort to write.

Until then, check out my new favorite site: earth911.com for recycling tips and articles.


you all,


Emily

A Concerned Response to the Conservative Response

by Emily Witt

It was an amazing place to be. For the rest of my life, I'll remember the night of November 4th, 2008. It was my first election as a new voter. It was the naming of our nation's first African-American President-elect. It was a relative land-slide election compared to recent years. But just as much as I will remember it for its historic value, I will also remember it for the personal ideological lessons it held for me.

After months of following the issues and deliberating at great length, I cast an absentee ballot for Illinois Senator Barack Obama. I felt he was the best choice presented to me as a President, and am curious to watch his term unfold. My analysis on his suitability for the Office is reserved for, perhaps, another post. If my shift in thinking during this election is worth nothing else, it is worth the insights I gained into the weaknesses of the Christian-conservative approach to politics; that is what this post is about.

As of late, conservative ideology and candidate temperament has been so reactionary that it has lost much of its worth. The conservative movement is no longer a force for morality and limited government; it has become the uncontrolled and immature push back at liberal trends. Nothing helped me understand this better than the flutter of activity on Facebook following President-Elect Obama's acceptance speech. Here I will outline some of the thinking I heard from my Christian-conservative friends and how different it sounded to me as a voter isolated from my typical Republican ballot.

• "He's not my President!" or "Don't Blame Me!"
  I found this particularly interesting. It's something I remember a lot of the liberal base saying during the Bush term, and conservatives reacting with "You may not like it, but he's still your President." What kind of a double standard has the conservative voting base set for themselves? We seem all too eager to herald our "God-ordained" (according to some) form of government as flawless and a tool of God's hand until things go contrary to our conceptions of how God himself would vote.
  
  
• "But I prayed..." or "America is going to perish now!"
  If God were a Republican, it would be very surprising and a blatant affront to Christianity whenever a Democrat took office. Rather, Proverbs 21:1 tells us that the heart of rulers is in the hand of God. Limiting God's sovereignty and control to a GOP controlled government reinforces the double standard referred to in the previous point: Why can Christians only see God's sovereignty and goodness when their preferred candidate has the upper hand? God's provision is no less sweet because it was unexpected, but is all the more precious to us because of it's mysterious nature.
  
  
• "Socialism will rule our economy..." or "Our Constitution is going to be voided by Marxist thought" or "Our economy is screwed!"
  And? Does God sit in heaven with our Constitution in one hand and Adam Smith's epic novel in the other? Perhaps not. I do not intend to demean our system--it has served us well, though not infallibly. But it is not alone in success. And if our economy were to crash or our founding ideals were to diminish in importance, could it be so tragic as to sever us from the providence or love of God? Creation is full of seemingly-conflicting values and we, as stewards of our earth and political institutions, are given the challenge of reconciling them within our own means. It cannot be validly argued that our knowledge of capitalism's merits completely override any consideration of isolated (or even majority) socialist tendencies. It cannot be said that God has chosen to endorse a form of government over another. Romans 13 seems to contend that God ordains all governments. We cannot pretend to both believe in a sovereign, good God and at the same time see havoc packaged in every change to our status quo.
  
  
• "51% of America is stupid!" or "Obama is a _____" or "Democrats are idiots"
  No, really? Are we in 5th grade? How is it okay to demean people in the name of political statement? I tell you that Christian-conservatives can never regain their credibility in the political community until they offer real political analysis and not just a regurgitation of misrepresented Ralph Reed 90's rhetoric. Offer moderates a reason to empathize, or at least show them a reasonable approach to real-life events, and maybe the party base can grow. Until then, perhaps the conservative movement could work on growing up.
  
  
• "We have forsaken America's founding ideals!"
  According to whom? It is not possible to consolidate founding ideology and principles. There was a plurality among our founding fathers on many issues--issues of national financing, of legislated morality, of the balance of state and federal powers. There was dissention among our earliest legislatures and corruption among our earliest politicians. We have not lost what "made America so great", but rather have perpetuated a system of competing ideals, of arguing politicians and of corrected mistakes that has allowed America to become what it is.
  

