God Won't Hear You Unless You Pray Like This

Happy Holidays, InterWebs.

Today I am thankful for my Grandma. She would kill me if she knew I put this photo up. On the bright side - I didn't actually steal this picture. :)

Today's Post:

My dad once told me that when I answer the phone I speak with a British accent. I don't think that's entirely true, but I have listened to myself on an answering machine, and I might sound a little wacky. However, I've begun to notice that when I talk to God, my entire vernacular and syntax changes. I've come to the conclusion that prayer requires certain language. Much more sophisticated. I mean, we have to dress up for church, it makes sense that we would have to step up our A-game when it comes to how we speak to God, ja?

Here are a few tips to get through to God. I guarantee God will hear you if you use them.

1. Transitional Phrases
I've noticed that when I pray, my transitional words get much fancier. Last week, as I was rattling off a long list of requests, instead of merely listing them numerically, I squeezed in a formally-appropriate "moreover". I mean - you *could* say something along the lines of, "Also, or next, or secondly"...if you were ordering a biggie fry at Hardees. "Additionally, furthermore, in conjunction with..." <<<< these are also hot transitional phrases.

2. Inverted Syntax
Or as I like to call it, Yoda-speak. You DO want your prayers to be heard, don't you? Show your commitment and earnestness by twisting up your words. Mix it up a little bit...put your verb last! Put it first! DON'T USE VERBS. Don't use a subject. It may sound a little funny to the prayer n00bs, but I'm sure, given practice (MORE PRAYER), you'll understand that conversation with God transcends regular syntax and sentence structure.

3. YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO USE CONTRACTIONS
As with A.P. English papers, contractions are a no-no in prayers. You aren't at Chucky-Cheese; don't act like you're seven. Mrs. Rudkin would dock you a point, and maybe God docks one prayer request allotment per contraction. Better be safe than sorry; avoid shortcuts. For example, here is the beginning of a prayer recently journaled in my Jesus Journal, "LORD, Let me not blahblahblah." See? Formal. Aristocratic. Prayer-worthy.

4. Replace all your "vanilla" words with fancier ... words.
Duh. Find the flowery poetic lingo. Have you ever even read Song of Solomon (Parental Guidance suggested)? Step 1: Pull out your thesaurus! No matter how great you think your adjective is, I'm sure there's a better one. Typically, it's the one with 3 more syllables. Step 2: Simile it up. Seriously. Song of Songs. Perhaps I don't understand what it means to be likened to a mare...but if Solomon says it, it sounds chill to me.

5. Rhyme.
Check it. Shakespeare did it. So can you. You may just want to work a little harder on your prayer preparations.


Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thess 5: 16-18


Love,
bRob

Love Bird Public Announcement

Pre-Script: Sorry Jaclyn. I'll write your recommendation later. This post was ENTIRELY too pressing.

Dear InterWebs -
It's been so long, but before I burden you with my list of grievances, here is what I am thankful for today:

Mercy Verity Candles. I met the owner, Lisa, at a farmer's market, and I've spent half of my pay check buying her amazing candles with phenomenal scents. And by the way - they're especially good for when you microwave something that's not supposed to be microwaved and then catch your apt on fire [nearly] and want to get the nasty smell out.

Anyways - the point of today's post:

I'm single. Mostly by choice. Not because I'm incapable of meeting members of the opposite sex. As a single person, and I'm sure all other single people will attest to this, there are certain things we're sick of hearing from couples.

Things Happy Couples Should Quit Saying to Singles:

1. "I'm so jealous of all your free time!" <-- Usually accompanied by a cute eye roll and hair flip. [i think this is the one i stole from jon acuff...]

Obviously. My free time, spent watching dvr'd episodes of 30 Rock and finding the best edition of the German Bible on Amazon.com, is HIGHLY preferable to a suhweet date night at the Melting Pot and watching the latest Katherine Heigl flick. Your Outlook calender must be SO full of treacherous appointments such as, I don't know, going to the fair with some hunk you're dating. Man, do I love my free time.

