Week Two Reading Diary Continued: Housewives of the Bible Part II

The Story of SUSANNAH.

This was my favorite story of all, and I think that’s because it had a lot of drama and action wrapped up in this, “Housewives of the Bible” story line. Growing up, I don’t recall hearing this story, more than likely for good reason. 

Some of the key pieces from this story that I liked, or more so found interesting, are when it was expressed that people still have the same type of mindsets that some people have today. Because of their status, they were able to blatantly lie on the innocent Susannah. I think that it was ridiculous that she was going to be put to death based solely on their “word”, when even that wasn’t worth two quarters. 

I was glad to read when the LORD came through and sent Daniel to help Susannah out. That is just like today, when we find ourselves in sticky situations, we just have to call on the LORD to make a way for us.

(Susannah and the Elders, 15th-century)

Mary, Martha and Lazarus 

In this particular story, it was very clear the amount of power Jesus has and the clear evidence of his power towards those that believe in Him. Theses sisters lost a brother and could have easily blamed all of their pains on Jesus, which I'm sure that crossed their minds but instead, put their faith in him and their brother came back from the dead.

Real Housewives of the Bible: Week 2 Reading Diary: Bible Women

Read below for some of my favorite snips from the Bible stories I am reading this week. 

If you're interested in reading more on your own, follow the link to get more juicy stories about their lives as they unfold. 

Favorite portion from the story of Sarah: 

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

And the LORD said unto Abraham, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?' Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

Then Sarah denied, saying, "I laughed not;" for she was afraid.

And he said, "Nay; but thou didst laugh."

Favorite piece from the story of Hagar: 

I found it rather interesting, from my interpretation, that Sarah originally wanted her husband, Abraham to impregnate their maid, Hagar with a child. Once that child was conceived and born, Sarah was jealous and despised the fact the her husband, even at the old age of 84 years, was able to conceive a child with Hagar. Once Sarah and Abraham's miracle child, Isaac was born, she sent Hagar off with no regard for the well being, not even taking into consideration that Ismael was the child of her husband. Sarah was the reason Ishmael was even conceived in the first place, and now she's the reason he's being sent off. 

Jacob, Jacob, Jacob... that is an interesting young gent right there. Between his four wives and countless kids he conceived with each, it would be an understatement to say he had A LOT going on. Not to mention, two of his wives, Leah and Rachel were real sisters. Let's see how well that would fly now-a-days. 

(Jacob and Laban, 19th Bible illustration) 

Week 1 Review with Bri.

Growth mindset! 

That would definitely have to be the most interesting and key piece from the course announcements. As I previously stated in my blog post regarding this topic, I think it is extremely beneficial to adopt this type of mindset in the things that you do each day. I think it would be very beneficial across the board for all age groups, whether young or old. I glad that this was presented at the beginning of the semester to get those “I can do this!” juices flowing. If you want to learn more, click here for all the deets!

Famous Last Words: Week Uno/Week 1

Briana’s famous last words for week one! 

*drum roll, please* 

This week was the very first week of class at this grand institution. Since I spent last semester in D.C., I was interested in seeing how I would readjust to being back in school. I know that I was gone for only four months, but four months without course work can and should lead to anticipation. After this first week, and engaging in my courses, some heavier than most, I realized that a great majority of the habits I formed in Washington, D.C. can be applied to my daily schedule. 

In D.C., I woke up at 6:15am every morning, and got home at 6:30pm everyday. I was used to completing assignments, writing down my agenda and find work to fill in the gaps when I found myself lacking work to do. 

Prior to going to D.C., I wasn’t conditioned to work for hours in a work place, but now I have that conditioning and I have decided to make school and doing homework my full time job. For instance, if I have only one class starting at 9am, and no more for the day, I won’t go home, because I know I won’t be productive. I’ll stay on campus until 4 or 5 to ensure that I am being thoroughly productive for the day. 

The Sunday before last, the sermon at church was about planting the seed for your harvest. You can’t speak negatively, and expect for the outcome of that situation to be positive. I already knew that the mental mindset that you start your day off with will determine the direction in which your day goes, but that just reinforced the thought within. I will have a difficult, sleepless semester if I speak that in to existence, or I can have a well thought out, stress-free semester, filled with a great deal of knowledge gained in the process. I claim the latter. 

