free!

I am a college student. I am a poor college student. I am a poor college student that hasn't worked in weeks, thus keeping me poor. I am a poor college student who loves stuff. Especially when this stuff is music.

Are you poor? Do you like music? Are you not poor and still like music? Then this is your lucky day!

HERE is a link to my friend John Tibb's new album, Swallowing Death Breathing Life. You can literally download the EP right now for free! Or, if you have money, you can leave a donation. But seriously. Click the link. He does some great work, and I'm listening to him right now - you won't regret it! 

Seriously, do it!

Are you in?

-Kimber.

It's worth it.

I love love love this song! So true and with such a powerful message. Take a listen!

Whiplash

Oh, Willow Smith. Only the daughter of someone as insanely great as Will Smith could get away with a song based on, well, whipping your hair back and forth. In this incredibly repetitive but strangely addictive song, Willow sings of whipping her hair back in forth in just about every situation. When she arrives at a party, she whips her hair around. When she goes onstage and hears some applause, she whips her hair around. After she hops out of bed and turns her swag on (sorry, couldn't resist) she ignores all of the people who speak and think badly of her and she - once again - whips her hair back and forth.
It seems like her fix-all solution to every situation is to throw her head  around and whip her hair. Let's look at a line in the bridge: (before the 238927382 "I whip my hair back and forths")

Don't let haters keep me off my grindKeep my head up and I know I'll be fineKeep fighting until I get thereAm down and I feel like giving upI whip my hair back and forth! I whip my hair back and forth!

Haha, sorry. Got a bit carried away there.
Here we see how Willow is feeling a bit down, thanks to all of the people that are thinking poorly or speaking poorly about her. She knows that she shouldn't feel bad because of it, and that she'll be fine, but she's feeling at the end of her rope - and what does she do? Whips her hair back and forth, of course.
Doesn't really seem like a logical solution, does it? Well, maybe, for the sake of the song. Still, though! It's not really what you should do when you're "down and you feel like giving up," right?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

God is telling us in these verses that, whenever we're feeling tired and run down, unable to go on with whatever we're struggling with, we're to turn to Him. Instead of head banging along with Willow, ask God to take over and stop trying to fight whatever battle you're facing by yourself. Psalm 28:8 says that "The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one." In chapter 27 verse 1, it says "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" 
This is one of my favorite verses, which I think goes along with this pretty well:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1

The common theme in all of these verses is that, no matter what we're dealing with or what we're going through, what we've done or what we're facing, God is always there to turn to. We can give Him all of our troubles and problems, and He will willingly take them on and guide us, helping us fight whatever we're struggling with.
I don't know about you, but when things get tough, I'd much rather turn to the Creator of the heavens and the earth for help and relief, rather than whip my hair back and forth for a supposed confidence boost. 
So here's your NR challenge for this post - I challenge you to forget about what Willow says, and instead turn to the only one who can fight your battles and carry your worries and burdens - Jesus. Realize that, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to do these things on your own. Your strength should come from God, not anything from a song! You have a choice - turning to the One who made you for strength, or relying on something as silly as whipping your hair back and forth. One option will give you strength, and the other will leave you with a nice case of whiplash. What do you choose?
Are you in?


-Kimber.

The Last Thing You Expected...

Hahahahahahahah, didn't see that one coming, did you?
While this song is a little old for me - it came out 5 years before I was even born, maybe that'll make some of you feel nice and old - I, along with millions of others, have come to know of it through the beautiful prank known as "Rick Rolling," what I have just (maybe!) done to some of you. It started out as a number one hit in the United Kingdom, where Rick Astley is from. It soon escalated to the United States, where within years it became a classic. It's now a classic prank on the internet, where a simple link which is supposed to take you to some video of your choosing instead takes you to this video.
For as ridiculous as it is, this song has some pretty legit lyrics. Take the chorus for example:

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

Obviously, Astley's promising someone that he's pretty much never going to leave them, hurt them, or disappoint them. That's a pretty big promise to make, don't you think? I mean, I've promised the same things before, and unfortunately I've had to break some of those promises, just like others have made and broken the same ones to me. You may mean it when you say it, but more often than not, something goes wrong and the promise is broken.
That happens a lot though, don't you think? We're only human, and as hard as we try, we're going to do things we said we wouldn't. We're going to make someone cry even though we tried our hardest not to. We may have to leave someone for their own good, for our own good, or for other reasons we can't control. All of these lyrics seem ideal, but, at the end of the day, they can be darn near impossible for anyone.
Anyone, that is, except God.

