Choosing Life

Michael Kelly recently posted an entry responding to the accusation that Christianity is a crutch for the week. This is a claim I’ve heard many make. I have always struggled in answering it. I think Kelley makes a great argument and it stirs my heart. I encourage you to check it out. His post still leaves me wondering, how do we answer such statements? Perhaps the power of the Gospel message is enough (as it should be).

How do you respond to such arguments?

My friend Tiffani posted this link on her blog today where you can find out information about your name. More specifically, how many people are in the US with your exact name.

Here are the results!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are people with my name in the U.S.A. Howmany have your name?

Apparently there are 7171 people in the US with the last name Mudd, and it’s the 5116th most popular last name. Ha ha. Sarah is the 58th most popular first name, and don’t worry, 99.9% of those named Sarah are female

It goes without saying that we have all found ourselves paralyzed by fear at one time or another. Whether it was based on real life circumstance or paranoia that a fear might come, we can all sympathize with the grip fear has on our lives. I just finished reading Max Lucado’s newest book, “Fearless”, which focuses on many typical areas of fear that often paralyze us. In each chapter Lucado offers witty over-exgagerated examples of each of these specific fears and supplements them with a Biblical example when believers are encouraged to trust God’s hand and provision.

Remember back when spent a week as a Camp Director for Line Camp here at Baylor? There was a writer for the Baylor Magazine who shadowed us that week to learn what Line Camp was about. I have been waiting anxiously to see the result. Tonight, it appeared on my Facebook News Feed: “Right From the Start“.

Read it.

Learn the story of how I came to fall in love with Baylor as an A&M graduate student more than two years ago. How blessed and thankful I am to be here.

Today, August 31st is my brother’s birthday– he would be 23 this year. I’ve been thinking a lot about this day for the past couple of weeks. I have wondered what it is going to be like to not be able to call and harass my brother all in the name of wishing him well. I wonder a lot about what it will be like to go through this day.

But, Richard’s birthday also has me thinking a lot about his life. He was truly someone who chose life in every circumstance. He really lived life to the fullest. I have always admired that about him.

Today, it seems that everything I do reminds me of him. From conversations about politics, to the sweet tea sitting on my counter. But, in all honestly, that’s not much different than any other day. But today, it wouldn’t be weird for me to go purchase an Ice Cream Cake (like the one in the picture above- his last birthday) even if they are 500 calories a slice.

Neither of our birthdays will ever be the same again. But I laugh because I think that’s exactly how he would want it.

Remember this post about my excitement for Donald Miller’s new book? Well, now you can read part of it right here on my blog. I love how high tech Thomas Nelson Publishers are!

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller

My second year at Belmont University, I had the privilege of serving as an RA for 60 pretty awesome freshman women. I got the chance to walk alongside them and learn so much about my life and who I was created to be from them. All of these women are awesome, and I am grateful to have known them.

With that said you can imagine my pride when I see one of them on the Today show for a book that she authored that is titled “How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World”. I’ve read a snip-it of it and I think she’s right on target!

Clink the link above to watch the Today Show peice or, click here to order her book on Amazon!

I recently signed up for Thomas Nelson Publisher’s Blogger Book Review program. This program allows bloggers to receive copies of Thomas Nelson’s newest books to read and review. It’s a pretty great deal, because I just get to do what I love– read and write, and get free material to do those things! Without further ado, here is my first book review for this!

I was initially drawn to Andy Stanley’s “The Principle of the Path” for the sub-titles on the cover– “How to get from where you are to where you want to be”. As someone who is hoping to move a community from one place to another, I thought this might have some great insight for my work and life.

Stanley’s thesis is pretty clear from the beginning- the choices we make determine our outcome. Making a series of poor choices probably will result in some poor outcomes. While this point is true, and something I hope my students learn during college, that seems to be the meat of the book. Each subsequent chapter outlines more examples of how people were faced with choices and how those choices led them to where they were. I kept hoping the next chapter would provide new information, or more advice on guiding one’s self or organization down the path to where we want to go. But, I felt like Stanley left me hanging.

I will say though, the book was a fairly easy read and his examples are relatable. While I felt like I needed something more and deeper from this book, I do think there are those in the world need to know that making reckless choices now will only harm them in the end. I would recommend this book for those who would like encouragement in the truth that making wise choices now is making a choice for goodness in your life. I wouldn’t rank it at the top of my favorite books list, but it certainly is not at the bottom either.

You can find this book on Amazon here.

You know the Duggars. TLC’s newest mega-family, stars of 18 and counting. They are a family from Arkansas who have 18 children ranging in age from 21 years to 8 months. I got the feeling the other day what it might be like to be the Duggars on a grocery trip.

I just pre-ordered this: