Jesus' Sacrifice

About a week ago, before bed, I was thinking about Jesus. I was wondering about how much I actually loved Him. For some reason, I couldn't get myself to feel very strongly. I know, pathetic. But I started to think of His sacrifice in terms that were easier for me to understand. I applied His gift to today and thought about how I would feel if a friend made a much smaller sacrifice for me. I started thinking, and then I started writing. I hope this might help you grasp Jesus' love a little better today.

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Long ago, there was a Man. I didn’t know Him; I wasn’t in existence yet. But He knew me. He knew who I would be. He knew my strengths, my weaknesses, which of His words would speak the most to me. He knew my favorite songs, the number of times I’m get frustrated with people, and the day I would die. He knew me better than my mother, better than my dearest friend. He knew who I would be. He knew I would be a horrid, ever-failing, flawed human being.

He knew I was destined for hell. He knew I would suffer and burn in excruciating agony for eternity, and He knew I would not even understand this horrific place before I got there. And He cared for me. He took compassion on me. He never sinned. He never snapped unrighteous at His brother, never fancied lustful thoughts, never held anyone or anything in higher regard than His Father.

His Father decided that, with the same love this Man felt for me, he would change my eternal ending place. He loved me so much that He decided to rescue me from my impending suffering in hell. He not only removed that horrendous fate, but He decided to prepare a place for me in His glorious kingdom, where goodness is far more unfathomable than the torture in hell is terrible.

But the Father was also just. He couldn’t simply remove the punishment from such a despicable failure as I.

The man who loved me far more than I could ever love Him or any other raised His hand. He said, “Father, punish me instead of her. We love her so much. We want her to be with Us – and this is the only way. I will not fail Your test of living a perfect life. Let me live and be killed instead of her. Let Us give her the Spirit to bring her to Us after she is born. Then she will begin to understand this sacrifice I will make for her.”

And so the time came when this Man, who I could not yet know, carried His own wooden cross to the place He was to be hammered to it. Men and women who refused to believe hit him and sneered at Him. But He thought of me and all my brothers and sisters who had and were going to trust Him to pay the impossible cost for their sins. He let them tear all His clothes off. He did not fight when they drove nails through his hands and feet, attaching him to the cross He had carried. Many people hated Him and showed their loathing openly as He hung there for all to see, dying a slow and horrid death.

This Man who I did not know did this for me. I’d be shocked and touched if my friend gave up a ticket to a big show for me. He gave up His perfect account so I could go to heaven. I love Him so much. Thank you, Jesus.

Sunlight

Today was an absolutely glorious day. It was truly beautiful.

Today the sun traveled through the sky. As it did so, its beams illuminated bits of nature.

Leaves were glowing and beaming their color as the sun radiated behind them. Spiderweb silk twinkled as the light gleamed over it. Trees seemed a thousand times more majestic because of the absolutely lovely sunlight. I can hardly even find all the words, but it was amazing. Throughout the day new things kept showing themselves in ways they rarely seem to; the big tree across the street, the changing leaves, and the especially blue sky were so full of color and wonder. A picture's worth a thousand words; I just really need to show you :). I don't think the colors don't come out as bright on my blog as they are in actuality, but ah well!

Today reminded me of a quote by C.S. Lewis. I'd seen it at least twice before. When I recalled the general idea of the quote, it helped me to realize more how amazing God is.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it."

Senior Thesis

Hello again!

Clarification of my last post - I realized sometime after writing that I might've sounded like I was bashing my Omnibus class or something. However, though I struggle with the reading sometimes, I do enjoy a lot of things about that class; I like discussions we have. I also enjoy writing (as you may have guessed!). And in that class, I get to write!

Speaking of which, I'm excited for my senior thesis paper. The dreaded thesis paper that Granite seniors have to write. Wow, those last two sentences were basically equivalent. Anyways, that mass assignment always seems to loom over everyone as thy approach their senior year. But we actually have a lot of freedom in it, and I'm looking forward to it!

We must to pick a controversial topic of our age and write an approximately 15-25 page paper, in which we decide a stance on some aspect of that topic and argue it. That instruction alone gives us lots of choices. It's not too hard to find an issue that means something to you. AN issue meaning enough that you might... actually... make it PAST the required page number? Perhaps! Besides that freedom, we can also do this paper in nearly limitless ways.

Personally, I am (right now, at least) planning to write a story about the foster care system. I'm hoping to incorporate photography into my story.

But that wasn't what I was actually planning to write about. I was going to write about the little kids that I love. But you know what? There are just too many of them for one post. So perhaps I'll begin that tomorrow!

Time

Lately my mind has been swirling with thoughts. They often tend to come at very bad times, such as when I'm trying to read my Omnibus material. As soon as I try to focus on those readings that I'd honestly rather not be focusing on, a million things seem to pop up in my head.

Memories from random times throughout my life come to mind, experiences I wish to experience again (not because I want to change them, but because I miss them), and sometimes ideas that I wish had happened during the time I've had. I've had SO many amazing experiences, though, in my life. I've had hundreds of opportunities to go places, experience events, be in plays, go to Mexico, camp, and many other smaller places. The zoo, the aquarium, visiting a college, being in a ballet class, seeing a movie in 3D. I'm blessed to live where I do; we sure get to do a lot of things around here. There are tons of opportunities for homeschoolers, along with nearly any subject you can imagine.

Anyways, sometimes I think about how I don't want this year to end. I suppose it did just start, but since it's my last year of high school, the end seems all too near. I felt that way when we were at the beach for a week; I waited so long to get there, but when we got there, the days started slipping away. They were full of amazing friends and everything that comes with them, but a week can only last so long. Time flies when you're having fun. And so, by the second or third day, I was fearing the end.

One of my teachers told us multiple times in the beginning of school that the end of the year is tomorrow. And hey... it's already been more than a month of school. Didn't we just start? At the same time, a good bit has happened and changed since then, and I'm glad of that. But now there's just November, December, January... February, March. April. Our last day is May 5. Wait a second, isn't that only six months???

The point of this post wasn't to get all sad about the end! Not yet.

So. This is... the beginning of the end, I guess :). Okay.

There are so many things I'm excited for in these next six months. Maybe I'll tell you all about them sometime...

In the meantime, I should get off the computer. I reeeeeally don't want to waste the time I have this year on Facebook. Ha. So that's something to work on. I do think that blogging and my photography are worthy uses of computer time. though! Hopefully they shall continue boldly on. Especially photography - I love it. I don't have to remind myself to do it, I just really really enjoy taking and editing pictures.

:) Lindsay Anne

P.S. The title of this post is called "Time" because of a song titled as such. It's by Chantal Kreviazuk, and it makes me especially wishy-washy about all this growing up stuff.

P.P.S. I am sooooo gonna sob at my graduation...

And So It Begins!

Hi there!

I officially started my senior year of high school on Monday. Kind of weird. I'm hoping this year won't go by too fast; I'm not really ready yet. But then again, it's only September!

If you read my entry about Field Day at my homeschool group that I wrote in the spring, you may not be surprised at what I want to say next; that day was definitely one of the first times I got excited about the younger kids at Granite (at least consciously excited). I have to say that the younger half of my homeschool group is a big incentive to be there. And I must say... the third graders REALLY do get tinier every year! No kidding. At least it always feels that way...

