Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
Imagine an orange. Now imagine a horse stabled in there. Not a minature weeble-woble horse, but a real, raven haired braying unbroken mare, regal, capricious and dumb as dirt.
That orange is like anything else that you can put in your hand. The horse not so much, but the horse WANTS to be in the orange and you struggle to get the horse in there.
So there it is... you have managed to stable the horse in the orange. You have managed to bend both time and space to stable a horse in an orange. Good for you.
Now the horse is hungry.
That is what my residency is like: a braying mare in my head that NOW needs hay.
Although almost every day at Six Apart is Take Your Dog to Work Day, Friday was extra special because it was the official Take Your Dog to Work Day! Plus, as lovers of blogs and animals, we think it's great that active blogger and Human Society's President and CEO, Wayne Pacelle, thinks having dogs around the office is a good reminder of "who we're working for."
We realize some people have it ruff and aren't lucky enough to be able to bring their dog to work, but hopefully these pictures taken at Six Apart last Friday will get your tails wagging... And let me tell you, it's harder than it looks to get all the doggies and their fetching owners in one picture.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the summer solstice. For ancient civilizations, this day was akin to our modern day New Year's Eve and was viewed as a time to reflect and renew. So why not kick off your summer celebration with a new theme?
See all of our themes in the Design Area.
Or choose from one of these brand-new themes. (Available under "New.")
"Can You be the Light I need to-...soul search?" I am at the end of myself. I have nothing left. So broken. -©DEnd of Myself.
-SJP
Honest to God" 'Cause honest to God I....."So what happens when you're angry at God? And you piled so many other emotions and layers of stuff so you would refuse to acknowledge it? You have been dishonest about it to Him and others, totally falsifying your relationship with Him. So God takes you through so many experiences, just so you can realize that you've been that angry at Him all these years so you can talk to Him about it. What do you do now? Do you have to forgive God? Even after you have said the "I'm sorry's", what do you do now? You know you don't want to feel this way, and you definately know you love Him. But where do you go from here? The image of God you had all this time was a false one. Did you ever know God? Did you ever know who He really is? What He is really capable of doing? How He can really work in your life? How faithful He really is? Did you ever know Him, knowing all that you did to keep your self away? To evade the truth you did not want to admit to Him? Did you ever know God? Did I ever know God? -©D |
Consecration NotesThese are some notes that I wrote for my sorority sisters when we fasted and consecrated to God this Wednesday (Yeah since we are a Christian sorority, we do stuff like that). I just wanted to share this with you all.I pray this blesses your heart. --- Greetings Ladies, I was asked by our Director of Ministries to expound on today's consecration theme "selfishness". I pray this helps you as you all focus on the King of Glory today. Walk with the King today & be a blessing. :) --- Selfishness vs Surrender Selfishness says: "God, I am going to this my way, at my time, how ever I want to. It doesn't matter how messed up my life is at this point, or how much better my life would be if I obey you. God I just don't understand it, and I don't like it, so I am not doing it. So there God!" And we run to our own devices, trying to figure out our own lives, because for some strange reason our finite minds seem to believe that our ideology is actually better than Gods. We probe and prod our issues with our own fixed inventions--inevitably, we realize that it does not work! But because of our rebellious selfish nature, we continue anyway. Hoping that one day that our ineffective method will actually work, but sisters that is actually the definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over in order to expect different results. I have been here for several months ladies. For the past six months God was telling me to get on the floor and pray. Just lay there and talk to Him. "How absurd", I thought. "You God, are Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. What is the difference between the bed and the floor? You can meet me right here in my warm, comfortable bed." So I resisted, for six months although I needed Him desperately. My health was failing, my finances were failing, people around me were failing, life was just one big epic fail. However, I believed that miraculously my defunct method would actually work and that one day my fifteen second prayer on my comfortable bed would actually produce a life changing experience with God. Yeah right. So, it took six months of life threatening, catestrophic events in my life to say..."Hmmm. Maybe I will lay on the floor tonight and