What are some things you feel you should plant a seed into in your life?

(Love Seeds by Saul_Good)

Tech Tip: Blogger Template/Briana's Template

Hello there, beauties!

If you are a loyal supporter, then you’ll notice that there are a few changes on my blog. After taking a few pointers from a blogging design tip, I decided it was time for a change and for me to make this blog scream BRI! I decided to change my background photo to a picture of a black queen, because in reality, I look at myself as a black queen. I love everything about my people, the very things that make us so unique and such a hot topic. I wanted this to be expressed on my page, so there you have it. A young, black, educated queen. Also, I changed the color of the surrounding panels to a royal purple because purple represents royalty. I believe it is so important to view yourself in a high regard in a world that would love to tear that down. Once you’ve embraced a high regard for self, nothing can deter your from the things you strive for.

Learning challenges and H.E.A.R.T. Goals

Health/happiness. Empathy. Attention. Reading. Time. 

Which of these stick out to you the most, and why? Just from the word, which one (or three) interests you the most and for what reasons?

Which are most interesting to me, you ask? Well I actually have three that are important to me, the H.E.A of the heart. Happiness because it is imperative for a person to have a liking for themselves and to "see the happy" in each day. That is the most important and key piece, in my opinion. Self love can change the entire game. Self love leads to self respect, which leads to self confidence which then produces a peace within that no one can take away from you. 

Empathy

From my previous posts, you all know about my love for love and all aspects of it. Empathy is a major piece of the "love equation." In order to truly care and listen to the lives of others, you most first empathize with those people. Gain an understanding of them, the things that make them tick and truly listen to absorb their words and their body language. Pay attention to detail, which leads me to my next interest...

Attention

It literally pays to pay attention. Paying attention to detail and everything else in between is so beneficial and necessary in all aspects of life and can be intertwined with a great amount of things that are carried out during the day. 

What do the two remaining letters stand for in H.E.A.R.T., Bri? Well I'm glad you asked! The R stands for Reading and the T stands for time, and they are both areas I can improve in. Reading, I simply need to make time for reading more books that aren't related to a class I'm earning a grade in. Time management, well what college student do you know that doesn't have even the slightest issue with time? Exactly. 

This semester, however, we conquer that time monster or what ever else may be your current "monster."

"You reap what you sew. Plant a seed of positivity and see what you grow." - yours truly. 

                                  

                                    Quote by Steve Maraboli, picture from Pexels (CC0) image. 

#WeeklyDoseofBRI: Growth Mindset Edition

Hello there, beautiful creatures!

Tonight, we are going to discuss this game-changing topic known as the #GrowthMindset. I had never heard of the Growth Mindset before, or the creator, Carol Dweck, for that matter. After watching a few videos  explaining and discussing the growth mindset, I found a lot of things to be rather interesting about it as well as points that I agreed with; for instance, when the word "yet" is used with a child. This word used in various manners can change a child's complete outlook on school and other parts of their lives. To receive the words "not yet" when they receive a bad grade, versus a grade of an "F" makes that child feel as though they have a second chance instead of being labeled as a failure. 

In regards to myself, I would say that I am about an 85% on the growth mindset scale when it comes to my school work. In other portions of my life, I'd give myself a 90% - 95% on the growth mindset scale. 

When I first arrived to OU, I definitely endured a major growth segment... Well more so, a reality check and THEN the growth segment. After graduation, it hadn't dawned on me that I was also graduating from the days of making A's and B's in classes that seemed difficult to other students, being apart of NHS, and NTHS, I felt that things were going to continue on that way once I got to college. BOY, was I wrong!!! The false thought of ease and and comfort were evaporated as the reality of difficulty, sleepless nights, and tears falling down my cheeks each day after class. 

I reevaluated my life.

Talked some sense into myself, as did loved ones. 

Got it together. 

But God...