Something new I'm doing this school year is helping out with Pioneer Girls at my church. I used to go to Pioneer Girls when I was young enough, and I've helped with skits and etc. a bit after that, but this is my first time to be helping throughout the whole school year. I'm soooo excited! I'm helping with the third and fourth graders :). It's neat because I already know most of them, but hardly. They're all so sweet. One is my friend's little sister, one is the younger sister of a girl who was on my basketball team in the winter, and one is even a third grader in my homeschool group! Very exciting :D. I'll probably not be able to resist sharing some of the sweet things they do and say throughout this year.

On a school-related note, one of my classes is Omnibus. It's sort of like History, English, Civics, Government...etc... all combined! In Omnibus we have to keep a hand-written journal filled with basically everything we read for the class. So far I've found it very helpful in keeping me focused; it'll also be something special to have in 20 years or so.

Speaking of journals... I've been very bad about doing personal journaling for quite some time now. For a few years I was pretty consistent, but my junior year I rarely wrote. Perhaps this would be a good time to start again :) the beginning of the end of high school... (plus I just bought yet another journal; I do love them so).

Something, though, that I realized about my own journaling: I usually figure out things when I write about them. I start writing thing I've never really thought out before. But that also happens when I pray, but usually only when I do so out loud. That way I don't get distracted as easily. So at least for me, I think it would be beneficial if I direct my journal writings toward our Heavenly Father :). Do you journal? If so, what are the benefits you find in doing such? Or do you wish you journaled? If not, do you have a belief about why not?

Thanks for reading :)

As Long As You Are Glorified

I'm really glad someone else has written about this song, because usually I can't find Sovereign Grace lyrics online. But another blogger posted and commented on this song. It came to my mind a few minutes ago.

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night

Bridge: So quiet my restless heart, quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart in You

This is such a comforting song when it comes down to, well, anything. If you're sad or discouraged, feeling like you've failed or haven't anything to show for your faith or service, it is so good to remember that one basic thing we can and should focus on is just bringing glory to God. This song reminds us to abide in Him (more specifically, the song says in His love). That's something I've been trying to learn recently. The song takes us through good and bad situations and asks the rhetorical questions of "Are You good only when...?" "Are You true only when...?" "Are You King only when...?" etc. To sum it up, the verses ask whether God is still everything He says He is in joyful, glad times, terrible, heat-breaking times, and even empty, numb times. And He is. "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made." Psalm 145:13. I love that verse (I say that sentence with every word emphasized!). It's so reassuring. *Sigh* of happiness :). Thank You Lord for being completely constant even when we're so up and down.

Peach Pie

This week I made a peach pie. It was fun! Although, it seems I thought about how yummy it would be too much beforehand, so when I actually tasted it it wasn't quite as good as expected. I took pictures of the crust, peaches, and pie, so I decided to write about it!

Even if you don't particularly like cooking, making something simple can be fun every once in a while. Try making chocolate chip, sugar, or peanut butter cookies, a pie (it's simpler to buy the crust though, or use a canned filling... like cherry filling... YUM), or brownies!

Another thing that you could try if you're looking for something to do is start a blog. You don't have to post in any certain pattern (though I wouldn't recommend deserting your blog for multiple months if you still want people to check it). If you've read different blogs and toyed with this idea, try it out! For a test run, write a post in a note on Facebook. That way, if you change your mind, there's not a random blog that's left floating in cyberspace for ever and eternity.

5:03!!! Speaking of which, I had an in-car driving session with a driver's education instructor yesterday when my 5:03 alarm went off. It was pretty funny. I gave him a short version of the story of 5:03... if you want to hear it, do ask!

Anyways, I put a new POLL up. Please vote in it, it's basically a yes-or-no one and it won't take long at all. :)

Toll Booths

Last night (well, actually this morning) I watched a movie that had a columnist in it. I realized, oh! a column is a lot like a blog. The guy who wrote the column was talking about a lot of different things very quickly, mostly listing topics he'd been writing about in the column. One of the subjects was toll booths! I remembered how I'd though about them one time. So. I'm going to write to you today about toll booths!

This summer when we were on a long trip, we had to go through multiple toll stops. There weren't really lines to get to the booths, people were just fighting it out to be first. It's only sensical that it would bless others to let them go first... but in this case, you can't become a pushover or else you'll be stuck in the stream of cars for a loooong time. Finally, each and every person who passes through gets their turn to pay the people waiting at the booths (which isn't a very rewarding ending, giving up your money in exchange for maneuvering about other tired, angry drivers).

I think it would be kind of awesome to work in a toll booth! You could try to cheer up people as they pass through. Instead of making the whole experience worse by being grumpy or monotonous, it would be neat for a worker there to be friendly and cheerful. You'd have your own little space, you're not on your feet, and get can attempt any number of ways of making the random people happy. Easier said than done, of course.

Anyone have any topics I could write on? How about the first object that pops into your mind. The first character. Celebrity. Book. Tell me in the comment section...please? :) I'll see what I can write on some of them.

LA out.

;)

Why Hello Again :)

Well, as you can tell, I haven't written in almost a month! Yikes. After our family beach week I was at camp for two weeks. It was an amazing experience, as camp usually seems to be. If you want to hear more about it, just ask me :).

This week begins the college people heading out. It's weird... this time some who are leaving are people who aren't much older than myself. But thankfully, not toooo many of my close friends are going far, far away.

Oh! I must add - I did a drawing for the nature calendar at some point since I last wrote. I put all four of the entrants' names onto scraps of paper. I crumpled them up and put them into a bowl. And I had my sister pick one (so NO, there couldn't have been bias, you see! ;) ). Sooo drumroll... Luke won! I'll give you the calendar sometime when I see you in the near future.

So I bought a new CD on iTunes recently. It's Britt Nicole's new CD, The Lost Get Found. Maggie (my sister) and I have her older CD (self-titled). They're both really good. I enjoy her first CD as a whole and so far that goes for her new one too. I definitely recommend this CD - it's less than most CDs on iTunes, at $7.99. Britt Nicole is a Christian pop-type singer. She's similar to Jessie Daniels (also really good, look into her music!) and maybe even Barlowgirl. Although, Britt Nicole strikes me as a bit more current than Barlowgirl.

Well, that's all for now, folks.... I'll write again, SOONER this time! ;)

Little Friend

Yesterday I was telling my mom it'd be fun if we met other people while we we're at the beach. I mean, it's kinda funny if you think about it. You're on a beach in close proximity of basically the same people every day while you're at the beach. Anyways, as it turns out, today I made a new friend! :).

I was digging a hole with my little brother near the edge the water. The tide was coming in, so so hole kept filling up with water. After a bit, I noticed a little girl eying us. She kept coming closer and looking at us. So, I asked her if she wanted to dig with us. She said yes. Her bathing suit was mostly pink and she was carrying a neon green sand shovel. She told us her name and that she was five.

When she told me how old she was I thought of how she would've been the right age to come to Princess Camp :). But I don't even think she lived in the United States. At first I thought she had mistaken different states for different countries. But then, I think I started to hear a bit of a... British accent, maybe? Her little brother, who was three, came over and started digging with our bigger shovel, while the little girl and I drew caterpillars and sea creatures in the sand. We talked about The Sound of Music, iCarly, and our families, among other subjects! It was lots of fun :). Eventually their dad came and told them they were leaving shortly. Hopefully I'll see them again tomorrow! :)

Stars!!!