pray." I spoke with the DOM prior to my decision to obey (finally), and she said she wanted me to expound on the theme of selfishness. It hit right home, and gave me confirmation. How selfish (and rebellious) I was for six months toward God, for the simplest request. I cared about my physical comfort at night, I liked being lazy, and I liked laying on my soft bed. Never mind that it would increase my relationship with God. My flesh was being satisfied. That is what mattered. Tonight, I laid out on the floor. Despite the excuses about the floor, the clutter on it, how late it was, etc. I doubted that God would even meet me on my clothing and paper cluttered carpet. I figured that life isn't getting any better, so might as well give it a try. I turned off the lights, laid on the ground. I felt kind of silly doing it, and I could hear doubt and fear mocking my gesture, saying nothing will happen. Immediately, the presence of God met me on the floor and I began to cry softly as I sang a part of Third Day's song (Christian Rock Group) 'God of Wonders'. I could not think of anything else about how good He was, and how He is just absolutely worthy of the praise. "Wow Jesus, you really met me here", I thought, surprised. I was so ashamed that I fought so long with God over something so stupid. If I had obey and surrendered to His will sooner, I am positive that the struggles I am currently going through would not be as burdensome. Surrender says: "God, I am going to do this Your way, anytime You want me to, however You want me to. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not God. I believe in You and Your sovereignty. I realize by obeying You my life will be enhanced, although I do not understand I trust You and I will do it. Have Your way God." Remember, sometimes God asks us to do the most simple, ordinary, and maybe even obscure things like speaking to the random person on the train, or hugging a coworker, or writing a thank you note to a friend. It may not make the most sense to you, but obey. He thinks good thoughts toward you, its better than sacrifice, and it preserves you from additional struggles that come by rebelling. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) God thinks good thoughts about us sisters, and the things He requires us to do is only to strengthen our characters, bring us closer to Him, and open the gateway for increase in blessings. Never mind it may be hard or unorthodox. Obeying is only helping us in the long run. "Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22 (Amplified) Although I was still praying, I wasn't doing it the way God asked me to. He's not as interested in the works or the "burnt offerings and sacrifices" as much as He is in your absolute surrender. To obey Him (or hearken) is better then wealth (fat of rams or a heard of cows) itself. "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." Luke 12:47 (KJV) Lastly, I need to issue you all a warning. We are servants of the King, are expected to obey. When we do not prepare to obey, or decide not to obey flat out, we are opening ourselves for punishment from God. That does not necessarily mean that God is going to allow massive disarray into your life. For example, in my life, the stress and the doubt that I have experienced in my life could have been lessened or completely eradicated if I had obeyed. By not obeying and being rebellious, God could not act on my behalf (the actual punishment), and it made it easier for the enemy to attack me the way he did. Make sure you close every opening through obedience in effort to over come the enemy's devices for your life. We must make sure he is defeated at all times. Praise God for deliverance! This is what God wanted me to say to you all. I pray that it blessed and encouraged you. [Insert Real Name Here] Public Relations Manager Alpha Nu Omega Sorority, Incorporated. Empire State Region Alumni DS DaySpring - #1ESRSU07 - Jewel -©D |
I'm up in Vermont right now, at my Bennington residency.
I've been a grad student for a whole three days and it already feels like forever.
For whatever administrative reasons, I was workshopped first. Besides the actual nerve-wracking experience of never being here before and not knowing how they do it here, it went okay and I'm really appreciative of how supportive and wonderful people have been.
In other news... my mother gave me a pep talk before I started. This woman is not known for her pep talks, other than the cursory expression of her expectations (realistic or otherwise). She actually gave me the: Don't let them make you feel like you don't belong there. You belong there. Don't back down on who you are, because you are extraordinary. I need you to know that you are extraordinary.
Parents actually say such things it turns out.
Maybe she watched too much Grey's Anatomy last season. But hearing her say that quite literally for the first time in my life moved me. I believed emotional support to be the stuff of urban myth, but then thought back to all the friends and loved ones who carried me this far and maybe it's a myth that I can believe in.
