who am i

Psalm 16

 1 Keep me safe, my God, 
   for in you I take refuge.

 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; 
   apart from you I have no good thing.” 
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, 
   “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. 
   I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods 
   or take up their names on my lips.

 5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; 
   you make my lot secure. 
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 
   surely I have a delightful inheritance. 
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; 
   even at night my heart instructs me. 
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. 
   With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; 
   my body also will rest secure, 
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, 
   nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 
11 You make known to me the path of life; 
   you will fill me with joy in your presence, 
   with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Let me believe in these words. A belief that invokes a change in mindset, heart, and perspective. 

3 notes | Posted Apr 9, 12

Hosea’s Wife—Brooke Fraser

If we have eyes to see
If we have ears to hear
To find it in our hearts and mouths
the word that saves is near
Shed that shallow skin
Come and live again
Leave all you were before
To believe is to begin 

Posted Mar 18, 12

Pettiness begone! Keep thoughts to myself if not edifying. 

Posted Mar 7, 12

25 Napping Facts Every College Student Should Know It makes you smarterAccording to Dr. Matthew Walker of the University of California, napping for as little as one hour resets your short-term memory and helps you learn facts more easily after you wake up. Abandon all-nightersForegoing sleep by cramming all night reduces your ability to retain information by up to 40%. If you can, mix in a nap somewhere to refresh your hippocampus. It doesn’t mean what you thinkIf you know you have to pull an all-nighter, try a “prophylactic nap.” It’s a short nap in advance of expected sleep deprivation that will help you stay alert for up to 10 hours afterwards. You can’t avoid that down period after lunch by not eatingHuman bodies naturally go through two phases of deep tiredness, one between 2-4 a.m. and between 1-3 p.m. Skipping lunch won’t help this period of diminished alertness and coordination. Pick the right timeAfter lunch in the early afternoon your body naturally gets tired. This is the best time to take a brief nap, as it’s early enough to not mess with your nighttime sleep. Hour naps are greatA 60-minute nap improves alertness for 10 hours, although with naps over 45 minutes you risk what’s known as “sleep inertia,” that groggy feeling that may last for half an hour or more. But short naps are bestFor healthy young adults, naps as short as 20, 10, or even 2 minutes can be all you need to get the mental benefits of sleep, without risking grogginess. Drink coffee firstThe way this works is you drink a cup of coffee right before taking your 20-minute or half-hour nap, which is precisely how long caffeine takes to kick in. That way when you wake up, you’re not only refreshed, but ready to go. The NASA napA little group called NASA discovered that just a 26-minute nap increases performance by 34% and alertness by 54%. Pilots take advantage of NASA naps while planes are on autopilot. Can’t sleep? Don’t stressEven if you can’t fall asleep for a nap, just laying down and resting has benefits. Studies have found resting results in lowered blood pressure, which even some college kids have to worry about if they are genetically predisposed to high blood pressure. Napping may save your lifeA multi-year Greek study found napping at least three times per week for at least 30 minutes resulted in a 37% lower death rate due to heart problems. More nap benefits for the brainNot only will napping improve your alertness, it will also help your decision-making, creativity, and sensory perception. But wait, there’s moreStudies have found napping raises your stamina 11%, increases ability to stay asleep all night by 12%, and lowers the time required to fall asleep by 14%. The ultimate napAccording to Dr. Sara Mednick, the best nap occurs when REM sleep is in proportion to slow-wave sleep. Use her patented Take A Nap Nap Wheel to calculate what time of day you can nap to the max. Fight the Freshman 15Research shows that women who sleep five hours at night are 32% more likely to experience major weight gain than those sleeping seven hours. A two-hour nap isn’t feasible for many, but napping is a good way to make up for at least some lost night sleep. If it was good enough for them…Presidents JFK and Bill Clinton used to nap every day to help ease the heavy burden of ruling the free world. Of course, they also had other relaxation methods, but we won’t get into those. Do like the Romans doIn ancient Rome, everyone, including children, retreated for a 2 or 3-hour nap after lunch. No doubt this is the reason the Roman empire lasted over 1,000 years Don’t wait too longThe latest you want to wake up from a nap is five hours before bedtime, otherwise you risk not being able to fall asleep at night. Sugar is not a good substitute for a napWhen we are tired, we instinctively reach for foods with a high glycemic index, but after the initial energy wears off, we’re left more tired than we were before. It’s a good way to catch upIf it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep at night, you are sleep deprived. If you never can seem to get to bed earlier at night, a mid-day nap is a great way to catch up on sleep. Underclassmen need more sleepFreshmen and sophomores who are still in your teens: you need up to 10 hours of sleep to feel rested. So odds are, you are sleep-deprived. You’ll have to leave the party soonerAfter one school-week of not getting enough sleep, three alcoholic drinks will affect you the same way six would when you are fully rested. Don’t drive drowsyDon’t be afraid to take advantage of an “emergency nap” on the side of the road in your car. Every year, as many as 100,000 traffic fatalities are caused by sleepy people behind the wheel. The Einstein MethodIf you are concerned about sleeping too long, do what Albert Einstein regularly did: hold a pencil while you’re drifting off, so when you fall asleep, the pencil dropping will wake you up. (We do not guarantee you will wake up with a 180 IQ.) Missing sleep is worse at your ageFor people ages 18 to 24, sleep deprivation impairs performance more significantly than in other age brackets.

