#JeSuisCharlie

      Sometimes, it sucks being isolated on campus where the only place you can get news during the day is a sketchy student newspaper and some vague reports being tweeted out. However, being someone who rarely checks her phone during the day (believe it or not), that leaves the possibilities even more slim that I get current events in their entirety until long after the day is done.

      Reminds me of when I was in the 3rd grade. On a particular Tuesday, a very beautiful, crisp, early fall day. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect kickball weather for when recess came around. All of the adults around us (the students) during snack time (a mid-day break between the start of the day and lunch time), were crying. Staring at televisions in the teachers lounge, the teachers, custodians, the principal, the office workers, they were all staring in awe. Some comforting others, some standing alone, simply stunned. Students being called out of class all day. As the minutes passed, another "(insert student name), please come to the office," and another student gone for the rest of the day. I don't remember much of what was said to me that day. What I do remember, in fact, is the silence of the day, and the date. September 11, 2001.

      My parents tried to explain what had happened. I didn't get it. Until my parents turned on the evening news and I saw something that I couldn't believe. A plan, deliberately, crashing into a building. The devastation shook me to my core. In my innocent 3rd grade mind, I didn't know what to make of it. However, it didn't seem to be just my innocent 3rd grade mind. Even my father, someone who I attribute vast knowledge and understanding, didn't know what to do with himself.

      Since then, the news has been flooded with one word that seems to have been desensitized since the first utterance: terrorists.

      Terror.

      For those of you who do not know, Paris suffered from a terror attack earlier today (read more into it here). Much like I was in the third grade, I have no clue what to do with myself. I don't know how to help. I don't know how to take this in. All I know I can do right now is pray.

      "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."   --2 Corinthians 4:8-10

      I haven't the slightest clue how to soften these blows, how to stop these blows, how to bring peace, wholly, to the world. However, I know that the strength of God, the glory of Jesus, and the will of man will come through. The straw on the back of this camel will break soon, and all terror in this manner will cease. I pray for the all who suffered in this tragedy today. Whether one of the ones killed, the family, friends, or acquaintances of one of the ones killed, maybe someone who thought they might know someone in this deadly attack, or someone who sat watching the news today, like many of us, in horror. I pray that peace wash over Paris and the world, and that we all might grow further in love for one another and find a solution to this ongoing fear of hearing of something like this the next day. I pray Jesus spread his glory and grace upon Paris as they heal from today and revive their spirit. I pray for the leaders of the nations and that they may find a solution to this. I pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.

      

Mary Taylor

 

"And the Darkness Did Not Overcome It"

      This past Saturday was Small Business Saturday. A holiday that continues to grow and my fondness of it grows with it as the years pass. In my hometown, where all the stores are, WalMart, Kroger, etc. You know, the big business stuff. But in the middle of town, right by the historical community theater named The Vanity Theater, there are shops. Antique shops, local cafe, the art museum showcasing local artists, and, in the summer, spring, and fall, there is a farmers market that happens. All downtown, all extremely accessible. And all awesome. To celebrate our wonderful local businesses and to give an extra excuse to hang out and/or run into some old friends and truly cherish the hometown we all take advantage of, we have a Downtown Party Night. Hot chocolate, horse-drawn carriage, a Christmas tree in the Plaza, the works! All to celebrate what a truly great town we live in and celebrate the company we surround ourselves with.
      Now that you get some sort of picture, I will continue with the story.

      I went to Downtown Party Night to see a group of young singers and to support my local community theater. At first, I intended to simply go check out the group, give a couple of dollars, and go home. After all, it was running late, and it was about closing time for some of the businesses. However, after the young singers sang and some hugs from the group, I ran into two friends. Two friends I see often in passing, but haven't really kept constant company with in a while. So, we ran across the street to grab a cup of coffee and chat for a little bit.

      One of my friends had said something that totally clicked with me. "Your spiritual health is just like your regular health." In that if you don't stay active and eat right, your health doesn't get better/stay healthy. In the same light, if you are not active in your spirituality, you probably won't grow spiritually.

