Amidst chaos, amidst pain, amidst struggle, amidst mistakes and their reprecussions, amidst bitterness and unforgiveness, amidst self-destruction, amidst heartache...

There is hope.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39)

I'm going to Africa.

Everytime I say this to myself, to others... It excites me all over again.  I have a feeling this will be a constant until I actually arrive.  Or maybe it will continue throughout the trip.

I invite you to visit my trip blog:

http://brittanyneedsafrica.wordpress.com

Be a part of my journey.  I have so much to learn and see and do, and I hope to have you share in it along the way.

Many blessings,

Brittany

this is my friend jacob and his family.  i think from here on out i'm going to beg to become an honorary member.

I tried embedding but it just won't cooperate.  Check it on YouTube.  I promise it's worthwhile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAB-zJPsJjs

www.mochaclub.org/joinme/brittpollard

Merry, merry Christmas, friends.

It's unreal to me that another year is coming to a close already.  It feels like we were just here!  I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas have had a truly blessed day, and that you've remembered the heart of this holiday and the true meaning of Christmas.

We often get caught up in the gifts, the food, the frenzy.  We get so zeroed in on the gifts we're hoping for.  We get overwhelmed with all the family time because, let's be honest, no matter how much we love our families, we have a tendency to get impatient with one another after long periods of time!

I find, however, that when you keep the true miracle of Christmas in your hearts and minds, the holiday takes on an entirely different character.  It lightens your burdens when you realize that even if the food isn't perfect, even if the gift wasn't entirely what you had hoped, Christmas is still able to be celebrated.

The phrases "Keep Christ in Christmas" and "Jesus is the reason for the season" are often overused and joked about.  But really and truly, we must remember how true that is.  The miracle of Christmas is not a jolly, fat man in a red suit coming down every chimney, it's not about the biggest holiday sales at the toy stores, it's not about the latest gadget Steve Jobs has come up with.  It is, at its very heart, the story of God coming to us on earth, humbling Himself before His own creation as a baby boy.  God took Himself from the highest of highs and placed Himself at the lowest of lows.  Jesus did not come to this world as a rich man with power and prestige.  No, he came as a regular man.  The son of a carpenter.  He reached out to beggars and prostitutes, those that society scorned.  He let them know how much He loved them, and that no matter how huge the sin, He still loved them and could forgive them.  Their repentance and faith in Jesus saved them from their troubled lives.  The same is true for us today.  The promise of Christmas is Jesus, the Messiah, Savior of mankind- who was, and is, and is to come.  His promises are as true for us today as they were over 2000 years ago.  The Bible tells us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  But the promise of Jesus is this - whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

This Christmas still had its moments of stress and its times where the true meaning got lost in the hustle and bustle.  But there has been a change.  There is a peace that comes with knowing that Christmas comes - Jesus comes - even when the scene that was have set is not perfect.  No, if it were perfect, we wouldn't need a Savior.  But we mess up, we fall short, we get lost in the unimportant instead of recognizing the truly important.  Jesus meets us in the mess and offers to clean it up for us.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

I pray that regardless of how your Christmas has been thus far that you would find comfort and peace in the God who came down to save you.  He knows you, loves you, and wants you to come to Him with all the junk you're carrying around.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6,7)

"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:10-14)

Merry Christmas.  May His peace be with you today and always.

It's been a while, friends.

This is a short entry just to say, "Hello!  I'm still alive and well."  So, hello!  Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season.

Hopefully I'll write a "real" post soon.  Life has been busy! (But in a good way.)

Until then,
Brittany

Music to check out:
Nevertheless "In The Making..." Album

"Don't say a word
I hope that you know
There's truth in the way that we feel"

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  I hope you have had, and are continuing to have, a day full of good food, good friends and family, and lots of good, memorable moments.  I hope that you took some time to remember all that you have to be thankful for - it's something I think we often focus too little on.

Giving thanks should be a constant in our lives.  Sure, we have tough times- some people more than others- but in every season, whether happy or sad, there is a reason to give thanks.  It is my hope and prayer that we would never grow too jaded and bitter that we do not see those reasons within our lives.

Today I thank God for family and friends.  For the love and support I have surrounding me always.  For His great love with which He loves me (Ephesians 2:4)- something I have never deserved, nor do I deserve today- which leads me to the greatest reason to give thanks- the life, death, and resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that thankfulness reaches beyond my circumstances because of the truth of what He has done for me.  He paid a debt that I could never pay.  He bore the sins of the whole world on that cross so that He can promise eternal life with Him in heaven (Colossians 1:19-22, Romans 6:23).  I can find hope and comfort in knowing that His plan and purpose for my life, though sometimes outside of my own understanding, is truly perfect, and greater than anything I may conjure up myself.  The joy of the Lord is my strength, through every season.  And for that I am so deeply thankful.

