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First post…. No pressure..

Posted on by bwreck

Girl in Progress

Hi!

So, after much consideration and procastination, I finally decided to start a blog. Hopefully this will land me with zillions of followers and I can become a famous author on the cover of a book, wearing a spiffy pantsuit with shoulder pads. You know you’ve made it when you are wearing shoulder pad pantsuits. Anyway, in all seriousness, I couldn’t decide on a main focus for this blog so it’s going to be a little of everything: Outfits and makeup I wear, books, movies, and plays I review, poetry I love, and my life and the awesome people in it (if anyone cares enough to read about it…We’ll find out…). For instance, this week I’ll be finished with the book I’m reading, Paper Towns by John Green, and I’ll be writing a short and sweet review about it! Prepare for a lot of Instagram snaps of pizza, Starbucks, and…

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the love of your life

Posted on by bwreck

Beautiful view of happiness from an AMAZING author.

Susane Colasanti - Blog

Happy NewYorkiversary to me! Nineteen years ago today, I moved to New York City to start a shiny new life, build my dream career, and find love. Not just any love. True love. The love of my life. I’d always had a Knowing that soul mates were real and I was determined to find mine. New York City was actually my first true love and the inspiration for my upcoming City Love trilogy. All these years later, I still feel the city love every single day.

Tribeca rooftop, New York City

Growing up across the water in New Jersey, I knew New York City was my true home. I could feel the pull of this magical kingdom even before my first visit. New York is a place where everyone is free to be exactly who they are. No more feeling like an outsider. No more feeling like I needed to escape. When I finally…

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I’m Back/It’s been a while/Update/One on One/I couldn’t figure out a title

Posted on by bwreck

Hi! My name is Brec and it’s been a while. 

I believe the last time I actually wrote something on here was… well I really don’t remember, but that in itself should tell you that it has been a while. Too long of a while if you ask me. 

Just to fill you in on what’s been going on:

  • Parents came out for Thanksgiving and I got to spend some good quality time with them again. 
  • FINALLY GOT A PENGUIN HAT AND SONIC SCREW DRIVER AND A DOCTOR WHO T-SHIRT! (probably my favorite gifts from this past Christmas. Thanks Best Friend and family!)
  • Got that cough back again that I had last year. But I got rid of it pretty quickly this time.
  • Flew out to spend new years with my parents and the whole family!
  • Built my first hog pit
  • Cooked my first hog.
  • I turned 23.
  • Got to FINALLY go to a Passion Conference in ATL with great friends. 
  • I’ve been growing more spiritually and letting God really break me and mold me more.
  • And gaining more ground on getting into a grad program

I think I’ve had a good start to a new year so far. Really just putting it in God’s hands and letting him work in me and show me what he wants me to do. 

This brings me to what has inspired me to write again tonight.

I’ve kinda secluded myself for a while now. But I’ve done it intentionally. Let me explain.

Back around Thanksgiving I went on a technological hiatus. I didn’t watch netflix, check my social networks, text, any of that for about a month. What I wanted to do was not only gain an appreciation for those things, but to really clear out the loud noises and listen to what God was trying to tell me. And I got my answer.

I found that after I cut out everything and was focusing on what God was trying to tell me, I heard silence. Which you may think is not an answer at all, but in fact is the exact answer had for me. 

That silence told me that I needed to seek him deeper.

Already I knew that I needed to get deeper into his word, which is something I have been doing more of and it has made things a lot clearer. I also needed to work on my prayer life more and being more connected to God consistently. So since the year began I started do more of that and seeking God more.

Going to Passion 2014 in Atlanta really helped with that. I got to spend a weekend away with two awesome friends of mine. A lot of times you got to those kinds of conferences or event just because of the name or the people that are going to be there. But the real reason I wanted to go was to get deeper into God’s word and to open myself up to be broke by God. And carrying on after Passion, I’ve been doing that still. And in that, I like to kinda be alone.

I’ve never minded be alone, by myself, lone wolfing it, whatever you want to call it. And most people really don’t mind being along with themselves. The thing that people don’t like is being lonely. Growing up an only child kinda helped with that fact about myself. When I want to think or have things on my mind, I like to be alone. Those of you who have known me a long time know this about me or have at least seen me wondering around aimlessly. (sometimes I am thinking and sometimes I am just wondering around aimlessly.) During those times I don’t go out or make big plans with friends. If I do go out, it is to go out and think or listen. 