Today was our first day at the beach! It was lovely. We arrived after 1am... this morning/last night. 

When we got here, I was reeeeally excited. The hyper excitement started when we were close to our house. We drove by the other beach houses and finally reached ours. It's fun being in a new house with friends or family for basically a whole week.

I thought there would probably be a couple people who hadn't turned in for bed yet. But it turned out that all but a few were awake! Some were even in the pool. Thus I didn't end up going to sleep until... well, let's just say, REALLY late. 

But before I slept, I saw the stars!!! Oh, how I love them! I love stars. Love, love, love. And in my memory, I've never seen them shine like the way they shine here. When there are no clouds you can see shooting stars and the Milky Way. It's crazy. I love the stars because they're so beautiful and bright and they go on and on, growing seemingly smaller as they go. They twinkle, shine, and sometimes shoot. And when I look at them, I'm almost immediately reminded of how big God is, and how incredibly tiny I am. And what a Creator He is. Stars are breathtaking. I suppose people are struck into awe by different aspects of God's creation. For me, a big one is the sky. Particularly these stars. How amazing they are :) :) :)

Photo-Op; Bible Translations

In a few days I'm going to be at the beach.

Oh my goodness.

Photo-Op!!! :D

I can't wait. I hadn't thought about it much until recently, but now I'm getting really excited! This'll be my first time at the beach since I actually started taking lots of pictures. Well... I took lots last year, but I didn't edit a lot of them. This time I'm going to take lots and lots and lots... of all the beautiful things God has at the beach... waves, seagulls, boats perhaps, sand, families, sky, ah :). 

I'm also entertaining the notion of getting a new camera sometime this summer. I'm not exactly sure if it'll happen, but that'd be pretty neat! I guess it mostly depends on my money saving and earning. And etc....

What's your favorite object/setting/time to take pictures? I guess this won't apply to everyone, but if it does comment back ;).

I added a new poll recently, You should vote in it :).

Lately I've thought a little about Bible translations. In a book series I've been reading, the author incorporates verses from The Message translation. To be honest, it kind of bothers me. The verses aren't separated in this version by individual verse, but by chunks of verses, and much more modern terminology is used. But then, I realize, what did some people think when the NIV translation first came out? I really like that translation, from what I've gathered, but I'll bet it seemed pretty modern at first. But also hear this: I am NOT saying The Message is wrong or not as good as any other translation. What I'm saying isn't even really a conviction, but a personal preference that happens to be geared away from that type of translation. Nevertheless, this is still a translation of God's Word, which I am aware of. The reason why I don't appreciate it as much is that it's not presented in the same terms I'm used to... so it doesn't really feel the same for me reading it. I'm used to other translations like NIV and NKJV (my Bible is that one). Anyways, what are you thoughts or convictions on this topic? :)

Nature Calendar Contest

Hello. Hmm. I feel a bit shy right now, writing this post. I'm going to propose an idea to you, hopefully it'll work out. 

Alrighty! Well. if you're reading this, yes, I'm talking to you. There's a website calledArtsCow.com. They have pretty high shipping fees, but when you join you get offers for a bunch of free stuff. It's pretty neat! One of the first free things was a custom photo calendar. So I put in some of my nature photos and ordered one!

An idea I had was to do a drawing of sorts on my blog for the calendar. But... yes, that's why I'm nervous. I guess I'm going to carry out that idea/plan, hoping some people will respond ;). The pictures aren't amazing, they're all taken with my point-and-shoot, but I've edited them. They're nice and colorful. And hey, it's free if you win! :). 

So basically, if you want to be entered leave your name and last initial in a comment on this post (you don't have to be part of anything to comment, if you're reading this on my actual blog site, just choose "anonymous." I guess I'm assuming that anyone who reads my blog I'd be able to get in contact with, but if not, I guess just tell me and I can figure out a way to contact you!

So I guess that's that ;). Respond if you so desire! :)

BBB & HP6!

Hi there! Well I'm glad to let you know that Princess Camp continued and finished well :). It was awesome getting to spend time with some of the girls that I knew went to our church, but I'd never hardly talked to before. Although... I did know some before. And I didn't know one at all! New friends :)

Bye Bye Birdie is basically happening right now! Not NOW, now, but the show ran last weekend and will start again this evening. I've gone to all three performances they've had so far ;). It's been lots of fun. I like watching different groups at different times, because there always seems to be a lot happening on the stage, particularly during the chorus numbers. There are the teens and the parents, or the boys and the girls... so much choreography! It's really awesome. Sitting near the front also gives a different experience. Actors come down very close to you and Conrad Birdie even goes across a certain row of seats. That won't give away much, though, because that certain row seems to change quite often ;). 

Also... Harry Potter!!! I'm going to see it tonight! I know last night was the midnight premiere, but tonight's showing will feel similar. I'm excited. I started rereading the sixth book yesterday (oops, a little late), so at least I'll get through some of that before the movie. I'll probably read a synopsis on Wikipedia to catch up any details I may want to remember... hopefully that will be good enough ;). After all, what book-reader doesn't like to point out the many places where a movie differs from its book? 

~LA

Princess Camp (Day 2/4)

Hola! In my last post I told you that Princess Camp was the next adventure :). It started on Tuesday and will go until Friday. Today was day 2 out of 4. I think it's going really well! There are 9 little girls in the camp. There were going to be 10, but one has been sick :(. Anyways, now that we've gotten those numbers taken care of! My sister had been helping with camp, but she's now sick/exhausted, with a sore throat. She's had tons rehearsals of rehearsals because the play (Bye Bye Birdie) that's she's in starts on Friday! So she's going to rest up and save her voice tonight in rehearsal. Meanwhile my friend Emma is going to help the last two days of camp :). Yay!

Today in Princess Camp, one thing we did was playing outside in the water. I got this $5 sprinkler at Dollar General. It's basically kinda similar to a plastic floaty for the pool, except it's a way bigger circle that's pretty thin. It has tiny holes every few inches so that water sprays up. My mom finally got it to work pretty well, and the girls were having fun :). Quite a photo-op, too! After a while, a hole popped in the "seam" of the sprinkler. And then it got bigger. The girls enjoyed the water gushing out... but it didn't exactly work after that! So, my mom got out the garden sprayer and the girls ran through it and took turns holding it if they so desired. 

Well, this is a bit short, but I'm going to stop writing for now. Later Alligators! (after while crocodile) See ya soon, Baboon! ;)

Nana & Papa's House

My Nana and Papa's house - that's where I am, and have been since Friday night. They live in a small town in a Southern state :). It's pretty neat. After going to NYC over spring break, I realized how little I truly like cities. They're loud and expensive. The loud and colorful part is cool and exciting at first... but living there? Yikes, not for me! Small towns, on the other hand, are something I do enjoy. I'm not sure if I'd move to one (well, I might if my closest friends came too! But still, I'd probably want to go anywhere with them). 

