13 Things That Happen During The Olympics

1. The Opening Ceremonies make you emotional because they are beautiful.

Like, seriously. The world is coming together. There is music and dancing and all thing arts. The athletes are moved to tears (like this guy from Bolivia...dude, I'm crying with you). We are proud of our country and our athletes, but we realize that we are all human. We are all one.

2. You come up with brilliant ideas to make the TV coverage even BETTER.

Let's start a petition to get Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as commentators for an event. It doesn't have to be something like gymnastics or swimming. I'd settle for cycling or even rowing. But I mean, think about it...look at them. It'd be COMEDY.

3. You think about your amazing athletic abilities.

Katie Ledecky may be 19 and setting world records in Rio, but I can run to my fridge for ice cream at lightning speed during commercial breaks so...

4. You get to hear athletes respond to their success with humility.

Exhibit A: Steele Johnson and David Boudia. Keeping it classy.

5. You get awesome and hilarious pictures trending on Twitter.

#PhelpsFace never gets old.

6. Gymnastics inspires you to start gymnastics right now so you can make it to Tokyo in four years.

But then you realize you have no talent and just look like this.

7. You start to get really invested in the lives of all the athletes.

And therefore you find yourself calling Michael Phelps the "cutest little thing" when he's literally a 31 year old man who is 6' 4".

8. The TV consumes your life.

I may have a million and ten things to do, but the Olympics are still on TV. Therefore, I am still on my couch.

9. Events get renamed.

Like the individual medley in swimming is supposedly "butterfly-backstroke-breaststroke-freestyle"???? Well it looks more like "mature caterpillar-windmill-frog-ice cream scooping" to me.

10. Athletes get renamed.

"Nicknamed" is the correct term, I suppose. If you haven't nicknamed a couple of athletes, who are you? Like the women's swimming team...Dorado is totally Dorito and Ledecky is The Ducky.

11. You further involve yourself in the events.

For example, I play my own music for the men's floor routines because otherwise they're basically just dancing to an awkward silence (major deduction for that).

12. You discover the presidents of the athletes' fan clubs.

I'm not sure who is announcing swimming, but I'm 95.2% sure he's the president of the Michael Phelps fan club.

13. And best of all, the athletes moved to tears bring you to tears.

Like Simone Manuel, who just couldn't believe she had won the gold.

And Aly Raisman when she realized she'd won silver.

And Ryan Held, who just couldn't hold it together when on the podium. And just LOOK at his sweet teammates.

And one of those teammates, Michael Phelps, really gets it. Even 22 golds later.

Keep on making us proud and making us cry, Olympians. Oh, how I love the games.

Follow @rinrinnoel on Twitter for more insights on #Rio2016.

*Note: All origins of photos are linked in the hyperlinks below them.

A Million People, A Million Paths

Lately the Lord has been revealing to me the importance of allowing our journey to be what it is--of allowing ourselves to be who the Lord created us to be. Because there are a million different paths that He has for us, and I think a lot of times we forget that. Our focus is on salvation (as it should be), so we get fixated on this idea that there is ONE path to heaven, and that idea is 100% correct. That path is Jesus. It is open to all, but it is the only way. However, that one path of salvation does not mean that our lives are all going to look the exact same. We may have the same mission, but the way that God calls us to live out that mission is going to vary, and that is where we have to stand firm and listen to Him alone--not the cries of this world and the people in it. Over the past month or so, the Lord has led me to several different passages in the Bible that have spoken directly to this and my struggles with it.

God speaks to us differently. In Psalm 139, David talks about how the Lord knows us so incredibly deeply--far better than we could ever know ourselves. He says in verses 1-3,
 "You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways."
The whole psalm is just a reminder that He knows us so well (because He created us), and therefore He loves us better than anyone could and speaks to us clearer than anyone could. While He loves us all the same amount (enough to send His Son to die in our place), I think that He shows us that in different ways. He speaks, not only His love, but His promises and truth into our lives in different ways. He reveals Himself to us in different ways. In ways that speak to us in only the way that one who knows us as deeply as He does could. He speaks to us all through scripture directly, but I think He also reveals Himself in different ways. For me, it is through creation, through music, through metaphors. To others it is other things. But Psalm 139 and the depth of His love for and knowledge of us is proof to me that we are unique. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Reflections of Him. But unique.