I still remain there for those I care about, but I stay to myself. Sometimes that can come off as short or like I don’t care, which is something I’ve had to explain and work out in the past. Overall, I do it to focus on things and to listen. 

If I have been in anyway like that to you or have made you feel like that at all, please don’t think that I don’t care about you or pray for you. I just am comfortable being by myself when I need to think about things and am working on things.

I think a some people seek things from God in the wrong way. A lot of the time we want things pretty instantaneously. So when we pray to God we want and hope to get a clear answer pretty soon. And when we don’t we start asking God, “Do you mean this? Do you mean that? Is this what your saying? ANSWER ME!” That’s not the the way we should be asking God for an answer, especially that last one (which was supposed to be comically speaking).

When we don’t get a clear answer, we don’t need to start questioning God. Instead we need to remain still and listen. We need to seek him deeper and listen to his Word. I’m not saying to not pray for something consistently, but to consistently seek him for the answer. It says in the Word to keep knocking on that door for it will be opened. When it is open we may not get an actual answer, but God may be standing at the door wanting you to come in for the answer.

That’s what I have been seeking. For a while before, I sought out an answer when instead I needed to seek out him. I learned that and it has really made things a lot clearer. I have clear eyes, and a full heart.

I have a calmer heart and an open mind. I’ve been broken by God and now I can really feel him molding me more and more each day. 

I want all of you to know that while I am still being molded and listening for God and embracing being alone with God, I am here for you. Being a friend is one of the most important things to me. I take it to heart. So if you need anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask. 

Just say the word, and I’ll be there.

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So far… So close…

Posted on by bwreck

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Greetings everyone!

First I want to say that I hope each and everyone of you had a great thanksgiving and enjoyed the time away from the axe grind. I know I sure did.

Quick Update

So far I’ve made it through my first week of cutting down on relying so much on Technology and growing my self and my walk. I’ve been getting the daily paper in the morning instead of reading my news feeds. Been just enjoying the sounds around me instead of having my head phones in all the time blaring away music. And I’ve started reading a ton more which I am so happy for. I may be picky about my books but I do love reading.

I must admit, with my parents being in town last week for Thanksgiving, I did use my computer and my phone a good bit. Not so much though for checking my social networks or browsing the news feeds. I mostly used them to provide entertainment for us as we hung out and to help show them how to use their new phones. And I must admit also, that I did splurge a bit yesterday when I got my TV back. My friends had found themselves glued to it way too much and insisted I take it back. They saw my point in what I’m trying to do. I mainly watched some new Netflix movies they had recently added and watched The Office. I finally got one of my best friends into it and I was so stoked.

Starting back today though I put it all aside again so I may continue on my journey to growing myself.

Progress is slow and most of the time never happens in the way you want. But one way or another, you’ll get to where you want to be if you really believe and keep treading on.

I tread on.

FINALLY

So close is finally here! December. CHRISTMAS TIME! 

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For those of you who do not know, Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. Of. All. Time.

I totally change around this time of the year. All year I look forward to the cold air, the twinkle of lights, resounding holiday music, sweet taste of hot chocolate, and the crisp smell of a fire.

Don’t get me wrong, May is still my favorite month, but Christmas time is my favorite time.

I am generally, or try to be, a joyful person through out the year. But once December 1st hits, I explode with Joy and excitement. I’m a full on Christmas nut.  Like buddy the elf from the movie Elf, kinda Christmas nut. I really just get overwhelmed with Joy.

There is a really great feeling that surrounds Christmas. It’s a time for celebration and joy. Thanksgiving, Christmas’ awesome neighbor, brings us all together as family, whether you are related or not, and humbles us to be thankful for not just what we have, but for each other. Christmas time is the time to celebrate that joy and thankfulness with that family. It’s a time to show each other that you really do care for them. Not just through gifts, but spending that time with each other and cherishing it.

Now what I don’t like is how Christmas time has been taken so much over by businesses and media. I hate the fact how businesses push the fact that you have to show how much that special person means to you through what you get them as a gift. I always refer to The Office episode in Season 2, Christmas Party.