Yesterday I took bunches of pictures in my Nana's garden. I also took lots at my Nana's brother's farm. There were cats, chickens, cows, dogs, barns, haylofts... many lovely things that you'd think of  when you hear "farm" :). I even like how farms smell, no kidding. I don't think I really liked that smell when I was little... but I do now. Anyways - I don't have wifi for my laptop, so I'll post pictures from both places when I get home on my Flickr! 

I was amazed at how easy it was to get good pictures of the flowers; God makes them SO breathtaking. All we do is *snap* a picture, edit, and etc. But it's really so amazing. There's another thing about being here. It's easier to see God. More nature, less distractions. If you have family in a small town, I'd suggest visiting them and really trying to appreciate God when you go! Though, I'm sure different people feel like they can see God more easily in other places. For me, the stars always seem to spark a closeness to God right away. When I go outside at night and see stars, I talk to God. It nearly always comes as a natural reaction. Stars are SUCH an amazing and beautiful creation!

Today was our official family reunion. It didn't last very long, but it was nice. My family minus my sister (she stayed home, getting ready to star in Bye Bye Birdie :D), my Nana and Papa, and my Aunt and Uncle were there. And then there were lots of... relatives (I'm not really sure HOW I'm related to all of them, but I assume I am in some way!). I only recognized a few at first... but then I realized that I remembered more than just a few. 

There actually were some other kids, but I didn't exactly know any of them. Ian was there, he's 17. Maggie and I hung with him one 4th of July around 4 or 5 years back... but since then I haven't exactly... um... talked to him. I don't think. Kinda sad, but true. I only see him, rather in passing, every few years.

There were a father and son there who were neither Amish or Mennonite... but something similar. Forgive my politically incorrectness. The son's name was Billy, and he was about my age. My dad and Billy's dad got into a conversation about the Bible and God's authority over us and other similar things at the very end, making us the last to leave (not unusual on any occasion ;) ). I'm not exactly sure what his theology was, but it was neat to hear my dad talk to him.

There were three little brothers, ranging from ten years old to about two, I'd say. The littlest one was quite the cutie; he entertained some of us by eating a dripping slice of watermelon. Then there were a brother and sister who seemed to have picked us on the whole freckles/red hair trait of the family! They were probably... tvelvish? but not twins. Plus one other girl who was sixteen; she was the girlfriend of some other guy there. She took our family picture. 

For the picture, we all gathered around a few picnic tables. "Old" people designated to the front bench. Kids on the table. Adults standing behind. Ian and Billy stood in the back. I sat on the table. Oops. 

All in all, the reunion was nice. It was raining most of the time, which made it chilly, but we were covered by a rented pavilion. Yesterday, Independence Day, really was lovely. I like being in a small town, at least for a short time. I'll be coming home on Monday, only to start the next adventure on Tuesday morning.... Princess Camp! :D

Silly Basketball Camp Gals :)

I just realized it's the last day of June! Oh, June. June is the month of weddings, because everyone wants to be a June bride, after all ;). June is such a nice month; it's when summer truly comes.

This week, Monday through Thursday, our church is having a basketball camp. Hannah and I are coaching a team of about 8 girls who are going into 3rd and 4th grade. Today was less hectic than the first day, when the teams were still being settled. (Some girls switched because of people they knew on other teams... hence, I cannot remember how many are on my team!) They're really sweet though. In doing this I've realized that because I've done camp, babysitting, and etc. with kids, being with them is coming a lot more naturally now. It's strange how much younger they seem, since I actually am (I suppose?) getting older! Older than 3rd graders, oh my ;). Today I felt that and was laughing because of what they asked me...

I was sitting on the side of our game/scrimmage with whichever girls were sitting out for a period of the game. We always basically rotate as evenly as we can. I'm not exactly sure who started it, but they were playing with my hair... and it was sooo cute :). They were saying things like, "Your hair is smooth" and "Ooh it smells good!" followed by I think whoever was currently messing with my hair smelling it! Hahaha. I must laugh at that idea. It was so sweet, and quite amusing! Oh, and have you heard the rumors that at camp the girls will go through your stuff and ask you whether or not you have a boyfriend? Well, at the overnight camp I volunteer with, that's never really come up. But while they were doing my hair, they asked whether I had either boyfriend or tattoo! Noooo. I don't. I didn't elaborate on the boyfriend question, but I told them that while some people have tattoos and that's fine, I wouldn't get one. One of them told me her mom said they were "gross," if my memory serves correctly. This fun time reminded me of one downside of day camp: there's not the limitless time in which you can have normal conversations with your girls. But today was fun, and I think we had a nice girl bonding time :). 

New Friends & Back to the 50's

Well hello. I'm sitting in our kitchen watching another Hallmark movie :). This one's good, hardly even sappy.

So Michael Jackson died on Thursday. I suppose I'll always remember where I was when I heard the news; I was at Caleb's/Josh's graduation party. I was sad because he died still in a state of... unusual...ness. I mean, it could happen: couldn't he have had a turnaround? Anyone can. But. He wasn't a Christian (I assume). That made me sad :(. One thought I had, though. I'm guessing that some people will be in denial. I predict there will be conspiracy theories about his death: how it happened (that one's a given) and mostly that some people won't believe he actually died... like with Elvis! 

Which brings me to something else. Elvis! This afternoon our church had a sock hop. It was great! Lots of people came. Young people and not so young people... but nearly all young at heart :). We danced on our own, in groups, in pairs (but mostly only when made to by the dance instructors. Besides the married couples. They were cute :) ). "Elvis," who was actually a professional impersonator, made a surprise visit. Everyone got really excited then! But I have to say, "Sonny" and "Sher" were the ones who we all REALLY loved :D. Our senior pastor and his wife got up there and sang "I Got You Babe." They were totally dressed in outfits and wigs :). Everyone screamed and cheered. Also, one lady from our church was the main planner and organizer. She did SO much work and it all turned out completely amazing :). Thank you Miss Linda! 

Which... reminds me of another something else! New friends. I have three new friends who I kinda sorta wish I could've known all my life. Justin, Nathan, and Calli-Jade. I finally met Justin and Nathan after hearing about them from my sister, Maggie, who is in a awesome play with them :). They sing and goof around... but, yes, can apparently be serious too! They also share a twin-like sibling connection with each other, which possibly spread between the two of them and my sister and I. And there's Calli-Jade. She is so encouraging about faith and just life! I love talking to her. I'm really glad I met all three people. Even though I do wish I'd known them a lot longer, God let me meet them in His timing. Yay! :)

Well, it's rather later. Ta ta!

Summer - What are we doing?

Everybody is usually one or the other. Either you're the one who becomes even more extra-busy during the summer and are always out, or you're one who sits at home most days, reading and surfing Facebook. Or maybe you're a slight mix - but usually it's easy to put ourselves on one side, more or less.

This summer I think I'm on the homebody side. I have stuff to do on certain weeks such as different camps (yay!!!) and going to the beach (yay again!) but other than that, you can usually find me at my house!

I can hardly imagine how on earth I was functioning during the school year. I had homework and youth group and rehearsal and yadda yadda - all good things! But now I'm thinking, if I'm wasting days so easily now, how on earth did I get all that stuff done a few months ago? And then I'm kinda sad and feel like I should be doing more productive things. 

