Be a Blank Page

Wh-where....where am I?

Oh, that's right! I'm on my blog again. It's been so long, I kind of forgot what this blank page in front of me looked like. Hmmm.

...Wow. It's really blank, isn't it? I've never realized how lonely a blank page looks before writing on it. I mean sure, there's something kind of nice about seeing a clean, crisp page with nothing on it. But on the other hand, there's something sad about a blank page. You see all of the potential it has; you wonder what it's going to hold and say; but no one's put their time and love into its story yet. It's missing its soul. 

A blank page is like an empty glass. It's waiting to be filled. A blank page is like person. It's waiting for its story to be written and life to begin.

And as people often do, we get tired of waiting. We get impatient and believe that we can fill our own pages with our plans and stories. When those plans don't turn out the way we wanted, that is when our pages get ripped and our spines fall apart. A book cannot write its own story. It's up to the author.

Recently, I tried to write my own story. I tried to take over the plan for my future and forgot who the author of my story really is: God.

Let me elaborate. Two weeks ago, I wrote about getting through a difficult disappointment with the help of my friends, my family, and my Savior. The week following that disappointment was a very big, very hopeful one for me. I had recently finished a project that I had put hours upon hours of love, passion, and hard work into. It was finally time to display my hard work and vie for the winning prize that would be a huge step into my future career. I was ecstatic, excited, and extremely nervous. I hadn't wanted anything more than this. When the time came for awards, I was honored to receive Second Place (Which is awesome! I'm so happy to have been recognized in any capacity.), but my heart was broken that I had not reached my goal.

And as any young woman does when her heart is broken, whom else did I call but my mom? My rock, my best friend, and one of the best spiritual teachers I have known. I was so confused. I had thought that God gave me one disappointment and would make up for it with a different blessing. I told her, "I thought that God had this planned for me. I don't understand. What does He want me to do?"

And her answer was exactly what I needed to hear: "He wants you to trust in Him, Desiree.

"God has His own bigger, brighter plan for you that you can't even begin to try to figure out. You can't expect God's plan to always line up with yours. We have no idea what God has planned for us in our future. All we can do is trust in Him and know that everything will work out according to the good and gracious will of God." 

Having my mom tell me that gave me so much perspective, and so much hope. It was still a struggle to fully grasp that I can't always be in control and that there's nothing wrong with that, but I'm slowly starting to accept it. After a weekend at home relaxing and praying with my family, I made my way back up to Lincoln yesterday. 

As I was driving, I began to think and get back into a disappointed mindset. But just as I felt myself losing my grip and gasping for an answer, a song came on over KLOVE Radio: "Write Your Story" by Francesca Batistelli. 

"I'm an empty page, I'm an open book, write your story on my heart. Come on and make your mark. Author of my hope, maker of the stars, let me be your work of art. Won't you write your story on my heart?...My life, I know it's never really been mine. So do with it whatever you like; I don't know what your plan is, but I know it's good."

God sent me a powerful message in that song. HE is the author of our story, not us. We are his blank page and His work of art. We may not know what he has in store for us, but it is always good. God tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a season, a time and purpose under heaven." God has our life written out! He has the exposition, the adventure, the romance, and the plot twists already planned. We have to trust that His plan is GOOD, because it is! 

We may think that we are the writers of our own story, but really, we're just the blank pages. God is the author, and you are his next best-seller. Let go and open your pages, because you've got one beautiful story ahead. You just don't know it yet.

"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Listen, love, then listen again.

Because I Owe You One. Or Two...

Aaaaand after a week of station identification, we're back!

Hello, I'm Desiree Bartels, and welcome to MAMB at 1:00 pm. You're listening to the smooth sounds of contemporary praise music all day, every day. (Not really every day. Usually just Sundays. But since the past week and half has been crazy busy, I'm making an exception. Monday it is!)

So this week, I'm gifting you the sensational vocals of Miss Britt Nicole. I've had a pretty bumpy past couple of weeks (more on that later), and her songs have sent me the beautiful message of how many wonderful things there are in life that God has blessed us with!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the lovely music of Britt Nicole.

Happy Monday, all. <3

Stay Golden!

Keep going and take a stand. You got this!

Everybody has those days, but God is with us every step of the way!

I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

Let me be the first to say that sometimes, life utterly and completely stinks. Actually, in the words of Ben Rector, "here's the truth: life sucks sometimes." And he's so right! It's inevitable: sometimes, we just have terrible moments, terrible days, maybe even terrible weeks. It's rough.

Trust me, I know.
It's happened to me quite recently.

Long story short: my past week has been full of stress, anxious waiting, disappointment, and an immense desire for something good to come around the corner (with the corner seeming never to be in sight). Everybody has those times. The only thing worse than feeling down is feeling down and alone.
We've all been there. Don't even try to get around it. I can feel you fighting the acceptance of this fact. Stahp it. Accept it! We all get lonely.