2. "Cooking for one is hard."

Is it? If you're willing to settle for a family-sized bag of potato chips for dinner, cooking for one really isn't too hard. I make this a regular habit. Never mind that anything else you buy comes with a batrillion servings. Hot dogs, twinkies, instant mashed potatoes...even PopTarts come in packs of two! [Don't judge my culinary habits. I'm sure I'll care more when someone else cares.]

3a. "So what are your evening plans?"

Did you just raise your eyebrow at me? Did YOU just RAISE your eyebrow at ME? I don't know what I'm doing this weekend, but it probably won't be as cool as your sweet sweet movie night. I hope watching the Notebook for the bazillionth time and eating cookies you two made together is simply swell. I will be enjoying my Discovery Channel documentary on anacondas with stale Triscuits, and it will be sweller.
[picture cred: stolen]


3b. "Oh, well, um, you could always come along with us." [Number 3a's cousin]

Thanks for the invite. I could maintain my dignity and go learn how to knit sweaters for my cats, OR I could play third wheel to your cocoon of love. Shuooot girl, who does you think i iz?

4. "Paul was single."

Thank-you for reaffirming my worst fears. God has called me to be single for the rest of my life. Couldn't I be more of an Eve? I wouldn't mind a hot naked man. (Adam had to be hot right?)

5. If I invite you out of posterity to a group function: "Um, I'm not sure, it depends on how I'm feeling tonight."

Honesty is the best policy. I know what you're really saying here: "Lame sauce McGuffigan, I'm gonna run your silly single plans by my significant other, and chances are we'll be too busy cuddling and speaking baby talk to one another to make it." < -- That's what couples spend all their time doing, right? I wouldn't know, I'm single.


;)

love, bRob.

And I'll take a side order of Jesus

Hello Interwebs.

It's been a while. But I do not have time for idle chit-chat, so let's begin, Interwebs, and nix the small talk.

I am learning to love Jesus. Slowly but surely, I am trying to make sense of the Enigma that is our Savior. I realized within the past few weeks that I cannot really explain why I believe in Jesus. I love God the Father. I have felt His (note the capital H, NIV and ESV readers. Capital H.) tug at my heart, His love, His hurt as I leave Him, His joy at my return. I have felt the love of God the Father.

But you know what? I feel like I've been kind of piggy-backing Jesus.

JESUS is what separates Christianity from every other religion. And yet I have so little to say to Him or about Him. Growing up in the Baptist Church in the Bible Belt where everyone is a Christian, I kind of accept Jesus and lump Him in with God, without truly understanding or appreciating or QUESTIONING Him for myself.

And that's just silly. That would make me a Christian out of mere convenience and habit, and guess what, those sorts of Christians are dangerous. I would argue that the ignorant Christian can threaten the Kingdom of God just as much as the educated Atheist.
Mark 12:30
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Say wuttt? You mean worshiping the Lord is more than getting the warm fuzzies during "Come Thou Fount?" YES. Don't get me wrong, worship the Lord on an emotional and spiritual level. But if you have questions, don't be afraid of them. God loves your eager and questioning mind, and the pursuit of His word and understanding His given Scriptures is one He will truly honor, I believe. For those who tend to assume Christianity is for the weak of mind and will, you don't even understand how much you are missing. God's Word and Spirit will provide you with more intellectual journeys and pursuits than you could ever dream.

I am about to begin being discipled (a discipleship? I'm kind of at a loss for the correct phrasing) . In the Bible, Christian scholars followed teachers around and learned more about the Christ and His ways (Ex. John 1:35). In fact - the 12 disciples was more than a clever nickname for Jesus' merry band of brothers...they were His students. The lady who is going to be my discipler asked me to compile a list of questions for us to study together.
Here were my first two:
1. How do we KNOW that Jesus is/was the Son of God?
2. Why do we need a Savior?

Once I've grappled with Question 1, I should be able to answer, "Why am I not Jewish?" And once I've worked on Question 2, I can answer the question, "Why not Islam? Why not Buddhism? Why not any other religion?"