But really - it IS good to have a break! Spoiled Americans as we are, our constant activities of the school year are indeed tiring, and summer lets us relax for an extended period of time. 

So we do all this stuff during the school year. And it's stressful. But it's fun to do the stuff we do. But then... there are millions of children in the world who have next to nothing. So I feel bad about needing a break from the many privileges I recieve during the year. 

But just as God has those millions of children where He does, He has us in America to live our lives right now. But I still feel bad. I don't understand how I could have so much, and at the same time not be able let go of countless possesions that clutter my room. Like in Mexico - the children would give you nearly anything. I shared with you near the beginning of my blog about the time Veronica brought me a stuffed bear as a present. God does call us to take care of the poor, in many verses. Just read through a few chapters of Proverbs and you're likely to come across one. 

Anyways. I'm mostly talking to other teenagers like me in this post. I guess my point is that it's okay to enjoy summer break and have a great time :). But don't always relax by serving yourself - instead serve the people around you, including and especially your family, particularly if you're like me, sitting around by them most of the day! Also consider in some way how you can share our blessings with children in other countries. I reccommend Compassion Interenational, but there are tons of other organizations that do good work in Jesus' name as well. I'm just most familiar with that one. Compassion reminded their sponsors that while we might be hesitant to give now, especially with our coutry's financial situation, many other countries are suffering from the same deal. And when you add those problems onto poverty, well, it's not good at all. 

Me vs. the Yard.

I enjoy mowing the lawn. So today when the sun was shining and a pleasant breeze was spinning through the neighborhood, I asked my dad if I could.

There's a large, mostly flat area to our yard, out by the road, but behind the fence. It's full of clover and sticks and an occasional dandelion and weeds and even an old tree stump and all kinds of naturally growing stuff like that. It's actually quite pleasant, not your average perfectly manicured lawn. But today it was time to tame down the growth.

My dad outlined the section I was to mow, simply enough. Then I began. I bounced along, rolling around the wide perimeter. The sun shone bright. I was loving the blue sky and the breeze that came from moving along on the John Deere. I waved to my dog every time I passed her.

After a few times around, I noticed that the sunshine was starting to fade a bit. Every time I came around the path to the same spot, I saw that it was a bit darker than the time before.

Then the pleasant breeze began to pick up a bit. Not viciously, mind you, just noticeably stronger than before. My brother, who had been swinging for a while near my dog, went inside. The wind knocked the swings around, unsettling them.

It became darker still. The clouds above me had rolled in and were looking potentially rainy. It sure felt like a soaking in the making. But I could still see a bit of bright blue sky of in the distance. Please, God, let me finish this if it's going to rain!

I kept mowing, around, around, around. I urged my steed (ahem... lawn mower) on, overtaking the mess of grass and clovers. The breeze never stopped; it never stopped blowing the clouds, apparently, either.

Soon enough, before the suspected rain ever made its appearance, the ominous clouds went along on their way. Deep blue reigned overhead once more, with the exception of some innocent-looking clouds.

I sang my celebratory songs as I continued on in the sunshine. Days of Elijah, Mighty to Save, No One Like You, You Are Holy. I sang, stopped singing, and continued on, who knows when. I could hardly hear myself over the roar of the mighty beast beneath me. Off key, on key? I made myself sing all in chest voice for a while, even if I went higher than I normally would've, considering the fact that no one could hear me. Hopefully. After all, what's "on pitch" to God anyways? A song, if from the heart, is precious to Him no matter what we think it sounds like.

Plethora

Hello there! So today I thought of a few things I just felt like sharing.

First - nursery was so awesome today :). There were two baby boys. They both have parent(s) who are our youth leaders, so it was extra-lovely to hold thm and play with them. 

Second... guess what CD I bought? That's right, the new Jonas Brothers one! ;). So far I've only listened to the first few songs. I'm not really sure what I think of it yet; I'll have to soak it up more first.

Third, my siblings and I are about to watch WALL-E... yay! I love this movie. I first saw it when it came out in theaters. I sat with Luke and Amelia and Eliana! It was great. It's sooo cute when WALL-E and EVE hold hands and stuff :). 

Today is also, as I hope you know, Father's Day! We're not doing much since my brother, sister, and mom are sick. I love my dad so much, I don't know what I'd do without him. If you feel the same way make sure you tell your Daddy! 

On another WALL-E note, as a I watch the opening scene: I sure hope the world doesn't end up like it starts out in this movies. But we shall see. Either way, God will take care of us. :)

Hallmark Movies

Today I've watched four Hallmark movies on television. Yep... four ;). Well, actually, I'm in the middle of the fourth right now. 

Hallmark has the stereotype of being sappy and predictable, but by watching the three in a row earlier I've noticed something more specific. The makers of these movies reeeally like to take normal people and put them in a rustic setting where they're stranded until further notice. Either a farm, a log cabin, a small Mexican town, or something else similar. 

I do like Hallmark movies. But... I probably wouldn't recommend watching quite so many in one day. The one that I'm watching right now isn't quite so bad. Maybe a little goofy, though. It's about a woman who runs a small matchmaking service and a man who runs a big  online business for matchmaking. The online service is starting to steal business from the woman's company, so she creates a profile with the online service to prove it won't actually work like hers does. Meanwhile, the man's daughters decide he needs to start dating again. They get a hold of her profile and set them up. But the dad doesn't realize what his daughters are doing, and neither of them have realized the other's profession yet. As to what happens later, you'll just have to watch... except there are tons of these movies and... you maybe not actually want to. But just so you know, it's called "A Kiss At Midnight." 

Well, this is a bit of a random post :/. But I'll try to write again tomorrow. Tomorrow morning at church I have infant nursery :) yay!

"While I'm Waiting"

There's a song that I really like. It's by John Waller (I'd never heard of him before I bought this song). The song is called "While I'm Waiting." The word "waiting" could apply to many different reasons for waiting, which is one of the reasons why I like this song. It can usually apply to my life in one or more ways. Here are the lyrics:

While I'm Waiting
I'm waiting 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
And I am hopeful 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
Though it is painful 
But patiently, I will wait 

I will move ahead, bold and confident 
Takeing every step in obedience 
While I'm waiting 
I will serve You 
While I'm waiting 
I will worship 
While I'm waiting 
I will not faint 
I'll be running the race 
Even while I wait 

I'm waiting 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
And I am peaceful 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
Though it's not easy 
But faithfully, I will wait 
Yes, I will wait 
I will serve You while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting 
I will serve You while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting 
I will serve you while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Something else about that's neat about this song is that it's in the movie Fireproof. I absolutely love that movie! Maybe I'll write a post on it sometime... most of the acting isn't outstanding, but the message is incredible as well as incredibly conveyed. This song plays during the movie. That's actually why I bought it, when I realized it was in the movie. Aside from loving the lyrics, I really like the song of the song. It's encouraging. The feeling from this song is one to keep pressing on. 

Library Books, YA?

Right now I'm sitting in a public library of my county. I looove the library. I love putting books on hold online and then picking them up next time I get a chance to stop and pick them up. I love the atmosphere of quietness and the fact that on occasion I can find books I never expected to.