I hope that today is more than just a day for food and football.  I hope that we consider it more than a marker that says "Christmas is almost here!"  I hope that we take time to be thankful, to express our thankfulness, and to acknowledge how blessed we are.

I pray that those who are hurting today would find peace and that the hands of the more fortunate would reach out to lift them up and help them.  Let us never forget those who need a helping hand.  Whether we help people financially, volunteer our time and energy, or even just offer a smile to those we pass on the street, we all have the power and the ability to reach out.

Let your thankfulness fill you to overflowing, that the joy you have could help someone else in a darker hour.  And if you happen to be the friend or family member stuck in that dark hour, don't be afraid to reach out your hand.  It is my prayer that there would be a hand reaching back to help you up.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving.

Hi friends,

This will be a short, but certainly sweet, entry.

My dear (and might I add, incredibly talented) friend Nate Cyphert and the equally talented band he sings in, This Condition, released their EP "We Don't Have To Be Alone" today!

For full-length streams and info on where to buy (I got my copy through iTunes!), please check out www.purevolume.com/thiscondition.

My personal favorite tune is "Red Letter", but all the tracks are pretty darn fantastic!

The boys are playing next Monday the 24th at Blender Theater in Manhattan with another great band, Lights Resolve.  If you can make it out for the show, I promise you won't be disappointed!

http://event.nexttix.com/next/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=168696&cobrand=livenation

Oh, new music.  I love Tuesdays!

Yesterday was the TWLOHA event in Brooklyn.  I feel really blessed to have been a part of it, and to just listen.  Zach Williams and Josh Moore opened up the afternoon with a few songs each.  Both are incredibly talented musicians.  I occasionally attend a church where Zach used to lead worship, so I knew of him, but had never heard him play outside of that setting.  His music is real and raw and true and I think he touched a lot of people with it yesterday, as I'm sure he has along the entire tour.

Jamie Tworkowski came up after and talked for a while.  About his story, Renee's story, random stories from the road, and why it all matters.  There was conversation, there were questions, and there were attempts to answer.

One of the most powerful things said yesterday was something told to Jamie years ago.  He was telling us a story about how he was going through a rough time in his life and basically broke down in front of someone.  And the guy said to him, "I'm not afraid of your pain."

It struck me when he said that.  How many people close their mouths and keep their distance because they're afraid of how people will react?  How many of us on the other side avoid conversation for fear that our words will fall short?  Afraid that our comfort won't amount to much at all.  This guy, in that moment, made sure Jamie knew he wasn't afraid of that.  He was unafraid of tackling the tough stuff.  He knew he wouldn't have all the answers but was willing to wrestle with them alongside a friend who so desperately needed someone who wouldn't judge or run away.

Sometimes there won't be words.  Sometimes we will sit in silence - another thing we talked much about yesterday.  Silence can be healing.  Silence can say, "Hey, I'm here with you.  I don't have the answers but I'm willing to seek them with you."  Silence can say, "I'm not passing judgment, I care, I want to listen, I want to be here."

Do not be afraid of people's pain.  Understand that we all feel it, in varying degrees, at some point or another.  When we live life together and walk alongside one another and selflessly love one another, healing can begin, hope can thrive.

I believe that hope and that healing come from love, but I believe also that love comes from God.  I believe it's greater than anything we as human beings can really wrap our minds around.  I think we've all found, at some point or another, that we all come up a little short, and that's okay.  We make mistakes because, after all, we are human.  But I believe that the love of God never comes up short.  Where we fall short, He endures.  And there's real hope in that.

I believe when we accept that love from Him, our capacity to love others increases.  There's something about knowing that God loves us down to every last detail of our being that urges us to let that love overflow so we can pour it out onto others.

I could continue this blog forever, I'm sure.  The conversation that was started yesterday remains open, for I'm inclined to say that definitive answers may never be found, but that progress can and will be made, and healing and hope will come with it.

I want to thank Jamie and the entire TWLOHA team for their heart for those struggling.  I'm thankful to God for giving them that compassion for others and allowing them to use it in a way that can truly impact the world.  LOVE truly is the movement, and it is my prayer that the movement would continue to stir hearts and people would be prompted to act.

Do not be afraid of each other's pain.  Abandon judgment and instead, pursue love.  Do not label people by their problems but see them as individuals, with lives and stories worth telling.  With struggles worth working through.  When they talk, listen.  If you don't have the words to heal, don't be afraid of silence.  Ask questions, seek answers, and find hope.

We've got a long way to go, but where there is love, there is hope.

LOVE IS THE MOVEMENT.

Attention New Yorkers:

To Write Love On Her Arms is currently touring the east coast.  I encourage all of you in the New York area to make it to Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.  Bring a friend, or two, or three.  It's only $5!  The info is below:

For more information on other stops on the tour, visit the TWLOHA website.

For those of you that are able to make it out to Brooklyn, feel free to stop me and say hello!