"And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:20

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." - Deuteronomy 31:8

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" - Isaiah 41:13

...do I have to spell it out for you some more, or do you catch my drift?
God has promised each of us dozens of times that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God's not giving us up, or letting us down, or deserting us. God also says in the Bible how He has plans for us to give us each hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11, if you're wondering!)
I'm sure if you searched you could find a verse for just about every promise mentioned! Isn't that pretty amazing? It's like God's personal song right to you, written down thousands of years ago for you to enjoy anytime.
So, here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to read God's love song to you - the Bible - and memorize these promises for yourself. God's never gonna give you up, or let you down. He's never gonna run around or desert you. He may make you cry, but He has plans for you which will make tears of joy rather than sadness run down your face! He's never going to say goodbye to you, and He would never tell you a lie to hurt you. Rather, God wants an intimate relationship with you, so He can tell you personally every day and in every way possible that He isn't going anywhere - as long as you let Him stay with you.
Pearl Bailey, an actress and singer, once said it best:

"People see God every day, they just  don't recognize him."

You have to be willing to pay attention, open your eyes, and see that God is always at your side.
Are you in?


-Kimber.

Repeat After Me.

For as long as I remember, I've wanted to be an elementary teacher. I'm not sure why, but I've just always known that God was calling me to teach the ankle biters in their early years and hopefully leave an impression on them. I especially want to leave a Godly impression and try to help them out a bit, considering religion is banned from schools and whatnot.
Over the years, I've paid attention to my teachers and took some mental notes regarding good ideas and things that they've done. For example, I know that a red pen automatically decreases self esteem, and so when grading things a teacher should use a different color. I know that yellow paper is better to take tests on than plain white paper, because the yellow relaxes the mind more. Chewing sugary gum stimulates brain activity and so you should always pop a piece in before taking a test. Playing classical music stimulates young minds also. Some of it may be silly, but I've tried it, and it works!
The number one thing I've noticed, however, is that when you're trying to get an important idea or concept across, you repeat it a few times. Some people say that 3 times is the best way to get things across, and so repeating a phrase or something 3 times or more is highly effective. Sometimes it can get annoying though, trust me. Senior year, my high school decided that we needed to have "daily learning objectives" in every class, and the teacher had to state them 3 times - once at the beginning of the class, once in the middle, and once at the end. No one really did it, because it was so pointless. My pre-calculus teacher wrote 3 objectives down the first day of school and never changed them, and so whenever an admin came in he would whip that paper out from his pocket and pretend that he was in the middle of teaching that. It was pretty funny. But hey, I remember those objectives because he mentioned them 3 times!
This process applies to so many other things, too. When you're talking to little kids, you repeat yourself. When you're talking to family, or friends - anyone, really. When something is important, you repeat it.
God does that, too.
In the book of Joshua, God talks to the new guy, Josh. Josh has been installed as the new leader of the Israelites, following Moses' death. He is to take the people to the promised land, but first he has to get rid of the people that are already living there. These guys are big, scary, and can easily whip the little guys of Israel. To say that they were pretty scared would be an understatement. So what does God do?

"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:5-9

God assures Josh that everything will go fine. With God on your side, how can it possibly not? God tells him how no one will be able to stand up against the Israelites for the rest of his life, because they will be feared and powerful. God isn't going to leave them. As long as they follow God, they'll be alright!
While that's all well and good, did you catch the most important part of what God was saying in those verses? No? Let's try this again, then. Look:

 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:5-9

Did you catch the hint there? God told Joshua THREE TIMES just in those 4 verses that he shouldn't be afraid, but rather be strong and courageous. The very first chapter of the book of Joshua, and God is already telling him something important.
Throughout the entire book, though, God repeats this message multiple times. Even verses later, Joshua tells the people exactly what God told him - be strong and courageous! Talk about the ultimate teacher, telling his students one of the most important lessons ever.
In junior church, we used to sing a song about this verse. It went something like, "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God is with your, wherever you go." (Put a tune to that, and you get the point.) Even at a young age, we should realize that God won't leave us, no matter what we've done, will do, or are doing currently. There's another, newer, song that says, "If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?" I can't really say it any better than that. If God is with us through everything, then why are we afraid?
What are you afraid of? Witnessing to your friends? Standing up as a Christian in front of your family? Going head-to-head with Satan in the form of drugs, alcohol, porn, lying, or any other thing? Conquering an addiction? Taking the final step and placing your faith in God?
Whatever it is, God is there. In Ephesians 6, it tells of putting on the full armor of God - the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. With all of that Godly "armor," could you really lose? I think not. Even if you stumble, you'll get back up again.
TobyMac said it best:
 "We lose our way, we get back up again. It's never too late to get back up again. One day, you will shine again. You may be knocked down but not out forever." - TobyMac, "Get Back Up"
This is your NR challenge - what are you afraid of? Conquer the fear. Be a conqueror. God's right there with you every step of the way. He's carrying you through the good times and the bad, it's just up to you to realize you won't get dropped on your head.
Be strong and courageous.
Be strong and courageous.
Be strong and courageous.
Are you in?


-Kimber.

Undo.

The Real Winner?

A Real Winner for Christ.

When you think of American Idol, what contestant comes to mind? The ones they have on now with whatever season it is ( I don't watch it anymore, sorry.) or a favorite previous Idol, like Carrie, Clay, or Taylor? More than likely, one of the first names that comes to mind is Kelly Clarkson - the "ultimate Idol," according to many people. Out of all of the winners on the show, Kelly has had the most success, closely followed by Carrie Underwood. 
Kelly seems to have it all these days - she has an extremely successful career still going strong, with her latest single with Jason Aldean topping the charts; she has probably all of the money she ever needs or wants; she is on a first-name basis with tons of stars; and of course she is known as the most successful Idol.
If someone would ask me, however, who the most successful Idol is, I would probably blow your mind a little. My pick would be Mandisa. Mandisa wasn't a winner on American Idol, and she wasn't even a runner up. She took ninth place in season five. For some people, this wouldn't qualify as being a winner. To everyone that is saying that, I say - don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Mandisa has recorded with TobyMac numerous times, each time landing a huge hit amongst the Christian music scene. While Kelly and the rest are off earning millions of dollars and doing who-knows-what with their lives, Mandisa is writing books about her life and attempting to use her struggles with food addiction and other things to reach and help people. While Kelly and rest are recording their songs about relationships that fizzle out, cheat, or end badly, Mandisa is singing about the only relationship that really matters - her relationship with Christ. 
My favorite song right now is one off of Mandisa's new album. The song is titled "Stronger," and boy, does it pack a punch. The lyrics of this are too good to keep to myself. Here's the chorus, which is my favorite part:

"When the waves are taking you underHold on just a little bit longerHe knows that this is gonna make you stronger, strongerThe pain ain't gonna last foreverAnd things can only get betterBelieve meThis is gonna make you strongerGonna make you stronger, stronger, strongerBelieve me, this is gonna make you stronger."

To me, being a real winner isn't the fame, the fortune, the relationships with guys or girls, or anything like that - nothing materialistic. Check this verse out, found in Matthew:

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

You can earn all the money you want, buy all the things you could ever ask for, and still not be getting the point. You may think you're happy, but consider this - you can't take it with you. 
When I was younger, I had this joke book for kids that I got from church. One of my favorites in it went like this: A wealthy man has a dream, where he sees Peter at the gates of Heaven. "It's almost time for you to die and come to Heaven," Peter says, scaring the man. "Can I bring anything with me?" The man asks. Peter looks puzzled. "This is Heaven, where you won't need anything...but sure. You can bring one thing with you." The man wakes up afterwards, and writes a note telling his family he wants to be buried with a briefcase of his solid gold bars. A strange request, right? He wanted them though. Soon, the man dies, just like Peter had said. He reaches the gates of Heaven, where he sees Peter. "So, what did you bring with you?" Peter asks. Smiling, the man shows Peter his briefcase of solid gold bars, and Peter looks puzzled. "Why," Peter asks, laughing, "did you bring pavement?"
It's a silly joke, but it shows a clear point - you can't take it with you. Nothing from this earth is able to come with you to Heaven. Like the verse in Matthew says, don't store things up and save things on earth, because they aren't worth anything in the long run. Instead, store up your treasures and possessions in Heaven, because no one can touch them there. These treasures aren't money, or shoes, or other wealth - these treasures are your relationship with God, and the gifts you can give to others, which is telling them about God so they, too, can reach Heaven one day.
Mandisa may not have won American Idol, but she's doing what this verse and story tells - she's storing up her treasures in Heaven, rather than earning all of the money, fame, and fortune that she can on earth. In the years to come, people may not remember her name like they remember Kelly Clarkson. But I can guarantee you that in Heaven, there will be people thanking her for helping them discover Christ and the real treasures that He has.
So, here's your NR challenge for this post - think about the treasures you're building up. Is it your relationship with God that you're building up? How about your relationships with others to help lead them to Christ? Or, are you earning money, fame, fortune, friends, and other worldly things? Remember what the Bible says - these things don't stay with you forever. So take a look. You may reconsider what you consider real winning and treasure.
Are you in?


-Kimber. 

Are you who you want to be?

This song came on my Pandora playlist this morning and I can't get it out of my head. Take a few minutes to listen to it and really think about the lyrics - are you who you want to be? Are you who God wants you to be?

Are you in?

 

- Kimber.

Party Time!

2012 - The End?

We gonna party like, party like it's the end of the world.
We gonna party like, like it's 2012.
You know that it doesn't matter as long as we got each other.
Turn it up, turn it up, mash it up, it ain't the end of the world.
- Jay Sean, 2010

I don't really listen to popular radio stations, and so I'd never heard this song before I found it on the popular Grooveshark list. I've listened to it a couple of times, and never had really paid attention to the lyrics - I think I was typing a paper for my psych class at the time, until I switched to classical (yes I'm lame but it helps me think!) - but when I finally listened to them, it gave me an idea for a blog post. Ta da!
In this song, Jay Sean sings of partying like it's the end of the world. According to popular belief, the world is supposed to end in 2012 - December 21st, according to some reports from this website: http://www.december212012.com/ - and so Jay sings of partying then and forgetting that it's all going to end soon.
Are the Mayans right? Is the world really going to end in 2012, and leave us all...where, exactly? What's going to happen to us? Will we die? Or just kinda float around and chill, waiting for something to happen? No one knows.
Except one person, of course.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." - Matthew 24:36-44

Now, after that ridiculously long passage - sorry about all the reading, but it's worth it! - we learn that no one will know the hour of Christ's return or know the "end of the world" as the Mayans seemed to know. Jesus gives us examples in this passage that let us better understand what He means. He gives the example of Noah, where Noah and his family knew the great flood was coming, and tried to warn the people of it. Those people didn't believe him, and went on living their sinful lives. Then, suddenly and without warning, the flood that they insisted wasn't happening...happened. They all drowned because they didn't listen to Noah and heed his warnings about the flood. Jesus also tells us that His coming will be swift, and people will disappear suddenly and without warning. When there may be two men working outside, one could be gone in an instant. This also goes with two women working - one could disappear suddenly, the other staying there.
Jesus goes on to tell us to stay awake and be ready at any time for the end of the world. He gives the second example of a man who would stay awake if he knew that a thief would try to enter his house that night. He tells us that we should be like this man, ever ready for His return.
So what does all this mean? It means, basically, that the Mayans couldn't know that the world is going to end in 2012 - because only God knows when Jesus will return and what will happen. Does this mean that Jay Sean's song is wrote? Partly. Obviously the 2012 part could be wrong - who knows, it could happen! I'm not one to say it will or won't! - but the rest is right, in a sense. We should be making the most of every day and living like it's our last day! Of course, we should be living these days out in a godly way that He would approve of, but nonetheless, we should be partying like it's our last day!
So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to forgo the hype and belief that the world is going to end in 2 years. Read the Bible, and listen to what it says - only God knows the hour of His return, and so we constantly need to be on our guard, as well as living a life that would be pleasing to Him!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Loaded Down.

"Breathe, just breathe,

take the world off your shoulders

and put it on me.

Breathe, just breathe,

let the life that you live

be all that you need."