Do I say this to bash the Christian-conservative voter? Not at all. I say it to hold him or her accountable for a blatant distrust in God's sovereignty. How can conservatives argue for a moral America based on the character and law of a sovereign God when they refuse to recognize the ordering of the world according to the purpose of his will?

When partisan politics is placed above people, above priority of scripture, above the humility and subjugation of God's people in the knowledge of human inferiority, then we must ask if our GOP has indeed taken the place of our true God. When we look to an election and a politician as the answer to our social, economic and moral depravity, it's not wonder we respond irrationally when our preferred breed of "messiah" is de-throned.

God save us from our own eagerness to replace him as the champion of our nation and salvation.

Why is it so cold?

In theory, the air condition is supposed to be turned off this afternoon because of some campus energy issue.

I submit to you that the air conditioning is not off. It is in fact freezing in the CBTS right now.

Back to US History.

College Study Tips Emily Loves

I found this on Wikihow and found it really helpful. Wanted to share:

How to Get Organized for College or Grad School

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Syllabi, papers, books, articles, and downloads all get very confusing by late October if you don't have a plan to stay organized... and unlike High School, your professors don't remind you about upcoming assignments every day! Follow these steps to get ready.

Steps

1. Print out or collect syllabi for every class.
   
2. Purchase your books, a stack of unlined 3x5 cards, and a heavy duty, brightly colored, plastic folder.
   
3. Place all your syllabi in your plastic folder. This is your syllabi folder. Keep it with you any time you study, go to the library, or go to class.
   
4. On every syllabus, highlight what is due the first week in one color. Highlight what is due the second week in another color. Now you can keep an eye on your assignments on a week-by-week basis.
   
5. Assign one card for every book. Holding the card vertically, write the dates that you have assignments from that book only, and next to the date, write the pages that must be read. (Example: write "Chemistry" on the card. Then in one column, write 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, or whenever you have class. Next to the dates, write 1-47, 48-102, 151-160,161-194, or whatever your assigned reading is.) Use this card as a bookmark, so you know where you left off, and what needs to be done next. Now you don't have to look in your syllabus to know what to read, just grab the book and go!
   
6. Get a write-in calendar or academic planner, and write the assignments due on certain dates. Don't forget to write down test dates!
   
7. Make a "Project Syllabus" for yourself. Write out a chronological list of every assignment that will require more than one sitting to complete. Now, you can easily look ahead so you don't spend all night writing a paper.
   
8. Draw or write your schedule on paper or on a computer, so you know when your classes will meet. Now schedule out minimum 1 hour of study time for every hour of class time (if you're in grad school, make it 2 hours). Schedule those study hours and don't miss them; treat them as permanent commitments. If you can get ahead early, you'll have some cushion time when your many papers and projects come due at the same time.
   
9. If you have a computer (and if you're going to college in the US, you really ought to), make one desktop folder called "School." Inside, make one folder for every class. These folders are a great place to store downloads that many professors expect you to have.
   
10. Get working! Now you have very little time to spend trying to figure out what needs to be done; you can just do it!
    

Tips

• Don't let the Internet waste too much time!
  
• Cross out completed assignments with a single line so you can review if necessary.
  
• Use a highlighter to help you review, not to point out what you should learn later.
  

Warnings

• Stick to your schedule. If you don't study like you need to, you'll be miserable at the end of the semester, and you won't learn what you need to learn. Isn't that why you went to college?
  

Things You'll Need

• Bright plastic folder
  
• Unlined 3x5 cards
  
• School books
  
• Book bag or backpack
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Befriend a Professor
  
• How to Get Financial Aid in College
  
• How to Live at Home While Attending College
  
• How to Decide on Your Major
  
• How to Survive Your First Year of Law School
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Organized for College or Grad School. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

The Emily Witt 5 Year Plan

I was told recently that every driven young upward individual* should have a 5 year plan, so I've developed one.