***SPOILERS***STOP READING FOR A MOMENT AND WATCH THIS EPISODE. UPON COMPLETION CONTINUE READING***

Jim and Pam, aka Jam, are my two favorite characters out of the whole show. They both love each other but for the first 3 seasons they just aren’t in sync. In this episode Jim gets Pam for secret Santa. He goes all out and make here this incredibly thoughtful gift, which also plays a huge part in the series finale. But Michael being so hard headed and wanting the center of attention goes out of his way to try and make it a wild party. He even brakes the rules and goes over the $20 limit to buy an iPod for his secret santa recipient. He then turns things upside down by making Secret Santa into Yankee Swap (also known as White Elephant.) Once he does that, everyone goes for the iPod. Leaving Jim’s special gift to be taken by his counter part, Dwight. Michael then tries to brighten up the mood with 15 bottles of Vodka.

Michael: Will this be enough to get 15 people plastered?

Store Clerk: (Pause) 15 bottles of Vodka. Yeah, that should do it.

This does pick up the mood of the party but he kept pushing for everyone to have a good time and be the center of attention and ended up hurting peoples feelings. Nevertheless, in the end the right gifts get to the right people and Pam gets to open her gift from Jim, except for one thing which I will not spoil. You will have to just watch all of The Office to find out.

My point.

Michael represents big business and mass media and how they push Christmas. They’ll push for you to buy the biggest and best thing to show up everyone else. They’ll push you to be greedy on a time of year for giving. And lastly, they’ll push you to believe a false joy and forget the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is a time of celebration and joy. It is the time we as believers celebrate our saviors birth and the beginning of his journey to complete his Father’s work.

He humbled himself from being this almighty Son, to being just like one of us. He came at a time where Children were being killed to try and prevent him coming. Mary and Joseph journeyed in harsh conditions and gave birth to our savior in the lowliest of places. Even with everything against his birth, he came to save us. The angels rejoiced in his coming, Kings laid down their crowns before him, and common people came to welcome our savior into this world.

It is fine to celebrate the season and spread joy, but don’t forget why we really sing and dance at this time of year. It’s a time of celebrating our saviors birth and spreading his love and Joy through out the world.

Remember, that the little things are often the biggest gifts. That a smile can go a long way. That gifts are not just for the Christmas season.   That our savior came here to save us from our sin. That is the reason why we celebrate this Christmas season.

Spread that Joy and Love in your hearts. And even when things seem impossible, remember:

“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Traveler

Posted on by bwreck

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“I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams.”
— The Doctor

I really could not think of anything to write this morning. At first I kinda just dismissed the idea of posting today since I posted twice yesterday. But I like writing and it occurred to me that I have to really told you who I am. And there’s not better time then the present. 

My name is Brec Evans-Orrell. I am 22 years old and live in Charleston, SC. I am currently figuring out which way to go right now in terms of my masters, but who hasn’t been in that position after they graduate college. I am a huge music lover. I really do love listening to any and all kinds of music.

I started off listening to a lot of old honky tonk and country, then progressed into listening to a lot of 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s music. Then got really into classical music. From there I found my way into EDM (Electric Dance Music) for a number of year. From there I back tracked to the 20’s 30’s and 40’s.Then I got into a really rocky phase going form hard rock, to Heavy Metal, to Punk to and then to Screamo. I then got into some classic hip hop and rap and the got current with it. After that I got into a lot of Spanish music and from there into the Blues. I got into just regular rock and roll and then a lot of acoustic stuff and folk. Which brings us to today. Now during my musical journey I continued to listen to the other genres of music I had came upon. Over all, absolutely love music. I’m not a shop-a-holic in any since of the word, except for when it comes to music, movies, and tv shows. I’m a just a huge media buff. 

I’ve been playing the guitar for 12 years not, can get by playing a bass and know how to keep a light beat on the drums. I really want to learn how to play the piano though and also the violin and harmonica. I used to have a little turn table when I was 11 and 12 but I lost it in the move. 

I love being active. I just love doing things. I love being outside, love doing stuff inside too. I love surfing, I’m no good at it but I love the feeling it gives me. When I’m at work, I can’t sit still. I hate when I don’t have any work to do. Don’t get me wrong I love being able to go home early but if there is work to be done I want to get it done. I played a lot of soccer in high school. I played right wing and mid mostly. I played a little football but just didn’t feel like that was the sport for me. Don’t get me wrong I am very passionate about football along with many other sports, it just didn’t seem like where I needed to be at the time. When I was like 7 -11 I used to run 2 miles every day after I got off the bus. I was really into running track and field. 