Hope to see you there :)

As the clock approaches 12 midnight, it also approaches my best friend's birthday.  A friend, it seems, I've known all my life.  In reality, it's been just over four years.

I think that although high school is usually considered the "toughest years", college surpasses it as such.  You're stripped of most things familiar, and you're thrown into what seems to be an entirely different life.  My best friend and I were thrown into that life at the same time, and in the same place.  And I truly and wholeheartedly thank God for blessing me in that regard.

In the past four years both of our lives have continually changed.  Sometimes more dramatically than others.  We spent some of our time as roommates, some of our time in different states, some of our time of different pages, but ALL of our time as best friends.  Or as we like to say... BFFLZZZZZ.

My best friend is intelligent and though she works her butt off in school, I'm inclined to say her intelligence is just a part of who she is.  Thoughts and words seem to flow freely from her and she says some of the most brilliant things sometimes.  On the other hand, I've never felt more at ease being a complete idiot and acting silly with her.

One of my favorite things about our friendship was when we were roommates sophomore year.  We'd put Cascada's "Everytime We Touch" on - as loud as possible - and dance like crazy people all around the dorm room.  Everytime I think about it, I smile.

We've laughed together and cried together more times than I can count.  We've hit rough patches but we've worked through them with the knowledge that our friendship is worth more than any silly misunderstanding or clashing of opinions.

She has always made me feel like I deserve more.  She has been there to lift my spirits when I'm having one of those days.  And I believe she's never once expected anything in return.

So, as her birthday approaches, it is my hope that the coming year of her life would be blessed beyond imagination.  That comfort, hope, clarity, happiness, wisdom, safety, and love would be hers for the taking.  I pray that old wounds would be healed, and that the scars left behind might fade, leaving a brighter year to come.  I wish for her to jump into life head first, unafraid of the possibility of pain, and hopeful for the promise of better.

Birthdays are celebrations of the day that each of us was born.  It's appropriate, really, to celebrate the fact that the people in our lives are here.  That they came into existence and that somehow, we were blessed enough to cross their paths.  Sometimes we meet on the road for just a moment.  Sometimes we're walking the road together for years.  Sometimes we weave in and out of each others lives.  It's not always perfect.  Sometimes it's messy.  But it's always worth it.  It's always a blessing, or a sometimes a tough lesson, or a fleeting moment that still manages to make us smile.

Happy Birthday, Best Friend.  Thanks for continually walking with me and being a blessing along the way.  And should our paths ever diverge (Robert Frost?!), make sure you keep your cell phone on.  I'll be calling.  OKLOVEYOUBYE.

I'm not sure how many of you saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (I saw it twice, loved it, and I'm not ashamed.)  There was a part in the movie where Carmen and her actor man (what was his name?) are talking about how no one speaks like they did back in Shakespeare's time, and how sad that is.  Anyway, that's the scene I thought of in regards to the following:

My co-worker Alex and I decided today that we're going to start using music licensing and legal terms in our everyday conversation.

Sure, it's not Shakespeare and it probably won't make much sense, but we're going to do it anyway.  Why?  Well, I think the better question is, why not?  Who doesn't love to throw obscure words into everyday conversation, blindsiding and confusing the person you're speaking with?

Examples:

"Can I get this coffee gratis, please?"

"Is this coffee on an MFN basis with other coffee shops?"

Actually, I'm not sure that second one makes sense at all.  Bear with us, it's a work in progress.

ACCEPTED AND AGREED:

Brittany

I had a chance to go see one of my favorite singer/songwriters last night, William Fitzsimmons.  He's been touring with Slow Runner and Caitlin Crosby and last night they were at the Canal Room.  I'd only seen William before, so the other two were new to my ears.  Slow Runner was excellent.  Lead singer sounded a bit like the lead singer of Snow Patrol.

Caitlin Crosby was amazing.  She's got this killer raspy, powerful voice.  Loved her music, loved her.  She's got this song that made me think of TWLOHA called "Flawz" which is basically a celebration of all of our imperfections.  Unfortunately the song isn't on her EP (which was released on iTunes today!) but it is on her myspace.

I love discovering new musicians and updating my iPod.  (If you've heard I have a serious addiction to the iTunes store... it's true.)

Feel free to comment away and recommend some new music!

Welcome to my first official blog on The One Love.

Let's start with the basics here.  My name is Brittany, I grew up in Vermont, attended Hofstra University on Long Island for four years, graduated in May, moved to Astoria, and I currently live there and work in midtown Manhattan at an entertainment law firm.  I love music, but I think even more than music I love people.

You'll see that the non-profit I've chosen to support is To Write Love On Her Arms.  I could sit here and tell you all the reasons I think it's worth supporting, but I'd like to let it speak for itself.

GO HERE.

Read their story.  Read Renee's story.  Share it with friends and family.

I hope it moves you as much as it did me.

Until we meet again,
Brittany