25 Napping Facts Every College Student Should Know

  1. It makes you smarter
    According to Dr. Matthew Walker of the University of California, napping for as little as one hour resets your short-term memory and helps you learn facts more easily after you wake up.
  2. Abandon all-nighters
    Foregoing sleep by cramming all night reduces your ability to retain information by up to 40%. If you can, mix in a nap somewhere to refresh your hippocampus.
  3. It doesn’t mean what you think
    If you know you have to pull an all-nighter, try a “prophylactic nap.” It’s a short nap in advance of expected sleep deprivation that will help you stay alert for up to 10 hours afterwards.
  4. You can’t avoid that down period after lunch by not eating
    Human bodies naturally go through two phases of deep tiredness, one between 2-4 a.m. and between 1-3 p.m. Skipping lunch won’t help this period of diminished alertness and coordination.
  5. Pick the right time
    After lunch in the early afternoon your body naturally gets tired. This is the best time to take a brief nap, as it’s early enough to not mess with your nighttime sleep.
  6. Hour naps are great
    A 60-minute nap improves alertness for 10 hours, although with naps over 45 minutes you risk what’s known as “sleep inertia,” that groggy feeling that may last for half an hour or more.
  7. But short naps are best
    For healthy young adults, naps as short as 20, 10, or even 2 minutes can be all you need to get the mental benefits of sleep, without risking grogginess.
  8. Drink coffee first
    The way this works is you drink a cup of coffee right before taking your 20-minute or half-hour nap, which is precisely how long caffeine takes to kick in. That way when you wake up, you’re not only refreshed, but ready to go.
  9. The NASA nap
    A little group called NASA discovered that just a 26-minute nap increases performance by 34% and alertness by 54%. Pilots take advantage of NASA naps while planes are on autopilot.
  10. Can’t sleep? Don’t stress
    Even if you can’t fall asleep for a nap, just laying down and resting has benefits. Studies have found resting results in lowered blood pressure, which even some college kids have to worry about if they are genetically predisposed to high blood pressure.
  11. Napping may save your life
    A multi-year Greek study found napping at least three times per week for at least 30 minutes resulted in a 37% lower death rate due to heart problems.
  12. More nap benefits for the brain
    Not only will napping improve your alertness, it will also help your decision-making, creativity, and sensory perception.
  13. But wait, there’s more
    Studies have found napping raises your stamina 11%, increases ability to stay asleep all night by 12%, and lowers the time required to fall asleep by 14%.
  14. The ultimate nap
    According to Dr. Sara Mednick, the best nap occurs when REM sleep is in proportion to slow-wave sleep. Use her patented Take A Nap Nap Wheel to calculate what time of day you can nap to the max.
  15. Fight the Freshman 15
    Research shows that women who sleep five hours at night are 32% more likely to experience major weight gain than those sleeping seven hours. A two-hour nap isn’t feasible for many, but napping is a good way to make up for at least some lost night sleep.
  16. If it was good enough for them…
    Presidents JFK and Bill Clinton used to nap every day to help ease the heavy burden of ruling the free world. Of course, they also had other relaxation methods, but we won’t get into those.
  17. Do like the Romans do
    In ancient Rome, everyone, including children, retreated for a 2 or 3-hour nap after lunch. No doubt this is the reason the Roman empire lasted over 1,000 years
  18. Don’t wait too long
    The latest you want to wake up from a nap is five hours before bedtime, otherwise you risk not being able to fall asleep at night.
  19. Sugar is not a good substitute for a nap
    When we are tired, we instinctively reach for foods with a high glycemic index, but after the initial energy wears off, we’re left more tired than we were before.
  20. It’s a good way to catch up
    If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep at night, you are sleep deprived. If you never can seem to get to bed earlier at night, a mid-day nap is a great way to catch up on sleep.
  21. Underclassmen need more sleep
    Freshmen and sophomores who are still in your teens: you need up to 10 hours of sleep to feel rested. So odds are, you are sleep-deprived.
  22. You’ll have to leave the party sooner
    After one school-week of not getting enough sleep, three alcoholic drinks will affect you the same way six would when you are fully rested.
  23. Don’t drive drowsy
    Don’t be afraid to take advantage of an “emergency nap” on the side of the road in your car. Every year, as many as 100,000 traffic fatalities are caused by sleepy people behind the wheel.
  24. The Einstein Method
    If you are concerned about sleeping too long, do what Albert Einstein regularly did: hold a pencil while you’re drifting off, so when you fall asleep, the pencil dropping will wake you up. (We do not guarantee you will wake up with a 180 IQ.)
  25. Missing sleep is worse at your age
    For people ages 18 to 24, sleep deprivation impairs performance more significantly than in other age brackets.

