Tessa Johnstone

Junior, Political Science major

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It's been real.

The weather’s wet
my skin is dry
ran 13 miles
and that is why
I will be sore
for several days
then travel home
to gawk and gaze
at lights and bows
and food and things
but first I’ll pack
my be-long-ings
and beat some tests
into the ground
and find the j o y
that can be found
in fifteen units added on
in knowing that we’ll all be gone
to a home only we can
each in our own minds understand.
we’ll catch up on a little sleep,
make resolutions we wont keep,
then wander back in three more weeks
with warmer hearts and rosy cheeks
One now down
one more to go.
Maybe by next year
I will know...
-what I am cap-ab-le of
-if I could ever fall in love
-if my major is right for me
-if it will dictate what I’ll be
-if pride is something I can fight
-if I can do adulthood right
but for now and until then
I’ll stay up late and not sleep in
And LOVE the fun this place has been
and do it all over again.

if you want to find me - this is where I'll be: WWW.TESSAJOHNSTONE.BLOGSPOT.COM

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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my thirteenth post (By: Tessa Johnstone)

My internet is out. And so, once again, I grace the library with my presence.
I like being here. I like the sound of 17 sets of little fingers typing away…
It sounds a little bit like rain.
I think heavy rain might be my favorite sound in the whole world.
Here are my top six favorite sounds....

#6: The sound of a bat hitting a baseball
#5: The sound of the beach
#4: The sound of the beach boys
#3: The sound of my sister’s laugh
#2: The sound of bongos (or any other informal drum)
#1: The sound of heavy rain

Give me any one of those sounds and I will be splendidly content.

-
On Sunday Brock and I went to Yule. We went with Hillary and James and it was magnifico.

I looked good.









ya, that was fun.

So..........

I love finals week. I love the common ground it provides. We may look different, we may act different, we may like different things - but we are all stressed out at the same time, and in that way, we understand eachother.

Good luck & don't worry - it will be over soon. :)

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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See People (By: Tessa Johnstone)

I have spent the last dozen or so minutes attempting to write something light hearted and witty that might make you chuckle or at least keep you from saying “tessa’s blogs are so boring.” But I am no actress – if my heart is heavy, my post must be heavy also. You have been warned.

When you are in the presence of another human being, what do you see?... a body?... a blur?... just another element of your surroundings?

I just want to say - it is important to see people. Not just acknowledge them with your eyes – but with your heart. Ok, that sounded cheesy. Come on, tessa - think... How can you communicate this?...

hmmm... let’s try this…

The way you see a person is dependent on how you define them.

If you define a person as a body and a personality – you will see them as a thing with characteristics to be appreciated or detested. You will judge their minds and appearance and ultimately you will see them in the light of what they can do or be for you.

If you define a person as a soul – you will see them as a thing with value. Value is derived from the soul because the soul is lasting. The devil is fighting for the soul of every person you see. When you realize that those people you used to "check out" or ignore are actually “hanging by a thin string over the pit of hell” (as my friend John Sachs so delicately puts it), it will change everything about the way you see people.

WARNING: having your eyes unveiled to this reality means taking on a huge burden for the lost. It means being obedient in sharing Christ. The silence which once brought you so much comfort will become a great source of discomfort. (And if it doesn’t effect you – you really don’t get it.)

No one should be invisible to a person who is called to love like Christ. So, think about who is invisible to you and let them be invisible no longer.


Yesterday a 15 year old boy from my home church was skateboarding and got hit by a car and died. I don't know... I just wish I would have had the sense to see him, that's all.

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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Deck the blog (By: Tessa Johnstone)

I just arrived back at my lovely home in Riverside after spending a week at my lovely home in Fresno.

I am a trifle bummed to leave behind my dear family.




(We decided to reinact an old photo. hardy har.)

However, I am extremely pleased to be back in my dear apartment.


front door


living room


computer (where i currently sit)


comfy couch-bed


me experiencing the joys of the comfy couch-bed


dining room


-
Our apartment is very merry and comfortable.

So, if you are not a creeper, you should come hang out and experience some yule tide merriment. Capisce?

i heart Uncle Jesse.
--


As you have probably already observed, 360-something days have passed and, once again… tis the season.
For some - tis the season to be jolly, for others - tis the season to be greedy, and still for others - tis the season to be some where in between.
We can choose to be many things this Christmas season... thankful, annoyed, giving, stressed out, excited, indulgent... & whatever else.
To the few who will not succumb to the commercial and cultural traditions of America’s Christmas but instead adopt an actual attitude of gratefulness to God for taking on the form of man in order to suffer and die for our souls, I commend you.
Why should this be, even in the smallest way, at all about us?
If we are going to do Christmas under the banner of “celebrating Jesus' birth” then I’d like to know why we do not simply celebrate Jesus' birth and leave it at that.
Giving and receiving is totally sweet and all, I’m just having trouble making the connection between the gifts/shopping/wrapping/getting and Jesus.

Eh, I don't know. I will think about this some more.

Love,

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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Winks (By: Tessa Johnstone)

I am sitting in the library. I have been staring at this computer screen for quite some time now.. writing papers and playing with my neopets and such. ;) I’d like to get up and give my eyes a break, but I know that the moment I do, someone will swoop in and take my seat. You know, it can get very competitive in here sometimes.
-

Have you ever asked yourself… "If i had nothing to lose, who would I talk to? What would I say to them? What would I do?"

I ask myself those questions all the time.

Next time I think of something I would do, if I had nothing to lose, I am just doing it.

