Life in the Third Person

Heyo :)

NOTE: Homeschoolers or other who listen to AIO please, please, do not get mad at me for stealing today's title.

My feet are still planted fully on the floor even after Monday's awesome news. In fact I am currently procrastinating from writing a super long and boring paper...no need to finish that this moment, right? I mean it is only due on Friday.

Some things just aren't glamourous. Such as writing final papers or studying for final tests. There is just no cute, right, prety, or <insert movie-like pose here>. It just isn't.  I sure wish it was, because I love picturing my life in the third person. No matter what I do I see life like a movie or a book depending on whether I feel like narrating the scene or I love the lighting. It could be from dabbling in acting (The French Film) or just because I read too much.

So because of this recent thought process I have enjoying books that portray things realistically, basically the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to try and do better about that in my fiction writing too, because I love to romanticize my characters lives, wishing all the while that it was mine

I think that after rambling through an entire blog like this, I should give you all book recommendation. So here it is: Jack and Jill by Lousia May Alcott. She writes a beautiful real, yet still role model material characters. Go check it out!

<3 Lissa

WOW

HEYO!

So sorry I missed Microbiology Mondays! I'll be posting it later this week...it just something super exciting happened yesterday that pretty much put everything else (including finals studying)

I have some BIG news. Like, I just DON'T use ALL CAPS this much. So without further ado...

I AM GOING TO BE A NURSE. yes a really NURSE. Thank you Jesus! I could NEVER gotten through all this successfully, without You.

AHHHHAHHHHHAHHHH. Oh, my, oh my. I am going to be a NURSE. It makes me so happy and so scared of the responsibility the comes with this. This  has been my dream for all long as I can remember and honest to goodness it is all really surreal. It is like my brain just hasn't processed it yet.Probably, because I still have to get through finals. What a downer, huh? Ah, well the rat race continues ;) Not really I am still over-the-moon. Speaking of, I have more things to study, write papers, and compose speeches about.

Normally scheduled events (read=posts) will resume tomorrow. Now I help myself to cake :)

Hope you are having a great day.

<3 Lissa

Mattering

Heyo, 

Things matter. Stuff sometimes happens that hurts me and when it does I want to pull away and pretend I don't care. But just maybe I do and I don't tell you. I numb myself and move onward. I know this isn't the best way to go about things, but it was how I dealt with purposeless was, "fear of oblivion" (John Green).That is until something else dawned on me. (Like, right now.)

Today was an AMAZING day. It. Was. Awesome. (Unlike some days) It mattered.

And you know what? Good or bad, tomorrow matters. And life matters. Why? Because Jesus made it matter, he took life seriously enough to sacrifice his own to save humanity, to save me. He put me here on earth for a reason and I do not want to miss it. 

I am given one shot at living for Christ, I don't want to waste it. But I do. All the time, I put trivial things in front of God. I don't want to do that anymore, because God matters. 

Thank you Lord for loving me.

Midnight thoughts...at 11:30 ;)

<3 Lissa

Looking down; Looking up

Heyo,

NOTE: Good morning! I have finally succeeded in posting something, somewhere near an ideal time. Yay :)

Happy Friday! This week has in one way been completely normal and in another way been kinda a big week. New things, old things, hard things.

One verse: 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." has been in my head currently. It has always been a favorite verse of mine for a long time. However recently it occurred to me in a different way.

Always I had thought of the first part ("Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young) refers to others thinking of me as inferior, but now I think it also applies to myself. If I expect less from myself, then less is what I get. Paul isn't just reminding grown-ups, he is reminding me what my expectations should be.

Sometimes though I have high expectations, but I just keep falling short. That is when I look down upon myself. It is when i realize that by myself I simply can't be an example to other believers. I need Jesus without Him I am nothing, so I why do I expect that I do everything by my ugly self?

There is a reason another verses goes: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) Growing up/being-an-example is scary and I am not ready for responsibility, but God makes me ready.

Thanks for a wonderful week! I have really enjoyed the first week of blogging :) Have a great weekend!

<3 Lissa

Of reality and being "real"

Heyo!

While I compose this missile, I am watching The Desolation of Smaug and that my friends, is making me very happy. That and the weather was a few degrees warmer today. YAY. And I took a outing today to learn about volunteering at my local Pro-life pregnancy center (which, yanno, you all should consider), which was awesome. In between those two things, I studied. Yup, so proud of myself. Anyway all-in-all it was a pretty productive and happy day.

I was thinking the other day about how reality is the toughest part of life and usually the most boring.
(Don't get me wrong there are there are times when you pack up everything, sell your house, and live in an RV for about a month. Thankfully there are also moments like this. Moments that break up monotony. It is unfortunate then that right now there seems to be alot of monotony, but when there is not, there are decisions to be made.

Should I take this job? Yes until something better comes along.
Should I be studying right now? Probably, but I would prefer to apply "If in doubt, don't."
How do I spend my time? Blogging and watching the Hobbit apparently. (And usually alot of studying and exercising)

The point of all that was suppose to be that life is mostly boring, but I prefer to think of  it as interesting. It seems like when I think I'm being all "real" when I say somthing like this:

"I ran three miles today. It was bru-tal."

