Saturday, February 27, 2010

Divinity

Divinity

If I could bottle up laughter,
And mail away some love.
If I could send some happiness, and package up a hug.
Or fly a kiss across the sea,
Or take a sip of compassion, and a bite of glee.
Then save them all for later,
Then the world would be,
A much brighter, better place, where people could be free.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Help Me!

I often feel like screaming this.

Sometimes I'm so confident, and so pumped to serve the Lord, and then, BABAM! I realize how hard it is. Then I get discouraged. Then I pray for help. Then I can't take it any longer. And, sometimes, I confess, I give up.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will NEVER leave you or forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

Hold up, wait a minute!! He will NEVER leave me? He will NEVER forsake me? Don't be AFRAID?! Oh, gee, what an awesome God our God is!!!!!! Does this mean that even when my life is spinning out of control, along with my sanity, my brain, my body, and my heart, that God will still be there for me?

Well, yeah! You bet He will! Even when my dreams have been crushed, even if everyone around me is driving me nuts and making me mad, even when life isn't looking so swell, God will be there for me, promising me a better life with Him.

Okay, whoever you are, take a deep breath. Sit back, relax. Close your eyes. Think of all that you have, all that you are. Think of your many blessings. Now let go of all of your worries: a 10-paragraph essay due tomorrow, a big test you're not ready for, decisions that you don't want to make, spring that you wish would come, things that are hanging over your head.

Now let them all slide away. Pray to the Lord our God, who loves you, who is the only one who will ALWAYS be there with you. And next time when you're screaming HELP ME! Just look to Him, for He cares for YOU!

P.S. It's OK to be different!

Monday, February 22, 2010

And Now a Word From.....

"GROOVY!" ~Collin...:)

"It tickles me!" ~Catie

"Monkey!" -Dyani, "Um, Dyani, that's a squirrel!" -Me

"Saturn..." ~Mary

"We're truffles!" ~Olivia:)

"Your lobes are soft!" ~Courtney (okay, that sounds really awkward!)

"National Anthem, National Panthem." ~Machen (my personal favorite)

"You have nice hands!" ~Creepy game machine at Fourstar

"Did you know our house has two fireplaces? No, I'm lying, it doesn't have any fireplaces." ~Collin

"Are you for real?" ~Alecia

"If you aren't gonna take this seriously...." ~Lucy

"NEVER, EVER mess with an olive or a pickle, their juice STAINS!" ~Olivia

"You know what else is impossible? Our friendship." ~Collin (he was JUST KIDDING!)

"Squizzles!" ~Erin

"In 0.03 months, I'm gonna be a waterfall!" ~Mary(well, sort of, long story!)

"Was that an atomic bomb? Did I just see a mushroom cloud?" ~Lucy, Courtney, Catie, me(a modified version!)

"Anna, are you okay?" ~Catie "No, I'm hyperventilating!" ~Me

"14 to 3!" ~Erin (oh, whoops! did I just post that?!)

"Goldfish!" ~Olivia

"Cocoa's chin." ~Roya

Ha. Ha. I love you all, my dear friends! To all of you who don't have a quote up there, you're still special to me! Sarah-Thanks for the endless debates and outrages and conversations about our dear Percy Jackson. Collin-Thanks for always being GROOVY and for being my friend even though I think those basketball tickets smell like oatmeal.

Catie-Thanks for always being happy and laughing, and for being a super-duper awesome friend. Dyani-Thanks for always being there, even though you're thousands of miles away, and for making me laugh 'til I cry. Olivia-Thanks for being the wonderful gal that you are and for teaching me things that I would not have known if God hadn't put you in my life.

Courtney-Thanks for the support, the laughable moments, and most of all for being my spelling buddy for life:). Machen-Thanks for all of the "inside jokes", soccer games, and "national panthem"s that still make me smile.

Alecia-Thanks for ALWAYS glowing with your bright personality, and for making me smile from the inside out! Erin-Thanks for our long talks, for your funny emails, and for your wise advice, it means a lot to me.

Mary-Thanks for being my long-lost twin, for sharing your thoughts and hopes and dreams with me, for understanding me so well it's scary, and for showing me that there's a God that's GOT me:). Lucy-Thanks for your inner beauty, for your bright personality, and for the many memories we've shared.

To all of my cousins, I thank you for the many moments we've shared, for our laughing contests, walks on the beach and in the park. For so many Christmas dinners, for eating so much we might die, and most of all for sharing with me the true love of Jesus.

Thank you, my family, for understanding me more than any other person. Thank you for the many car trips, adventures, prayers, laughter, and love. And thank you Jesus for being the BEST friend any one could ever ask for:).

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Awaken

My life is sleeping,
a fragile chrysalis.
My wings are waiting,
my memory fading.
Awaken my, oh Lord,
I'm falling away.
Help me restore,
I need thee, oh Lord.
Moments of my life,
good and bad,
have past.
Now upon me, Lord,
please cast.
Awaken me from sin and grief,
rescue me from this dread thief.
Day by day, and hour by hour,
unfold me, Lord, to your power.
Reign over me forever, Lord,
and never leave me,
don't close your door.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I'm So Pathetic

Oh. My. Word. This morning and....well, every morning, I hate math.

Today it was really bad. (Sorry all you math-loving people!) I know this is reallllyyyy pathetic, but I kept looking at the clocking and calculating exactly how many minutes we had left.

I know. Really pathetic. Please try not to be like me!

That's how much a hate math. If I could, I would skip it altogether. Oh, well. I can't.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Short and Sweet

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

What a powerful verse. So often we get caught up in how we LOOK. Is my hair okay? Are my teeth white enough? Is my body acceptable? Are my clothes cool enough?

