Hello Readers! I know I haven't posted anything in a looooooong time, and I'm sorry. I don't really have time to write anything now, so here is a draft I started way back when I was in 8th grade. (It's hard to believe that that was only a few months ago!) I just re-read it and it sure lifted my spirits. I hope it lifts yours up too. Enjoy!
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Have you ever had one of those days where you just can't stop smiling? Where you can't help but bounce up and down, whether you are sitting or not? Where every minute of the day brings you even more joy than the last? Where you thought you might be breaking a law by being so ecstatic? Where your friends specifically say to you, "You just killed me with your optimistic attitude."?
Well... I think I just had one of those days. Maybe not exactly like what I just described, but very close. Very close indeed.
It all started... well I don't actually remember when it started. I just know that at least half way through the day I became so excited about school, life, and everything in general. Let me try to explain:
At around 4th period (American History) I started smiling. We've been working on this flip-book on steroids thing, called a portfolio, about the Civil War. I showed a small portion of what I had finished to my teacher at the end of class, and she asked me if she could keep it after she graded it to use as an example for next year. Those words brought a HUGE smile to my face. I love it when a teacher likes my work enough to want to show it to others. Doesn't every one? I guess that's why I always put my best into almost EVERYTHING I do. Anyways, I said yes and then headed off to lunch.
After lunch, came science class, and I was elated with our new activity. We will be making bottle rockets fueled by air and water over the next few days. Flashback: Before school started, Mom, Dad, and I all went to this orientation thing where we walked around the school to meet my teachers. The teachers gave a short speech about their goals for the year. My science teacher made one small remark during his: "...launch some stuff..." Ever since then, my dad has been pestering me about when my class would be launching something. I was so excited that I would get to tell him about our new rocket gig.
Next was the class my friends dread: reading. I enjoy reading class, although I do agree that some of the requirements we are expected to achieve do seem a little irritating. My teacher told us that for the rest of the year we would be working on Greek Mythology, which is one thing that I love. (Call out to my cousin -J- who sparked my passion for Greek Mythology!! love ya!) We were put into groups, assigned a character (most of them unheard of) that we will write a skit about, and preform them in front of the class at the end of the year. I am so excited!!! Unfortunately, my group consists of mostly shy people. We will have to work with that, but I am determined to make an epic play about our character.
Finally, ELA, or English Language Arts, started. We will be doing a research paper on our reading class topics. This makes it easier on us students so that we only have to research one topic. I can't wait to start my research!! Not only did we talk about the research papers, but we also started a short and simple expository essay. I only completed my introductory paragraph by the end of the class period, but it did take up over half of the page!! I showed it to my teacher, who replied by asking me to contact her when I would have my first book signing as that I am destined to become an author--another compliment that made me smile!
Well, my day isn't finished yet. The last thing I want to tell you about is something that many people would find disappointment in--rain. It started sprinkling on the way home from the Mexican restaurant that Dad and I had eaten dinner at. I enjoyed a beautiful light show in the sky as we drove, and by the time we got home, raindrops were making their way down from the heavens to the ground. I stood outside when I let my dog out, and let the droplets hit me in the face. I thanked the Lord for such an amazing day and prayed that he would help me be the person he made me to be. I felt refreshed and bright as I came back inside tonight; I still do.
So, have you ever had a day where you killed everyone around you with your happiness? Where they just couldn't believe how you could be so cheery? That evil turned and ran when it realized that you were untouchable because of the radiance you let off? If not, I pray that God will allow you to enjoy such a pleasure. Keep your chin up, even in those hopeless moments of the day where it seems like the world is falling down around you. Smile at the hard times and know that they will eventually be a thing of the past. Do your best to live righteously, and I'm sure that good things will follow.
Thanks for reading!!!
Don't forget to leave comments, and if you aren't sure about what to write, try reading one of my previous blogs, "Comments" !!!
Again, thank you!!!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Impact
Thank you all (6+) of you for joining me today as I tell you about my life and the amazing things God has done in it! Remember, this little blog is a small window into my heart, and I hope that you will see Jesus when you peek inside. Also, don't forget that as an author, I want feedback!!! Please leave comments!!! It will only take a few minutes of your time, I promise! (and if you can't remember what kind of comments I prefer, please take reference to one of my previous entries "Comments") Any ways, thank you for reading this, it means a lot to me!
Speech 1: Don't get hooked on the wrong things, because you might miss the trip of a lifetime.
At the Atlanta Airport on his way to IMPACT, Walling had just left his first flight and was making his way to his next when he saw one of the new InMotion stations. (InMotion is pretty much a DVD, Mp3, etc... player rental company that allows your to rent their merchandise at one airport and return it at another) This station had Toy Story 3 playing on a screen to attract costumers, and of course Walling was one to be caught because it was at the scene when the toys finally gave up hope that there was no way out of the death trap of the fiery inferno. You know the part I'm talking about! He stood there and watched it, captivated...until he heard on the speaker "Last call for flight to Nashville." In which he ran like a mad man, trying to get to his gate. A woman was closing the door to his plane, they locked eyes, she shook her head seeming to say, "You ain't gunna to make it, buddy." Luckily he did make it to the plane, and to IMPACT!
Walling used this story to start off and to show us how easy it is to get hooked. He explained that if we let something small distract us from our path, then we could miss out on the journey of a lifetime with Christ!
Speech 2: GROW UP!
In the book of Ephesians, Paul urges the church to "become mature" and "no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." He says that we are just "baby Christians", and that we are still just feeding on milk, not eating whole food. We need to Grow Up in Christ so that we can serve, not be served. Walling went on to say that Being a "baby Christian" is not okay! This is how Satin postpones the battle (in which he WILL be defeated).
During his speech, I thought about another lesson I had learned about spiritual warfare. I remember that we are supposed to be warriors for the King's army and fight for what is right, and then I thought, but if we are just infants how can we even try to fight. I imagined an army of babies wearing little camouflage trooper helmets and diapers, carrying little machine guns and pacifiers, and, with bright primary colored war paint on their faces, crawling (not marching) into battle against grotesque monsters that are trained to kill mercilessly. We are babies, not warriors. If we don't grow up and practice the ways of the Lord, then we will never get anywhere!!!
Speech 3: Three signs that you are "Hooked"
1)"It's all about me!"
If you find yourself thinking this then you are most likely spoiled and/or become irritated when things don't go your way. The Truth: you'll have more fun and enjoy more when you are serving others than being served. (but you don't know that yet)
2) "I'll eat ANYTHING!"
When you're a baby, you eat what ever is put in front of you whether it is mushed up peas or a sugar coated cookie. As you get older though, you begin to get picky about what tastes good and what doesn't. You reject the peas and run strait for the cookie. Spiritually Satan hands you a sugar coated idea:
"All people should be respected."
(you agree and eat it)
He hands you another idea:
"If all people should respected, then all of their ideas should be respected too."
("I guess that makes sense" -munch-munch)
And another:
"If all their ideas are respected, then you can't say which is right or which is wrong."
("Well, umm, what if that idea IS wrong? Like if he said, it's okay to break the law? That would be...")
"Be quiet and eat your cookie! Look, it has sprinkles!"
("Oh, ummm, those sprinkles do look good..." <chomp> <chomp>)
And another:
"If you can't determine what is right and wrong, then popular ideas like "Gay is Okay" have to be respected."
("Wait a second...")
So, do you eat the sugar coated cookie/idea?
3) "I know it ALL!"
You are judgmental about others and think that you are perfect. It's easy to point at someone and say all of the things that he or she is doing wrong, but it is not your place to judge them. Let God be the judge!
Walling gave us this short prayer, "Dear God, I don't have it all together. I'm just trying to do what is right. I'll leave the judging to you."
Speech 4: Can you really drop the hook?
Hooks are like masks, we put them on to hide from the world, isolating ourselves because we don't think anyone will understand, thus making ourselves feel even more alone. Also, we are greedy creatures, we need to stop grabbing for more, because it won't make us happy. Our attitude also comes into play with our hooks. When we drop our hook, it'll need some adjustment. First, PUT OFF the hook and keep it off. Second, PUT ON Jesus Christ.
Beware, Satin won't let go of you that easily. He will follow you, tempt you, to put the hook back on. He'll wave one of those cookies in front of your nose and dare you to eat it. Don't give in!!! Continue growing in Christ and he will protect you!
Okay, I've taken off my hook, now what do I do? Walling told us that taking off the hook is just the first step. We must keep it off, too! He gave us some suggestions as to how to keep it off: Volunteer at church, in the community, at school, etc. Don't be afraid to lead others in the way of the Lord!!!