2009: GHI + Cedarville Freshman year
2010: GHI + Cedarville Sophomore year
2011: GHI + Cedarville Junior year
2012: GHI + Cedarville Senior year
2013: GHI + be graduated + find something else to learn

Simple enough*. I think planning too far ahead is overrated*.

I'm not worried. Planning the future is not my job*.

5 years will fly by anyway.*

*aka yuppie
*thanks to college
*in fact, adaptation is the leading indicator of intelligence.
*it is, in fact, God's.
*and then I'd just need a new plan.

on broken hearts in a cold hearted world

Emotional stability is held as a virtue by some. I think those who hold tightly to a feel-no-pain, do-no-wrong way of life will be ambushed at some point in their lives with a sudden inability to cope with a circumstance or a new emotion.

The Christian community as a whole has put a black mark upon being emo or feeling and responding to emotional pain. But, hurt is real. Unfortunately for the thousands who die every year of suicide or injure themselves to feel better, emotional pain can't be wished away or brushed aside.

The point of this post is not to denigrate Christian joy. I do believe that joy, contentment, trust in God and happiness are vital parts of life. But they are not mutually exclusive with deep-seated emotional anguish, and I think too many people ignore that fact.

The real point of this post was just to share something I have written on my desk right now in big, black marker. I included the previous in order to provide some context for the text I'd like to share. I said more than I intended, so I will now move on to the real bulk of this post:

Emotion is the perception and interpretation of circumstance, so emotion cannot be exaggerated or over-felt by the feeler; it can only be more keenly perceived and more deeply and personally understood. To feel the sharp pain of loneliness or confusion is not to be without hope, but to embrace the potential of a better circumstance and for that reason hope all the more strongly.

And that's why it pierces my spirit to watch so many teens bleed and die every year of their own will, simply because too few people are willing to help them find hope in better circumstance but are all-too-ready to downplay their problems and label them as emo.



You're not alone. If you're dealing with emotional pain and are looking for resources or want to learn more about the ministry behind these thoughts, visit To Write Love on Her Arms at www.twloha.com.

[chocolate][strawberry][vanilla]

This is a season of decision.

One too many (or too few) college acceptance letters, a schedule so packed something needs to be eliminated, or just deciding where to spend the limited lunch money in your wallet. It's intimidating, and honestly, more crippling than most of us will admit to the people around us.

I'd like to venture a guess at the reason these decisions seem so daunting. Do I dare suggest that this is our human condition pronouncing itself in our inability to speak a language with more conjugations than our own?

You know that feeling of wrapping your brain around something? Almost literally feeling your mind kick off at a starting point and then come full circle and embrace an idea? I always got that feeling when I would visit somewhere historical. When you see the desk that [insert famous person] wrote [insert famous writing] at. At first, you sort of skim over the significance. But then, if you dig a little deeper and wrap your mind around the more concrete aspect of the desk before you, there's a feeling. This is the desk. There was a point in time when this desk was occupied by someone greater than me. There is more to this desk than the present.

That realization, that there is more than now, is the feeling I'm thinking of. When you are able to open your mind to the concept of an existence outside of you, outside of your time, outside of your limits. I cannot go back to when that desk was used. That's my human limitation. I can only shallowly ponder the concept.

There's another (among many, of course) human limitation, and it's the one I really wanted to write about. We all have one life. During that life, we get one try at things. For us there's always a path of reality and a path of retrospective hypotheticality.

That's why decisions, particularly the life changing ones, are so intimidating. Because every time I'm faced with option A or option B, I have to choose. Life doesn't allow me to see a preview of both, or go back and change my decision. Our brains are limited then, to understanding one option as the right, or the actual or the realized option. The others are just things we could have done, things we missed out on, things we avoided by God's grace.

Guess what.

God is bigger than that.

We claim we believe in a limitless, all-powerful God, yet we limit him so often to having "one plan". This is where the artsy and yummy sounding post title comes in.

God gives us lots of decisions. We obsess over picking the right, actual, realizable option. For us in our finite state, we have to. For God, any option can be the right option. He's all powerful after all. He gives us choices:

Chocolate.