But I was actually just thinking about where I'm sitting. I'm sitting behind a desk of four computers, in the Young Adult, or, YA section. Obviously I have enjoyed books from this section before. Many good ones come from this section. But good books in this area are hard to find unless someone has recommended one to me, or I find a book by an author I already know. Then I'm safe. In this case, I'm referring to "good book" as a book that is appropriate enough for me to feel okay reading. I know in reality that it takes a lot more than cleanliness to make a fictional book "good." But for now.

You probably can't tell what books are in the picture I posted, but let me tell you a few titles. (By the way, sorry about the quality; webcam.) Here are just a few that are within my view:

1. Vampire Beach Ritual

2. Teen Queens and Has-Beens

3. What if... Your Past Came Back to Haunt You

4. The Hollywood Sisters: On Location

5. Dial for Loser

6. Drama High: Courtin' Jade

And... yeah. There are others, possibly even a few that I could read...? Maybe even one that I listed is decent, and I shouldn't judge it by its cover. But there are so many books that look like garbage. It's kind of scary.

I've read the first three Twilight Saga books, and no, I really don't want to argue about Twilight, but let me just us this as an example: those three books succeeded in prompting me to think lustful thoughts. I didn't read the fourth; I heard those matters only got worse. These library books look like they would have the same effect. Probably worse.

Girls like to wish themselves to be romanced someday. Many of us like to think that we are princesses and someday a prince will "carry us away." If we choose to read these kinds of books, we're negatively feeding this natural desire that we carry in our hearts. I'm not saying all romance books are evil; but, from what I'm seeing there is definitely a temptation and danger for girls right here.

Perhaps if you are reading this post you'd like to comment and suggest more wholesome but still enjoyable books for teen girls? :). It would be greatly appreciated by me and anyone else who seeks better books.

Movies: The Lion King

Today in Sunday School we watched clips of The Lion King and looked for worldviews in the movie. I do hope you already know this, but in case not, The Lion King is an animated Disney movie from 1994. This movie had a huge audience - it still holds the place of the highest grossing animated film in the United States. 

I remember getting this movie - I truly do. Well, mostly. I remember seeing it in... the Disney store in the mall, I believe, and wanting my mom to buy it. She didn't, but I actually got it for my birthday! Wow, now that I try to put those memories into a story I'm doubting their full accuracy. Well, anyways. We owned the VHS (and still do). My sister was afraid of Scar's dark song in The Lion King, and it wasn't wholesome anyways, so my parents usually fast-forwarded it. I remember many lines from this movie... but as things tend to happen, it was really different seeing it as someone with a bit more knowledge of the world. I mean, I'm a pretty naive person, it's true. But I obviously was more so as a four-year-old! 

There are LOTS of worldviews expressed in this movie. After the first few minutes, the main one is clear. The one that we figure the movie-makers meant to portray, even though they contradict themselves in multiple ways, is the "circle of life." Simba, the young lion cub and heir to the spot of animal king, has a talk with Mufasa (his dad, the current king) about this. Mufasa tells his son in a very fatherly way that the circle of life is just the way things work. They, the lions, eat the antelope. But, ah, after the lions die, they become grass to be eaten by the antelope. Our teacher explained to us that by implying this, are they implying death matters at all? It's all part of the circle of life, they say. They don't mention how lions are ferocious hunters who brutally kill and devour the antelope. And what are we to think later on in the story when Mufasa is trampled by wildebeests? Who cares about his death? Obviously his family does, and we're saddened and touched as viewers. But wait - isn't it all just part of the circle of life?

Another theme that comes up in this movie is good vs. evil. Now, this isn't exactly an uncommon theme; nearly every single movie has to have some kind of struggle, right? Scar is Muafasa's brother gone bad. He rules the scores of hyenas and plots to kill Simba too so that he will become the true king of the beasts. Another theme is ancestor worship. It's actually kind of strange for me to watch now, as a Christian. Mufasa, before his death, tells Simba that the past kings are always watching over him. Later Mufasa appears as a cloudy and then radiant image in the sky and speaks to his son. 

One last worldview is the philosophy of Timon and Pumbaa. Oh, the goofy pair; we all know their song! Hukana matata! It means "no worries." While this at first seems innocent, this lifestyle is actually true, fully or in part, for many people. It's the idea blocking out guilt and past un-atoned sins with pleasure and a "no worries" mindset. Which reminds me of something else from church today - from the sermon. 

So let me sidetrack for a moment. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell." If we try to hide from our fears and past sins be throwing ourselves into the world's distraction and pleasure, we're running from the One who can either save us or condemn us. After all, He created us out of absolutely nothing, along with the whole world we're standing on right now. God, infinitely powerful. The One who saves us just for asking and commiting our lives to Him. Then Jesus goes on to say in the very next verses, Matthew 10:29 and 30, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." If you heard this sermon at CPC today, you probably have already begun to have these verses truly impressed on your heart. Pastor Harris explained to us how these things are such details, and yet the most powerful One, who is outside of time itself, cares. No detail is too small for Him to miss. 

Anyways - after watching these clips and realizing these things, I was thinking that if I had children I wouldn't want them to be okay with seeing so many non-Christian worldviews. But as I also remembered, when I was little, none of this sunk in. So I think we're safe, hopefully, to know where we stand by the time we can grasp what the media is adjusting our brains to. 

And this: most and many of the ideas I wrote here for you were originally brought up today by Pastor Harris, Dr. Koch, and the other people in Sunday School. Just passin' the word along. :)

TAYLOR SWIFT!!!

So. Taylor Swift. As I told you in my previous post, Taylor Swift had a concert tonight about a mile from my house. It was totally amazing!!! I thought I was going to sit in my driveway all night. But well.... I shall tell you what happened :D

Maggie and I conspired to have our friend Christine (and Elisabeth, but she didn't come until after) over because she is a fellow Taylor Swift fan. This year, Christine and I went through a phase of constantly Sharpie doodling Taylor Swift's lyrics of the Fearless album on notebook paper ;). So after our parents said it was okay, we hopped in the care with my dad. But before we went to get Christine, we drove down by the place where the concert was. We could hear her singing and talking even more loudly and clearly! Then we went to get Christine. Finally we got back to where the concert was. There were other girls just like us walking around on the sidewalk singing along. After driving around a short stretch of road about three times and listening to TAYLOR SWIFT sing LOVE STORY (!!!) and other songs, my dad decided to park! AHHHH!!!!!! It was so awesome! I'm so glad my dad is kind of a Taylor Swift fan too and that he let us have this unforgettable adventure :). We ended up going to the fence and "watching" we could see the stage... but not her ;). But we could see her on a live feed screen!!! After she sang "Change," we started back to the car. She sang a few more songs but that was a good finale :). So yeah... IT WAS SO AMAZING. Yay!!! :D

Building Excitement!!!

Well.... I was going to write about this later or tomorrow but I'm sooo excited!!! Tonight Taylor Swift is having a concert. I'm going to write you a review. YAY! And.... um no. I'm not going to the concert ;). But I am going to sit in my driveway because the concert's about a mile away from my house! 

Admittedly, Taylor Swift isn't known for astounding live preformances. I've seen her live through television before and I was... not very impressed. But hey, I like her songs, I listened to her new CD so much I could probably sing through all the songs (well almost), and SHE'S GOING TO BE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD!!! So I am excited. Indeed. :D

So anyways, this post is mostly pointless, just letting you know that I'm just a bit excited and tomorrow or tonight I'm going to write about the listening experience. In the words of Tigger, TTFN!