<End of Speech Recap>
Besides just Jeff Walling's speeches, we also took a few classes. the classes that I took involved the practice of celebration, the practice of "slowing", the practice of secret services, and learning what guides our lives.
Celebration
God designed it! He is the DJ of the turntable of the universe, and he understands celebration.
One very good example of celebration in the bible is the story of the Prodigal Son. (Boy spends all of inheritance... ends up eating pig food... returns home, hoping to get a job as a servant for his father... Father happy to see his son... Throws a B.I.G. party... you know the story)
So why do people miss out on the celebration?
It's because we are so preoccupied that we either forget about it or ignore it.
Celebration is part of growing up. It is a way we express our joy. IT IS NOT A BAD THING!!!!!
Slowing
"Do or do not, there is no try." -Yoda
You can't become a great athlete by just saying "I want to do that", you must train to become a great athlete. It is the same with the spirit, you can't just say "I want to be a better Christian" you have to train to be a better one!!
Why is HURRY dangerous?
-we miss the miracles around us
-we become to busy to love others
-we miss out on intimacy with God
If we are always rushing about, we won't be able to accomplish God's plan for us because we will just pass it by!
Secret Service
Say no to AA,
Say yes to SS!
AA- Approval Addiction-when we feel the urge to act a certain way in order to feel like we belong
SS- Secret Services- when you do something for someone else with out calling attention to yourself.
These are some of the scripture that the teachers used:
Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Verse 1:
IMPACT is a summer event at Lipscomb [University] designed to provide an atmosphere for teens that enables the development of a personal faith, which will impact their world for Christ. (taken from http://summerprograms.lipscomb.edu/page.asp?SID=186&Page=6337 )"Hooked" was theme of this year's IMPACT, and we learned about how to recognize and discard our "hooks" that attach us to sin. Jeff Walling (one of my favorite speakers of all time) was there and gave us many, many good metaphors to help get his point across. I hope you enjoy my recap of my weekend at Libscomb University.
Speech 1: Don't get hooked on the wrong things, because you might miss the trip of a lifetime.
At the Atlanta Airport on his way to IMPACT, Walling had just left his first flight and was making his way to his next when he saw one of the new InMotion stations. (InMotion is pretty much a DVD, Mp3, etc... player rental company that allows your to rent their merchandise at one airport and return it at another) This station had Toy Story 3 playing on a screen to attract costumers, and of course Walling was one to be caught because it was at the scene when the toys finally gave up hope that there was no way out of the death trap of the fiery inferno. You know the part I'm talking about! He stood there and watched it, captivated...until he heard on the speaker "Last call for flight to Nashville." In which he ran like a mad man, trying to get to his gate. A woman was closing the door to his plane, they locked eyes, she shook her head seeming to say, "You ain't gunna to make it, buddy." Luckily he did make it to the plane, and to IMPACT!
Walling used this story to start off and to show us how easy it is to get hooked. He explained that if we let something small distract us from our path, then we could miss out on the journey of a lifetime with Christ!
Speech 2: GROW UP!
In the book of Ephesians, Paul urges the church to "become mature" and "no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." He says that we are just "baby Christians", and that we are still just feeding on milk, not eating whole food. We need to Grow Up in Christ so that we can serve, not be served. Walling went on to say that Being a "baby Christian" is not okay! This is how Satin postpones the battle (in which he WILL be defeated).
During his speech, I thought about another lesson I had learned about spiritual warfare. I remember that we are supposed to be warriors for the King's army and fight for what is right, and then I thought, but if we are just infants how can we even try to fight. I imagined an army of babies wearing little camouflage trooper helmets and diapers, carrying little machine guns and pacifiers, and, with bright primary colored war paint on their faces, crawling (not marching) into battle against grotesque monsters that are trained to kill mercilessly. We are babies, not warriors. If we don't grow up and practice the ways of the Lord, then we will never get anywhere!!!
Speech 3: Three signs that you are "Hooked"
1)"It's all about me!"
If you find yourself thinking this then you are most likely spoiled and/or become irritated when things don't go your way. The Truth: you'll have more fun and enjoy more when you are serving others than being served. (but you don't know that yet)
2) "I'll eat ANYTHING!"
When you're a baby, you eat what ever is put in front of you whether it is mushed up peas or a sugar coated cookie. As you get older though, you begin to get picky about what tastes good and what doesn't. You reject the peas and run strait for the cookie. Spiritually Satan hands you a sugar coated idea:
"All people should be respected."
(you agree and eat it)
He hands you another idea:
"If all people should respected, then all of their ideas should be respected too."
("I guess that makes sense" -munch-munch)
And another:
"If all their ideas are respected, then you can't say which is right or which is wrong."
("Well, umm, what if that idea IS wrong? Like if he said, it's okay to break the law? That would be...")
"Be quiet and eat your cookie! Look, it has sprinkles!"
("Oh, ummm, those sprinkles do look good..." <chomp> <chomp>)
And another:
"If you can't determine what is right and wrong, then popular ideas like "Gay is Okay" have to be respected."
("Wait a second...")
So, do you eat the sugar coated cookie/idea?
3) "I know it ALL!"
You are judgmental about others and think that you are perfect. It's easy to point at someone and say all of the things that he or she is doing wrong, but it is not your place to judge them. Let God be the judge!
Walling gave us this short prayer, "Dear God, I don't have it all together. I'm just trying to do what is right. I'll leave the judging to you."
Speech 4: Can you really drop the hook?
Hooks are like masks, we put them on to hide from the world, isolating ourselves because we don't think anyone will understand, thus making ourselves feel even more alone. Also, we are greedy creatures, we need to stop grabbing for more, because it won't make us happy. Our attitude also comes into play with our hooks. When we drop our hook, it'll need some adjustment. First, PUT OFF the hook and keep it off. Second, PUT ON Jesus Christ.
Beware, Satin won't let go of you that easily. He will follow you, tempt you, to put the hook back on. He'll wave one of those cookies in front of your nose and dare you to eat it. Don't give in!!! Continue growing in Christ and he will protect you!
Okay, I've taken off my hook, now what do I do? Walling told us that taking off the hook is just the first step. We must keep it off, too! He gave us some suggestions as to how to keep it off: Volunteer at church, in the community, at school, etc. Don't be afraid to lead others in the way of the Lord!!!
<End of Speech Recap>
Besides just Jeff Walling's speeches, we also took a few classes. the classes that I took involved the practice of celebration, the practice of "slowing", the practice of secret services, and learning what guides our lives.
Celebration
God designed it! He is the DJ of the turntable of the universe, and he understands celebration.
One very good example of celebration in the bible is the story of the Prodigal Son. (Boy spends all of inheritance... ends up eating pig food... returns home, hoping to get a job as a servant for his father... Father happy to see his son... Throws a B.I.G. party... you know the story)
So why do people miss out on the celebration?
It's because we are so preoccupied that we either forget about it or ignore it.
Celebration is part of growing up. It is a way we express our joy. IT IS NOT A BAD THING!!!!!
Slowing
"Do or do not, there is no try." -Yoda
You can't become a great athlete by just saying "I want to do that", you must train to become a great athlete. It is the same with the spirit, you can't just say "I want to be a better Christian" you have to train to be a better one!!
Why is HURRY dangerous?
-we miss the miracles around us
-we become to busy to love others
-we miss out on intimacy with God
If we are always rushing about, we won't be able to accomplish God's plan for us because we will just pass it by!
Secret Service
Say no to AA,
Say yes to SS!
AA- Approval Addiction-when we feel the urge to act a certain way in order to feel like we belong
SS- Secret Services- when you do something for someone else with out calling attention to yourself.
These are some of the scripture that the teachers used:
Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
What Guides My Life?
There are so many voices that speak to you throughout the day and they have the power to guide you. There IS a voice, however, that is still and small-the voice of God. He speaks softly to us so that we will lean in closer to him and listen.
So, here are the three steps that will help us hear his voice:
DISCONNECT-- stop listening to all of those voices!!!
DIAL UP-- start listening to him through prayer
BE DELIVERED-- God will deliver you!!!
Okay, so that about sums up what I learned in the classes at IMPACT.
BUT...
Don't even think that I'm done yet!!!!! I still have my experience to talk about!
Looking back at other experiences at big teen events like this (last Winterfest) there seems to be a sort of pattern... I hope that things don't stay like this for ever!
Anyways...