How can I witness for Jesus when I don't know why I need Him? I'm so excited about beginning these studies and truly grasping in a more coherent and innate way why I need and want Jesus, not just another religion.

Anways - I promised to say one thing for which I am thankful in every post. Today I am thankful for naptime.

Of course I stole this picture.

What you don't know...

Dear you (InterWebs)-

First off, today I am thankful for days that are gray and equally as thankful for the sweatpants that allow me to fully enjoy gray days, even if they do not accentuate and flatter my figure quite as much as it deserves.

(btdubs - i know this doesn't make it right, but i feel like if i admit to stealing most of the photos i put in my blog, i'm not quite as awful)

Anyways - there's something that is far greater than rainy days and sweatpants I wanted to share today.

And that is the fact that God knows your innermost thoughts and desires, even when you don't. I decided to blog about this while jogging ( with a soft j) today.

{Explanatory Digression}
I like to pray while I run. This is for many reasons:
a) Running is boring. I have to multitask so I don't die of sheer boredom and then go eat something instead of running that last mile
b) I'm a horrible pray-er (someone who prays...?). I figure that while running my mind is finally searching for something to do, so why not converse why God?
c) I always forget to charge my iPod.
{End Digression}

So today, while running, I tried to explain to God that I'm trying to give my heart to Him, and I know I have desires getting in the way, and would He kindly help me with that? And then I went off track (not literally, mentally) and wondered if I was really giving my heart to God. How do I know if I'm truly being honest with God when I say, "Lord, YOU are more important than anything else"?

You see, I'm the master of self-deceit. I can sell myself anything. I can convince myself that what I'm doing is morally or ethically right, or I can just rationalize my bad behaviour like a pro. And knowing the extent of my own self-deception, I don't trust myself anymore. Whenever I try to make an important decision, I end up wildly confused and am constantly second-guessing myself. It's a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and condemnations. What am I doing? Is this right? But now it feels wrong. Should I be doing this instead? But I'm still not certain if this is the right thing to do. By the end, I've gotten myself so twisted and turned around that I'm on the brink of tears, lost and hopeless.

And then I began to think about this verse.
^{Matthew 6:8} ...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

God knows. When my emotions and fickle thoughts and prayers leave me muddled, confused, heart-broken and weary, God knows what's going on. I may not be able to sort through my own mess and deception, but God can see down to my core -the evil and the good, He sees the things I'm don't know I'm hiding, He knows the things I'm trying desperately to give up to Him.

And that makes me want to cry with relief. My FATHER knows what I'm really about, deep down. I don't need to try and convince Him of anything. I may not trust myself, but I can certainly trust that the Lord sees through the lies I can't.

If your heart has ever wrestled with thoughts like How saved am I? Do I believe ENOUGH? Am I so muddled and lost that I don't know how muddled and lost I truly am?, find peace in this verse.

1 John 3: 19-20

This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.

1 John 3 is one of those life verses you should write on an index card and stick on your bathroom mirror.

POST SCRIPT:
My bestie Marcia showed me this music video. I love it more and more with each passing day. (If you are not a fan of interpretive dance, I PROMISE you it gets better after the first minute or two...I am not an interpretive dance fan either.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Step 2

Happy Blogging Step 2: Blog when you are happy. Actually take the time to sit down and blog when you're feeling good. I generally sad blog because I want someone (the internet counts as a friend, right?) to listen to meeeee. Well now my friend, InterWebs, is going to listen to me talk about the good things going on right now.

First of all, new rule: I have to say something for which I'm thankful EVERY TIME I BLOG.







+











Get it??? Oatmeal + peanut butter! YUM. I'm so impressed that I was I able to load these pics. I'm really not very technologically inclined.