      First, let me clear up a couple of things.

      For me, my spirituality and my faith go hand in hand. I know many people say they are spiritual, but not religious, and that is fine and how they understand the world. However, it seems my world puts spirituality and faith in the same boat, pretty much. Okay, onwards!

      Anywho, my friend's comment was very interesting to me. And made total sense. This year, I have really been working on physical health and to be a better human physically, and therefore mentally and stuff (because it actually helps in a lot of different ways). Sure, I have been going to church, and when I remember, I read my Bible, or tune into my Daily Audio Bible podcast. But, you know, my busy schedule and all that jazz. Which is totally valid. I just think I tend to give that excuse to myself a lot.

      The point? This Advent, I wanted to really set the goal for myself to read a passage a day and think on it and pray about it and really do this thing religiously (ha).

      In doing so, I found this advent scripture schedule. For today, December 1, it was John 1: 1-5.

I invite you to read the following passage and think on it, pray on it, whatever works for you. If you're not a Christian, feel free to read it and move on, or you can skip it if you want.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

      

      The last phrase really stuck out to me. "...and the darkness did not overcome it." 

      Lately, with certain family events, helping some friends as much as I can, and the ever-dreaded finals week, life can seem like it sucks us all totally dry. Or at least me. Sometimes life becomes a lot. The overwhelming schedule on top of things we never expect to happen, how are we ever expected to see this through? Right before the big due date, or event that we've been planning for months, or buying Christmas gifts hoping to get it all done before midnight Christmas morning, there is this doubt, this darkness that overcomes us. Surely this will be the end. Surely I won't be able to make this deadline. Yet, we make it through. We see a light again and it is as if that darkness never plagued us. Like the good ol' phrase of God never giving us more than we can handle. The darkness never overcame that light. We see it through, with His guidance, love, and encouragement, we are able to see that light through the darkness.

      The darkness may seem overwhelming. You may need help finding the light. But, from my experience, once you find the light, it only gets brighter and brighter. And there is much joy in that. 

      May you concur any darkness in your life and see the bright light waiting for you. 

Woo!

Mary Taylor

P.S.

I am also following this prayer schedule. Here's the first prayer:

Lord God, we thank you for Christmas and its message of how, in Jesus Christ, you came to live with us and die for us.
This Christmas, we pray for those people who, having once known what Christmas means, have forgotten it. May they recover its truth.
This Christmas, we pray for those people who have never known what Christmas means. May they discover its truth.
This Christmas, we pray for those of us who know Jesus, that we would, by our living and speaking, uncover its truth for others.
Amen.

Rev Canon J John

     

Advent

      Some of you may remember that I did a Lenten Promise to write a blog post every day during Lent. Lent being a time of discipline and discipleship in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice leading up to the eventual rejoice that we are saved through Him.

      Essentially, I created this blog to remember Jesus' death. It only seemed right (and fun) to do something like that to remember the start of Jesus.

      I have always loved this time of year! The awesome music that I actually play all year long, the beautiful lights, the bright snow, awesome time with the fam and friends! What's not to like? Through these next few weeks of Advent, I will be exploring what Advent is, what it means to me, question some things, discover other things. It's sure to be a great time!

      Let's go ahead and begin! No time like the present!

Advent 101:

What is Advent?

"Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Celebrating Advent typically involves a season of prayer, fasting and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope and joy" (according to this Celebrating Advent article).

Pretty much, the word comes from a Latin root that is defined by "coming," or "arriving." Obviously, it fits well with the season, since, you know, we're celebrating the birth (or coming) of Jesus Christ.

So, without further ado, let's start this 2014 Advent season!

Woo!
Mary Taylor

Money ≠ Happiness

      It's becoming more and more clear to me that money and happiness are not synonymous. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Duh, Mary. That's been said forever. There are tons of quotes about that." I know, but growing up, our parents talking about how they are going to make the next payment and constantly talking about how much is in an account an budgeting each cent so carefully, sometimes money does seem like the key to a happy, easy life.