We are tempted differently. In Matthew 5, we are told in verses 29 and 30, "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away." I had always just viewed these verses as "get rid of what makes you stumble." I still think that is what the verses are saying, but I read something about these verses that shed a new light on it. The different body parts are mentioned, because there are going to be different things we struggle with. We are each going to sin differently, and therefore we are each going to have to deal with that sin differently. Unique.

So, God was just revealing all over the place how unique we are and how different He makes us. All of this confirmation was leading up to the verses He sent me to in 1 Corinthians. Verses I knew well, but now know even better.

1 Corinthians 12. I've heard and read this chapter many times over the years, but about a month ago the Lord brought it to my attention again, and it really spoke to me, summing up everything else that He'd been showing me.

"12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body."

There's a lot lot lot of good stuff there, but I'm going to condense what my thoughts were/are.

We are one body. We have one same mission, as I mentioned before. That unites us all as the body. But if the body is going to work, we have to be different. And that's where all our different paths come into play.

I'm going to be honest, this post and all the places that God led me in scripture came from a point of insecurity and uncertainty in my mission. Over the last year, the Lord has molded me and my desires and passions a lot, and I have come to find how interconnected my artistic passions are with my passions for Christ. He has created me in a unique way, with unique passions, and if those passions are from Him, they absolutely coincide with that one mission that we as believers share.

I have felt very called to be reaching people in the arts world, specifically theatre. So this summer, I spent my time (a LOT of my time) at a theatre, rehearsing for a musical alongside a large cast and crew. And I'll be honest, at first I felt like I was wasting my summer. I believe comparison is something that the enemy uses to hurt the body. I found myself wondering if I could really be serving God as well as the people who spent their summers working camps, working at church, performing in worship bands, going on mission trips, and doing whatever else they might be doing. The answer was a resounding, "YES!" from my Savior.

He needs people at camps, at church, in worship bands, on mission trips, and everywhere else He may call them. But He needs me at the theatre in the same way. He needs me there, pouring His love and truth into those people. What I've learned is that anywhere there are people to be reached with the Gospel, He needs people to take it there. It isn't about which place is "best." Because not a single one is better or "more Christian" than another. It is about listening to His voice and following where He leads. And celebrating each part of the body that is doing what He has called it to. Our community as the body of Christ needs to run deep, and we need to cultivate the grace and truth that can then be carried out in love to the places He leads us to.

So, today I celebrate you. Wherever He has called you to--a camp, overseas, your school, your summer job, the theatre--wherever--be all there. Submerge yourself into His mission and live it. Impact people and allow the Lord to pour into you and overflow into them.

Thankful today and everyday that He leads us where He needs us.

With a Broken Heart

This summer has been one of tragedy for our nation. I don't want to just "be sad" anymore. I don't want to just "be angered" at the politics and political response anymore. Neither one of those things is going to solve anything.

I want to have my heart broken.

It is in the tragic times that Christians often say, "I'm praying for you." And I think those prayers are important, but there's another prayer that I've been praying over these tragedies.

"Break my heart, Lord. Break it in two."

Because here's the truth--we can pray for peace for the people involved in these tragedies, but it isn't until we change that we will see change.  I can pray for these people, but it isn't until the Lord breaks my heart for what breaks His that I will have compassion and true love.  Until He breaks my heart, I won't see human life as He does.

So many of us try to say that we understand the oppression of the minorities in this nation.  So many of us try to deny the hurt that these people face, saying that "things have gotten better."  We are sympathetic in tragedy, but it is to be empathetic for which I strive.  But I can't be.  Not unless I have the eyes of my Lord.