Also - I'm thankful for instant forgiveness (I could have made a cheesy segue from instant oatmeal to instant forgiveness, but I DID NOT. )
I'm one of those people that never forgives myself. God, however, is not like that. When you pray sincerely for forgiveness, the Lord doesn't "need a little time to think about it". He forgives you. Right then and there. Is that not weird? WEIRD IN A GOOD WAY. When I pray for forgiveness, I tend to pray about 7 times for the same sin. But guess what? God forgave me after the first prayer. I tend to limit God by my own perceptions of myself and humanity. Because I take so long to forgive myself, God must too. I must FEEL forgiven before I actually am, right? In the words of Jim Carry as the Grinch, WRONG-O. No. If you don't "feel" forgiven, that's on you. Get past it. Get over it. You've repented, and God's forgiven you - messy, broken, stubborn you.

Holla - lujah!

Anyways -

I talked to the South Africa study abroad people (I will just call them "the people" because they're through a third party and I don't really know what else to call them). I get an automatic grant because I go to a public university! It's not huge, but it definitely helps alleviate some costs. And classes DO transfer credit towards my major. I have hope!!!! Onward and upwards: tomorrow I will be calling the study abroad office and sweet-talking my adviser. Let us hope that this will go somewhere (like....South Africa!!!).

Also - I will be mentoring a little girl during my time here at the Dubya. Well, I'll be meeting her tomorrow to see if she's a good match. Shout a prayer out (all one of you readers...) for me - apparently she is a bit of a "mess." I don't know what that means...does she not shower? Will she set my apartment on fire? I don't know. All I know is I'm super excited to have a little friend :) Elementary schoolers are in love with absolutely everything. Everything's fun when you're 8! I hope it works out.

So. Other than that - today was normal. I got yelled at again at work. I didn't really do anything that merited being chewed out. People just like to yell at me because they need someone to yell at. I've been thinking about putting a coin jar out - every time you yell at the co-op, put in a dollar.

Imma be rollin in mad moneyzzzzz.

I should go running now.... 3 miles? (And by 3 I mean 1.5).

tschau,
bRob

My life is here today...berserk tomorrow.

So. My dad keeps telling me I've gone loopy. I always associate loopy with ladies who wear chunky jewelry, pea green frumpy cardigans, and have 3 cats, one of which is hairless. I wear tie dye and green nail polish and have two rats - I'm sure that's close enough. That's right...it's two rats now. Mariella is blind, albino, and a genius. She also pees like Seabiscuit, so beware.

Back to the start - my dad thinks I've gone bonkers because everything in my life right now is topsy-turvy. I take what I've done and flipped it all backwards. I've been rethinking my major, my co-op, my future, my life in general.

I want to get rid of my double major and stick with MAE. But can I handle it, really? And this means I will be sacrificing certain scholarships I've gotten through the industrial engineering department. And I don't even know what I should do post-graduation.
Honestly, I want to do engineering for a Christian mission organization. In Africa. AFRICA. But am I doing this because I feel led? No. Brittany wants to travel so she'll throw the God card.
And will I live in Africa for forever? Do I want a family one day? Will I want to consult? Will I regret giving up ISE?

And, since I was "strongly" discouraged from ditching my third rotation for a EWB trip to Uganda, I have decided that perhaps I should study abroad NEXT fall at the University of Cape Town. Issues: It's mega-expensive, I may not be able to get class credit over there (thus deferring graduation...again), and it's *technically* only for sophomores. But rules are there for bending, right?

My car died the other day. It's been bandaid-ed right now, but I don't think it'll last for too much longer. I have to start researching buying cars. I really want a station wagon, maybe a Subaru? I'm not clued in enough to maintain my own car - so it's definitely gotta be reliable. And cheap. Life costs a lot. Between 5+ (ok - 6) years of college, apartments, food (and of COURSE i'm too snobby to buy regular food...I'm obsessed with the ridiculous stuff that costs $. I mean really, why do I have to buy Greek yogurt? Is yoplait not good enough?), automobiles, oil for my oil sucking automobiles, rat play pens, etc, how will I ever afford anything???

Then there's always my personal demons. My temptations, my desires, my wants, and everything that pulls me away from God.

Good night. When life hits, it hits hard, doesn't it?

