Marvelous Happy Things

I heard that Harry was making an album, and I was excited. As I'd read online, I suspected every song would have a rock focus, since he enjoys old rock songs. I was pleasantly surprised by "Sign of the Times." It had strong vocals but also tender moments. I thought that it was too long. The bridge showed a lot of his range, and I had to wait for that while listening to the chorus again. Other than that, I have no critiques.

I was taught not to chase boys, but to wait for the "right one." I heard it from my family and some from my church as a teenager and have carried it with me into my young adult years. It's a passive waiting. I say, "I'm waiting for my future husband" to cover up the fact I'm not making much of an effort to meet men. I'm not dating anyone. I wait for them to come to me, but they don't. From what I've learned this semester through hearing a speaker's story, that's not realistic. Is there a solution? Is it a problem that leaders assure teens that they will find Mr. or Miss Right? Should they change the narrative? As one who grew up on Disney movies and rom-coms, is it possible for my siblings' kids to grow up with another narrative? It will take a conscious effort on the part of those who interact with children to change this. It could be difficult, but it's better for them than being blindsided later in life with the possibil...

A theologian and a rock star walk into a kitchen. This isn’t a joke. In an event filmed by Fuller Studio ,  Bono (born Paul Hewson, lead singer for U2) visited Eugene Peterson’s home (author of the Message Bible) in 2015 to discuss their mutual love of the Psalms and what they see happening in Christian culture.  Not only was this event interesting because they’re very different men – one’s a soft-spoken academic, the other’s never left his loud, blue-collar roots – it was also interesting because Bono seemingly has many reasons to avoid religious people. While Bono’s a Christian, he’s always had a complex relationship to the church. He was born in Ireland to a Catholic father and Protestant mother not long before Catholics and Protestants began killing each other in the Troubles . In his late teens, Bono teamed up with two Christians and a skeptic to form U2, and initially the three Christians sought Christian mentors and even joined a Christian group called Shalom in t...

When I first began watching Girl Meets World (GMW), I was a freshman in college. I had seen few  Boy Meets World episodes but was interested in a new story for a new generation. I enjoyed watching Riley, Maya, Lucas, Farkle, Zay, and Smackle grow up and learn. While some episodes were purely for an entertainment value, others taught lessons such as appreciating your parents, dealing with liking the same boy as your friend, and handling a poor grade in a class. I learned to sympathize with Maya's life in a single-parent home and Farkle's insecurities. There was something compelling about Riley and the stories. Spoilers are contained in the following section. I appreciated the last episode. It cleared up some lingering Boy Meets World  questions about Mr. Turner's feelings towards Shawn and both actors playing Morgan. I liked the flashbacks with Cory and Josh and how they fit into the end of the episode. I did not like how quickly Lucas got over Riley's leaving, alt...

I‘m running, tripping, clawing at the trees around me to climb back up, losing my grip on the slippery moss. My breath rips out of my chest and throat, grasping oxygen desperately. I never look behind me—I‘m not running away, I‘m running toward. Toward what I don‘t know; I pray that it‘s home.             A tree root catches my foot and I tumble down. My body flings arms over legs over feet as I fail to protect myself from the roots and twigs that tear my skin. The scant moonlight disappears as the sticks do, and suddenly I‘m rolling over cold, hard dirt with no light whatsoever and no idea where I am.             I collide with a cool dirt surface. Light like that from candles reflects off the dirt around me, causing it to look reddish and alive. Slowly, I push myself off the floor and look around me. I‘m alone in a tiny dirt room that looks like a hollow cube, with no...

It began with a realization and a prayer. During the last year, I realized that I do not have many friends of a different race (white) or culture (American) than me. At some point, I prayed something like, "God, please bring more people who are different than me into my life." Racial tension has been a large topic within the last year, and many of my classmates have spoken strongly about this issue on blogs or social media. I would excuse the issue by thinking that I didn't have anyone to relate to who was dealing with it. Therefore, I did not engage with it in conversation or action. God answered this prayer by putting more men and women of different races and cultures in areas of my life this semester than I think I've ever interacted with before. Last Wednesday in chapel, Pastors Derrick Rollerson and Mark Soderquist spoke about race and unity. It was humbling to listen to them confess weaknesses as black and white men serving inner-city Chicago together. Becau...

It's hard to be single. I guess it could be worse. I'm in my 20s and am not yet considered a spinster. I can still attend young adult groups at church without getting weird looks. But what if I continue to be single into my 30s and beyond? How could that affect my relationship with the church? From what I've seen of women's ministry, many Bible studies and fellowship are centered around a woman's relationships with her husband and children. But what if you do not have either one? If you are used to looking to friends in college or a close-knit group at church for support, this could be alarming. Choices for ministry that deal with women relating to other women and to the world may be few and far between. I receive emails from a group called Faith.Full , the women's community of FaithGateway. These are often encouraging and speak to me but sometimes also discuss topics that may never be applicable. My relationship with God and the church matters whether or no...