I like being alone at times. No one likes being lonely, but I do enjoy just being on my own for a while. I know sometimes that comes across as me pushing people away and has hurt peoples feelings in the past. Really wanting to work on that. Hate hurting people. I don’t believe I do it very often or often at all but I know I have at times in the past.

I think it is very important to have friends or a friend. And when I say the word “friends” I don’t mean people you know just because you see them everyday. I mean the people you trust, the people you care about, the people you’ve made stories with. I have been blessed to have a lot of people I can call friends. And I’ve been very blessed that people have called me a friend. I do have a very few special close friends though. The kind you are willing and ready to give your life for. I can count them all on one hand. And I mean besides my family. My family has and will always be my closest friends. The ones I can count on my one hand though are as close as my family are. I know I can trust them with my life. I know I can tell them anything. Honestly I would give my life for a lot of my friends. Really almost anyone to be honest. After I accepted Jesus into my heart I have not feared death. I know where I’m going when it comes my time.

I know I’ve been rambling on. It’s always been a little difficult to write about myself. Not like I have all the bad memories or anything, just can’t ever think of what to say about myself. I try to be very humble or as humble as I can. I always dread the question, ‘what are your best qualities’ because I can’t ever think of what they are. I can always think of what I want to improve about myself but not ever what I think is great about me. 

I’m quite nerdy. And I stand by that about me. I love being nerdy, geeky, weird, and unpredictable. Growing up I was huge into star wars. Once locked down a whole Wal-Mart just cause I was fascinated with an X-Wing. I was a huge military kid. My dad was an Navy SEAL so I got really into the nature of it all. Even got to go on a small training OP with him when I was 5. (No worries I’ll tell you both of those stories in due time.) When I was in my pre-teens and teens I was very much into a lot of Anime. My favorite was Gundam Wing by far. Used to save up to buy the models all the time. Growing up with a lot of family that worked or studied in the education field I got to know a little about a lot of things. My dad was an english major and has worked in the medical field for years. My mom was a history and psychology major. Her sister was a geologist and archaeologist. Needless to say I got a know a lot of facts and things about things. That’s another thing about not just me, but my whole family. We know a lot of useless facts about silly things and random things you’d think no one would ever take the time to know. I love that about us. 

Here’s some of my favorites:

  • Blue
  • Christmas
  • May
  • Music
  • The ocean/water
  • Being lost
  • Finding yourself
  • New things
  • Old things
  • Penguins
  • Corgi’s
  • 8
  • sunsets
  • sunrises
  • the stars
  • rain
  • Luke 1:37
  • Driving
  • Flying
  • Cheese
  • Running

I have never known who I am most like if you had to compare me to someone. Most of the time you can say oh they’re like this person, usually some famous person or some look a like. For the longest time I have never really known who I am most like. I kinda like that fact. But I think one of my friends has finally cracked the case. I know you may not understand or see the resemblance when I say this but after much investigation and research, I have come to agree.

I’m a lot like The Doctor.

I’ve only been a HUGE Doctor Who fan, a.k.a Whovian, for about a year and a half now. And my friend has only just begun to get into it, but I really have to agree. He is a traveler. He bounces from place to place and time to time saving the universe or just saying hello. Not saying I save the universe or anything, I mostly just stop by to say hello. He’s seen a lot of different things as have I. He’s loved and lost, he’s lost most of the time and just goes with the flow. He’s had many different faces and had many different companions/friends. Friends he’s made stories with. Friends he’s had to say goodbye too, and some he’s never gotten to see again. He’s a believer. He never gives up, never gives in. He seems lost most of the time which if you’ve seen me I do too, but knows he’s on his way to wherever he is going. He’s meet many different people and has had many special people come in to his life. I have had the pleasure to have had many people come into my life. People that I have come to love wholeheartedly. And even though they may have only been in my life for a time, they are never forgotten or left behind. I may not travel through time, save the universe, or have a big blue box, but I have hope. I have faith that no matter what comes, God will lead me through and through. I do not know what he has for me in this life he has given me, but I know he’s getting me there.

I am a Traveler.

Again thank you to all who have not just cheered me on through this but for those who have always been there for me as well.  You are loved.