In looking through this blog - I realize it seems rather depressing. And really, I never blog when I'm ecstatic. When I'm on fire for God, when I think things are going well, when life makes sense, when I'm not scared or worried or on the verge of (or in the midst of) tears, I don't blog then. I promise I'm not always like this.

I need to start happy blogging.

For instance - I could have blogged Saturday morning. On Friday I was super busy at work (and being super busy = super important, yes? I choose to believe so...) I woke up in my old bed at home with an autumn sun streaming through my window. Fall is my absolute favorite season. Home is becoming one of my favorite places. And my sister's obnoxious wake-up call makes me laugh so hard.


Happy Blogging Step 1: Count your blessings.

Today I am thankful for my family. I love them all. They are giving, "passionate" (ie don't make 'em mad!), vulnerable, hard-working, and strong. They are hilarious and smart. They are truly blessings. Exhausting and frustrating blessings.

Philippians 3:13-15
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty.

These past few weeks have not been ideal. It's been a rough couple of weeks, between school work and personal drama and blahblahblah. I pulled a couple of Martha's, and I want to try to focus more on my spiritual growth than on whatever it is I find to preoccupy my time. And also, I bought a rat, as seen here. His name is McFly (that's right - back to the future). To be quite truthful, I wanted a girl (don't tell him that), but this was what Petsmart had to offer. And if you've seen me within the past week, you'll realize I'm absolutely obsessed with him, so I guess it wasn't such a bad purchase after all.


Moving on. The REAL reason I wanted to write a post was to share something that is, to me, a little profound. Did you know...
God created each and every one of us???

Now, before you roll your eyes, listen here. Some people see how big God is when they look at the sunset or the Grand Canyon or the ocean or something like that. And that is wonderful (and really cliche), but that is not what gets me.

When God's greatness and vastness really strikes me in the face is when I look at other people.

I am not a people person, per say. I don't love people, I don't want to hear everyone's story and love them and hug them. It's not how I am. In fact, all too often, I am aggravated and in sheer amazement of how someone has managed to step all over my absolute last nerve.

Do you know anyone who makes you take a step back and question your whole outlook on life? That person that doesn't seem fit into any logical equation, and it drives you bonkers? You know, it's that person who makes you pull your hair out and go, "I have to meet her parents. Maybe something somehow will make sense if I know who raised this person."


And it's in those sorts of people I see the vastness of God. You see, Jesus wants to be my very best friend. He does, I know. And the thing is, He is overcapable of being the absolute bestest friend I could ever have. He will fulfill my every need and will encourage me and discipline me and make me laugh and be there when everyone else lets me down.
And guess what else? He can be that Best Friend for ANYBODY. He IS that best friend for the girl who drives you bonkers. That person that makes absolutely no sense to you, that person you want to roundhouse kick in the face, that person who has hurt you in every way imaginable, that person whose life is so different and undesirable to you - Jesus wants to be, and is more than enough to be, that person's BESTEST friend as well.


Did you get that? He is so dynamic, so wonderful, so immense, that He has the ability to be every individual person's absolute best friend. He's not a little of something for everyone...He has the ability to be everyone's individual everything.

MIND BLOWN.

So, if you see someone who makes you want to punch a care bear with frustration, or there is a homeless person that creeps you out, or someone takes advantage of you, or the weird kid who picks his nose and plays dungeons and dragons (oops, did I just stereotype?) sits next to you, keep this in mind:

Jesus wants to be his or her best friend too. He loves them EVERY BIT as much as He loves you.

God created ALL of us. The crazies, the cheerleaders, the obnoxious kids, the ones who wet the bed, even the left-handed folk and the gingers (haha, I'm a ginger, so that was ok) ...He made each and every one and loves each one uniquely.

That's how big MY God is.

As If I was gonna do Diff Eq anyways...

So. I've been less than awesome lately. In fact, I might say my life was downright pathetic. I've been spiritually dry, mostly because there are things I don't want to let go. The thing about Jesus - you're either in or you're out. You can't say, "Hold on...there's this thing, Jesus." No - we have to deny ourselves DAILY.

Not once.
Not twice.
Every single day.

