Into Jubliant Psalm

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair, into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

 *  *  *  *

My prayer for my heart is for each day to be full of j u b i l a n t psalm for I know Whose face I will behold.

TWAMP: Exhibit A

More proof that William and Mary is the best college EVER

(and that twamps are the coolest people ever).

In case you needed more convincing.

(Photo courtesy of Overheard at William and Mary via Facebook)

Reasons Why I love My Alma Mater

A few years ago, a brilliant student at WM started an "Overheard at William and Mary" group on Facebook -- essentially a forum for students to post the ridiculous things things they hear students, faculty, employees, tourists, etc. say.  Context is usually irrelevant, and most posts are hysterical only because they are read out-of-context.  Anyways, I must admit that this site is one of my guilty pleasures.  It never ceases to amuse me, and each day always provides at least one or two memorable gems.  Plus, it is an amazing form of reassurance that the student body at WM hasn't changed -- that we are and will always continue to be TWAMPS (for the illiterate in WM lore: TWAMP=Typical William and Mary Person).  #TribePride now and forever.

Earlier this week, a friend of mine posted an Overheard that has since received 56 comments and 553 likes.  If something could be "trending" on Facebook, this would be.  And the gem that she posted and the resulting conversation made my heart so proud to be a 1. TWAMP and 2. an IR Major: 

In the marketplace: "Seriously, the botetourt complex is the Soviet Union of campus. They're the largest in number, they're bound together by mutual despair, and they'll crush anyone who gets in their way."

 Brilliant! Am, I right, or am I right? :) :)  And here are some of the gem comments other students posted:

• It is SO true! I live in Spotswood, & we were talking about how Spotswood is the District 12 of Botetourt. So, that makes us... Belarus? In this particular scenario?

• So does this make Barrett America?

• The Bryan Complex is the European Union. Subject to loud noise on weekends from football games coupled with excessive fire alarms. :)

• This probably means that Jamestown is China. They're big, new, and rising in power. It would appear that Jamestown also holds a massive amount of Barrett's debt...

• ^^Profound.

• Monroe should be Canada because its just as nice as Barrett but half as much fun.

• The coalition of Lodges accept any challenge posed by The Botetourt Complex

• The units are Australia because everything will kill you if given half a chance.

• Ludwell is could be England. Nice, friendly, but an island.

• Would that make Hunt North Korea? No one there knows anything about the rest of the dorms.

• ^ EXCUSE ME recant that~ Hunt's more like Easter Island or something...

• North Korea's not right - none of the rest of the dorms know Hunt exists! At least they see Taliferro on the way to the Marketplace. Also, Hunt isn't ambitious enough to form a serious military organization.So Hunt would be one of those small island nations in the Pacific or something? Like Fiji?

• Yes, it is. I quite like Fiji myself... and Brown can be a nearby island idk

• Hunt is sort of like one of those small tribes of undiscovered aboriginal tribes that haven't made contact with the outside world yet. I'm waiting for them to start worshipping airplanes.

• This might possibly be the best Overheard conversation ever. My inner history major sure came out today reading this.

• So is Yates like Mexico?

• ... and that's the reason why I love W&M. #TWAMP

• what about Dupont? china maybe since it has the largest number of people in the same building and is just south of botetourt.

• We've already got a China, though. If you're going by size/population density, maybe India? Except that DuPont has air conditioning, which means it's highly developed... Singapore, maybe? 

SO MUCH TRIBE PRIDE.  SAY IT LOUD, SAY IT PROUD.

Heart Musings

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back?
. . .
My dear Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be and to do. Your part in the story will go on."

-- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)

Thought of the Day

Just something I've been thinking about lately:

What if we actually believed that we are able to make a difference?


How then would our behavior and intentions change?  I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

A Statement of Purpose

I apologize for the very long hiatus I have taken from the blogosphere!  I originally viewed this blog primarily as a way to stay in touch with friends and family during my semester abroad in St. Andrews, Scotland.  (And even then, if you remember, I was terrible about writing frequently.  I think I still have residual guilt over that....)  Anyhow, here I am, writing to you once again.  And this time, I am approaching blogging with a different goal.  While I still want to tell you about all the fun things that are happening to me here in Lexington, I really want to share some of the thoughts I've had as a result of my master's program.  The Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce does a wonderful job exposing us to as many "life-experiences" and aspects of the international community as possible.  I have only been here a week, and already I am amazed at:  1) the number of events that we have been to and 2) the amount of personal reflection that I've had.  To be frank, I have never really felt the urge to blog before; it was really more of "oh-that'd-be-a-cool-thing-to-do" kind of feeling.  But now I find myself writing down potential blog topics in my notes during class and feeling excited to think through those topics further.  If I'm feeling like this after only a week of Orientation and 2 days of classes, I simply cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester brings!

Before Orientation started, we (the first year students) were required to come up with a personal mission statement; one that reflected our goals, etc. for the next five years.  I found the activity to be unexpectedly difficult.  I knew what mission statements were, but I had absolutely no idea how to construct my own, especially as there is no template or guidelines to follow.  In the end, I think it was a great exercise; it really made me think about why I want the things in life that I do and why I am even pursuing this degree.  Ultimately, it made me realize more concretely what little control I have over my own life, and how the mission God has set in place for me resoundingly trumps any and all plans I make on my own.  I strongly encourage you to sit down and think about what your life mission statement would be.  What do you hope to achieve?  to have? to be?  How will you get there?  Why do you want those things?

Here is what I came up with as my mission statement:

I seek to live in such a way that will positively change the lives of others.  Even if I impact the life of just one individual, I will deem my dedication to others to be a success.  I want to live with compassion, selflessness, and grace, ever striving to make a difference, striving to create change.

I want to be someone who is not afraid to take a stand for what she believes, even at the expense of my own material success.  Success for me will not be measured by wealth, popularity, or renown, but rather by the depth of relationships made, dedication to what is right, and commitment to God’s will.  I will fight for the rights of those at home and abroad, defending the inherent dignity of humanity. I want to change the way the world perceives the oppressed and combat the "bystander effect," inspiring ordinary citizens to take action in defense of their fellow men.  I will strive to always perform to the utmost of my ability, using the tools given to me through study and experience to give hope to those who suffer.

I seek to live passionately, deeply invested in both my vocation and the lives of my family and friends.  I want to be one who cherishes her family and actively nourishes those relationships.  I want to make myself continually available as a consistent source of support and love, upon which family and friends can rely.

Regardless of the plan I set out for myself in these words, my ultimate life mission is to honor and glorify the Lord through my pursuit of academics, vocation, family, and whatever else He leads me to do.  In all things, my successes are a result of His blessings; and therefore, I will strive to live in humility, recognizing the gifts He has given me.  Likewise, I will face my failures confidently, eager to learn from my mistakes and secure that the Lord has a purpose for me.  I will strive to continually live in light of His glory and grace, reveling in the beauty He has bestowed upon humanity and Creation.

I was struck by the final part of the instructions given to us for the assignment:  "The final test of any such plan is, 'Does this statement inspire me?'"  What is it that inspires you?