So, I will pray for peace and comfort for the victims of these acts of violence, as well as all of those hurting because of it.  I 100% believe that those prayers, when prayed with a sincere heart, are important and valuable and effective.  But I'm also praying for the Lord to break my heart.  I want to see people like He does.  And from what the Bible says, He sees every single person as person that he LOVES.  So much that He would send His only son to die in their place, and in my place.

I want to hurt and mourn alongside of the LGBTQ community.  Alongside the black community.  Alongside the Dallas police.  As innocent lives are taken, our Lord weeps, because He values those lives.  I want to weep with Him.  He cries over the hearts He created and chases after, even if they are running the other direction.  But He also, in the midst of the darkness that is sweeping our nation, sees the potential.  

I happened to be reading Isaiah 35 the other day, and it showed me this--how the Lord sees potential.  He is the King of making beauty from messes.

The desert and the parched land will be glad;

    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;

    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

[vs. 1-2]

...

And a highway will be there;

    it will be called the Way of Holiness;

    it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it;

    wicked fools will not go about on it.

 No lion will be there,

    nor any ravenous beast;

    they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

       and those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

[vs. 8-10]

When He looks into the eyes of each human affected, He sees potential.  He sees a future with Him.  He sees a transformed life.  He sees a life full of joy.  And I want to see that too.  

Break my heart, Lord.

I want to live this life with a broken heart, because when my heart is broken the way His is, truth and grace will balance as love and overflow from my heart.

Break my heart, Lord.  Break our hearts.

My Minivan: 10 Things that Happen When You Drive Presidential Candidates

With five crazy presidential hopefuls in the backseat of a minivan, there are bound to be crazy things that happen.  Here's 10 things that happen when you drive around Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders the summer before the big election.

1. Jimmy Fallon laughs a lot.

Because let's be real...isn't hanging out in a minivan with three crazy presidential candidates a comedian's dream????

2. Justin Timberlake sings along with the radio.

I mean, it's literally Justin Timberlake.

3. The paper heads that are on the seats fall down, particularly Donald Trump's.

It's like these people have big heads or something.

4. Donald Trump gets frustrated.

Which isn't surprising in any situation. It's just worse because he's crammed in the backseat between two of his Democrat rivals.

5. Bernie Sanders falls asleep.

Leave him alone. He needs a nap. I'd be sleeping too if I was sitting near Trump and Hillary for a car trip.

6. Hillary Clinton throws some shade.

She's the queen of this even when she's not surrounded by her competition.

7. Jimmy Fallon tries to interview people.

Why not get some fresh content for the show?

8. Donald Trump tries to steal Bernie Sanders' food. 

...and it usually doesn't go well.

9. Justin and Jimmy have a dance party.

Frequently.

10. Donald Trump tries to selfie.

I guess we'll never know how those turned out for him.

Overall, each trip is an adventure. I go from annoyed to laughing hysterically in a number of minutes, but it is clear that these moments are going to be ones that stick with us for a long while.

[As always, if you'd like to help be a part of the #ErinDrivesAMinivanToTheTonightShow journey, feel free to use that hashtag, share my original Facebook post, retweet my original tweet, follow @presidentialpassengers on instagram, share this blog, or just keep following my adventures with the squad this summer!  More to come...]

My Minivan: Meet the Passengers

I've featured each of the summer passengers of my minivan on the Your Story Your Song Facebook page, but it only made sense to put all of those introductions in one blog post...so, here it is!

This is Jimmy Fallon. 
He frequently writes thank you notes to the candidates in the backseat.

This is Justin Timberlake. 
He sings along with the radio, especially to his own songs.

This is Hillary Clinton. 
She thinks should be the one driving the car.

This is Donald J. Trump. 
He wants to build a wall around himself in the backseat.

This is Bernie Sanders. 
He was 42 years old when the first modern minivan came out in 1983.

As always, if you'd like to help be a part of the #ErinDrivesAMinivanToTheTonightShow journey, feel free to use that hashtag, share my original Facebook post, retweet my original tweet, follow @presidentialpassengers on instagram, share this blog, or just keep following my adventures with the squad this summer!  More to come...