The year after that, the entire script flipped, I earned a spot on the Dean's honor roll, a year after that, became a teaching assistant, became more involved on campus and in the community. 

My biggest challenges I face when learning knew things is find that spark of interest and really holding on to it. Procrastination, procrastination is also a factor as well. 

I would definitely be interested in learning more about the growth mindset simply because I believe having a mind that is open to learning new material is vital. I also have a few classes that I would like to apply this theory to this semester.  I'm confident that this growth mindset will be very beneficial for those classes. 

"Solving Jigsaw Puzzle." by ePublicist, on Flickr

Storybook Favorites: My Top t w o.

Storybooks, storybooks. I'm the type of girl that likes a good suspense and mystery.  A story that keeps me on my toes! It has to have a catchy title and a nice hook at the beginning of the story. These stories below MADE THE CUT! Take a look see to see which storybooks I liked the best!

Storybook #1: I really enjoyed reading this storybook entitled, Kindergarten Shenanigans. That name is pretty catchy and attention grabbing, isn't it? Yeah, I thought it was too. So, the story that I read was called The Fate of the Pizza Party, I felt as though the author did a good job of linking her title into the content of the story and that it tied together nicely and really drew me in with each word I read. I can honestly say that towards the second paragraph, I felt like the excitement was really intensifying in the story! I loved it. I can see how the story tied in with what the author was trying to relate back to regarding staying on track, and not losing your purpose. 

I know you're curious as to what I'm talking about, so click on the links above to learn for yourself!


Storybook #2: Gossip Girl: The Dirt on Hawaii's Elite... and what girl doesn't like a little gossip, now and again!? That's the very reason I chose this storybook, and just look below at how beautiful the layout is of the author's coverage! I loved the story, and the feel of the page. I appreciated the fact that it was just two girls "spilling the tea" with one another. I am now a Gossip Girl, Hawaii edition fan!

                                  (Screenshot of Gossip Girl: The Dirt on Hawaii's Elite's page)

We there you have it, folks! Now you know what type of stuff tickles my fancy. I can't wait to read more of the storybooks and create one of my own!

                                       Stay tuned for you #WeeklyDoseofBRI. Stay Great!

Exploration of the UnTextbook.

So, after exploring this nifty thing called the UnTextbook, I've ran across a couple of stories that sparked my interest! Look below for the high scorers!

                                                     (Creation of Eve, by Michelangelo)

The first story that I read, and that stuck out to me was the story of Eve. After going to the biblical tab  and clicking on the link to the Women of the Bible, I was intrigued and wanted to know how these stories would differ from the stories I learned growing up in Sunday School. The story went just about as I remember, but towards the end, once God found out about Adam and Eve disobeying Him and eating the forbidden fruit, some parts of the consequences given to Adam and Eve sounded as if they just weren't going to exist at all after God got done with them.

I knew I wanted to read this story as unbiasedly as possible, as if it was nothing more than other stories I learned growing up, and I kind of felt like what I read was pretty harsh, HOWEVER, this is the KJV, which is rather difficult to understand due to the fact that is not written out in layman's terms. After reading it, and believing what I believe, I know that it wasn't harsh, because in reality, God already knew that they were going to eat the forbidden fruit because He's omniscient. So, after saying all of that... Good story. Can't wait to read other stories. (:

                                             (Cupid and Psyche, photo by M. Simoncini)

The next unit that peaked my interest was Cupid and Psyche. As you now know from reading my introduction, you're aware of the fact that I am absolutely in love with love, and with Cupid being the mythical god of love... why not!

                                                                    (Nigerian women)

The next story unit I found to be intriguing was the Unit: Nigeria. Why, you ask? Because that's the Motherland, of course. (: 

Introduction of THE Briana Cherie.

Hello there, ladies and gents!

Thank you so much for tuning in to your #WeeklyDoseofBRI! My name is Briana and I am a senior studying Public Relations with a minor in Psychology. I plan on becoming a public relations representative for a major hospital to tie in with my love for the healthcare field and helping others. 
Something exciting that happened during last semester was that I actually wasn't in Oklahoma. I spent the entire semester in Washington, D.C. serving as a congressional intern with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. During my internship, I worked on Capitol Hill in a Senator's office. I had such an amazing time, and I miss it so much! If you'll look below, you can see one of the pictures taken of me while I was there! 