In the youth group I have a variety of groups of friends. There are the girls one year older than me that I hang out more often with because I seem to have the most in common with them. There are the girls one year younger than me that I have gotten to know quite well since the NBYG girls retreat where I met them. And then there are the girls that are my age that I only really hang out with because they ARE my age and we are in class together. They are the ones that I thought were my friends, but apparently they don't think of me as their friend.
At IMPACT, the girls older than me were not present because they go to Senior IMPACT, while I'm stuck in Junior Impact. (My age and one year younger are at Jr. IMPACT with me.) I started the weekend by hanging out with my age girls. Let me introduce you: there are three of them. Two of which are identical twins in which one of them share my name. They are ALWAYS together so I'll refer to them as MnM (like the candy). The third I've only met a couple of times and goes to MnM's school. (not part of youth group) I'll call her R. Sooooo, I hung out with MnM and R for the first 2 days. The dorm capacity was two per room, but for IMPACT they sometimes squeezed 3 girls into a room. You can only guess which three of my group would be together. You got it. MnM and R shared a room while I was put in a room with two girls from the youth group who I barely knew (big youth group). Luckily it was the dorm next door.
I did my best to stay with them, but the way they treated me was like they didn't care if I was there or not! We'd wait in line to get into the classes and speeches and what-not, they would hold on to each other and walk in a line side by side. Have you ever tried to walk side by side with 3 other people in a VERY crowded area? I did. Once. I quickly realized that four was not going to work, so I was forced to follow behind the trio and try not to get separated so that I wouldn't have to sit by myself. They were kind enough to make sure that they found four seats together, however. They never seemed to wait around for me for anything. Whenever any of them wanted to do something, even if all of us didn't want to, we would do it together. Whenever I wanted to do something that they did not want to do, they said "Have fun with that, we'll catch you later." and then they would leave. How unfriendly is that?
The worst thing they did however was on the morning of the third day. Or rather, what they didn't do. That morning I woke up later than I had wanted to and took longer getting ready than I expected. When I was finally ready, I walked over to MnM and R's room to leave for breakfast with them. Their door was unlocked, but I knew that they had been having trouble with the old door knob. The lights were turned off though and the room looked tidy, like they had already left. Irritated and feeling abandoned, I found my one-year-younger friends and stayed with them for the rest of the trip.
They were kind to me, but they too eventually left to hang out with other friends, leaving and one other girl, Em, by ourselves. I knew what it felt to be ditched, and I didn't want em to have to feel it too, so I stuck with her. After talking with her, I found out that she was used to spending her time alone because her friends did this a lot to her, and if I wanted to go, she'd be fine with that. I told her that I didn't really have any where else to go, so we just stayed together and talked and laughed and had fun.
That night, we saved a bunch of seats, at least 12, for Jeff Walling's final speech, hoping that they would show up before it started. Unfortunately, they never did, and we felt terrible for saving so many seats when it was just us two. This is the cool part though. The part that made the whole thing worth while. Towards the end of the speech, Em tapped me and showed me her notebook. Six words in big letters across the page read, "Megan, I want to be baptized." I think a giggle slipped out of my mouth, bubbles from my heart that was boiling over with joyfulness. I immediately hugged her and told her what a great decision she was making and how proud I was. After a while, she gently pushed me away and said that she wasn't much of a hugger. Walling invited those who wanted to take on Christ to the stage once he was done with his sermon. Em didn't want to go at first, but then agreed to go if I would come with her. I held her hand as we walked up to the stage and held on to her the whole time we were up there.
I was so glad that she wanted to do this and I pray with all of my heart that she will continue to grow up in Him and become the beautiful lady that God intended her to be. I attended her baptism two Sundays ago (she wanted to wait so that her brother could be there). Praise be to God Almighty!!!
One more thing: we learned a new song at Impact and it has become one of my favorites. Here are the lyrics:
Verse 1:
There is Love
That came for us
Humbled to a sinner’s cross
You broke my shame and sinfulness
You rose again victorious
Verse 2:
Faithfulness none can deny
Through the storm
And through the fire
There is truth that sets me free
Jesus Christ who lives in me
Chorus:
You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all
Verse 3:
No beginning and no end
You’re my hope and my defense
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross
Bridge:
So let Your Name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
And the video:
I love that song!!!
And THAT is how my weekend went.
I hope you enjoyed my little recap and have learned something.
*Remember*
**Leave Comments**
***Don't forget!!!!!!!!!!!***
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
NEW!!!!!
I have created a new blog to feature my artwork. Drawing January: Art Edition is now in business, and I have a link right here to go to it.
Check it out!
http://drawingjanuaryarted.blogspot.com/
Check it out!
http://drawingjanuaryarted.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 8, 2011
Winterfest Extended
Okee-dokee!
If you can recall one of my old posts "Winterfest", then you should remember my notes about the Dinner with the Skeptics. There is a free audio download of what I listened to that wonderful night at http://www.winterfest.org/ (It's right at the top of the page) Be sure to check it out!!
If you can recall one of my old posts "Winterfest", then you should remember my notes about the Dinner with the Skeptics. There is a free audio download of what I listened to that wonderful night at http://www.winterfest.org/ (It's right at the top of the page) Be sure to check it out!!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Comments
I do believe that it is every author's dream to write something, to create something out of words, and to get it published. Though, once they do get it published, authors [might] tend to get a little antsy. They wonder to themselves, "Was my piece of literature any good? Did readers enjoy it, hate it, treasure it, trash it, or ignore it? What did they think when they read it? I want to know!" (at least female authors might think that way, if you get what I'm saying)
So what does that have to do with me? Well, truth be told, I AM a published author. In print and on the web. Although my printed pieces of literature are in books with a collection of others' works. My blog, I think, makes me an author, too. For example, there are three buttons under this text box that I am typing into. One blue button says "Preview" on which shows me what my blog will look like when it is published. The next blue button says, "Save Now" so that I can save my unfinished blogs and return to them later. The last, however, is an orange button and is definitely the most important. It says "Publish Post". By clicking this button, I publish my simple piece of literature and put it out on the web so virtually anyone who comes across it could read it if they so desired. It is open for the entire world to read!!! How cool is that?
Back to the point, authors, such as myself, crave feedback. We pour our hearts into our writing and send it off to be shared with the world, and we would love to hear what people have to say about our work! Despite what some might say, writing is a tricky thing to do, especially in the English language. There are so many words to choose from, multiple ways to set up a sentence, not to mention adding phrases and clauses to give it some flavor, writing isn't just a sit down and do it kind of thing. Writing is a sit down, think about it, and then write it kind of thing! This, what you are reading right now, is, in a way, a part of me. I am giving you a small window into my heart, and I would like to know what you think about what you see.
And I would prefer an actual sentence or two, not just a "good job" or a virtual pat on the back. I'm glad to hear that you like it and sad to hear that you dislike it, but I really want to know "Why?". What part made you laugh so hard that milk came out your nose? What part made you bawl your eyes out? What part made your heart want to leap out of your chest because it was pounding so hard? I would like to know, please!!
Okay, spiritual moment. If you refer back to my first blog posted, "The Wizard of Oz", I wrote about how God is like an author. After writing what I just wrote now, I realize just how true that is! He created us, he has written our lives out, and he wants to know what we think about it. He wants us to tell him how we feel about the plot of our lives. Each and every situation we face has been planned by God and he, as an author, wants to know what we think about it! He doesn't want just a little, "Dear God, thanks for everything, Amen" either. He wants a "Dear God, You amaze me every day. Thank you for my friends and family, they may be a pain sometimes, but boy do I love them! Jacob made me laugh so hard the other day, thank you for giving him such a good sense of humor, I really needed a break from all the stress lately. There is the whole deal at school, you know where Suzy told Donald that Missy said that I shaved Rachel's head. It isn't even true, Rachel and I are friends. I didn't shave her head, actually she wanted it to be shaved. She did it for cancer research. I'm not exactly sure how shaving your head will help people find a cure for cancer, but she did it and I couldn't be more proud of her. Then there is the whole deal at home... you know the one I told you about yesterday. It seems as if a dark rain cloud is hovering over my house, and I don't know if things will ever lighten up. Scratch that, I know things will lighten up because I trust you, but right now, it is really hard to keep going. Please help me through this, Father, and help Suzy and Donald and Missy, they don't know you. Help me shine your light out to them so that they might find you. Please bless Jacob and Rachel, they have been there for me for quite a while now and I am truly grateful that you have placed them in my life. Amen." <------That is the kind of prayer God wants from us!