My Minivan: Introduction

It's summer which means that I am home and that my sister and I are sharing a car again (the one that she's had all school year).  Sharing a car is tricky, so my parents really wanted one of us to drive our old minivan.

My mom made me drive it one day and was trying to get me on board with driving it all summer (what college kid really wants to drive a minivan???).  She said something to the effect of, "You could make it your own and have fun and drive your friends around."  And I responded jokingly, "Yep, me and my six closest friends, driving around in a minivan."  But then ideas started brewing...what if my six closest friends could be celebrities???

I'm a huge Jimmy Fallon fan, so of course he was going to be on board.  Then I had a vision of Trump in the middle of Bernie and Hillary stuck in the backseat of a minivan, and that literally cracked me up.  Me and my siblings stuffed in the backseat is bad enough...put three presidential candidates back there and chaos will ensue.  Then it came together.  Because someone/the internet started this "Fallon Timberlake for president" movement.  So, naturally, Timberlake was the final piece of the puzzle.

The thought of me driving a minivan with random heads in the back was cracking me up (and my mom and dad and siblings), so that settled it.  I would drive the minivan when absolutely necessary, but only as a chauffeur for potential future presidents.

Then I took to social media.  Keep following my blog and social media posts, because the minivan and its passengers are going to go on some fun(ny) adventures this summer, and those will be documented and shared, in hopes that they bring laughter to y'all too! (For example, I think Bernie needs to hit up Graeters again like he did when he was in Lex a few weeks ago!)

I was only half-kidding about meeting Fallon and Timberlake and being an intern at the Tonight Show.  On my bucket list is meeting Jimmy Fallon (Justin Timberlake, I'd be happy to meet you too...maybe even you people in the back...but I'm not sure about that...), and one of my college/career dreams is interning with the Tonight Show, particularly in social media (because the Fallon Tonight bloggers are STELLAR at what they do).  As an Arts Administration major with minors in Theatre and Media Arts...what could be a cooler internship????

If you want to help me out, feel free to share my original Facebook post, retweet my original tweet, follow @presidentialpassengers on instagram, share this blog, or just keep following my adventures with the squad this summer!

Stay tuned, my friends...

May My Life Be Overflowing With Praise

The other day, the Lord kept giving me the words “may my life be overflowing.”  Just out of nowhere that phrase kept repeating and repeating, and I didn’t really know what it meant.  “May my life be overflowing with WHAT, Jesus???” I asked.  I didn’t know.  I assumed that it was a reminder to live a life overflowing with joy that comes from salvation, or something along those lines, but I wasn’t totally sure.  I wrote it down in my journal anyways, trusting that it would mean something. 

“May my life be overflowing.”

The next morning, I was listening to a song by Plumb called “Exhale.”  There is a line in the bridge that says, “We breathe in your grace and exhale.  Oh God we do not exist for us, but to share Your grace and love and exhale.”  “Breathe in your grace”—I love that.  Those words stuck with me, along with some others, and the phrase, “Breathe in grace, exhale praise” became the phrase of that day.  Breathe in grace, exhale praise.  Breathe in grace, exhale praise.  Breathe in grace, exhale praise.

“Breathe in grace, exhale praise.”

It took me a couple days to put the two together, but when it clicked, it CLICKED.  Because it was everything that Jesus had been teaching me.  I’ve been reading through the New Testament this past semester and am currently finishing up in Matthew (ending at the beginning is the way to go, right???).  The thing that the Lord keeps pointing out to me over and over again, in the Gospels especially, is that when Jesus heals someone (as He does literally all the time), the natural and immediate response is praising God.  Praise from the one who has been healed, and praise from the people who witness it.  Then this praise turns into them going and telling people what has happened.  We see this happen over and over and over and over.  This was something the Lord kept pointing out to me this semester.

And then that lesson was reinforced yesterday at church.  My church’s pastor was preaching about Luke 5:17-26, where Jesus heals the paralyzed man, and he made the comment that when people were healed, they told people.  Even when Jesus told them not to go around spreading the news—“THEY COULDN’T SHUT UP.”