Think I'm being "real" and honest? While yes that statement is true, it only took maybe thirty minutes of my day, but it is the one thing I choose to highlight. Instead of the hours of mind-numbing studying that stole most of my time. That is reality. Unfortunately reality doesn't always carry a conversation too well.


"When did we left evil become stronger than us?" -The Desolation of Smaug  I LOVE THE HOBBIT, LOTR, TOLKIEN. *sigh of joy* This movie is obviously the right choice for tonight. However, now I think it is bed time...

G'night.

<3 Lissa

Looking at Things Upside Down

Heyo-

The weather turned cold again today. *Cue uninspired Lissa* Fortunately, it wasn't REALLY cold like it has been throughout the (forever and ever) winter, just cold. When the weather is cold, I feel my thoughts move slower and as the biting wind blows harder I feel mad at the world. Or at least the wind. Don't get me wrong I love a fresh breeze straight off the ocean; I simply don't appreciate a true winter wind. They are not the same thing. Enough of that; moving onward, let us start Wednesdays Words.

This is our family's go-to dictionary; at one point I was so in love I tried to read it cover-to-cover. :}

Written or read, I love words. In fact it has probably passed the point of friendship and turned into an obsession. I started writing novels when I was nine, but I can't remember a time when I couldn't read. It feels innate.

There are times however when I can't think of how to use the words. How I am supposed to string them into sentences that communicate something insightful and interesting. Today was almost one of those days. Once again I had started thinking about blog this morning and couldn't sit down and type until evening, yet I still hadn't thought of anything. I almost gave up, but then I started typing words, most of which I backspaced. It was the ones after that process or about that process that now make up this post.

Getting the words flowing can be painful, and then it turns your world upside down. You forget everything else and just write. That is why I write through the part where it feels like I am pulling teeth. It reminds me of running. The first mile is longest, the second mile is a easy, and the third I make it through because I am almost done.

While there are times I need to take a break when things are truly not working, I usually want to quit too soon. It seems like working through writer's block, it more effective than letting it block me. Thus it didn't block me today, it just dictated the topic.

Also I did a guest post on To Be Broken, Complete, and Beautiful about the power of words if you would like to read it :) Jessie Bear, whose blog it is, is awesome! I wrote that post when I was slightly more inspired.

Sorry for all the whining at the beginning of this post...hopefully everything will feel a bit warmer tomorrow. 

<3 Lissa

P.S. Spring is hopefully on its way!

Microbiology Philosophy

Heyo there :)

So just how much do you know about microbiology? Nothing? Great that is where I started too, which means we can learn together.

Today, as I sat at my desk in Micro class I pondered what the first Microbiology blog post should be. The possibilities were endless, gram staining, bacteria vs. viruses, but eventually I decided to do a big picture.
What kind of philosophy or working principles should we use.

You and I came to this class with nothing. Yet we began. The key thing is start.

Trying new things is awesome. It is what I am doing now, typing away at this blog post at 8:50 at night. With idealistic goals I started it late last night and typed away at parts throughout the day, but here I am still writing. Microbiology like most things is done in a day. I could argue it isn't even done in a semester. You are always building on past knowledge.

The second key thing is persistence. Cue Melissa breaking into a song like God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. You have to keep going to get to the good stuff. And now I am thinking of While I'm Waiting by George Waller.

Pardon me, while I perform my sold out Carnegie hall concert.

Just kidding. But that does bring me to my next point.

Thirdly, finish it. Don't be a quitter no matter how hard it is.

There. This blog post ended being small word count wise, but heavy with thought. I really just needed to preach some of this to myself today, what with finals coming up in a couple of weeks. These ideas are not contained to Micro though. What else can you apply the Microbiology Philosophy too?

<3 Lissa

Beginings

Heyo!

I love beginnings, fresh starts. They are sunshine with rainbows, hope, a promise of betters things. Well now you are probably wondering is who I am. My name is Melissa, but you can call me Lissa. Welcome to my blog Substance of Things Hoped! The name is taken from the verse Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I want my whole life to be one of faith and love in Jesus Christ.

What can we do. What are we supposed to do. These are statements/questions that shape our live.  I believe there should be a purpose for all I do  Thus here are a few priorities for this blog:

1. To give glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.") 
2. To inform you all and myself about God, science, and writing
3. To have fun :)

Short and sweet. In keeping with that outlook my (tentative) weekly schedule is:

• Microbiology Monday- I am working through my last science pre-requisite for an RN program will be posting about what I am learning.
• Wednesday Words-This will be thoughts  about books and/or writing.
• Friday Fruits-Where I share things God has been teaching me. Hopefully it will spur discussion about what God has been teaching you.

That's it, three posts a week, three purposes. It doesn't seem like much typing it out here, but I am sure it will be plenty with everything else God has for me in life.    

<3 Lissa