So, if I haven't gotten my point across yet, here is a summary:
I hope I have made my point clear to you.
Don't forget to leave comments. ;) <wink, wink>
-Megs
So what does that have to do with me? Well, truth be told, I AM a published author. In print and on the web. Although my printed pieces of literature are in books with a collection of others' works. My blog, I think, makes me an author, too. For example, there are three buttons under this text box that I am typing into. One blue button says "Preview" on which shows me what my blog will look like when it is published. The next blue button says, "Save Now" so that I can save my unfinished blogs and return to them later. The last, however, is an orange button and is definitely the most important. It says "Publish Post". By clicking this button, I publish my simple piece of literature and put it out on the web so virtually anyone who comes across it could read it if they so desired. It is open for the entire world to read!!! How cool is that?
Back to the point, authors, such as myself, crave feedback. We pour our hearts into our writing and send it off to be shared with the world, and we would love to hear what people have to say about our work! Despite what some might say, writing is a tricky thing to do, especially in the English language. There are so many words to choose from, multiple ways to set up a sentence, not to mention adding phrases and clauses to give it some flavor, writing isn't just a sit down and do it kind of thing. Writing is a sit down, think about it, and then write it kind of thing! This, what you are reading right now, is, in a way, a part of me. I am giving you a small window into my heart, and I would like to know what you think about what you see.
And I would prefer an actual sentence or two, not just a "good job" or a virtual pat on the back. I'm glad to hear that you like it and sad to hear that you dislike it, but I really want to know "Why?". What part made you laugh so hard that milk came out your nose? What part made you bawl your eyes out? What part made your heart want to leap out of your chest because it was pounding so hard? I would like to know, please!!
Okay, spiritual moment. If you refer back to my first blog posted, "The Wizard of Oz", I wrote about how God is like an author. After writing what I just wrote now, I realize just how true that is! He created us, he has written our lives out, and he wants to know what we think about it. He wants us to tell him how we feel about the plot of our lives. Each and every situation we face has been planned by God and he, as an author, wants to know what we think about it! He doesn't want just a little, "Dear God, thanks for everything, Amen" either. He wants a "Dear God, You amaze me every day. Thank you for my friends and family, they may be a pain sometimes, but boy do I love them! Jacob made me laugh so hard the other day, thank you for giving him such a good sense of humor, I really needed a break from all the stress lately. There is the whole deal at school, you know where Suzy told Donald that Missy said that I shaved Rachel's head. It isn't even true, Rachel and I are friends. I didn't shave her head, actually she wanted it to be shaved. She did it for cancer research. I'm not exactly sure how shaving your head will help people find a cure for cancer, but she did it and I couldn't be more proud of her. Then there is the whole deal at home... you know the one I told you about yesterday. It seems as if a dark rain cloud is hovering over my house, and I don't know if things will ever lighten up. Scratch that, I know things will lighten up because I trust you, but right now, it is really hard to keep going. Please help me through this, Father, and help Suzy and Donald and Missy, they don't know you. Help me shine your light out to them so that they might find you. Please bless Jacob and Rachel, they have been there for me for quite a while now and I am truly grateful that you have placed them in my life. Amen." <------That is the kind of prayer God wants from us!
So, if I haven't gotten my point across yet, here is a summary:
- Authors put there hearts into their work, and they want to know what their readers think.
- I am an author, so I pour my heart into my writing and I'd like to know what you think about it.
- God is an author; he as been putting his heart into every thing since the beginning of time, and he would really love it if we would tell him what we think about his book, All of Life.
I hope I have made my point clear to you.
Don't forget to leave comments. ;) <wink, wink>
-Megs
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Parable of the Princess Warrior
The princess stood there on the battlefield, still as ice, listening to the haunting sounds around her--a rush of wind, a malicious laugh. The Enemy's mysterious fog had surrounded her now, and she was separated from the ongoing battle, singled out from her comrades. She knew to keep her wits and strength about her, for she had seen friends disappear into this very mist and never return.
A black figure appeared before her and slowly cut its way through the mist. Close enough for her to see now, she saw that is was a man dressed in dark material, with no weapons. His skin was a sickly pale, yet his oily smile was wide as he approached her. He was truly hideous which gave him a frightening effect, but the princess was unaffected by his appearance. He needed no physical weapon, even against her, because he had his tongue, his mouth, his words.
The Enemy's agent began his attack, speaking what the princess knew to be ludicrous, trying to convince her that his lies were true. She stood her ground, unafraid, for she was wearing the helmet her father had given her. He had told her that it would protect her head, and everything in it, in battle, and she trusted him. She was not shaken by this nefarious threat.
The man continued talking as he stepped even closer. She could feel his breath blasting against her face, yet still she resisted. Quick as lightning, the man reached up, knocked off her helmet, and jumped back. He continued speaking his non-sense and began circling her, like a predator to prey, eying her hungrily. Without her protection, the princess's efforts to block his attack were futile. She was defenseless and vulnerable. Soon, his deceitful words began to make sense to her and she believed his false statements.
Stepping up from behind, he whispered commands in her hear. He told her to lay down her shield and guaranteed happiness if she did. Staring at the shield on her arm, the princess's memory flashed back to when her father had handed it to her and telling her about its purpose, but then her mind became foggy and she began to take the straps off. Before it even clanged to the ground, he asked her to remove her belt. As if in a trace, she unbuckled it and let it, as well as her scabbard, fall to the ground. Next he convinced her to remove her breastplate, which she did willingly. Finally, he had her drop her sword. It fell from her hand as if it had caught fire and was burning her flesh.
Before she could realize what she had done, he knocked her to the hard rocky ground where she laid amongst her discarded protective gear. Pulling a hidden dagger from his boot, the man went in tor the kill. Wide-eyed, the princess could only stare at the dagger that she knew would surely pierce her skin. As soon as he got close, though, a shining sword ran him through and he was gone. Genital hands reached down and cradled the princess. She clung onto her father as he carried her back to safety.
She asked him to set her down so she could put her armor back on, and he obliged. Ready for battle once again, they set off to continue the fight, but blocking their way was a team of soldiers from The Enemy's side. Crouched in a defensive position, the princess grinned a knowing smile and looked up at her father who stood over her in a protective way, sword drawn. He smiled back, and, in the blink of an eye, they sprang off to overcome this minor setback. In unison, father and daughter took down The Enemy's men. It cam down to a two on one fight--the princess against two of The Enemy. The king had just finished off the rest of the troop. One of The Enemy held her attention in a quick moving sword fight while the other sneaked around in order to get her from behind. Rushing to her aid, the king took out the sneaker as she finished off the other. Breathing heavily, the girl turned back to her father and smiled, thankful for his protection.
Later that day, while sitting inside their camp, the princess took her helmet off and set it down to air it out after the long battle. A soldier was carrying a large pile of supplies near by and dropped something that fell to the ground and rolled away. Getting up, the princess went in search of the fallen object. She found the object lying on the ground near the edge of camp. Picking it up, she examined the small metallic orb. It appeared to be a small explosive device, of some sort, and raking her mind for the types of bombs used by the king's army, she decided that it was a smoke bomb. Though, the emblem painted on it was not of her father's. Taking a closer look, she realized that it was of The Enemy's!
Suddenly, the sphere exploded and she was surrounded by the thick mist she had only just escaped. a rought hand covered her mouth and another pair bound her heavy ropes. The princess then fell to the ground with a thump--on conscious.
A letter from The Enemy, telling of the girl's kidnapping, arrived at the king's tent in a matter of minutes.The king was infuriated when he read it. The letter also implied that the only way to get her back was through a trade, a life for a life, a soul for a soul, and The Enemy didn't want just any soldier, The Enemy wanted someone important--the king's only son. Upon reading this, the king called for the prince.
Entering his father's tent with vigor, the price looked at his father's grieving face and immediately knew that something was amiss. The king handed the letter to him. Eyes skimming the paper rapidly, he understood his father's pain. Looking the king in the eye, the price nodded, accepting what he would have to do to free his precious sister whom he loved. He readied his horse and set out alone.
When the prince arrived at The Enemy's camp, he was ripped from his horse, kicked, beaten, and then tied in ropes to restrain him. He was then taken to the commander's tent Looking up at him, the princess was shocked to see her brother, and even more surprised to see him tied up like a prisoner. She tried to warn him to escape, but the commander, foul in every way, silenced her. He ordered a guard to remove her from his presence and take her to the prison cells (he had had no intention to let her go, even if the prince did come). As the pale guard began walking her out of the tent, the prince used his body to crash into him. He knocked the guard to the ground and screamed for his sister to run. Caught in fear, the princess fled from the scene, hopped on her brother's horse, and rode away.