“There’s a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive… wormhole refractors… You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold.”
— The Doctor

One done, onto the next one.

Posted on by bwreck

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People say that the first step is always the hardest. I wouldn’t say that the first day of my project was hard, but it was a first step. 

I did manage to cut out a lot of my common technological habits today, such as checking my many various social networks, news feeds, and emails. I did have to jump on myself this morning though. As soon as I woke up this morning I found myself reading my breaking news news feed. I stopped myself immediately once I realized what I was doing. Instead I turned on the news on the TV and just listened to it while I got ready for work. 

On my way into work, instead of listening to Pandora or my music on my phone, I listened to some talk radio and my favorite radio station 105.5 The Bridge. I picked up the morning paper, hot chocolate and a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. While I was starting out my day at work I read probably more of the news paper than I ever have. When I was in high school I read the news paper a little bit but not a ton. I really only read the sports section and the comics. I have to say, even though now with all of our modern technologies and apps for every little thing in our lives, there is just something about sitting down drinking a hot cup of coco and reading the news. It’s almost become nostalgic.

I carried on through my day only using my work computer. I will say I did pick up my phone a couple times through out the day and just found myself looking at it. At first I had no idea what I was doing. It made me laugh honestly. I knew I wanted to check my feeds and notifications that I had missed, but could not and would not.

Along the way home I continued to listen to some sports radio and kinda just zoned out while driving. It was nice just kinda driving. Usually I jam out a lot to my music. You know, sing along to the songs you know and dance to the ones you don’t.

When I got to my parents condo, I worked on a YouTube for my church and finished reading this article on the Nuclear Plants in Iran.

Before I go any further let me tell you a little about myself.

When I was younger I was never really that tech savvy. I played my Nintendo 64 like any kid my age and played with my army men a lot. I was a pretty typical boy. I did resist new technology for some reason though. I remember it took me forever and a day to finally give up my cassette player for a CD player. When my parents asked me if I wanted a cell phone when I was about 13. I totally declined and told them that I had no use or desire for a cell phone what so ever. A year later they made me get one. I was a little more open to it but still kinda hated it… for about a minute after I had it. Once I had my cell phone in my hand, something happened to me. I became completely indulged in my phone. I played games on it, texted my friends, and just messed around with it. When it came time to move away from my CD player and move on to an MP3 player I was still a little stand offish about it. But I quickly caved and decided to get an iPod nano. Needless to say I have an incredible music addiction now. Ever since then I changed completely. I became fascinated with new technology. I dove head first into all this new technology. I will say though I was a bit late to a lot of the parties. 

I didn’t join Facebook till after I graduated high school. And then I didn’t get my own computer till that summer before starting college. once I got my computer I just sat on it for hours going everywhere on the internet. Watched hours of YouTube videos, stumbledupon 100’s of new websites, and listened to an endless stream of music. Since then I have become quite tech savvy in many different fields of technology. My work even prefers talking to me about issues with their computers and phone than our IT department. My parents are no exception to that. Since I become so tech savvy I’ve needed to help out my parents and family with a lot of tech issues with phones, tv’s and computers. It’s gotten to the point that every time I see them I always work on their computers and update their iPads. I have no issue with it, I actually quite enjoy it. When I was a sophomore in college I did a social networking experiment to see how many different social networks I could keep up with on a daily bases. I got up to 28 social networks before frying my brain. Even in a lot of my classes that let me have my laptop, I started to learn code and write a little bit of code instead of pay attention. No worries though, I graduated. 

So with my parents being in town for thanksgiving, I knew I had a lot of work to do when I got home from work. So far I’ve set up 2 new iPhones, updated 2 computers, fixed the TV in our living room, and answered many technical questions. I have yet to use my phone or iPad though. Even though I’m only using my phone for phone calls and my iPad for reading my books, I still think its a win for the day. I’ve really enjoy not being on my phone a ton. It’s given me a lot more quality time with my family. Isn’t that a part of the reason for Thanksgiving anyway? Bringing families closer together. 

I have always enjoyed the holidays. Christmas time has always been my favorite holiday. Ever since we moved to Charleston, we’ve made it a tradition to make it back out to Texas to see our extended family during either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Each and every year we’ve gotten back together has been an adventure. This is year is no exception I’m sure. They came out here to see me though this time, so for Christmas I’ll be in Dallas with the whole family. 