"Reply All" Emails: Good to bad...really fast.

Today I've been cleaning my room. And yesterday.... and the day before! But it looks very much more clean than usual. Which is great! I've been kinda sleepy because I keep staying upa bit too late; note to self: tsk, tsk, go to bed earlier. Heh heh, anyways.... I'm not exactly sure why I haven't written in serval days, maybe the unwise bedtimes, but either way... I am now. Okay! Well. I am going to make a list! Of what? Well I'll decide once I start writing it. 

1. I found LOTS of bobby pins in my room. Haha... pretty ironic because I could hardly find any when I needed them for ballet a few weeks ago.

2. My sister gives away old stuff WAY more easily than I do. I'm always saying or thinking... do you really want to get rid of that? Half the time I end up rescuing her give-aways. Well, not half the time. But occasionally. 

3. I have a lot of scarves in my closet. I'm putting them in my plastic box downstairs. 

4. Oh! Not really in the theme of this list... but for some reason I have bought and listened incessantly "Don't Forget" by Demi Lovato. Which reminds me.........

One guy sent an email to a bunch of his friends asking them to suggest songs; he wanted to make a long collaborative playlist. It started off slowly enough, people suggecting songs. But as most emails sent to many people usually do (at least in my circle of.... people), it turned into a huge conversation... debate... arguement... fight, completely with and insults abbreviated cussing. I read the whole thing more or less. Finally some people started trying to hold down the fort. Then the guy who started the email told them to stop responding and end the conversation. I think it's basically over now... but the exchange was quite something. Now, if you're reading this, yes, I am fully aware that you might've been on this list ;). But that's fine, we can both continue on, me writing and you reading, of course. Anyways, I was really surprised at what some people said on this email. I understand that some people enjoy arguing more than others, and that's totally fine. But considering that this email chain could be summarized as [Jonas Brothers and etc.] vs. [Indie artists and etc.], I think everyone should've drawn a line before they let themselves go so far. That being said, if you were someone arguing on the email, I'm not writing this to accuse you, and I doub't I'll be any different toward you than before, we're all still friends, that's why we were on the email in the firsts place :). But at the same time... reading what some people said was saying was an eye-opener for me. Anywho, reply-all emails are inevitable, and I'd advise anyone to be sure they're following the standard that many of us claim to strive for: 

1 Thessalonians 5:11a: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

Phillipeans 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent of praiseworthy - think about such things."

Proverbs 10:19: "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

As I often do, I have to finish up this entry saying that I don't want to write this saying I'm better than anyone. I usually feel hypocritical writing entries like this and yes, I often forget to practice what I preach. But if you are encouraged or convicted or even God uses something I say later for you... then I'm very glad. I want to show you my views as a Christian in this world. Hopefully I am glorifying Him. And thanks if you read my posts ;)

Another lowly sinner who is saved by God's amazing grace (YAY!!!),

Lindsay Anne :D

POST SCRIPT!!!! I just found our two AWESOME things: first, one my my friends got a blog! check it out :)  ~  http://katydidsings.blogspot.com/

ALSO, someone is proposing to someone tomorrow....!!!!!!!

Feminism and Christianity?

After having a brief conversation with a friend about Biblical positions in families, I decided to look more into this idea. Most Christians are aware of the fact that God made the husband's role a leading one. The wife is to be submissive to her husband. I searched Google for some verses on this topic, and the results were a bit surprising! Some may consider it "old-fashioned" for the wife to be second in command to her husband. But the verses describing the Biblical family hierarchy and other dynamics are interesting. Let's look at some! 

1 Corinthians 11:3 ~ "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."

The first two parts of this verse apply pretty directly to what we're talking about. The basic biblical picture of this is: the husbands submit to Christ, and the wives submit to the husbands. Indirectly (and directly of course, since wives also have a personal relationship with Christ) wives submit to Christ by submitting to their husbands. 

1 Peter 3:7 ~ "Likewise, husbands, love with your wives in a understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

WOW. "Weaker vessels." Now, I am NOT of a feminist leaning by any means... but if you're a woman, doesn't that tempt you to be even a little bit annoyed? It does for me! But this is the Bible. I'm not exactly sure what "weaker vessels" is referring to, but the emotional and physical state of women comes to mind. But I know not all people fit into those stereotypes. Either way, this is a really neat verse. It calls husbands to love their wives "in an understanding way." 

Ephesians 5:25 ~ "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." 

This is such a profound picture - an example for everyone, but especially husbands and wives to look to. And although husbands are called to lead and be the head of their family, they are called to be as Jesus to them. 

These are just my thoughts and inductions on these verses... I'm not claiming to be a theologian ;). But another thing I was thinking about: after reading these verse, and knowing these things, is it wrong for Christian woman to believe themselves equal to their husbands? I think yes, it is wrong. While women obviously should not stand for unjust or cruel abuse and prejudice, we cannot think ourselves in authority to men. The Bible puts us second in command. If this strikes you as profoundly unrighteous, it may help to remember that God calls husbands to love and serve their wives as Christ did... NOT be evil dictators over them.

Friendship

Sometimes growing up is hard. Whether it's the first sleepover, first real crush, start of middle school, college decision, or even... becoming a grandparent, growing up can be hard for everyone! I happen to be in the phase of life where:

1. People like to ask me what I'm thinking about for college/career. I'm not complaining about this aspect, it truly can be exciting and interesting to share about. 

2. I should be studying for the SAT. I already took the SAT once, but I plan to take it again after I brush up in some certain areas!

3. High school is getting (overall) close to the end. That. is. weird. I almost feel like I just started! It's funny how the media (teen TV shows, for example) makes SUCH a big deal out of the high school years. If you're not in high school yet, don't stress too much about it. It's not as if you go from middle school to college, but high school does go by faster than the world tends to dwell in it. 

Well, that list could go on... and on. But you probably get the picture. Even if you haven't yet experienced that phase of life, you probably still have an idea!

But this post is about friendship. Throughout our childhood and school years we have so many chances to become friends with different people. There are friends we are suddenly best friends forever with, and there are friends that friendship blossoms slowly but surely with. Friends who are the leader, more outgoing, and friends who are quiet observers. Friends from school, friends from church.... friends! :)

I like my friends.

Hopefully they like me too!

If you're my friend and you're reading this, hi! I'm glad we're friends :). I'll probably always remember you and care about you, even if you don't think I will (I do hope I can live up to that, anyways!). People in general think that they are the only ones who remember anybody. It'd be a shame for two friends to miss reconnecting just because they think the other had passed them by. Remember the friends that you may have let fall to the sides of your life; I've done that before, and believe me... it's NOT good! Pray that God will give you love to find fading friendships once again :). 

What is a friend? A friend is someone you can trust with your secrets, no matter what you tell them. Someone who understands how you feel when nobody else does, and cares enough about you to keep your friendship strong. A friend is a person who listens when you just need to talk. A friend is someone who likes you for you, no matter who else is around. A friend is someone who laughs with you. And a friend can be themself with you, and you with them. Friends are always there.

Hmm. If you've heard that last paragraph before, I probably gave you a Thanksgiving card in 2007 ;).