    (via cranberryorangesconegirl)

    39,012 notes | Posted Feb 28, 12

    Concepts

    1. Freely giving

    This concept seems pretty intuitive, yet, we don’t practice it often or at all. Every time we give to whomever, whatever (acts/forms of love, time, effort or tangible things), we end up expecting some form of reciprocation. How often have we done something for someone only to count it in our favor for the next time we needed a favor? When have we held a friend to some level of closeness and expected to be held at a similar level? Expectations are realized in different forms—it could be through feelings of disappointment, anger, annoyance, bitterness, jealousy—when something doesn’t go the way we want. This idea of giving freely is so freeing because when we give to someone, there should be no expectation of reciprocation. Like Aragorn wrote once, “that would be lending”. Because the definition of giving itself does not require anything in return. And with that comes no burden of disappointment.

    How does that happen, given the fact that our human nature often distorts this idea of giving? (I am guilty of this btw) We must understand more and more how significant the fact that Jesus freely gave his life for us so that we may be forgiven.

    “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16)

    And why does that matter? Usually when we love someone (giving is a form of love so I’m talking about it in a general sense) it’s because we are loved first. Similarly if we feel privileged or blessed with many things, we are more willing to give to others.

    And given that God’s love for us is greater, wider, longer, deeper than any kind of love that our minds can possibly conceive of, as He’s shown it through this ultimate act of love through Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection is the reason we’re saved (not to mention the basis of Christianity); then there’s plenty of this amazing love to go around. And if we acknowledge, accept, and understand God’s love for us, only then we will be able to truly understand the concept of freely giving. 

    1 note | Posted Jan 24, 12

    Thank you so much for this break. and for many things I don’t even realize.

    1 note | Posted Jan 6, 12

    snort?: Lesson learned over break:

    wallnut:

    When you give, don’t expect anything in return.

    1. Because that’s not giving, that’s lending. To truly give means that the receiver of the gift owes nothing to the person who gave.

    2. Because it will not matter whether he/she returns or demonstrates appreciation for what you gave. He/she may…

    7 notes | Posted Jan 6, 12

    So many things ideas thoughts and so many holes to fill.. But I have no where to start. Or maybe I do, I just don’t see it. Impatience is a terrible thing to have. Ahh.. what’s the point in writing it out. I need to ACT. Stop collecting information. Think about what you’ve collected and what you already have, make connections, synthesize it into something new, and channel it in a direction. Patience. 

    1 note | Posted Dec 30, 11

    Brain Heart fireworks. AHH inspired to the max. Let this not be temporary.

    Posted Dec 28, 11

    Posted Dec 24, 11