Some Christians find such joy in that. For some, they are so in love with Jesus Christ that they would do anything asked of them.

Me...I hope to be there soon. Yet I still struggle. I've recently been really angry with God. Why can't I have THIS ONE THING? Hmmm? WHY? I'm doing so great at everything else (ps - that is most definitely not true). All I ask, God, is that you grant me this one wish.
I thought that just maybe if I did everything else right, I would get what I wanted. But sometimes...the answer is still a resounding NO (plus, it's pretty presumptuous to think I'm doing "everything else right.").

I don't know why God has me where He does right now, and we have been more than a little distant as of late. I feel like the Holy Spirit has gotten quieter, which is heartbreaking. But the one thing I know for certain is that He has been saying NO, and while I've tried to rationalize holding on and wishing and wanting and all of that mess, He has been unwavering. You don't negotiate these things with God, I'm learning. So, last night, I relinquished this thing to God .

And while I'm sad and hurt, I take such solace in the fact that I'm back in my Savior's arms again. They'd been there all along, but it's pretty hard to run after God when you're holding on to earthly things.

My pops happened to mention this verse the other day (I, of course, rolled my eyes; who wants to hear a Bible verse when she's feeling foul and bitter?) - and while NO ONE wants to be Cain in the story of Cain and Abel - I find myself identifying wholly with him in these simple verses.

"Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crushing at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."
-Genesis 4: 6-7

I have been SO angry at God. We've had multiple showdowns these past few weeks (He won...in case you were wondering). I've been frustrated, bitter, rebellious, and mostly, just in a desert. You know? Dry and unsatisfied. And lonely. Distancing yourself from God will leave you feeling very very lonely. Ostracized from other Christians, friends, family, and God - the One who longs for the most intimate relationship.

And that's just it - I haven't done "well." I know it. I knew it all along. I tried to rationalize feeding my own selfish wants and desires instead of going to the Lord. I tried so hard. Seriously, E for Effort, bRob (but really, F for Fail).

That passage made me realize that God knew exactly what I was doing all along. Ignoring Him. Saying no. That's not doing well. That's failing.
I knew it too. But I pretended I didn't.

Let me tell you - I am not happy right now. I am sad. But you know what? I'm NOT lonely. God took me right back. He has been sitting right beside me with a raised brow, patiently loving me and waiting for me to return. I may not feel hopeful, but I have faith that God has a plan for me, one that does not entail my being miserable for forever. I may struggle with these unfulfilled wants, but I am unbelievably relieved that God and I are friends again.

God always wins.

-bRob

Do you ever wonder?

I wonder if the Lord ever gets sick of my nonsense.

I remember last fall when I was going through a really rough time, I cried non-stop. After a while, I don't think anyone cared anymore. I guess I can hardly blame them, but it hurt nonetheless. Nothing hurt more, however, than when someone I esteemed highly and considered one of my closest "people" told me that it was time to get over it. He got angry with me and blew up and told me to stop crying and that it was ridiculous that I wasn't better yet.

And it makes me wonder if sometimes the Lord thinks I'm such a silly girl (I don't mean cute silly, I mean ridiculous and aggravating). I wonder if He gets aggravated that I'm crying again, or disappointed that I've let myself get hurt once more.

And the Bible said the Lord removes our iniquities from us as far as the east is from the west. The Bible also commands us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. If I repeatedly sin, will the Holy Spirit finally say, "Enough is enough, Brittany. You're not listening, so I'm no longer talking." It makes me wonder if this time is the final time, if I've grieved the Holy Spirit so badly, that this time He decides to turn off our communication.

I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don't feel it. And I believe in God, even when He is silent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVWYhkWPZ7A

-brittany

a little behind

Mrm, hullo, friend -(I couldn't decide whether I wanted to sound like yoda or cookie monster just then...)


I'm about to go to a cookout, so I'll keep it brief and sweet [i'm just so darn popular].