But when we feel our loneliest and in the deepest of dumps, we can remember what is written in 1 John 3:1, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us; that we may be called the children of God. And so we are." We are never alone because we always belong to God our Father! God is our constant companion and confidant. In our terrible moments, God puts His comforting hand on us so we don't feel alone.

And what's more, God blesses us with SO many people in our lives to be with us in our lonely times! I have been given so many beautiful and loving family members, friends, classmates, and especially this evening, floormates.

Like any regular college kid, I was in a bit of a slump after the kind of week I had. All I wanted to do was sit in my dorm, eat ramen, and watch romantic comedies by myself whilst wallowing in a rapidly depleting supply of Goober jelly. It's delicious, guys. Don't judge. But alas, the beautiful women of Raymond Three came to my aid and after a few overly sappy movies, hilariously entertaining Buzzfeeds, having the Jimmy John's delivery boy call me Sunshine, and many MANY snacks (including the comfort staple of chocolate), I was back on my feet and looking forward to the doors God will open for me in the semester that lies ahead.

1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing."

I'm so lucky to have family and friends who encourage me and build me up, especially when I feel like life sucks and I'm alone. I'm going to sound extremely cliche (and I really don't care at all), but it really is true that you don't realize how many good things (and people) you have around you until you need them to be there.

So yeah, life sucks sometimes.

But with an everlasting God, great family and friends, and the occasional Girls Night In, life starts to keep moving on.

And I'll tell ya, it's pretty great.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

HEY. FOLLOW THIS LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJQTVL8Iuw

This post dedicated to my lovely Mama Vicki and the wondrous ladies of Raymond Three.

New Beginnings

Good news, everyone!

Now that today is over, I can now say that I am officially over half finished with my first year of college. It may not sound like much, but it's the small things...AND HELLO WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE. It hasn't just flown, it's soared! (To all you high school seniors, if you think high school goes fast, just wait until you get to college. Literally you need to hold on to your pants. I have given you fair warning.) First semester is in the books, and today the students of UNL began their spring semester bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

...Well all except for those who had 7:30 class. I doubt they're very bright-eyed.
And they're most likely not bushy-tailed.
Sorry about that.

But for all of us, regardless of our class schedule, today was a new beginning. New classes, new classmates, and new opportunities. There's something refreshing about coming back to a place you haven't been in a while, and there's something exciting about not knowing what the next four months have in store for you.

Along with that excitement, many students (including myself) may feel a tinge of worry or uncertainty.
"What if my class is harder than I thought?"
"What if my schedule is more than I can take?"
"What if I'm so busy I forget to shower?"
...(Sadly, that last one has crossed my mind a time or two. I'm totally kidding. Maybe.)

Everybody wonders "what if" sometimes. It's part of life. But when we start to worry and think about all of the bad that could happen in the future, we must remember what God says in Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." We don't have to worry about the uncertainty and new beginnings tomorrow brings because God is always holding us in His good and gracious hand. We can be comforted by that fact and what He says in Jeremiah 29:11. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." 

Our future is in God's hands! He has nothing but good things planned for us. Because God is in control of our future, we can find solace in knowing that "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end!"

New beginnings are great, and with them comes great opportunities and hope for the future they bring. Though sometimes we feel worry, we can ultimately lean back and silence our "what if"s  by knowing that God is in control.

So as the beginning of a new semester starts, put your worries to rest.
And go take a shower.

Trust me, you have time.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It's the start of something new, guys. CELEBRATE!

Shazam Sunday

Happy Sunday, all!

Over the past week, I've found myself using the music app "Shazam" most frequently when listening to KLOVE (if you want a really good praise music radio station to have on your presets, definitely go for this one!). For today's Sunday music share, here's a little taste of what has been piquing my musical interest, courtesy of my trusty Shazam. 

Enjoy, and have a blessed day!

This has easily become my new favorite.

A feel-good song with a beautiful message!

Remember the Painter

Hi....uhh....my name's Desiree Bartels. And I'm.....well......I'm a blogaholic.

It's been six days since my last post.

AND I'M SO SORRY, YOU GUYS.

This last week has been absolutely crazy in the world of me, myself, and I. I've had a very large theatre management project with a pressing deadline, and I've been working on it night and day to finish and make it practically perfect in every way. Seriously, my mom almost had to file a missing persons report because I've been hiding behind my laptop the past week. It's been a little high-stress, especially with spring semester auditions and the start of a new schoolwork load looming overhead.

What I've come to find about high-stress situations, though, is that when what you've been stressing over is completed, you feel a warm ocean-scented breeze of calm wash over you.

And it's really very lovely.

When I was working on my project, I (regretfully) had a tendency to tune everything and everyone around me out. All I could think about was getting the next segment done or working on this graphic or that advertisement. I hardly left any time to spend quality time with my family...or my God. It left me going to bed feeling that though I had gotten a lot done during the day, I had missed something important. It left me feeling empty and sad that I had been ignoring the bigger, better things in my life.