She hurt inside. Her feelings spinning around her head like a wild tornado of miserableness. It was her fault, she was convinced, that her brother was now in the hands of evil. If she hadn't gotten caught in the first place he wouldn't be in his current position nor if she had stayed to help him instead of running away. All she could think about was what her father would do when she returned.
A hug from strong arms greeted her arrival. She and her father wept in each other's arms, and she was comforted. They stayed together and were inseparable. After three days had passed the two were still mourning over the prince. The princess thought that he would have surely been killed. Finally she decided to go out and take a walk alone. Squinting as she stepped out into the brilliant day light, something caught the princess's eye. A person's silhouette was walking straight out of the sun and approaching her. She started making out familiar features on the man when he started getting close enough. Soon, the mysterious figure turned into her smiling brother. Laughing in disbelief, she ran to him. After grabbing him in a hug, she ushered him into their father's tent where they all rejoiced in jubilation.
On the battlefield, a father and his two children stand together and lead his armies to victory. The war will soon be over, they know. Someday they will return home to the golden city of peace, and that is something to look forward to.
A black figure appeared before her and slowly cut its way through the mist. Close enough for her to see now, she saw that is was a man dressed in dark material, with no weapons. His skin was a sickly pale, yet his oily smile was wide as he approached her. He was truly hideous which gave him a frightening effect, but the princess was unaffected by his appearance. He needed no physical weapon, even against her, because he had his tongue, his mouth, his words.
The Enemy's agent began his attack, speaking what the princess knew to be ludicrous, trying to convince her that his lies were true. She stood her ground, unafraid, for she was wearing the helmet her father had given her. He had told her that it would protect her head, and everything in it, in battle, and she trusted him. She was not shaken by this nefarious threat.
The man continued talking as he stepped even closer. She could feel his breath blasting against her face, yet still she resisted. Quick as lightning, the man reached up, knocked off her helmet, and jumped back. He continued speaking his non-sense and began circling her, like a predator to prey, eying her hungrily. Without her protection, the princess's efforts to block his attack were futile. She was defenseless and vulnerable. Soon, his deceitful words began to make sense to her and she believed his false statements.
Stepping up from behind, he whispered commands in her hear. He told her to lay down her shield and guaranteed happiness if she did. Staring at the shield on her arm, the princess's memory flashed back to when her father had handed it to her and telling her about its purpose, but then her mind became foggy and she began to take the straps off. Before it even clanged to the ground, he asked her to remove her belt. As if in a trace, she unbuckled it and let it, as well as her scabbard, fall to the ground. Next he convinced her to remove her breastplate, which she did willingly. Finally, he had her drop her sword. It fell from her hand as if it had caught fire and was burning her flesh.
Before she could realize what she had done, he knocked her to the hard rocky ground where she laid amongst her discarded protective gear. Pulling a hidden dagger from his boot, the man went in tor the kill. Wide-eyed, the princess could only stare at the dagger that she knew would surely pierce her skin. As soon as he got close, though, a shining sword ran him through and he was gone. Genital hands reached down and cradled the princess. She clung onto her father as he carried her back to safety.
She asked him to set her down so she could put her armor back on, and he obliged. Ready for battle once again, they set off to continue the fight, but blocking their way was a team of soldiers from The Enemy's side. Crouched in a defensive position, the princess grinned a knowing smile and looked up at her father who stood over her in a protective way, sword drawn. He smiled back, and, in the blink of an eye, they sprang off to overcome this minor setback. In unison, father and daughter took down The Enemy's men. It cam down to a two on one fight--the princess against two of The Enemy. The king had just finished off the rest of the troop. One of The Enemy held her attention in a quick moving sword fight while the other sneaked around in order to get her from behind. Rushing to her aid, the king took out the sneaker as she finished off the other. Breathing heavily, the girl turned back to her father and smiled, thankful for his protection.
Later that day, while sitting inside their camp, the princess took her helmet off and set it down to air it out after the long battle. A soldier was carrying a large pile of supplies near by and dropped something that fell to the ground and rolled away. Getting up, the princess went in search of the fallen object. She found the object lying on the ground near the edge of camp. Picking it up, she examined the small metallic orb. It appeared to be a small explosive device, of some sort, and raking her mind for the types of bombs used by the king's army, she decided that it was a smoke bomb. Though, the emblem painted on it was not of her father's. Taking a closer look, she realized that it was of The Enemy's!
Suddenly, the sphere exploded and she was surrounded by the thick mist she had only just escaped. a rought hand covered her mouth and another pair bound her heavy ropes. The princess then fell to the ground with a thump--on conscious.
A letter from The Enemy, telling of the girl's kidnapping, arrived at the king's tent in a matter of minutes.The king was infuriated when he read it. The letter also implied that the only way to get her back was through a trade, a life for a life, a soul for a soul, and The Enemy didn't want just any soldier, The Enemy wanted someone important--the king's only son. Upon reading this, the king called for the prince.
Entering his father's tent with vigor, the price looked at his father's grieving face and immediately knew that something was amiss. The king handed the letter to him. Eyes skimming the paper rapidly, he understood his father's pain. Looking the king in the eye, the price nodded, accepting what he would have to do to free his precious sister whom he loved. He readied his horse and set out alone.
When the prince arrived at The Enemy's camp, he was ripped from his horse, kicked, beaten, and then tied in ropes to restrain him. He was then taken to the commander's tent Looking up at him, the princess was shocked to see her brother, and even more surprised to see him tied up like a prisoner. She tried to warn him to escape, but the commander, foul in every way, silenced her. He ordered a guard to remove her from his presence and take her to the prison cells (he had had no intention to let her go, even if the prince did come). As the pale guard began walking her out of the tent, the prince used his body to crash into him. He knocked the guard to the ground and screamed for his sister to run. Caught in fear, the princess fled from the scene, hopped on her brother's horse, and rode away.
She hurt inside. Her feelings spinning around her head like a wild tornado of miserableness. It was her fault, she was convinced, that her brother was now in the hands of evil. If she hadn't gotten caught in the first place he wouldn't be in his current position nor if she had stayed to help him instead of running away. All she could think about was what her father would do when she returned.
A hug from strong arms greeted her arrival. She and her father wept in each other's arms, and she was comforted. They stayed together and were inseparable. After three days had passed the two were still mourning over the prince. The princess thought that he would have surely been killed. Finally she decided to go out and take a walk alone. Squinting as she stepped out into the brilliant day light, something caught the princess's eye. A person's silhouette was walking straight out of the sun and approaching her. She started making out familiar features on the man when he started getting close enough. Soon, the mysterious figure turned into her smiling brother. Laughing in disbelief, she ran to him. After grabbing him in a hug, she ushered him into their father's tent where they all rejoiced in jubilation.
On the battlefield, a father and his two children stand together and lead his armies to victory. The war will soon be over, they know. Someday they will return home to the golden city of peace, and that is something to look forward to.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
What to write, what to write...
...and so I had no idea what to write about!
<<Rewind<<
Let's go back and I'll recap why I don't have anything good to write about today.
Okay, since my last 'real' post (meaning "Winterfest") I have had a busy week. At school, teachers have been practically throwing homework at us because the card marking ends next Friday and we have been out of school because of sooooooo many snow days. I've had 3 musical practices after school (2 of which were back to back on Monday and Tuesday). Talk about tiring!
Other than the amount of work, though, school has been quiet enjoyable. If you call doing all of the work in a group project, having best friend out all week because of the flu, and having another friend down in the dumps for reasons unknown enjoyable. You see, in reading class we have this group debate project coming up. The class was first split up into topic groups, and then those groups were split into "FOR" and "AGAINST" sides. My group and I are against capital punishment. On our last day to work on it as a group, my team mates handed me their research cards, said to me, "Here, look through these and see if there is any information that we missed.", and then started talking with each other about a completely off-topic topic! I was irritated by them, but didn't know what to say to them to get them to help. Nothing I thought of would have worked, I am sure. Then one of my other friends was out Monday-Thursday with the sick. I missed her dreadfully because I wanted to talk to her about the book I was reading and I don't have any other way of contacting her besides face to face at school. She finally came back on Friday, but we didn't get much time to talk. One of my friends who was at school, however, seemed out of it. She seemed down in the dumps, especially at lunch, but when I asked her about it, she just shrugged and said everything was okay. Sounds fun, right?