It all comes together.  “May my life be overflowing.”  “Breathe in grace, exhale praise.” Lessons from the Gospels.

I wasn’t too far off when I originally thought that it was God telling me to have a life overflowing with joy from salvation, but He took me deeper in the last week.  When I am healed, as I have been by His blood, my response should be immediate praise, where I just can’t shut up about it.  Then it’s all about living in that.  That healing—that grace.  When I live there, I will be breathing in healing—grace—and exhaling praise.  Then my life will be overflowing—overflowing with praise. 

 Breathe in grace, exhale praise, overflow.

The 10 Best Things About College Summers

1.  No more homework!

Because let's face it--no one wants to be inside writing papers and working on presentations.

2. Lots of time to sleep.

Sleeping in until noon is completely acceptable in summer.  It's also completely necessary (you've gotta catch up on all the sleep you lost during the year somehow, right???).

3. Home-cooked food.

You ate your weight in crappy campus pizza and salad this year.  Food from home is everything.

4. Your own bed.

You may have gotten used to your bed at school, but there's something about being in your own bed that's just the best.

5. Summer adventures.

Outdoor adventures are just 100x better when it's summertime.

6. Campfires.

Because who doesn't love sitting around a campfire with friends?

7. Being back with your obnoxious younger siblings.

Yeah, they may drive you crazy...but let's be real--you know you missed them.

8. Watching way too much TV.

What else are you supposed to do with all this extra time???

9. Not having to walk outside every time you want to go somewhere.

Yeah, walking across campus to class burned calories, but dealing with the rain and snow and hot was not fun.

10. Basically everything.

Summer is a time of fun and freedom from school.  Enjoy it.

Challenge of Summer

As the cool, early summer air falls about me, I sit here, thinking about where life is right now.

Life is strange.  It's as if I spent the last eight and a half months of my life at a summer camp...only without the summer.  I spent nights in a dorm with a stranger who became a dear friend.  I spent evenings stargazing with friends, having deep conversations.  I spent hours upon hours at a campus ministry, learning how to grow and walk with Jesus, embrace community, and worship the King.

In the past, summer was the time of mountaintop experiences.  Those trips to summer camp or big youth conferences.  You know the ones.  Those experiences that leave you on fire for Jesus.  Sometimes the fire fizzles out when you get back.  Well, this whole year felt like that.  This whole year was a mountaintop experience of having such a passion for Jesus and the Kingdom.  This whole year was one surrounded by incredible Christian community.  And that is something to be so so thankful for.  But now, it's like coming back.  But God's address is not on my university's campus, and now is not the time for the fire to fizzle out.

I developed such good habits of spending time with Jesus--reading the Bible and pouring out my heart.  And I know that so many others did too.  Maybe you are at this point too.  Now is not the time to let those habits die.  It's hard because friends that we spent days talking about what the Lord was doing in our lives have moved away for the summer, but that doesn't mean the conversations have to stop.

So here's my challenge--for you, but first for myself (because I know I need to hold myself accountable): Have a summer filled with adventure.

We talk about taking adventures in summer all the time, and usually we mean going out and hiking and swimming and exploring and whatever else.  And I am all for having those adventures.  Go explore and enjoy creation, but explore and enjoy the Creator too.  I want to have a summer adventure with Jesus.  I want to be taken to heights and depths far greater than I could imagine.

So, I challenge you...This summer, live a life of adventure with Jesus.  Spend time in the Word.  Spend time in prayer--prayer journaling even.  Spend time in worship.  Spend time in community.  And spend time on the mission field--wherever that may be.

My schedule isn't totally jam-packed in summer.  This summer, let's take our free time and make it His.  Let's journey together.  Let's hold each other accountable.  Let's not neglect those relationships we built all year, but let's not neglect the people around us either.  Build friendships, strengthen friendships, and not forget about the most important friendship--our friendship with Jesus.

