Some things in life are unforgettable

If I could give you one piece of advice right now, not for all time but for right now, it would be to not forget. To not forget the things that inspire you, that make you laugh and cry, that make you question and doubt, that make you feel alive and like your life has meaning, that make you fear, that make you grow. Don't forget the sunsets and the sandcastles, the obnoxious sun and the torrential rain... the aspects of nature that remind us who we are and who God is. Don't forget the days you could barely survive or the ones you never wanted to end.

That's why I write mostly... so I don't forget.

That's why I'm writing this... so I don't forget the beauty and the mess that were this past year.

I set a few goals; I wanted to memorize the New Testament, for one. I didn't do that, but I spent a few months reading through the book of Acts and I was surprised by how much I remembered of it, or how much would come back to my mind throughout the day, when I was just reading through it and soaking it up and praying for "illumination." Another goal I set was to read 40 books. I fell 19 shy, but I read some of the most wonderful books in the world... books that inspired me and changed my perspective. I wanted to train and run a half-marathon this year; that didn't happen, but over the summer I got into the best shape I've ever been in. The only other goal I set was to not buy any clothing items for myself. I think I bought 3 shirts, but they were for good causes. So I didn't meet my goals the way I hoped I would, but I feel like my resolutions were still successes.

"Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn."- C.S. Lewis

That quote pretty much sums up the events of the year. I learned so much, so deeply. It's not that everything that happened the whole entire year was just horrible, but most of the really wonderful times stemmed from the crummy times. The event that impacted me most of the whole year was, hands down, my trip to Gulfport over Spring Break. I was beyond horrified to go... my first official mission trip, not knowing anyone (at least not knowing them well) who was going, etc. But I genuinely felt certain that the Lord wanted me to go, so I did, and it was amazing. Nerve-racking, draining, scary, and often uncomfortable? Oh yes. But I learned so much and grew so much. I think about that trip almost every day.

The main lessons I learned (and am still learning) are equality and fulfillment. Equality... not feeling inferior or superior to anyone. We're all equal. No one is without struggles and fears and hurts, even people who parade their "perfection" and are well-liked and well-respected. Fulfillment... It can't be found in people or success or relationships or a career or in activism or anything except God. I'm not sure how exactly, but I think the first step is understanding that.

That's all for 2010.

Now for 2011...

My resolutions are as follows: Have a "quiet time" every day. I feel guilty for putting this one because apparently setting aside specific time to pray and read La Biblia is supposed to just come naturally if you're truly saved, but, well it doesn't for me and I know how important it is (at least for me) so I'm including it.

Work out at least twice a week, every week. This will honestly probably be my hardest goal. I always forget how much I like working out and how good it feels until I actually do it. Plus I'm in the "I don't have time" excuse crowd.

Read 25 books. I think this will be a good goal for me.

Write every single day. I realized last year that if I ever want to do anything with my writing besides just write on here and jot things down on note cards and in notebooks, I need to start being more disciplined.

Be more content/ complain less. I'm not sure exactly how I know if I'll have had success with this one or not, but these are definitely things I should work on.

Give sacrificially. This one is going to be tough, I'm sure. This means giving up my oh-so-valuable time to help others, because my time and how I spend it and how much I get done each day are really important to me. This also means pouring myself out in relationships; the very thought of that terrifies me, but I know I need to be more deliberate in maintaining friendships and encouraging others and things of that nature.

Those are all the ones I have right now. If you want to be encouraged to make the most of this year, I encourage you to read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It's a great book to read at the beginning of the year (or anytime really).

Much Love,

Marissa Lanae

Marissa's Guide to Indie Kid Photography

If you're an indie kid, or an aspiring indie kid, you know how important photography is to your image. You can spend all the time in the world at Whole Foods, record stores, and independent film festivals, but if you don't have photographs documenting those events, you might as well hang up your slouchy hat and leave behind your indie kid-ness forever. I know leaving that isn't your cup of tea or free trade coffee, so I've assembled a fool-proof guide to indie kid photography.

Marissa's Fool-Proof Guide to Indie Kid Photography

1. Indie kid photography is all about idealism. Just keep that in mind.
2. Don't use mainstream words when referring to your photography. Go ahead and purge words like "picture" from your vocabulary; replace them with words such as "photo" or "still image."
3. The type of camera you use is important, but mostly just for the purposes of name-dropping and mirror shots. For such purposes, just keep the acronym BOB in mind while shopping: Bigger. Older. Better. For any other purposes, any type of camera will do.
4. Color is important. Just remember rule # 1. Make sure you set your camera to any color besides "normal." Another option is editing your photos after you snap them. Vintage color is the best, but even just fading the normal color a little bit will do. Black and white is okay in moderation.
5. You can't photograph just anything, but there are a lot of objects and scenes that aren't off indie kid limits. Examples include concerts, indie friends, antique cars, your outfit for the day, record players, wheat fields, and anything related to owls.
6. Photos aren't actually worth a thousand words, so you'll need to add a few (preferably in a small white font... you know what I'm talking about). Obscure, dramatic-but-not-profound lyrics from obscure, dramatic-but-not-profound bands work best, but book quotes are fine too, like that one from Perks of Being a Wallflower about that time when the photo wasn't just a memory and the people in it had just eaten lunch or something.
7. Your photos need to be shared; that's pretty much the whole point of taking them. Facebook and Twitter work fine for that purpose, and Tumblr is good too. Just get them out there so people can marvel at your talent and how cool you are.

That's not so bad, right? Just follow these rules, and I know you'll be the coolest indie kid on the block in no time. Let me know how it works out for you.

Snap on, indie kid, snap on.

Marissa Lanae

Churched

Today I'll be reviewing Churched by Matthew Paul Turner. I expected the book to be insightful and easy to relate to, along with the sarcastic and cynical musings his blog-readers expect from him. And it completely lived up to my expectations.

Churched felt like a good journey through my childhood and was reminiscent of books like Catcher in the Rye. My growing up in a Southern Baptist church and dealing with a few fundamentalist Baptists definitely made this book easy to relate to. In his discussion of confusing matters, such as Jesus' ability to get inside our heart, Turner skillfully captures the thoughts of a child growing up in church. He tells detailed stories about his childhood, but sometimes they feel a little too detailed, as though he embellished a few things. Not that I can blame him; I certainly don't remember every conversation I had when I was five. That was the only real issue I had with the book.

He's honest and funny and very human. Every chapter is deeper and more insightful than the previous, but he never gets incredibly in depth. The surface-level musings feel appropriate, though, as Churched isn't a self-help book; it's more of a memoir. He's never shallow in his writing, but he does seem more interested in stating facts and satirizing fundamentalists than in providing deep spiritual truths.

Churched didn't resolve like I thought it would. He didn't detail his journey away from fundamentalism or talk much about the effects his childhood church have on him today. He ended the book well, just not the way I expected him to.

This book is an easy read, and certainly one I recommend. I leave you with a quotation from an inspirational woman Matthew Paul Turner met...

"God loves you, children. He loves you more than you will ever know. Believe that and you will grow up to do beautiful things."