I enjoy cooking, I'm not sure there's anything that I would be scared to attempt to make. I've actually made an entire thanksgiving dinner on my own, with small assistance with the turkey from my mom. Pretty cool, huh?!

I love to travel, I'm actually trying to figure out where I want to go next!

I was born in Oklahoma, but I don't see myself staying here long term after graduation. 

My favorite verse is, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

I truly do live my life by this because I know that if you believe you can do something, no one or nothing can stop you. 

Some quick fun facts about Bri:

My favorite color is purple. (Always has been, and most likely, always will be)
I LOVE chocolate. I would prefer sweets over "real food" ( I get that from my daddy)
I'm in love with love. (The thought of true love, and God's love towards us)
I'm a leftie. (Lefties are the bestie)
I'm the only child. (I had really good close friends so I never felt left out)

Well in order to learn some more interesting things about me, you'll just have to keep tuning in throughout the semester to get your dose of BRI. 

After while, lovers! 

UPDATE TIME! 

Hey there ladies and gents, after reading through the comments left on my introduction, there were a few questions that were left for me to answer. Read below to see what interesting questions were brought my way!

What was your favorite part of working there (In D.C.)? 

My favorite part of working in D.C. would simply have to be that beautiful commute from my house, literally a block away from the National Smithsonian Zoo, in a cute family oriented neighborhood with a lot of restaurants. After getting off of the Metro (subway), it always felt as though I was in a completely different world. 

I accessed my office building via getting off on a metro stop called Union Station. The first time I saw Union Station, I was literally in awe. I constantly had to remind myself to take in the blessing I was given, because some may never see something like this.
Did you discover anything unique in DC?

There are so many things that come to mind with this question, but I would have to say that one of the most fascinating and unique things I was exposed to was all of the underground tunnels that connected the Capitol and the surrounding House and Senate buildings together. I really enjoyed seeing these things on a daily basis.

I cant' see myself staying in Oklahoma long-term. Would you rather and crazy city like NYC or something more sedate than that?

I visited NYC while up East and I would have to say that NYC is waaaay more hectic than D.C. is. I couldn't see myself living in the heart of NYC, but I could see myself living in a suburb of the city.

Photo taken by Vannia Josephs in Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. 

Week One Storytelling: The Three Beauts

Once upon a time, there was a group of three stunningly beautiful young women that were admired and adored throughout their entire lives. These three young ladies were named Kenya, Deena and Alexis. From a young age, each of these girls have been their parents' prized possessions. They all had siblings, but none of their siblings could live up to the star status of these three girls. 

Kenya grew up in Washington, D.C. She was the girl that all of the guys wanted to take as their date to banquets and balls during high school. She was the captain of the presidential volleyball team. Kenya was very popular, but it seemed that she had more associates than actual friends while she was growing up. Sometimes she wished she had more friends that she could just have sleepovers with, and share all her secrets, but then she’d think to herself, “What do I need them for? I’m drop dead gorgeous!”

Deena grew up in Arlington, TX, she was the showgirl at the Texas state fair for the car show, and for the days that she wasn’t working as the showgirl, she had all of the guys from Grand Prairie High lining up to be her date to the fair each night. 

One night, when she was at the fair, she told her date to buy her a cotton candy after he had already bought her a turkey leg and lemonade. When her date told her that he didn’t bring enough money for that much food and for rides, Deena became LIVID! She began to scream at her date, not caring who overheard her verbal attack as she screamed, “Do you know who I am? Look at my hair, look at my skin! Do you know how many people would kill to take me to the fair, and you don’t even have enough money to buy me some cotton candy!”

 Before she could even see the small tear fall from her date’s eye, Deena stormed off in the opposite direction. 

Alexis grew up in Los Angeles, CA.  Just like Kenya and Deena, she was also a beauty queen, literally. Alexis had won 12 pageants in the 17 years she’d been alive. She was so rude to her parents, although they cherished her dearly. 