Strawberry.

Vanilla.

We will spend countless hours, lose weeks of sleep, hinge our very happiness upon choosing the right flavor. But the thing about ice cream is, it's all pretty darn good. God gives us opportunities for a reason, and since he's big, he can use whatever we choose to whatever purpose he wants.

So dig in. Strawberry isn't "wrong". It's just an option. Vanilla won't kill you, but you might wish you had picked chocolate. Chocolate will make you happy, but it'd be better with peanuts. The worst thing you could do would be to avoid picking because you might miss out on two of the three. Then you end up missing all three.

The point is to pick. With an open heart, and with faith that God knows all and controls all. He provides opportunities, exits and wisdom. What he won't provide is an opportunity he can't control, or one that can't somehow be used for his glory.

Tip of the day

Research has shown that forcing yourself to smile will actually improve your mood.

So, take this moment to smile, whether you're happy or not.

9 simple, brilliant things I wish I had thought of

1. The Pillowcase dress. My favorite instructions/pictures are from Red Instead, a brilliant blog from an Australian mum!
2. Flip books of your short digital videos, available from FlipClips. This is such a neat idea... and so long in coming!
3. Brilliant, simple, linkable planners and notebooks from Start Here. They're simple, streamlined and they keep my life organized--I have a brain, and I'm incapable of doing that. Classy, with room for your preferences in content format.
4. The Sew What! Skirts book... 16 fabulous skirts in one spiral bound book. A-mazing.
5. Envelope books for brilliant storage of all things flat and small.
6. The best use of empty paint cans ever. And I mean, e-v-e-r.
7. Stores where you paint your own pottery. Brilliant business model, fun idea... also loads of fun to visit!
8. This house. Way too cool.
9. Fishtanks. I love my fishies so much. Probably the best invention ever.
   

9 Unconventional ways to make someone's day

An uncountable number of times a day, I run into things that will remind me of certain people. Chances are, that person would be absolutely tickled to know that someone was thinking of them or that they share a common interest that I associate with them. Here are 9 ways to take a brief thought and turn it into a smile.

1. Rip, clip or copy the page of the newspaper, magazine or book that made you think about someone. Slap a post-it with a hello on it and drop it in the mail so they can read it too--yes, the real mail. With a stamp.
2. Carry a digital camera with you. Snap pictures of the things that trigger happy memories. Upload and tag.
3. Hear a song that reminds you of someone? Gift it to them on iTunes. At just 99 cents a song, it's worth it to share a happy feeling in the form of musical sentiment.
   
4. Go hug them. Not unconventional, but often underestimated.
5. Ask about life. Ask to see pictures or projects. Ask if you can help. Mean it.
6. Send them an e-mail with a one liner of the most important thing you have to tell them.
   
7. Draw them a picture. No, seriously. Do it. Make sure it's at least cute, if not a work of art.
8. Tell them you'll pray for them. And do it. People don't expect to hear it... but they're usually thankful for someone who cares enough to pray, and actually say that they will.
9. Make a care package... there's nothing more encouraging than getting a package or being presented with a grocery bag full of simple but meaningful things. A favorite magazine and snacks, a good book you just read and wanted to pass on, something that's just fun (bubbles, etch-a-sketch, goofy old pictures).
   

The point isn't really what you do. It's the fact that you're doing something. In today's multi-media, fast action, over-booked world, it's easy to forget that people need encouragement from the people who love them. In a world that's growingly devoid of simple friendships and emotional connection, it doesn't take much to get lost and discouraged.

Change that. Make somebody smile.