Recently I heard a couple different sermons on the Holy Spirit, and really, it's changed my outlook on my relationship with God! God sent YOU, fellow Christian, His Counselor to live inside you. Never will you be alone or forsaken. When you have truly decided to live for and about God through the salvation of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit makes a nice home in your rib cage (not really...but inside of you for sure!) and acts as a guide, if you're willing to listen.
Awesome, right? I never really understood the Holy Spirit before...not that I will ever completely understand.

So, I learned today about subwoofers and speakers and tweeters. A speaker works when an electrical current powers a magnet that moves a speaker at a certain frequency. The reason you can't have one speaker that gets the really low sounds AND the really high frequencies is because it isn't physically possible.

A subwoofer has to have a material that can flex for those longer oscillations required of lower frequencies. A tweeter, by contrast, is for really high frequencies. Therefore the material of a tweeter speaker needs to be able to oscillate both tightly and quickly.

That is a very elementary explanation of speakers, but that's more than I knew before today.

Please have a wonderful, uplifting day (in case it hasn't been thus far :( )

Ein bisschen spaeter

Hey reader hey (though I am doubting your actual existence) -
It's been a while, but I am learning lots of new things.

My heart broke a li'l bit yesterday as my little Sentra got pulled away, struggling for breath and leaking oil all over the parking lot. I about cried. Now I get to drive the soccer mommy vehicle. I am grateful I have a means of transportation...but I miss my Sentra.

I went to my FIRST REAL CONCERT on Friday. NeedtoBreathe! I've been discovering a lot of new music lately. If you have a chance, definitely check out the following bands/artists:

1. NeedToBreathe (recommend These Hard Times)
- rock and roll with bluegrass influences?

2. Matt Hires (I think he and I should discuss our pending engagement. He's SO awesome.)
- kind of acoustic-y rock and roll(not at ALL like Jack Johnson)? He's my favorite right now.

3. Will Hoge

4. JJ Heller
- she has to have the sweetest voice I've ever heard. Give her a chance.

Guess what color lobster blood is? I learned [from the trivia on my peaches and cream oatmeal packet] that lobster blood is BLUE!

I also learned that there exists, on MTV, at TV show exclusively devoted to the life of rich teenagers and there is no other premise...it's called The Hills. Why on earth? It has been described to me as "The Real Housewives..." for the younger generation.

Um...now I know.

a non-melodramatic post

Hey hey hey.
Lots has been goin' on here. I'm pooped. I ran a 10 miler this past weekend (say wuttt?), and I got to visit some of the college kids, and I am never disciplined enough to go to bed on time...and I never did get the smoothie I tried to hunt down for an hour last night...in other words, bed time should be any time now.

Anyways, I got promoted-ish today. In reality, I got a bigger desk closer to the mangineers in my dept. (Note: My pay, title, and benefits have not been affected by this promotion. Just my desk).

This week I've learned that quitting coffee is not something to do on a Monday. Or a Tuesday. Maybe a Saturday ;)?

OH - I actually did learn something for real. Did you know San Francisco is the first city to outlaw plastic bags?

Now you know.

Can it be the weekend now?

Hey.
I read a book, the screwtape letters, and it talked about how being nice and living for the Lord when you're doing fine is no big feat, but the real measure of someone's love for others is how she treats people when she's stressed/angry/etc. After what I would consider a stressful day, I sat back and realized that I didn't like how I acted some of the time. :(

"Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway."

This quote is about the only thing that got me through today (I guess I might as well admit that I am definitely one of the suckers who is motivated by inspirational quotes. Not the corny ones about hope and friendship hugs, but the decent ones.). Sometimes you have to stop, take a breath, and remember that if you live for the LORD, you're living the best life possible and doing the absolute best you can. I guess, that being said, I just need to make sure I live for the LORD everyday.


Moving on, let me preface everything by saying that I have NOT verified these facts. But...
I learned yesterday ...
US car companies have been producing cars that run on ethanol for OTHER countries for years...yet have you ever seen one on the US market? Isn't that interesting? We're having so much trouble with inflated oil prices and we're dependent on other nations, and the technology is available for use, but for some reason we haven't implemented it in the US market. Oh, the things you learn while waiting for test cars.