- Ryan Star, Breathe

Ryan Star's hit song "Breathe" has been blowing up the airwaves on nearly every radio station that I listen to. I'm not complaining though, I love this song. It's definitely in my Top 5 favorite things at the moment, which also include air conditioning, Sheetz's chicken sandwiches, my boyfriend, and Man vs. Food on Travel Channel. The lyrics aren't about anyone specifically, but are written so that they can be geared toward anyone. I'd been planning on posting about this song ever since God told me weeks ago to write, and so I've just been waiting for the words to come as I memorized the lyrics. And yes, I'm listening to it now. :)

In the song, Star sings of letting a girl place all her problems onto him and taking a break. Not a bad idea.

You know, there's someone else who offers the same.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdoned, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30.)

In this verse, God offers His protection and comfort for all who ask it. Just like it says in the song, God tells us to let everything go and place it all on Him and it'll be completely fine.

The world we live in today is a stressful place. Everywhere you turn there's something demanding time and effort, and once you have a few of these, things start getting rough. It feels like someone has something in for you, and everything is crashing down. So what's hitting at you these days? Fights with friends? College? Children? Spouses? Graduation parties? Vacation? Work schedules? Maybe not even spending enough time with God? Whatever we're facing, it can feel 5000 times worse if we let it. And that's where God comes in.

So here's your No Restraints challenge for this post. If something is bothering you and weighing you down, and more than likely there is, I challenge you to give it to God. Spend some time with Him and give Him everything that's bothering you and soon you'll be better. You'll be able to relax, and breathe deeply again. Only then can we really 'let the lives that we live be all that we need.'

Are you in?

-Kimber.

A Bad Romance.

I want your love and I want your revenge,
You and me could write a bad romance.
I want your love, and all your love is revenge
You and me could write a bad romance.
-"Bad Romance", Lady Gaga

Okay, surely if you've lived almost anywhere in the last few months, you've heard this song and probably have started humming it in your head. If not, I just made you hum it. I'm sorry. Stop. Really.
In her song, Lady Gaga sings about entering a "bad romance" with a guy that seems to be bad news. It doesn't matter that he has leather-studded kisses (which, honestly? If my boyfriend had those? Sorry love. I'm out for a while.), or has a disease - Gaga sure wants him. Maybe he's gorgeous? That would be an okay reason to date him, right?
If you answered right, it's time to reevaluate some things.
Of course it's not right! If some guy or girl came up to you with some of those symptoms (because I'm pretty sure leather-studded kisses aren't common), what would you do? Would you run with it and date, creating your own "bad romance?" Or would you hold your ground and tell the creep to back off? Personally, I'd tell them to back off. I'm not sure about you guys.
As humans though, we're all like this.
There's always something that we want. Sex. Drugs. Popularity. Alcohol. A boyfriend or girlfriend. Status. There's always that something that bothers us inside, because we can't have it and someone else does. She has the new laptop - I want that. Man, did you see that girl he's with? I'd tap that. (Of course, if it's Jesse's girl...kidding.) Did you see her clothes? I'm getting that shirt. Look at the muscles on that kid! He does 'roids, and I'm going to start them too. He can look like that, so why can't I?
There's always something.
We're never satisfied with what we have. God tells us that when we come to Him and ask Him into our hearts, that the Living Water allows us to never thirst again - what more could we ask for? (John4:10) And yet we still do, when we look around.
All of our wanting, pleading, and plain green-faced jealousy leads us to exactly what Gaga was talking about - a Bad Romance with sin.
If this was a person, we'd back away and tell them to leave! So why, when that "person" is masked as the hottest girl or guy in school, the new iTouch, or the Gucci purse, we want to run towards it and have it for ourselves?
The title of this blog is No Restraints. I'm not holding back. And so, for all those reading, I have a challenge for you. Don't be a Gaga. Don't entangle yourself in a Bad Romance with sin - that's exactly what Satan wants! So let's all make a stand. Don't restrain yourself to what Satan wants you in and settle for the romance with sin. Run towards God and away from it, and settle yourself in for a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not going to be easy. It'll be tough. But in the long run, you'll like it all the more - especially when you don't have to heal from those leather-studded kisses.
Are you in?

-Kimber.