Seriously, what are we so afraid of? Probably nothing legitimate.

Is what you have to lose really worth as much as you act like it is? Just think what you could gain if you risked that which you have been so closely guarding? Think what could happen if you said that thing to that person or took that insane adventure?

Even if we do fail, at least we will have done something.

So, stop living vicariously through your favorite character on LOST and take a risk, darn it.
(be not offended - the above statement is more directed at me than at you.) ;)


It is important that such an approach toward life be adopted in the context of God's glory. Every dream we have and every possibility we consider should be viewed with the backdrop of the cross.
We do not risk for the sake of risking, we live and we risk with purpose.
Relationships were created by God and adventure was created by God - so we engage in them to more fully engage with God.
Because really, if the things you do and the risks you take have no eternal impact or purpose - you have to realize that all you are living for is temporary satisfaction... and that realization should scare you.


--


So, I had a weekend full of magical moments...
Do you think you can handle this?? ....


Painting




Intermural Volleyball games







Roller Blading-Tennis





Homework





Ping Pong




Funny Glasses





Underwater fun at Mission Inn






Mom & Sister





I got to hang out with them a whole lot because they came down last week. My lovely sister took all of these pictures. She's talented... she is also my number one favorite human.
;)

Well, I've got to crank out of a couple papers now. Peace.





;) ;) wink wink.

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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See Tessa Run (By: Tessa Johnstone)

Homecoming weekend was pretty intense.

On Saturday there was a 5k “fun run.” (I know some of you are thinking “what’s so fun about a run?” … but we’ll get to that later.) Hillary and I decided that we were in the mood for some victory – so we got out there. There were about seventy people – mostly guys… I think the wrestling coach made his dudes run it or something.

We ran our little hearts out. I got third out of the girls and ten bucks worth of jamba juice. I was very hungry & financially incapable of acquiring breakfast, so it was good timing.




--

So, a group of us here at CBU are training for a marathon. We run on our own throughout the week but do our long runs together on Saturday mornings. Tomorrow we will be running ten miles.
Maybe now would be a good time to address that question......

What’s so fun about a run?
Answer: Not much.

I don’t run necessarily because it is fun.
I run because I have found that the endurance it requires provides benefits...
beyond those of the physical nature.
Running has given me a better understanding of endurance...
more specifically, the nature of endurance and the purpose of endurance.

In regards to the nature of endurance...
.
I have found that physical strength can not be fully exercised without mental strength, and mental strength can not be fully exercised without spiritual strength.

- Endurance without Christ is meaningless because it relies completely on the fallible self.
- Endurance with Christ is beneficial because it requires one to rely on God’s strength.
(“my power is made perfect in weakness” – the Lord)

The nature of REAL endurance is found in Christ.


In regards to the purpose of endurance...

There are so many similarities between running and living for Christ.
Activities that require endurance serve the purpose of demonstrating how we should approach the things of God.
Someone who keeps, develops, and shares their faith using the same principles of endurance and determination that they utilize while running will be effective in the world.

-Endurance exercised for endurance sake is meaningless because it produces a temporary reward.
-Endurance exercised for Christ is beneficial because it is reveals truth.

("I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified." - 1 Cor 9:27)

The purpose of REAL endurance is found in Christ.

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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less me (By: Tessa Johnstone)

I’m just going to be real honest. Blogging is totally cool - however, I can’t help but feel a little disgusted every time I sit down to write one of these things. I feel disgusted because it’s all about me, about what I do, about how I think and feel… why should even one moment of my day be about me? Grrr. Sometimes I want to be invisible.

So, I think I will become invisible for the next few moments and dedicate this post to others. (LOST)

Here are just a few of the many awesome people I have met since I’ve arrived at CBU:

Greta; Junior
Ok, Greta – hands down funniest person I know. Her unbridled humor and unmatched facial expressions make her quite enjoyable to be around. She was my transfer focus group leader (focus groups are groups made up of new students and are student led – their purpose is to help students acclimate and connect.) She is awesome and she makes my abs hurt from excessive laughter.


Chad; Junior
Chad Collins is the bomb. I got to see him play a prominent role in the play “All my Sons” a few weeks ago... Nailed it! The best part of the play was when he sat down in a chair and the arm broke off – apparently that wasn’t in the script, but I couldn’t tell… that’s right, folks, he is just that good of an actor.


Mimi; Sophomore
I met Mimi on the bus on the way to the retreat. Mimi is awesome because she is totally chill and unshakable. She’s remained faithful to God even at times when it seemed difficult – I know this because she gave her testimony at the beginning of the semester…..... she is also a good public speaker. :P


Aaron; Sophomore
Aaron I must mention for his impressive ping pong skills and hat collection. Whenever I see him play in the game room he is always winning and always wearing a different hat supporting a different baseball team.


Ashley; Junior
Ashley is a phenomenal human being. It appears that she is always smiling, always encouraging, and always being a good friend to all. Ashley brings joy.


Enoch; Junior
Enoch is a pretty incredible photographer. He actually won best of show in the art contest with one of his photographs. It was a picture that he took in Africa (his parents are missionaries there.) He also took the pictures you see of us at the end of our blogs.

\\

....Now, if you see any one from this eclectic group around campus, make sure that you become their friend and allow them to enrich your life.

Or if you don’t go to this school, start coming just so you can meet them.

There are so many other people I want to talk about
but it’s late and I’ve seriously got to write a paper.
Maybe I’ll do more later.. . . . or maybe not.

Sincerely,

- t e s s a j o h n s t o n e

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