Even though her parents were her manager, personal bodyguard, and assistant, Alexis didn’t know when to treat them like mom and dad. Alexis was always yelling at her parents what to do and when to do it. 

Everyone thought she was so sweet, but the way she treated her parents tarnished all of that. Even though she had such an ugly personality, to her fellow contestants, Alexis was still the most beautiful girl in the competition. Often the other girls would say, “I would do ANYTHING to be her.”

The next year, Kenya, Deena and Alexis graduated from high school and all three ended up at Self Love University (SLU). The mission of SLU was to improve and promote the theory of “loving thyself.” These three girls thought that they would get A’s during their tenure at SLU.

 Just so happened, they all ended up living on the same floor and had a great RA. Their RA was trained to identify the pieces that needed to be worked on and could tell that she had her work cut out for her with these three. Every day she’d see them and hear them talk about what was so “beautiful and perfect about them.” Then she would say to herself, “Silly rabbits, within the mark of your vanity lies your largest flaw.”

I hope you all enjoyed my story! The inspiration for my story came from the Indian Fable listed below. This story really stood out to me, because it spoke a principle we should all remember to live by each day and it shows the consequences of not following a humble approach to life.

ONCE there was a great assembly of the animals in a wood. The lion said, "Look, how great my valour! 'tis this that makes me king of the woods."

The fox said, "Look, how deep my cunning! 'tis this that feeds me so well."

The peacock said, "Look, how bright my feathers! 'tis this that makes me the wonder and admiration of the wood."

The elephant said, "Look, how long and powerful my tusks! there is nothing that can resist them."

A toad, who lived secure in the heart [31] of a rock, close by, said, " 'Tis the lion's valour that leads him to the herds, and gets him killed by the hunters. 'Tis the fox's cunning that brings him to the furrier at last. 'Tis the plumes of the peacock that men covet; hence his ruin. The elephant is hunted for his tusks, and they are his bane. In the mark of your vanity is your death!"

Bibliography: 

This story is from the book, Indian Fables, by P. V. Ramaswami Raju (1887)

The picture of the crown can be found here, representing Alexis' pageant titles. 

My Favorite Places: From Paradise to The Hill!

Have you ever thought about what your favorite places in the whole wide world are, or how to even determine what they are? Well for me, I thought about some of the most beautiful or meaningful places I've been to. Automatically, two places popped into my head. I bet you're just dying to see what  what those places are. Look below to find out! 

Destination Number One!

Puerto Rico  January 2015 

This was such an exciting trip and great learning experience. A group of students and I traveled to Puerto Rico for a course through the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. 
We spent a week there exploring and soaking up information from sunrise to sunset. The best part about it is that we didn't go to the standard touristic locations, no, we went to all the places the locals frequent. It doesn't hurt that the food was awesome as well. One flight to Puerto Rico, por favor!

Destination Number Two!

Washington, D.C.  August - December 2015 

The stomping ground of this Nation's leaders, movers and shakers and 22 young, educated African American leaders of tomorrow. This past semester, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a communications intern for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington D.C., along with 21 fellow greats. 
This was absolutely a life changing opportunity for me. Learning how to conquer the Metro system, to interning on Capitol Hill and being in arms length from the President of the United States, President Barack Obama, it is safe to say that I was in intern heaven!














Top right photo of the beach in Puerto Rico, with surrounding palm trees.
Photo taken by: Breezy Baldwin 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/breezy421/albums/72157625676454205/page2

Top left photo of cars in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Photo Taken by: Briana Jones

Bottom left photo of the metro line in Washington, D.C. 
Photo taken by: Briana Jones

Bottom center photo of the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Photo taken by: Briana Jones 

Comment Wall

Hi! You've reached Bri, leave your name and the best way to get into contact with you and i'll get back to you when I can!(:

-Bri.

The t e s t e r.

Hello there, folks!

As you may know, we are just now getting this blog up and running! We wanted to stop by and shout hello and that we look forward to presenting outstanding and interesting posts just for your view pleasure!

Enjoy,

BRI Industries.