Don't feel bad though, my week hasn't been terrible. On the contrary, I had a sleepover with one of my other friends!! I do believe that this was my first sleepover in TN (not counting when family and friends from MI visited). We had a blast, at least, I did. We did each other's make-up, and I discovered that I should not become a make-up artist in the future. (Yeah, I'll admit it, it looked pretty bad/funny) I curled her hair after that, and it looked really pretty. Later, we went through some journals and stories I wrote when I was 11 years old. I remember writing some of those and the feelings I had when my gel pen touched the paper: excitement, happiness, and bliss, as well as anger, sorrow, and exasperation. We both agreed that it was pretty good writing. Then I told her a few "famous" sleepover stories such as "The Pink Golf Ball Story" and "Hannah Banana". (You'd have to be there...)
I'm really excited about next weekend when I'll be going on the Girls' Retreat with North Boulevard C of C. We have a lot of cool crafts planned and tons of fun is promised.
Oh! And I won a very nice prize from a drawing at the Library. To enter the drawing all I had to do was read 6 books and write a few sentences of what I thought about them-EASY! Amazingly, I won! The grand prize was a one night stay at the Double Tree Hotel (it has an indoor/outdoor pool!!!), a $75 gift card to a Japanese cuisine restaurant (not really my thing, but I'll take it), and 2 tickets to the local theater in which mom and I will be watching "OKLAHOMA!" (one of my favorite musicals)! I am uber-excited!!!
...and so that is why I had no idea what to write about! Sorry if this blog entry put you to sleep...
Wait a second, I guess I did have something to write about after all! It might not be as long as "Winterfest", but I think I did a pretty good job at writing when I had nothing to write about. What say you? (Remember: PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!!)
-Megs
<<Rewind<<
Let's go back and I'll recap why I don't have anything good to write about today.
Okay, since my last 'real' post (meaning "Winterfest") I have had a busy week. At school, teachers have been practically throwing homework at us because the card marking ends next Friday and we have been out of school because of sooooooo many snow days. I've had 3 musical practices after school (2 of which were back to back on Monday and Tuesday). Talk about tiring!
Other than the amount of work, though, school has been quiet enjoyable. If you call doing all of the work in a group project, having best friend out all week because of the flu, and having another friend down in the dumps for reasons unknown enjoyable. You see, in reading class we have this group debate project coming up. The class was first split up into topic groups, and then those groups were split into "FOR" and "AGAINST" sides. My group and I are against capital punishment. On our last day to work on it as a group, my team mates handed me their research cards, said to me, "Here, look through these and see if there is any information that we missed.", and then started talking with each other about a completely off-topic topic! I was irritated by them, but didn't know what to say to them to get them to help. Nothing I thought of would have worked, I am sure. Then one of my other friends was out Monday-Thursday with the sick. I missed her dreadfully because I wanted to talk to her about the book I was reading and I don't have any other way of contacting her besides face to face at school. She finally came back on Friday, but we didn't get much time to talk. One of my friends who was at school, however, seemed out of it. She seemed down in the dumps, especially at lunch, but when I asked her about it, she just shrugged and said everything was okay. Sounds fun, right?
Don't feel bad though, my week hasn't been terrible. On the contrary, I had a sleepover with one of my other friends!! I do believe that this was my first sleepover in TN (not counting when family and friends from MI visited). We had a blast, at least, I did. We did each other's make-up, and I discovered that I should not become a make-up artist in the future. (Yeah, I'll admit it, it looked pretty bad/funny) I curled her hair after that, and it looked really pretty. Later, we went through some journals and stories I wrote when I was 11 years old. I remember writing some of those and the feelings I had when my gel pen touched the paper: excitement, happiness, and bliss, as well as anger, sorrow, and exasperation. We both agreed that it was pretty good writing. Then I told her a few "famous" sleepover stories such as "The Pink Golf Ball Story" and "Hannah Banana". (You'd have to be there...)
I'm really excited about next weekend when I'll be going on the Girls' Retreat with North Boulevard C of C. We have a lot of cool crafts planned and tons of fun is promised.
Oh! And I won a very nice prize from a drawing at the Library. To enter the drawing all I had to do was read 6 books and write a few sentences of what I thought about them-EASY! Amazingly, I won! The grand prize was a one night stay at the Double Tree Hotel (it has an indoor/outdoor pool!!!), a $75 gift card to a Japanese cuisine restaurant (not really my thing, but I'll take it), and 2 tickets to the local theater in which mom and I will be watching "OKLAHOMA!" (one of my favorite musicals)! I am uber-excited!!!
...and so that is why I had no idea what to write about! Sorry if this blog entry put you to sleep...
Wait a second, I guess I did have something to write about after all! It might not be as long as "Winterfest", but I think I did a pretty good job at writing when I had nothing to write about. What say you? (Remember: PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!!)
-Megs
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Welcome
Welcome faithful blog readers!!! If you are reading this then you must have seen my post on my facebook page or I told you about it. Thank you for stopping by to read this! I have put a couple of my past blogs from fb on here. (If you haven't read them yet be sure to check them out!) I'm really excited to have an even fresher start on my new blog: Drawing January.
Info for you:
I will be try to post a weekly blog, but I might post more than one a week if I feel like it. So, if you enjoy what you read, make sure to come by at least once a week.
I plan on writing about my life and the way I see things, but I would also like ideas about what to write. Please leave any questions you'd like to know the answer to. (no personal ?'s though because this webpage is free to any viewers.)
Even if you don't have any questions, feel free to leave comments!
Bye bye for now,
-Megs
PS- Do you like the cool D.J. logo by my profile? I created it all by myself!!!
Again, thank you all for just stopping by and make sure to leave comments!!
Info for you:
I will be try to post a weekly blog, but I might post more than one a week if I feel like it. So, if you enjoy what you read, make sure to come by at least once a week.
I plan on writing about my life and the way I see things, but I would also like ideas about what to write. Please leave any questions you'd like to know the answer to. (no personal ?'s though because this webpage is free to any viewers.)
Even if you don't have any questions, feel free to leave comments!
Bye bye for now,
-Megs
PS- Do you like the cool D.J. logo by my profile? I created it all by myself!!!
Again, thank you all for just stopping by and make sure to leave comments!!
Winterfest
As you might have known, I was away last weekend on a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where I was with my youth group for a big shindig called Winterfest. I was in many seminars, stayed up till 12am both nights, and was enlightened in many ways. Let me tell you about it:
Notes
Book Promotion: Dinner with the Skeptics
The author went to Australia for 2 things- a baseball meeting and a church planting meeting. The church booked a 2-star(ish) hotel for him to stay at; the baseball people booked a 5-star...
So at the 5-star hotel, the manager asked him about what he did for a living. After telling her that he was a preacher, the woman smirked and the walked away. A few minutes later, she returned and invited him to have [free] dinner with her and her whole staff. He quickly replied and showed up at the hotel restaurant for dinner that night. When he got there he realized that they weren't trying to be nice, they were planning to make fun of him and embarrass him for the dinner's entertainment.
The first man asked him the question, "How can you believe in God with so much evil in the world?"
In reply the pastor said, "That is a good question. Do you mind if we go back and forth on it?"
The man, shocked to get a quick reply, answered yes.
The author's logic: If you say there is "evil" then you must be acknowledging that there is "good" because you can't have one without the other. But if you say there is "good" and there is "evil", how do YOU know what should be put under each category? Unless there is a universal moral law that defines the line between "good" and "evil", you can not decipher between the two. So who decided what that universal law said? God! Without God there is no "evil" for God is "good", without "good" or "evil" there can be no law.
This question assumes that God exists.
The pastor and the man went back and forth on this until the man realized he had picked a loosing fight. He started drinking heavily and would be drunk by the end of the night.
The next woman asked, "How can you, as a Christian claim, explain why he allows so much pain and suffering in out world?"
In answer, "That's a good question," he turns to her boyfriend sitting next to her, "Do YOU mind if we go back and forth on this?"
The boyfriend, afraid to make a fool of himself, hesitates, but then he thinks that if he can win this argument he might be able to win her heart. You must know, that throughout dinner so far this man could not take his eyes off of her, yet she ignored him. "Yeah, sure, we can go back and forth."
To the boyfriend, "Okay then, what would you say if I could give you a computer chip to place in the back of your girlfriend's head so that you could control her thoughts and actions. You would just have to type a command into a computer and she would do it. Would you like that?"