9 Socially friendly bits of gossip

1. Check out JennaLou.com for amazingly cute wallets, clutches and the like. I just bought one, and I l-o-v-e it!
2. It's supposed to be 40 degrees next Thursday. Break out the shades!
3. Blueprint magazine is out of print. :(
4. Two movies to expectantly wait for: Leatherheads (April 4) and Made of Honor (May 2)
5. Almay has a new foundation, Truly Lasting Color, which should win some sort of award. Between that and their recent SmartShade makeup release (similar to a tinted moisturizer in wearability, but it blends to your natural skintone), I'd say they've got the best foundation on the market. Their NearlyNaked is a good basic foundation, too.
6. Next time you're on Facebook, play Scrabulous. It's fun and makes your brain feel healthy.
7. I can buy two tall hot chocolates ($2.50) for the price of one triple shot grande peppermint mocha ($4.75). Figure out what your standy-by secondary drink is. It's a good way to save money when you're not feeling picky.
8. Christian Siriano won Project Runway! Fierce!
9. FACT: The Office is back on NBC on April 10th at 9pm. QUESTION: how did we live this long without it?

9 Functions Emily Loves Right Now

I echo Jackie Kennedy's sentiment in saying "The only routine with me is no routine at all." These past couple weeks have been blissful in their own quiet, unplanned way. Facing the things I can't fix by myself, not letting my mistakes own my day or life, and using the resources I have has made this week profound in its simplicity. These are some things I discovered along the way, and what they offered to this charmingly colorful week.

1. Panera's Fuji Apple Salad + Jones Soda = The best part of the work day
   
2. "Once" the soundtrack + Pandora = happy ears
   
3. Toaster Strudels + Vitamin Water = Superbreakfast
4. "But I Love Him" by Dr. Jill Murray + Earl Grey tea = Finally dealing with emotional abuse
   
5. Law & Order: SVU + Law & Order: CI = A reason to jog in front of the TV
   
6. Jogging + Pilates = Size 8 shorts this summer
   
7. Impatients + Fishies = A room full of life and happiness
   
8. Cajun Shrimp OPI polish + Smashbox Foundation Primer = Fun mornings
9. David McCullough Books on Tape + A sporty car = Education and Energetic commutes

Untitled Re-Post

Writing the post linked to below was the most emotionally productive thing I did in 2007. I almost decided to delete it instead of posting it that night. I'm really glad I didn't.


Untitled Post [8:45:52]

9 Benefits of Getting up Early

1. Watching the light of a new day fill the world.
   
2. Making it to work on time.
3. Getting the first shower (and therefore, the hot water).
4. Enjoying that perfect cup of coffee while it's still dark out.
   
5. Feeding the cows (Don't have any cows? Feed the goldfish.)
   
6. Exercising before you start your day.
   
7. Avoiding the embarrassment of feeling and looking like a lazy bum.
   
8. Listening to the birds.
   
9. Updating your blog with new stuff every morning.
   

I may be single...

...but Valentine's day is still my favorite day of the year.

Why? It could have something to do with the fact that February is such a flop as month... totally pointless. Cold, boring, just a stepping stone to March, April and spring. Except--wait--boring? No. It has the most fabulous holiday of all time right in the middle. A holiday not only filled with happy people, but also...

-Conversation hearts
-Cheap cardstock perforated fold over Valentines.
-Pretty flowers!
-The colors pink and red together. Everywhere.
-Chocolate.
-New releases of amazing chick flicks.
-Awkward and newly in love/engaged/married boys.
-Chocolate.
-An excuse to give all your best friends hugs!

Oh, and chocolate, too.

I seriously love Valentine's day. It drives me crazy when single people are cynical about it. Your time will come, and even if it doesn't... get over it. Valentine's day is just as cool as it was in 3rd grade.

And that's pretty cool.

<3

Dr. Suess makes me feel better when no one else can...

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own and you know what you know.
And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets; look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen,
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

Oh, the places you'll go!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so.
But, sadly, it's true.
And hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right,
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go,
or a bus to come, or a plane to go.
Or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow.
Or waiting around for a Yes or a No,
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite.
Or waiting around for Friday night.
Or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake.
Or a pot to boil, or a Better Break.
Or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants,
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

No.
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go,
though the weather be foul.
On you will go,
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go,
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
and I know you'll hike far,
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
...98 and 3/4% guaranteed.

Kid, you'll move mountains.

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!