      When I was younger, though I didn't consider the money when I decided I wanted to be a performer, from what I could tell, they have it pretty easy. I mean, the big movie stars earn more than the President. Of course, I discovered that job security isn't really a thing in "show business" and that most artists earn very little money, if any, doing their art. But at the time, I was thinking I picked the perfect path. It'll bring me happiness and money.

      Now, though, I've decided that the only career paths that (almost) guarantee is that of a medical doctor. Though I appreciate what they do a lot, it's not for me. I've tried looking into careers that will lift the burden of debt from me and make life easier in the monetary realm, but I can't. I can't bring myself to do any of those things. I've found unbelievable beauty in comedy, acting, singing, ministry, community, etc.

      So, maybe my career path won't be one that brings me piles of cash so that I can pay off all my debt and still have a lot left over for charity and for the next update to my iPhone and buy the movies I want and get me everything I "want." But my career path, no matter where it will lead, will maybe bring joy, hope, life, love, all things that are actually hugely important, to the world. Even if that world only consists of two or three people. That is where happiness lies. Happiness lies where your heart lives. Where you find the easiest ways to laugh, love, hope, etc. That's a pretty cool place to live.

Woo!
Mary Taylor

Image, once again, brought to you by my friend, Chuck Gleason.

Love Overpowers

      There are tons of religions out there. Like tons. You've got the basics: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Then you've got Atheism, Agnostic, Scientology, Methodist, Atheist Buddhist, Orthodox Judaism, Wicca, the list goes on. There tons of shades o grey. Some would say 50 or more. Today, my father and I were discussing relationships and God being a part of them. He went on to say that "God is everywhere, whether people admit it or not..." which stuck me as a very interesting statement. "whether people admit it or not."

      We, as humans, try to shape things so that we understand them as best we can. It's one thing I love about humans, that we all hear one thing and each take something totally different away from the story. Cool, right? However, one thing I'd say about my father's interesting and totally valid statement is that maybe people don't need to "admit" God is in their lives. See, no matter what you believe, whether it be Christianity, or "Science vs. Religion," or Atheist, or "Spiritual, not religious," or Wicca, no matter what it is, there is this firm belief and trust that what you do believe is truth. Sure, you maybe open to others' opinions and hear what a person says, and maybe you do shape what you believe depending on how other people share their beliefs with you, but you have your beliefs and found a way to make it matter to you.

      The beautiful thing about anything someone might believe is that it leads us to try to be the best person we can possibly be. Sure, some people label it as "God" or "Buddha" or "Energy" or "Earth" or "Science," we all believe that we are trying to live the best life we can. That, no matter what, we try to love each other,  treat others as we would want to be treated, be good people. Love, laugh, learn, ask, respect, trust, so on. We try to handle tragedies the best we can and mourn the best we can and love the best we can and accept the best we can.

      Some of that looks like the Dalai Lama, some of it looks like Jesus, or Martin Luther King Jr., or even your neighborhood librarian, or those Christians trying to save you from Hell and damnation from the street corner, or you classmate, or you parents, or your enemy. All trying to understand what they believe and trying to love and trying to respect.

      What I would say about people "admitting God is in their lives" is that I believe they understand that, no matter what the belief, they are one, singular part. One, singular part who has the capability of making huge changes. Whether that be in the world, or just to make a person smile. Sure, there are people out there that don't understand "love" or "understanding," at least not the way you do. Sure, there are people who don't always think about their beliefs, but there is this inherent thing in all of us to try to be the best we know how to be. That's what we're trying to do. Does it always work out? No. Not nearly enough as we'd like (but, of course, is there ever enough?). But we reach for it. We try to hit it. We're still trying. We will go to our graves trying our hardest to understand, to love, to accept. No matter what, it takes a huge trust to believe something. Something that is likely to be a lifetime commitment. How beautiful that we hold that trust and try our utmost to share the beauty of love, understanding, trust (and so on) with the world!

Woo!
Mary Taylor

Christan protect Muslim protestors as they pray in Egypt. This image is very powerful to me and shows that there need not be barriers between religions.