Even though I could not totally stay away from technology I have made the first step. I have many more steps to take but look forward to each and every one of them. 

If you need to reach my please call me. I’m trying to use my phone for only phone calls as best I can. 

Thank you all for your encouragement!

Day one is in the books.

Captain’s Log

Posted on by bwreck

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One of my favorite true stories has always been the journey Christopher McCandless took to Alaska. Most of you know his story from either Jon Krakauer’s book or Sean Penn’s movie of his life as portrayed in, Into the Wild. If you are unfamiliar with this story I highly encourage you to read and/or view it. I admire the commitment Christopher had toward reaching Alaska and surviving on his own there. For one, I love the idea of just leaving what you know as your comfort zone and putting yourself totally out of your element. But what I really love about Christopher is the full on, all in, no holding back commitment he had toward reaching Alaska.

Christopher’s commitment to his dream is the same commitment we should have as followers of Christ. I look back on when Jesus was calling his first disciples.

“18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fisherman. 19 Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ 20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.”

– Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV)

When Jesus called upon them they did not hesitate or question him. The wholeheartedly believed and followed him. Leaving their comfort zones and all they knew to follow Jesus.

We often say when Jesus calls us we will do the same, but is that in fact true of yourself? Commonly many picture Jesus calling us to do something big like how God called upon Moses, revealing himself through the burning bush. I think this is the wrong mindset to be in. If you wait around for a burning bush calling, you will miss the gentle breeze callings.

Let me explain.

When I talk about a burning bush calling, I mean a calling that you can’t miss. Like you physically hear the voice of God calling upon you and you see his glory. From my walk I’ve learned that does not happen all the time. Those burning bush moments may only come upon us once if that. We all look for God to work through us as he did through Moses and the many people he has used through history. To lead nations and perform miracles. Most of the time though, he calls upon us softly and for other purposes. That’s what I mean by a gentle breeze calling. It may just be a feeling in our gut or just the inception of a small thought in our mind.  Yet no matter how small the calling, God has a purpose behind it. He may just call upon you to pray in your small group time. As small as a task as that may seem, he has a plan behind it. That prayer could inspire or encourage someone to reach out to someone they know to come to Christ. That person could then go on to spread The Word out in their community which in turn could lead a business to sponsor a mission to aid another country. You never know how big of a ripple that small prayer could cause. 

God has a divine plan for each and everyone of us. No doubt. If we present ourselves ready for his call, we must answer all his calls, big and small. Because we do now know the plans he has laid out for us, but we must trust in him and believe he will use us for his will. 

He may call upon you to really drop everything, leave your job and home to follow him and do his will. Or he may simply call upon us to pray. However he calls upon you, always answer his call with the same full on, all in, no holding back commitment Christopher and Jesus’ disciples had. 

I have often hoped and believed that I have that type of commitment. I think it is now time from me to weigh and measure myself. To see if I have that strong commitment, and if not, then to grow that strong commitment to my lord and savior.

“Ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you .”

– Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye

And so it begins. 

On November 25th, 2013, I start my journey away from technology and move toward a better understanding. Along this journey I hope to not only gain a much deeper appreciation for the common everyday technological tools I use, but to also gain a deeper relationship with my lord and savior. I know this journey will not be entirely easy and that I am flawed. Nevertheless I will keep my head forward, my eyes to the stars, and my feet moving. 

I will only use the necessary technologies I need to carry out the commitments I have. I will only use this blog to post my progress as a live journal. 

Goal for this week: Grow closer to my family.

Time Goal: Make it to Christmas.

Continued prayer would be very much appreciated. 

Thank you all! 

“Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.”

Coming Back

Posted on by bwreck

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“I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus.” – Michael W. Smith

I think we can get caught up in ourselves sometimes. I know life is not a wish granting machine, and it can throw us some serious curve balls. Some we can hit but some we strike out on. I’ve learned that even in those times when we are at a low, God is always right there. He’s proven that to me so many times and I know he’ll continue to remind me that he is here. Sometimes though, we just get caught up in ourselves and our own lives and forget that truth. 

At the beginning of this journey one of my goals was to grow closer to God and strengthen my walk with him. Even though I have not really started it just yet, I’ve come to realize that I’ve some what lost that as a focus point and a goal. To be quite honest it is hard for Christians to keep God as a main focus. Yes some do a better job of it than others but over all, we are all flawed and at some point we will all fall. It took me going back to my old college campus to meet up with my old SOC Club (sociology club) to remember that. 