"Well of course!" he replied, greedily looking around for such a device.
"No you wouldn't"
"Yes I would."
"Oh, no you wouldn't"
"Oh, yes I would."
"No you-"
"Okay, I give up, why wouldn't I like it?"
With a smile the pastor said, "You would enjoy it a whole lot, at first, but later on, you would dread it because you would know that whatever she did or said wouldn't be from her heart, it would be from the chip. So to answer your question," he turned back to the girlfriend, "you can force someone to do many things, but you cant make them love you. The same idea applies to God, and he want our real love. So God gave us free will that we may use to CHOOSE to love him. Unfortunately, free will also opens up the door to evil. Mankind can abuse their free will and end up hurting others. Pain and suffering isn't from God, it is from Man. He can either take you out or take away your freedom in order to stop this, but if he loves you too much to take you out and if he took away your freedom he wouldn't get your freely given love.
Someone else asked, "If God is good, as described before, should he not limit some of the evil in the world?"
Pastor: "Here let me explain it this way. A father says to his child, 'Don't play in the street, it is dangerous.' The child hears his father, but goes and plays in the street anyway and then gets hit by a car. Now the child wouldn't (or couldn't) go back and say, 'Dad how could you?' It just doesn't work like that. In the same sense, God warns us about the dangers of the world in the Bible. He sets boundaries for us and if we stay within those boundaries, we will be safe. If we do not, like the child, we will get hurt. We are the ones that pain and suffering come from! We are the ones who disobeyed!"
Still puzzling over if the computer chip is real or not, the boyfriend nods his head.
"Okay then, if God is really good, as you say, then how could he send someone to hell?" another person inquires.
"We as humans have things that we MUST do to survive. We must have food, water, and shelter. You can't say, 'I'm not going to eat.' and expect to live much longer. God, has his own requirements too. He cannot be with anything impure, unholy, or sinful. In the days of the old testament, God had his people make sacrifices to wash away their sins. Today we don't have to do this because God made the ultimate sacrifice, he gave up his one and only son to save us all and so that we may be with him. BUT, if all of your life you say, 'I don't need or want God. I want to have nothing to do with him and this religion.',when judgment day comes God will say to you, 'Okay, I'm sad that YOU CHOSE this.' and then he will send you to hell.
In recap, God is good. He set the universal law that defines the line between good and evil, clarifying what is holy and unholy. He wants our love, but he wants it given freely, not forcefully. So, he gave us the power to choose between good and evil, and he gave us instructions of how to stay pure and righteous. Unfortunately, some people have chosen to not follow him and they commit sins which create pain and suffering for themselves and others. Those who choose to not be with God while on earth, are given their wish and are sent to hell where they will be separated from God, for eternity. Those who do choose to be with him and accept him are granted passage into heaven to be with him forever."
This was what Jeff Vines, the author, told us about Saturday morning; I took thorough notes as you can see. He also gave us some tips for when up against the skeptics:
- Ask question more than statements- the questions help people:
- recognize self defeating questions
- realize the importance of coherency in any world view
- open up with their own assumptions
He had a jar, a bucket, and a large plexiglas container each full of pennies. The far held 60 pennies- one penny for every second in a minute. The bucket held 3,600 pennies- one penny for each second in an hour.
And the plexiglas held 86,400- one for each second in a whole day.
Walling told us that these pennies represent the time given to us by God. When God gives them to us, we have to rules that are ultimately unbreakable:
- No saving, you must spend all of the money right away (you can't save time)
- Whatever you spend it on, shows what has worth to you
So, looking at the 2nd rule, you spend a lot of time doing regular things like getting ready in the morning, going to the bathroom, etc. ...
How much time are you spending on God?
God gave us this life money (time) and he can take it back-no refunds- but he won't because he also gave us the freedom to spend it on what we want.
God doesn't want the leftover cash.
He wants you to give your life money to him, so he'll make a deal with you. God's deal: "You give me all of your time [which I gave to you by the way] on earth, and once you have spent every last penny- I will give you eternity. So what do you say, the little bit of time you have for eternity with me?"
So what will you choose? Will you give him your all?
My last page of notes is about the kind of relationship God wants to have with us.
Today people of the church seem to be all about order. They think "everything must be done perfectly, or God won't love us!"
But does he really care that much about how we do our church service? (The answer is debatable, but that's not my point.) I don't think that that is really what God is after.
What he wants is our love, he wants us to talk with him, walk with him, and do anything and everything with him. God doesn't want a forced, artificial love, he wants the real thing.
Forget the formalities, God isn't a god who stares down his nose at us, he is a god who looks us in the eye. He is with us all the time and wants to hear everything on our minds. Like King David, we can scream, argue, laugh/joke, cry, etc... at/with God-he doesn't mind. He just wants our focus!
So there is what I learned at Winterfest. Now, for the actual blog part: My experiences!
In recent days I have read a handful of books that I could classify as action-romance. I have always loved the action parts, but now that I am older I enjoy a touch of romance too. For you lady readers out there-I'm sure you know what I mean. Well in in these romantic parts, the author will describe a "tingling sensation" that comes over the girl where ever the boy touches her when they are hugging and kissing. I do not know this as a fact, as I have not been in a romantic relationship before, but I think I understand this "tingling sensation".
Whenever I am singing to God in praise, I do my best to focus on the words and pour my soul into them, letting God know that I truly love him. I want to mean the words that I say and not just rattle of nonsense-ness. When I do this, my whole body feels a "tingling sensation" and I wonder, is this what it feels like to be touched by the one you love?
I have been feeling this sensation for over a year, but I felt it a lot over Winterfest because of the amount of singing we did.
Another experience I had was a mixture of uncomfortableness, detachment, and just plain boredom. Let me elaborate: I was roomed with girls that I do not know very well. During free time, we have to stay with our [a] chaperon so I stayed with these girls. We walked around Gatlinburg for a bit, but then the other girls decided that they wanted to go get in line for seating early so that they could get front row seats. I, of course, had to stay with them for safety reasons. Once we got there, we met up with some of the guys in our youth group (also of whom I am not acquainted) who had the same idea, so we sat with them. We sat there for 2 hours!!! During this time they played a few games and tried their best to involve me, which I appreciated, but when some more people showed up from our youth group, it got kind of crowded and I was sort of pushed to the edge. These kids weren't trying to be rude on purpose, they just were hanging out with their friends that they had [probably] known since kindergarten and didn't stop to think about the newbie sitting on the sidelines. In a small way I am glad they didn't involve me because they were doing some crazy things such as jumping, punching, pinching, and many other things to each other that I do not do, yet I couldn't help but feel left out. Can you blame me?
I sat there and observed these "brothers and sisters" of mine for a long while. It got me to thinking, "Am I like this? If a new person was sitting near me and my friends, would I be acting like this? Would I forget about their existence as soon as I saw a familiar face?" I pondered on this thought for a while and then came to the conclusion, "No, I would not be acting like this, but then again I don't normally act like this even around my friends. I would do my best to include the new person and find away to get them involved. If I have ever made a person feel the way I feel now, I am truly sorry." I go through this on many occasions- if I see someone acting in a manner I do not particularly like, then I try to stop and reflect. I look back and try to remember if I ever acted like that person and how it felt when I did, if I did. Then, I make plans for the future to not act like this person. I might make up scenarios that I would have the chance to act like this person but could also choose a better action. I highly suggest this form of reasoning, it has helped me become a better person and a better Christian.
To make matters worse, I didn't even get a front row, no, not even a second or third row seat. When the great doors opened and we were allowed to rush to our seats with vigor I ran in right behind (note: behind) the group. The front row was already taken by the one group who was in front of us, so we started into the second row. The row filled up and a few people were even sitting on top of each other. And, get this, there was no room at the inn for me! There were no more seats left in the row. I stood there dumbfounded for a second, not wanting to believe that I had just patiently wasted all that time in line and not getting my reward; by the time I recovered and started looking for a seat nearby, maybe in the third row behind them, that I could take, the fifth row was already starting to be filled up. I looked back to the group, tears tearing at the back of my eyes, wanting to come out, and those on the end stared back at me, realizing the problem. "What should I do?!" I squeaked to them. Shrugging their shoulders, they looked away from me and took a dedicated interest in their shoes. It finally hit me that I wasn't going to get a front row seat; I had waited all that time in silence, bored out of my mind nonetheless, for nothing. I pressed on, "I mean, I don't want any of you to have to give up your seats for me to sit there, I am glad for you that you get to sit here, but what should I do? We aren't supposed to sit by ourselves, and I don't have anyone to sit with!" Again, the antsy group stared up at me and then looked away shrugging, not offering a single idea of what to do or even an, "I'm sorry." They just looked away from me like a diseased person and continued on. Oh, how I wanted to cry! I was distraught and lost and alone in an over crowded room. With out another word, I walked away trying to find at least one of my friends, hoping that they had a spare seat for me.