I also learned that in Nigeria, the police will stop you just because they want money. Sketchhhhhhhh.

Now I know.
-britt

Things cannot be unlearned

1 John 3:19
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
This verse came up in conversation today. It's hard to accept, but God is greater than our hearts. When emotions seem overwhelming, I find this verse extremely comforting.

I learned the difference between a hysterectomy and having one's tubes tied. At lunch. Of all the things I never wanted to know...

And, unfortunately, now I know.

-britt

Great-full-ness

To my very few but precious readers -

I want you to try something. I have been doing Beth Moore's Bible Study on "Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman" for the past school year, and yesterday in the devotion she told all of her readers to do one thing.
Would you do it, too?
"Please sit back for just a moment, take a deep breath, and bask in the affection...of your God. He knows you and loves you so much. All of your toil is ever before Him." - Beth Moore
It may sound cheesy, but actually sit back and DO it! God is loving on you, right now, as we speak. Jesus is listening, ready to be your Best Friend, if you'll just let Him. The LORD loves you in a very personal, one-on-one kind of way. To quote the movie Junebug, "God loves you just for who you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way." Isn't that something?


Anyways, back to the theme of this blog:
I have been in Florida with La Familia these past couple of days, and thus far I've gone to the Everglades and snorkeling.
I learned that the manatee and the flamingo are considered delicacies. Especially flamingo tongue. Whatttt?

Now I know.

One another note:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jackiepoo!

Early Morning Lessons

Psalm 56:8

"You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?"

I've heard it said that God keeps our tears in a bottle, but I really thought that was mere poetry someone came up with. I guess the psalms are poetry, but they're definitely God-breathed.
I learned that God really does keep our tears in a bottle. And I find that extremely encouraging that the LORD knows and cares about me so much.

Now I know.

Life lessons

Quote of the day: "Sometimes I forget and try and use Ctrl + F when I'm reading a book...a real book." "That's what the index is for..."

Anywho, let me give you the background on today's little nugget. In my cubicle, we've got some pranksters who love, should one be foolish enough to leave her computer unlocked, to mess with either your email or settings. Last Friday, "I" sent out an email to a superior asking him to take out my trash. Which then got forwarded to other people. I even have a note telling me to lock my computer, and it's still an epic fail.
Moving on, the prankster responsible for this heinous act taught me a new trick today.
I learned that if one presses Ctrl + Alt + [down arrow key], the screen flips upside down. Don't leave your compie 386 locked, guyzzz. ;) I have tricks!

Now I know.

I FIGURED IT OUT

So, I learned yesterday that blogs have themes, sometimes. And I want to have a successful blog. Syllogism-ically speaking, if I want a successful blog, I need a theme.



The theme of my blog is:::::::::
What I am learning. Daily. In life.
:)


I like learning.

Last Friday, I learned that hamburgers have recipes. I honestly thought that hamburgers were just hunks of meat with worcestershire sauce in them.

But now I know.

BLOG SUGGESTIONS

Because I only wish I was fashionable, but I actually am not fashionable, someone suggested I call other people out on their fashion in this blog.

So here goes:
Brittany Melton, you did not pull off that sweater vest today. Try again tomorrow.


Or....?

B could be a better baller.

I don't really know what to say on a blog, but I feel like no one would really want to read it. I feel like there should be a purpose for a blog. I mean, we've all seen Julie and Julia.

I am ready for the 10K this weekend, I think. It should be a ballin' time. Not the 10K, but the rest of the weekend.

In other news, I just ate a poptart. Low fat, don't worry.

On to MOESSSSSSSSS. I was too lazy to run today.

I discovered Lauren's blog, so that's pretty exciting.

Can this be enough for one post?

Brittany's blog?

Oh wow. I feel powerful. Quote[s] of the day: "haha. we are pretty weird. did you know that?" "...I think anyone else would call it endearingly quirky which is charming. If normal is right, then id rather be wrong. Please print this off and frame it." via text message.

Hot stuff.