For the past few years, SOC Club has collected supplies and gotten together and made shoe boxes full of gifts for Operation Christmas Child. We’d then take them over to the CAF (cafeteria) to give to the Operation Christmas Child sponsors to be delivered. This year though they decided to join forces with the organization and join in with the packing party at a student lead weekly event called Elevate. 

I was early as always and found myself wondering around the campus as I used to do. I browsed our library and found a book on Journalism. I’m a huge fan of the show The Newsroom so I dove right into this book. Anyway, I made my way over to the CAF for the packing party. They kicked off the night with some current worship songs. To be honest I wasn’t all that into it at first but I could feel God just pulling at my heart and I found myself in a state of total worship. It was so great and very much needed. I run my church’s sound system and media during the Sunday messages so don’t get to worship as much as I’d like to. 

In that time of worship I remembered what I was really trying to do with this project of mine. To get back to being Golden. To get back to being the best self I can be. To gain a stronger thankfulness for the blessings God has given me. To grow closer to him and stronger in my walk. I had lost this focus all due to the fact that I was preoccupied and distracted by other things. I’m not blaming my phone or computer for that totally, because there are more things in my life that distract me than just my phone or computer. 

I think we just lose ourselves sometimes in our own lives. Sometimes work gets crazy busy. Sometimes bills pile up. Sometimes brand new things take over our attention. Sometimes we just get into a routine and get stuck. God asks for not just 10% of our love. He doesn’t ask for 50% or 99.9% of our love and life. He asks for 100% of our hearts and souls.

Even if you don’t believe in the same beliefs as I do, there are certain things in all of our lives that take us away from the dreams and goals we have and want for our lives. I love the show The Office. ( I love a lot of TV shows and Movies. My whole family has this cornucopia of knowledge about random things. I’m no different.) Pam, the receptionist to Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, said this: 

“It’s not every little girls dream to become a receptionist.”

The Office really shows this truth through out the series. Sometimes we let ourselves compromise with what life gives us and we compromise. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compromise your dreams. You may have to work in the trenches for a while till you get there but you’ll get there. You just can’t lose focus what you want in your life. Not to use a common social term, but you only have one life to live. I believe you should not waste it in any sense. Always keep your dreams and what you want for your life. “Never Give up! Never Surrender!” – Galaxy Quest

I’ve learned a lot from the places and situations God has lead me through. I know he has many more places to take me and journeys to experience. I know I will fall but I know he has given me the strength to get back up  and to “Just keep swimming.” (Dory, Finding Nemo).

I hope this could help you in some kind of way. Whether inspire you or give you some cool quotes to use on a whim. 

Continue to pray for me and thank you to all who continue to support me!

I leave you with one last quote. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite television series. 

“Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable, and we will all at some point in our lives… fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts. That what we have is special. That it can be taken from us and that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times; it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves.”

– Coach Eric Taylor, Friday Night Ligths

My Techy Habits: Notifications

Posted on by bwreck

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“The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life.” – John F. Kennedy

 

I was going to post my habits and daily technological rituals last night but to be honest, after running around like an 8 year old with a bunch of 8 year olds, I was kinda beat. Don’t get me wrong though, loved it. The other reason why I didn’t post my habits last night was due to the fact that I purposefully forgot to make it a to-do on my to-do list. The reason being that I wanted to have the purest results I could on myself. In sociology you learn that if your are doing an experiment or just generally evaluating someone, it is better to not tell them what is going on. Therefore you can get a unhindered response and purer results. If you let someone know that they are being watched and studied, they do not act the same way they would if you hadn’t told them they were being watched. 

I did not take scale or not of my habits numerically due to the fact that I wanted to have unhindered results. Instead I took mental not of what I was doing. So here was my day yesterday in a nut shell.

