Thank you God, for saving me - Chris Tomlin, Burning Lights

I called your name, you heard my cry

Out of the grave, and into life

My heart is yours, my soul is free

Thank you God for saving me

!!!!

St. Augustine - Confessions of a Sinner

Can’t wait to dig in.

Brookish Apps for Mac. Part 1

When people see me using my computer, they always ask me what apps I use. I’m definitely what you’d call a power user and I’m constantly testing the limits of what even my new MacBook can do.

So do you want to be cool? Be cool and use these apps. :) 

My thought on buying apps: Totally and completely worth it. Don’t pirate because these developers need your money or they can’t survive. Seriously. Developing apps does not make you bank. So many apps go out of business or get bought out by bigger companies because they gotta eat to live. Just avoid indulging in starbucks for a week and you’ll make your money back. 

Sparrow Mail App (Free with Ads / $9.99: Mac OSX & iPhone)

My gmail replacement. Does everything gmail does, and is super clean and amazing. I personally use a more compact view where I can press the space bar to pop open the email in a new little window. Perfect if you need to have several emails open at the same time, or if you’re in a draft of one but you want to still check your email. UNFORTUNATELY, they got bought out by google, so they don’t update their app anymore. Still, it works brilliantly (for now) so I recommend the free version highly. 

Evernote (Free: Mac OSX / Android / iPhone / PC / Web)

Possibly one of my favorite applications in the world. It syncs perfectly between Mac and Android, so when I take notes on my phone, it automatically syncs to my computer. You can organize random documents you need so well (Like my graduation matrix you see here). I personally love being able to take photos of something important (a flyer with information, someone’s notes) and then uploading them directly into Evernote with the correct tags so that I can view it at leisure on my laptop. So perfect. 

Wunderlist 2 (Free: Mac OSX / iPhone / Android / Web) 

I used to use this back when it was Wunderlist 1 and I didn’t like it because it couldn’t do enough for me. But now with this new iteration, I really do have everything and I need for a good task management app. Again, the syncing with my phone works really really well. And just the intuitiveness of all the motions is very nice. And it’s also beautiful. Just sayin’. 

Reeder ($4.99: Mac OSX / iPhone)

I assume that most of you guys don’t do RSS, but if you do… Reeder is by far the best app for Mac for RSS. Such a shame it’s not on Android. Seriously. Just pay $5 and do it if you like blogs. Every other app on the market right now are pale imitations of Reeder. Literally, because Reeder did everything well first. Keyboard shortcuts and beautiful interface. Yum.

Paprika Recipe Manager ($19.99: Mac OSX, iPhone, Android)

I will be the first to say that I think that the interface for this app is the ugliest one in this entire list. THAT BEING SAID, the functionality more than make sup for it. The fact that it syncs seamlessly with my Android… A+. There’s a handful of recipe management apps in the market (you have to pay for all of them, the $20 is not outrageous at all) and the automated grocery list and recipe import (you go onto any website with a recipe and it automatically saves the recipe) both work really really well.

F.lux (Free: Mac OSX, Windows, Linux, iPhone) 

This is my most essential app on this list but really really hard to explain without showing you my computer. Basically, it yellows out your screen and will adjust automatically depending on the time of the day. The website has some really good descriptions on why the “blue light” of computers and phones are bad for your sleep cycle. Even if you don’t care, I can’t go back to the brightness of the blue monitor anymore. It hurts my eyes.

So this is it for now. I have some other apps I use regularly, and some others I started using recently to test them out… so I guess I’ll have a part two eventually.

Okay yeah I’m ridiculous

leighreally:

mmmhm

When I approach the Bible as a self-help book instead of the story of God

whatshouldwecallchurch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkNa6tLWrqk

wait this is like the best blog ever

Residents of Kensington — kensingtonblues.com (much love to Christina Son for finding this… it’s amazing.)

This photographer documents residents of Kensington and transcribes their stories for the world to see. 

I can’t leave you with a real understanding of what looking at these photos does to me. My heart mourns and breaks and cries. I get angry, hopeful, and helpless. I see the sin, but I see the hope of freedom as well. The chance for salvation, for a new life outside of drugs, alcohol, prostitution.

The first woman pictured is named Patty, who, in the multiple times I have seen her in Kensington, did not look anywhere near as neat and proper. The Patty I met hadn’t showered in days, wore clothes that did not fit her, and was doubled over in pain from withdrawal. She complained to us how every rehab she’s been to makes way too many demands of her. She blamed the rehabs, halfway houses, shelters, for her worsened condition. She was angry at her children for not letting her see her grandchildren. And it was all their fault, of course… She refused to see the sin within herself.

When we started talking to about God, she beamed and said, “Yeah, I know god. I prayed to him, and then I found a twenty on the ground!” Pointing at the floor, she then talked about how she used the cash to buy more cocaine. Harry (a staff member) was quick to correct her. “God don’t want you ta get high, He didn’t give ya the twenty for ya ta get high.”

Turned out that she didn’t like us either. We disagreed with her and we became part of the problem. She became a bit belligerent, arguing with large hand motions about how god loved her enough to let her get high. How god knew that she needed it. 

I saw her eight months later at the same corner. She looked much calmer than she had in the summer. Cleaner, too. We made eye contact and I knew that she didn’t recognize me, even though her image was so clearly engraved into my mind’s eye. 

And of course she wouldn’t recognize me. I was one girl in a sea of faces that offered her free food on occasion. I watched her grab a sandwich and a drink. I watched a few members from our team approach her to talk and pray with her. 

God, all we can do is sow.

p.s. If you want to see my heart for kensington, check out my kensington rap hahaha.

the point of it all

My soul longs, even faints for the courts of the Lord

Oh my heart and flesh cry out for the Living God

And I am satisfied, satisfied in you Lord
And I would trade it all for one day in your courts
Oh I am satisfied, Lord I am satisfied in You

- Starfield, Heart and Flesh

———————————

It’s been a while since I’ve been messed up by a song. But yay! You did it, Starfield!

That first line… It really does something to me… la;lslkdjfl;faksj I think I could sing it forever. 

suppermariobroth:

Concept art for Super Mario Galaxy.

Normally I’d just reblog this onto my image blog but this is just too good to pass up… Super Mario Galaxy (2) is one of the best games I have ever played. :)

HAHAhaha..ha… :(

(Source: nicecleanfight)