I did find a seat next to a few girls that I had hung out with at church before. They weren't the best seats because you had to crane your neck to see either the stage or the big screens that projected what was happening on stage, yet I enjoyed the lesson, my un-shed tears subsided and eventually became a thing of the past. I wasn't the only one to want to cry that night. The girl sitting next to me started crying harshly, moved by lesson. She groped at the girl on her other side, yearning for someone to hold on to, as tears poured down her face like mini waterfalls. The other girl hugged her back, but then let go, not exactly sure what to do. Still crying, the girl turned to me and I reached out for her embrace as she reached out for mine. I held on to her fiercely and rubbed her back soothingly. I wanted her to know that I was there for her. She must have understood my unspoken message because then she gripped tighter onto me and we rocked back and forth with the tempo of the praise song starting up around us. I sang along, but still held on to her. We stood there clutching each other for the rest of the service.
So, I guess good came out of my misfortune in the end. If I had sat in the front row, who would have held the teary eyed girl? God had a plan, and I am glad that he involved me!!
Okay, enough about Winterfest...
Here is a short list of things I have accomplished in the past few weeks:
- I made it into the school musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.(I'm only in the chorus, but that means I'll be on stage most of the time :D)
- A piece of my artwork has been chosen to be displayed at the school bored office. (each school only gets 2 spots, and mine was chosen for 1 of them!)
- A piece of my writing has been chosen to go into a county-school book written by students (I'm going to be in print!!!-every author's dream)
- I wrote a 480 word essay about why I will not do drugs or alcohol for an assignment, and mine was chosen among 2 others to be sent into a contest with cash prizes.
- My walk with Jesus, I am proud to say, is moving swimmingly, and my faith is growing rapidly.
And that about sums it up!!
Don't forget to leave comments!
Oh and thank you to those of you who actually read this thing despite its length, I am very thankful!!
North vs. South
Sorry for skipping out last week! Things just got so busy that I actually forgot to write something up!
Okay, as requested by a few of my readers:
I'd like to call this little tid-bit, "The Differences Between Up and Down"
North (Up)
Faster Life Styles- Almost everyone is almost always living in the fast lane and trying to get things done so fast that they forget to stop and sniff the roses (is that how the phrase goes?). They get up early and go to bed late, never taking the time to stop and see the beauty of life. (not pointing any fingers at you northerners up there!!)
Car Production- Do I even need to say it? Up north they have GM, Ford, and other big car companies and factories. Down here-not so much.
Restaurants- Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! How I miss coney islands and family diners!!!!!!!!!!!
Weather- in the north there is A LOT of snow and it gets A LOT colder (for obvious reasons) and actually I think it gets warmer in the summer up in MI, but that's probably just me
Economy- As I'm sure you know, the economy in the north isn't exactly "thriving"… Most of you know that better than I.
South (Down)
Slower Life Styles- actually, this accusation could be considered false, you might think that the south is all "Ride the horse to get to school and work, barbecues, and running around outside all the time", but in reality, life really isn't that different- we use cars to get around, we do have barbecues (but not all the time), nor do kids just run around all the time either. Most kids are sitting inside playing video games, watching movies, or listening to music.
Car Production- We have Nisan!!!!! We have Nisan!!!!! (Although from our past experience with Nisan's Cube, my parents aren't real happy with them.)
Restaurants- We have what you call "Meat and 3" restaurants down here, here's how it works: you pick your main dish (the meat) and then you pick 3 sides. It is as simple as that.
Weather- Rainy winters and springs, hot summers and bearable autumns- I like the weather down here!!!!!
Economy- We are thriving down here!!! Lots of manufacturing, high tech industries, and galore!! Not to mention TN being "the volunteer state"
So there are just a few differences that I have come across.
(I know this one is short, but I am having trouble thinking of anything to write about. Any suggestions will be appreciated.)
(Don't forget to leave comments!)
The Wizard of Oz
Okay, as a request from anonymous readers, this blog will be more about me and my life. Now first off, I do not want to sound self centered in any way because I am running on and on about myself, so if it looks like I am, please know that I don't mean to look self centered!
So, here we go:
To be honest with you all, the move from Michigan to Tennessee was hard, at first. I left everything I had ever know: friends, family, school, even the atmosphere (not the scientific kind with air and stuff, but the kind when you feel when you are at home or at peace, the feeling you get when you think everything is in its place and as it should be). I left it all to come to an unfamiliar place, a place where almost everything was different: the way people spoke, drove, acted, and the way of life down here, it was all so confusing and hard to tell up from down (figuratively, not literally). I'd like to say that I was traumatized by the horrific situation I found myself in so much that I threw my hands up to God asking for help and putting my life fully in his care, and by doing that, I came to be closer to him. I'd like to say that, but that isn't exactly what happened. What happened can be stated in a simple sentence: I adjusted to it. Now, there was a time when I freaked out about it all, but I quickly dismissed the thought, realizing that God was in control and what ever happened was part of his big plan. So, I did put my trust in God and I did become closer to him, but I did not fall on my knees and cry out to him or anything like that. I just accepted that "this is the way it is" and "this is the way God wants it, or at least, this is what he is allowing to happen... good things will come out of it the end." (Just think of Joseph and his coat of many colors, you'll understand that I have confidence in my theory because it has been proven in the bible.)
I do my best to think like that now, always trying to keep a positive attitude, even in bad situations, keeping in mind, that He is the author of my life. (Interesting perspective from my mind: I love to think about God as an author, because, well, I know the what it feels like to be an author and I can make connections between an author and God. An author, you see, gets to decide who the characters are and shape them into perfect heroes or sidekicks or whatever by giving them the right personality and such, they choose what the characters do and how they do it and where they do it, and pretty much every other aspect of the story. Thinking of these characteristics, it reminds me of God. He made us, like an author makes characters; He is in control of our lives and can give us the perfect "background" that will prepare us for what ever we will have to face, just like an author; He decides how and where we'll do what ever we are supposed to do, for example, if God needs us to be in a certain place at a certain time, He'll have other things happen around us to get us there, whether it's a broken down car or moving to a new place or something entirely different. And if you really want to look at a bigger picture, know that the things that you do effect other people's lives too. God is the author and the world is His book. We are the characters and everything we do affects others and creates a chain reaction of things that we might never know about. It's hard to get your mind around, I know, but it's just another way to look at the big picture.)
Anyway, I try to keep in mind that everything and anything happening to and around me is happening for a reason. Now, after 2 years, I am only just begging to see why I was "relocated" and what I was sent here to do. I have made many friends and I am determined to touch their lives in some way, big or small, that will somehow bring them closer to God. I'm reaching out and trying to look at the big picture. Hopefully I will be able to touch someone and inspire them. I want to be able to knock down the first domino and create a chain reaction, changing someone's life for the better. You see, the way I look at it, I've been baptized so I have been saved and will continue my search for the King, but on the way I want to pick up stranglers and help them in the right direction.
This might sound strange, but the Wizard Of Oz comes to mind when I think about this. Picture this: I am Dorothy, and I want to find the wizard (aka God) because only he can give me something that no one else can give (in Dorothy's case it is a ride home, but for this illustration I'll say that it is to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart that can't be filled by anything else but him), so I am going to follow the yellow brick road (aka the path to righteousness). Along the way I'll meet up with the scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion (aka friends) who also need something from the wizard. We all follow the yellow brick road together and help each other out (aka building each other up-like the bible says to do). The Wicked Witch of the West (aka Satin) will try to stop us, but our longing for the wizard will keep us going until we reach the Emerald City (aka heaven) and are with the wizard. In the end, our hearts will be satisfied and we will have received the gift which only the wizard can give (aka love, life, etc...) and we will be with the wizard for eternity (okay, I know, that last part isn't in the movie/book, but just go with it).
So that is my insight on the topic. Bottom line is: God is in control!
I hope you enjoyed this blog, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave comments!!! Tell me what you think or ask questions that I can answer in my next blog. As the blogger, writer, person (is there an official title for this description?!) I'd like some feedback from my dear readers!
Thank you all!!
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