After posting my Five Days Before blog, I carried on with my work for the day. I had a few cars I needed to take pictures of so I went on  the hunt for car keys. While waiting in one of my co-workers office to ask for keys, I found myself scrolling through news feeds. I then stopped for a minute and thought about how I came to doing that because honestly I just remember finding myself scrolling through stuff on my phone. It all started with a notification. I originally heard a ding on my phone with told me that I had a new email. So I checked it, spam of course. Then I found myself checking every single social outlet I had available on my phone. I caught myself doing this after I had checked Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Now This News, and Breaking News. What should have taken only 5 seconds took me 5 minutes. All because I received a notification on my phone. It kinda freaked me out a little to be honest. I mean regularly you don’t give it a second thought, but when you come to that realization it kind of puts you in that “Whoa” moment.

I carried on through the day listening to my Indie Christmas station on Pandora, which is awesome by the way. Next I found myself scrolling again through my news feeds. Caught it early this time though, Facebook. This also started all due to the fact that I was notified that I got an update from my ESPN app about A. Rod. I laughed realizing what I was doing again and continued to scroll on.

I continued to do this through out the day maybe two more times while I was at work. 

On my way home from work I used my WAZE app to navigate the best route to get home through all the traffic. Along the way I scheduled some events on my calendar using Siri so I could continue driving without looking at my phone or really even touching my phone. Bluetooth stereos rock. 

When I got home a made myself a little sandwich and watched YouTube videos before leaving to go to Youth. While I was at church I was to busy playing with the kids and talking to the Youth to even think about my phone. In fact I left it in my car for about 10 minutes before realizing I had not had it on me. Honestly I did feel a little naked without it. But at the same time it was nice to not have it in my pocket. I quickly returned it to its home in my right pocket. I only checked my phone for the time while in Youth.

Listened to my Indie Holidays radio on Pandora on the way home. Ate some pizza my roommate brought it and we chatted for a while. Afterward I was determined to get some sleep. Eight year old kids can really take it out of you.

Upon laying down in my bed I found myself yet again scrolling one last time through all my social outlets and news feeds to check if I missed anything. That took about 10 minutes it self but turned into 20 minutes very quickly. Found a link to a Vine and ended up watching a ton of vines. Then set my alarms on my phone and iPad and finally hit the hay.

Writing this out I have been interrupted a totally number of 3 times due to the fact of receiving notifications on my phone. Which brings me to the conclusion that one of the biggest drivers for most of our phone addictions are our notifications. When you first get a smart phone, really any cellular phone, you don’t receive a ton of notifications. But as you start using your phone more and more, you begin to receive more and more notifications on a daily bases. These notifications may only steal you away from reality for a few minutes but in those few minutes, we are in a completely different world. Our own world which is constantly bombarded by news and updates that we can never escape from. It’s even gotten to the point that we check our phones consistently even though we had not received a notification of any kind. Since cellular phones have made the huge leap into becoming smart phones, the connectivity we have with our own phones becomes a relationship. 

Let me explain.

When you first start a new relationship, romantic or friendly, you are just getting to now them and their habits, likes, dislikes, and behaviors, as do they onto you. After time you start relying on each other and forming a special bond together. You regularly talk and update each other on what you have been up to and really just gossip on news you’ve heard through out your day. It then gets to the point where when you are not talking or with this person, you feel a little empty. Like something is missing. You quickly reunite and catch up on what you’ve missed. 

Now does that not sound a little like your relationship with your cell phone?

When you first get your new phone you are excited and intrigued by it. You are constantly on it checking out all the features and figuring out how to use it. You start to form habits with it and it updates you on what’s going on. You get it a phone case and make it personalized to you. When you leave it somewhere you instantly feel naked, alone and empty without it. You quickly search and find it and instantly start scrolling through it to see what you have missed.   

We’ve made our cell phones vital parts of our daily lives. So vital that when we don’t have it, things start falling apart. Now this does not go for everyone. I know there are people out there that have healthy relationships with their phones. They use it for what they need and continue on with their day. They have the ability to live without it for a while and enjoy the finer things. I wish I could say I was in that kind of relationship with my phone. 

I just think it is interesting how connected we have all become to not only our phones but the technologies we constantly surround ourselves with. How much time are this things really taking away from ourselves? Technology is a great innovation and has taken us miles. It has made a lot of our lives easier and connected us with each other in ways we could have never imagined. It’s made our world a little bit smaller and brought us a little bit closer.

But I think we’ve crossed a line that a lot of us can not return from. 

I’ll continue to update you with my habits and rituals as I prepare for my technological hiatus. 

Thank you all for your encouraging words and cheers!

Comment and tell me, how many times have you checked your phone while reading this?