In college (and life in general), we often find ourselves getting caught up in the big projects and expectations thrown at us. We focus on a tiny part of the bigger picture of life, and we sometimes forget to think about our picture's painter. Even when our projects and expectations are fulfilled and we feel that ocean-scented calm hit us, we can sometimes forget to thank who brought us there. We forget because we're human.

We stress. We worry. We get angry. We get sad. We feel that sometimes we are in a rut so deep that we can't get pulled out. But God is there to pick us up, dust us off, and cheer us on. He's always there even when we forget that He is. When I was stressed and tuning out everything around me, God was there to ease my worries. When I was finished and free, God was there to send me the ocean breeze of calm. I don't have to worry, you don't have to worry, WE don't have to worry because of what Joshua 1:9 says: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

God is always here! He was there when I began the project, He was there when it was finished, and He was there for every twist and turn in between. The painter of life is always there, making brush strokes that we are not even aware of. With Him, our picture is becoming more and more beautiful! What a comfort it is to know that God is always with us! All we have to do is remember.

Remember to see Him, remember to thank Him, and remember to bask in the beautiful picture He is painting.

Oh, and remember to blog every once in a while.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Sunday Worship of a Different Kind

Good Morning, and Happy Sunday!

I've decided that although I am going to follow Uncle Vernon's "no post on Sunday" rule, I still want people to get something out of this blog on Sundays. And since today is the day of worship (well, every day should be a day for worship, but you know what I mean), what's a better gift to give than some inspirational praise music?! I've recently come back to enjoying the beautiful music of Owl City (yes, Adam Young actually does have a lot of Christian-based stuff!), so today I want to give you all some of my favorites. Feel free to explore his YouTube channel further!

God's blessings to you today and every day! Keep being awesome!

One of my absolute favorites. A beautiful song for Sunday and every day!

 

Not only is this song super catchy, but it's super exalting to our God on high!

Such an empowering, and happy song. Always makes me smile!

Hopelessly Romantic

Star log: It's currently 11:00 p.m. on Friday night. As of now I have consumed one Taco Bell chalupa, two servings of Walmart macaroni salad, three pieces of fried chicken, and one large heaping helping of "awwww," courtesy of the movie Letters to Juliet.

I've seen this movie more times than I can count.
And I still love it. (The scene above gets me going every time.)

What's not to love? There's a sweet young lady who travels with her jerk of a fiancee to Verona, Italy (THE CITY OF LOVE FOR LORD'S SAKE), finds a group of beautiful older women who write letters to heartsick females under the pseudonym of Juliet Capulet, writes a response to a fifty-year-old-letter she found in a brick, helps the writer of that letter find her true love and falls in love with the letter writer's adorable British grandson. (Yes, I do realize that was the longest sentence ever written. And I don't care.) IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND I CRY EVERY TIME.

Being a hopeless romantic is much like wielding a double-edged sword. It's wonderful getting wrapped up and believing in all of the love displayed in books, movies and television; but, a hopeless romantic also runs the risk of developing unrealistic standards of love and romance. (Not to mention the fact that we have an extreme tendency to walk out of every movie starring Rachel McAdams with teary streaks of mascara running down our faces.)

There's a little bit of hopeless romantic in all of us. Even under the most callous facades, the hope that our true soul mate is somewhere walking the earth is always present in our heart of hearts. When one endures the most unexpected of heartbreaks, there is still that glimmer of hope that reminds him to get back up and try again. That is because it is a natural tendency for the heart to feel love over hate. And for some of us (aka the hopeless romantics), that tendency is intensified about tenfold.

I love love. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the "in a relationship" or "got engaged to" tags on my newsfeed. Sometimes, the only programs I watch on TV are "Say Yes to the Dress" and "My Fair Wedding." I love it all. It makes me excited for the kind of love I will have one day.

But in order to be ready for that day, I am focusing on finding a different kind of true love. I am strengthening the truest, deepest relationship there I have: my relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship has been 18 years in the making, and I plan to make it even stronger (within the year and forever!). I'm making this relationship stronger so my other relationships can follow suit.

I'm growing up. I'm becoming an adult. Within the next ten years, I could be married to my soul mate and preparing to make a family. In order to be ready to find the good, kind, Christian man I am looking for in a husband, I must first fall deeper and more in love with my Lord and Savior. Jesus's death and resurrection is an extremely important part of the greatest love story the world has ever known. There is no greater love than the love that Christ Jesus has shown for us! Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That, my friends is the true love that all hopeless romantics (and everyone else) can satisfy their hearts with.

But that doesn't mean there won't be room for another RomCom. Hitting play: now.

Brandon Heath is amazing, and this song makes my heart full with love for God and life. Enjoy!

"Nothing can separate you from His love." Romans 8:39