Alright. So this post has been slightly sporadic. IF YOU'RE SKIMMING, STOP AND READ THIS NOW!!! Thanks! :D

I know when I go to college in a year or so, my friendships will change. But as the song goes, "Friends are friends forever, if the LORD's the Lord of them." I do like those words. If the LORD's the Lord of them. <3

Photography Tidbit - Self Portraits

Today I tried something new with my camera. I sometimes hold my camera in front of myself or myself with friends and snap a photo, but I'd never really tried much of the whole... self-portrait thing. So today I did.

I felt kinda silly. I mean, here I am, setting the self-timer to ten seconds and then dashing to do whatever I had in mind to do. What if someone was watching? Boy, would I feel weird. Besides, I'm never quite sure what facial expression to make. Hence my inexperience in this area...? 

What do you think about self-portraits? My view of them may be better left mostly unspoken, but I generally wonder why people post hundreds of pictures they've taken of themselves. But I am a hypocrite, since I posted a few from my experimenting today on Facebook. Obviously it's not wrong to take and post pictures of yourself, but I'd encourage anyone to check their motives and to make sure their pictures aren't a stumbling block in any way. That being said, I realized it really can be fun to set up shots in interesting places and place yourself in them. 

Blessed Assurance

This is the song I named this blog after. Blessed Assurance! A line from this hymn is: "Watching and waiting, looking above." Well... and it goes on. Let me just show you the whole hymn, really read it if you would... the words are such a prayer.

 

Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

 

This hymn is by Fanny Crosby. She was quite a lady. I first learned about her when looking at this hymn at camp training a month or so ago. Let me give you a snippet about her, courtesy of Wikipedia ;).

Fanny Crosby "was an American lyricist best known for her Protestant Christian hymns. A lifelong Methodist, she was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing over 8,000 despite becoming blind shortly after birth. Also known for her preaching and speaking, during her lifetime Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States."

That's right - Fanny Crosby was blind. And she wrote over eight thousand hymns. Wow. This one I happen to like, but there are many more well known hymns. When I looked up Ms. Fanny's name in the back of a hymnbook, there were so many more hymns than listed for most writers! She also was married to a blind musician who insisted she keep her original surname. They had a daughter... but she died as a baby. Yet in her hymns she expresses great contentment in the Lord. When she was only eight years old, she wrote these verses:

 

Oh what a happy soul I am,

Although I cannot see;

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy,

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't.

I don't know a ton about Fanny Crosby, but I know I wish I could've met her. She strikes me as someone who would inspire faith and help Christians who came in contact with her on with their walk with God. 

Bible Reading

How many times have we, as Christians (to those of you who are), wished we read the Bible more? Well, today I'd like to try and offer you some motivation to do so!

1. The Bible is, in a word, awesome! It has all this: stories, advice, history, prophecies, and more! But that's just the worldly pitch. Though the Bible does have all those things, and that does make it awesome.... obviously it's way more than awesome!!!

2. THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORDS TO US. Read that again. One more time. Okay. Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it. Advice from the One who made all the people and all the tendencies and functions that sociology would attempt to understand. His advice could only be the best for us. There are stories about people who were more dedicated to completely serving God than many of us are dedicated to our homework today. But then, stories about those same people and how they sinned. Sinned with atrocious and reputation-blowing sins. And how God forgave them, and worked their mistakes for good to His plan. Now that's an example and reassurance! There's history of this lowly world's creation. God incarnate entering the world. His disciplines being sent with the Holy Spirit to preform miracles and bring thousands to the Lord. Prophecies - tellings of when Jesus will come once again. 

3. God can speak to us through the Bible. For me personally, reading Jesus' very words is so incredibly comforting. It's just so amazing! Those little red, typed words are a translation of what our Savior spoke on this very earth, just about 2000 years ago. Throughout the Bible, there are letters to people groups by people such as Paul (which are so full of wisdom and lessons), the Proverbs (just read one chapter and you're bound to find at least one verse that speaks to you personally), and old testament prophecies that are fulfilled and mentioned in the new testament. Among so many other things.

So. I challenge you! (In a good way). Go right now. Pick up your Bible and read something. Maybe start a book of the Bible that you can continue every day, either section by section, or even chapter by chapter. Do it in the morning, before you go to bed, or sometime throughout the day. This is something that I struggle with all the time. I obviously know these motivators in my head, but some days it's hard to really know them in my heart. But - try to do it anyways. Read even when you're not feeling up to it. You never know what God might want to show you :).

Feedback

Ah, forgive me for taking up so much of your time today. If you are still reading, many thanks ;). I get excited to put my thoughts out there, though, truly! 

I wanted to say this - I would IMMENSELY love love love to hear your feedback! Or even your whole take on anything I bring up! It's really fun to know who's reading. Also your opinions are valued, save them of you must, but remember it's great to know where you stand at times. So if you are reading this, reply? ;). Also if you ever feel like reading the other things I post on, reply there too! You don't have to be a member of anything (at least I don't think you do...). Muchas gracias! :D

Song Lyrics in Statuses (and other opinions on online-ness)

So why do people like to put song lyrics in their statuses so much? An obvious answer: to express themselves. Sometimes our mood can be expressed in a lyric. We listen to songs and our minds memorize. We may even consciously try to memorize songs that we especially enjoy. 

Oftentimes we are online, not in the mood to talk by way of "chat" to anyone, but we want to let people know how we feel. Why? If we are not in talkative mood but put up a depressed lyric, a friend may ask what's wrong with us. Well, even is there is a problem... did we even feel like sharing it in the first place? Usually not! Unless the person asking is a close friend we often confide in, or a person we can easily give a noncommittal answer to. 

What about lyrics of happiness? When we are happy, we want to tell people! Maybe even spread the joy :). Or we may be confused. And post lyrics about the state of our mind, its sanity, and etc. Does continuously seeing lyrics in your friends statuses annoy you? Sometimes it can indeed be wearing to see consistently melodramatic, depressed, and desperate lyrics. But that's not truly our problem anyway. However... if this person if your true friend, you may want to ask what's up! Unless you're like me and have a low tolerance for drama, at least for most of your friends. 

So let's consider this. If you have Gmail or Facebook or Twitter or one of those, you probably know what I'm talking about. Next time you post a status, what do you really want to reflect? Sometimes instead of saying what we really want to, our feelings could be more appropriately and lovingly expressed with a Biblical view. Perhaps even a verse! Let's look at some examples:

This? "So-and-so everything is falling apart...'my heart unravels bit by bit, you smashed me to pieces.'"

Try this: "Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help. You turned wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy" Psalm 30:10-11. <3

This? "So-and-so is home aloneeee.... txtt."

Try this: How about not revealing that you're home alone! Yikes! It always kind of weirds me out when people say online that they're home alone. And take into consideration the fad of stretching your lettersss outt likeeee thiss. My take on it - if you want the majority of people (especially most adults) to respect you, don't go crazy. Though it's fun/fine with friends :), just keep in mind who your audience is!

This? "So-and-so is .....so mad. don't. even. ask."

Try this: Well now. Actual uncontained anger might go better UNexpressed, at least for the time being. 

At times I know I'm guilty of the giving in to posting sad-ish statuses, but still a good thing to keep in mind :).