I'm choosing to believe that if I trust God with the summer--He'll give me a greater adventure than I can ever imagine.

"You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Psalm 16:11

Dear Freshman Year

Dear Freshman Year,

Thank you.

It seems like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm.  It seems like just yesterday that I left life as I knew it and adventured onto campus, unsure of what was ahead.  It seems like just yesterday that I didn't know where my classes were, let alone where I would fit in or find friends.  It seems like just yesterday it all began.

Yet here I am, finished.  As I sit in my dorm room, all packed into boxes, I can't help but reflect on all the things this year has taught me and how different life is.  That's something that people tell you--"Your life is going to be drastically different in college.  You will change more than you can imagine."  And of course, senior year me thought, "LOL cool.  College is going to be really different and, sure, I'll probably grow up more, but how much can life really change?"  And then it does.  Looking back to where I was this time last year, I feel like I'm in a different world.

I changed.  I became me.
"But you were you last year..."

Sure.  I was me.  But college teaches you to evaluate your life and decide what you believe, who you are, and where you're supposed to be going.  Freshman year teaches you to begin that process, but it's an ongoing thing.

I found friendship.
"But you had friends last year..."

I absolutely did, and I value those friendships a lot.  But here's the thing--in college, friendships take on a whole new level.  You have to make an effort to see each other, but the effort is more than worth it.  Suddenly you find that you are with your friends 24/7, but rarely get tired of being around them.  You find yourself sitting under the stars with them, pondering life and having deep conversations about life.  Friendships become something much more than the people you spend your lunch break with or go hang out with on the weekends.  They become the people you share your dreams with, share your hardships with, and share your life with.  They become the people who you text when you get a free cup of coffee by the library and when you just have to share about the crazy, wonderful thing that Jesus did in your life.  From the tiniest things to the biggest victories or failures--they are your people.  And you can't express your thankfulness for them.

I realized what was important.
"But you knew what was important last year..."

Well, kind of.  But I also was convinced that my GPA and extracurricular involvement was super important (hint: it really isn't that crucial to the rest of your life).  In college you learn that the only things that really matter are the people in your life and the Creator who made them.  I've learned that it's important to get good grades and build your future career, but it's more important to care about and love every single person around you.  Everyone.

I learned.
"But you learned last year..."

I sure did.  I learned a lot last year, but not like I learned this year.  This year I learned that most professors aren't horrible (but there are always a few character builders out there...), we can disagree and still have wonderful friendships, there are people who are just as passionate as I am about totally different things...and so much more.  College teaches you a lot in the classroom, but more of the learning happens in those moments right before class starts, right after class ends, or in those moments when you are far from the classroom buildings.

I broke out of my shell.
"But you...well, okay, you were a pretty shy and quiet person..."

I was.  And I still am.  I'm an introvert, and I'm learning to embrace that.  However, I've learned that people aren't actually that terrifying to talk to.  Yeah, it may be awkward for five minutes, but you could also end up with a new great friend.

I rediscovered Jesus.
"But you knew Jesus last year..."

Yeah, but not like this year.  Growing with Jesus is an ongoing process, and it becomes a whole new ballpark when it's you alone.  That's why I am so thankful that I found community that has encouraged me to spend time with my Savior each and every day and continue to learn from Him and discover His plan for my life.  I have people praying for me and with me about the places the Lord is calling me to go.  I have friends who are holding me accountable and challenging me.  I have a place where I feel like I am a part of a family--where God is our Father and we are the sons and daughters.  We are the world-changers.  The Lord has renewed my love for people--all people--and showed me what He is all about.

So much has changed.  I am not who I was last year, thankfully.  High school was a beautiful season, but I'm in a new place and it is one that I am embracing with open arms.

Freshman year, thanks for all the memories.  I don't want to leave you, but it's time to greet summer and sophomore year.  It's time to keep growing.  It's time to hold this year dear to my heart and take it with me, continuing to grow.  Loving every moment.

I love you, freshman year.

Love,
Finished Freshman Me.