A couple of months ago, we told you about Blog It powered by TypePad, the first cross-platform blogging application for Facebook the enables you to post to your Vox blog - and ALL your blogs - with a single click.
Within a week, Blog It had nearly 4,000 active users posting tweets and creating blog posts, as well as updating their status messages with the title and link to the published post. Today, Blog It's Facebook application has nearly 10,000 users. But here's the thing: You're not always sitting in front of the computer when the inspiration to blog strikes. And at Six Apart, it is our goal to provide you the tools you need need to blog where you want, and when you want.
Which is why this week we introduced Blog It for iPhone, a free web application just like the one we introduced for Facebook - only now - on your iPhone. Built specifically for iPhone's Safari browser, Blog It for iPhone enables you to post blog entries or status updates from wherever you are to more than a dozen different online services. And just like the original Facebook version, you can choose to share your posts with the people you know across various social networks.
To start blogging with Blog It for iPhone, go to http://blogit.typepad.com with your iPhone's Safari browser and install the Blog It icon onto your mobile desktop. Then, all you have to do is click the Blog It icon and start creating posts!
Whether you're riding the bus to work, cheering on your team courtside, or enjoying a picnic by the lake, now it's easier than ever to Blog It.
We will be performing scheduled maintenance on Vox tonight (Friday, June 6, 2008) from 11:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. PDT. Although we don't anticipate this maintenance to be highly disruptive, we always like to give you advance notification when there is a slight chance of some downtime.
As always, thank you for your patience - and have a great weekend!
Update: There WILL be downtime between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. PDT. so please plan accordingly.
Get your closets ready because the 2nd Annual SHOP SF Event is less than two weeks away, and Gen Art is offering Voxers an exclusive 25% discount on VIP and General Admission to this one-of-a-kind shopping fête.
The event will showcase over 40 local designers specializing in stylish clothing, jewelry and accessories for both men and women. These local designers were culled from the Gen Art alumni, local art schools, as well as the Bay Area's hottest emerging designer boutiques. With so many amazing looks to choose from, you'll be sure to find head-turning styles perfectly tailored to your individual taste. After all, that's what we think being a Bay Area resident is all about, don't you?
When: Saturday, June 14th
VIP Preview Hour: 12:00 - 1:00 P.M. (Includes access to the VIP lounge, Shu Uemura Lash Bar, complimentary coat check and a gift bag.)
General Public: 1:00 - 6:00 P.M.
Where: 511 Harrison Street (at 1st Street0
San Francisco, CA 94105
RSVP for the event at Gen Art and enter offer code VoxShopSF to save 25% off VIP or General Admission.
Wondering how you can say "Thank You" to Gen Art for their generous offer? Raid the closet of your boyfriend, husband, father, or best male bud, and bring a paper bag full of menswear (in good condition) to donate to The Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Donations will go to help more than a thousand people trying to overcome poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence in the Bay Area. Plus, for your kind offering, you'll receive a Goorin Bros. hat or accessory.
Let us know in the comments if you'll be attending this exciting event. We can't wait to see you there!
The Purple Ribbon Project is an international project with the long-term goal of bringing an end to all interpersonal violence. While none of us can hope to stop interpersonal violence on our own, the Purple Ribbon Project encourages us to change our own behavior by being a responsible role model, setting an example, and promoting violence awareness and respect.
The Purple Ribbon Project believes in order to stop the violence, we must first see to it that every man, woman, and child is aware of the problem. We must ask them to consciously stop tolerating, enabling, or engaging in this self-destructive epidemic among humans. Stopping violence is everyone’s responsibility.
What can you do to participate in this effort? First, you can answer today's QotD, "What could we do to create a world with less violence?" or respond to today's Vox Hunt and "Show us something purple." You can also wear a purple ribbon or tie one to your car or find ways to be a positive role model.
Learn more about how to get involved with the Purple Ribbon Project and let us know about your efforts to make the world a more peaceful place in the comments.