Yes, we ask all of these questions, because we are unsure and insecure about what we look like. But this verse says it all, it's short and sweet, and gets straight to the point. What you look like doesn't matter!

It doesn't matter if your hair is messed up, if your clothes aren't "cool", if your appearance doesn't live up to the world's standards, well, that's fine!

So here's my challenge: this week, try to "take some time off" of being so worried about what you look like. Try to not to judge others by their clothes and hair, and try not to get so caught up in looks.

Focus more on God and what He has given you. As you slowly turn away from the world's standards, and zero in on what God has in store for you, you become less indulged in yourself and your appearance, and more exuberant on honoring Him!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Waking Up

I hate waking up. I hate it. That is, on a school day.

First off, the alarm in my brothers' room goes off,(our rooms are sort of connected, so we share an alarm)and it's not just any alarm. It's one that plays music. No offense to my brothers, but I don't really like their music.

So I wake up to some hard rock song. That just puts me in a great mood. Not. And then I realize that I have to get up. Yeah, I forgot that I actually had to GET UP! And then I realize that I have to get out of bed.

After all of this dazed confusion, I get out of bed, praying for a better mood, as I drag myself to the closet.

Waking up is not the best part of my day:). What's yours?

I don't have much trouble falling asleep.

Huh.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Horizon

She's out there, she's somewhere.
She's floating amongst the horizon of reality and the boundary of my imagination.
She's a rainbow in black and white,
she is passive, still, quiet.
She's an enigma carefully wound,
intricately woven, complicated.
She's the moon waiting for the sun to reach her,
warm her, make her shine.
Her heartbeat is the rhythm of a soft, small drum,
as it beats under her skin.
She won't ever cross the horizon,
she'll never see the sun,
her rainbow will stay in black and white,
until my life here is done.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Twilight and How it has Taken Over



Recognize either one of these? Jacob Black, the werewolf, and Edward Cullen, the creepy stalker vampire. Yeah. It's them.
Sorry for being so mean. That's about all I have to say for today.
Bye now.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Way We Live

'Tis Wednesday already, isn't it? Time for contemplation and worship.

I don't know about you, but I often question the way I live. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or what ever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I wonder, do I do EVERYTHING for the glory of God?

Am I neglecting my time with God, and trading it for worldly activities that don't really matter? The gospel of Luke tells us that we should, "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."

I have had people tell me, and I'm not trying to be boastful, that I am special and unique and that there aren't many girls my age like myself. I have considered this multiple times. And I still don't get it. Why am I, of all the people out there, "special"?

No one can see what is going on underneath me. Truth is, I am such a mess without Jesus. Like in one of my poems untitled, "Rain", I wrote, "You may not see it, 'cause it's under my skin, but I'm a mess within.

You see, the bible tells us that Jesus is the only way to heaven. In John 14:6, the gospel states, "Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE."

Hmmmm....let's just ponder that for a second. Jesus is the WAY to heaven, Jesus is the TRUTH, though this fallen world is full of lies and hatred, and Jesus is the LIFE. Jesus is the life that He gave us by dying on the cross, spilling His OWN blood to save us. To save YOU.

So this makes me ponder even deeper about the way that I live. And when I think hard about it, I can come up with three words to describe how I live: lazily, selfishly, and wishing for something to change.

Uh-huh. Yep. That sums it up for the way that I live. What does the bible say about this? Well, let's check: Hebrews 11:6 tells us that, "...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Another verse in 2 Peter says that, "...since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him."

It is so easy to be lazy here in our world of high-speed Internet, On Demand cable, and cell-phones that supposedly "do everything". With one click, touch, or tap, the "world" is at our fingertips.

It's so hard for us sometimes to "do the hard things". Selfishness is one of my problems too. Let's see what the bible has to say about this: Matthew 22:39 basically says it like it is, "though shalt love your neighbor as yourself."

No laziness. No selfishness. No wishing my life away.

It may be hard and grueling work to live as a Christian, but I'm here to tell you that God has a plan! And it will all work out.

Well, here I am, just a Christian girl in a fallen world:).

P.S. It's OK to be different!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Books and How I Get so Indulged in them that I Can't Get Back to Reality

Ahh! I am so totally addicted to my book!
I have my head so wrapped around it that I can't get it out.
I sit there just thinking about it, that is, if I'm not reading it.
When someone asks me a question, I'll accidentally say, "What's that, Annabeth?" and they give me a weird look, and say, "I'm not Annabeth." "Oops!," I say, completely humiliated, "Haha, that's just a character in my book!"
Right. Who on earth besides me starts calling their friends fictional characters?! It won't be long before I start talking to my characters, since I've already started dreaming about them.
Goodness. Somebody help me. I need psychiatric therapy.
Ah.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

For Jesus

For Jesus, who saved me from eternity in hell.
Whom is my best friend,
and one that will never leave.
For Jesus, who loves me the way I am,
who saved Daniel from the lions' den.
Who led me to quiet waters,
and did not abandon me me in the valley of death.
For Him who without I would be like chaff,
which the wind blows away.
For Jesus who suffered, died, and rose again.
All for a sinner,
all for me.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Hmmm....?

So I have decided that I need to come up with some sort of routine for my blog. But I have been having trouble coming up with SOMETHING!

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY: On Thursdays(unless I am unavailable)I will have a brief post about things to think about, maybe deep and reflective, or light and fun, depending on my mood.

SATURDAY POETRY: Saturdays(unless I am unavailable)will always be poetry days. I will post one of my poems each Saturday, or maybe one of my favorite poems by a different author.

MISERABLE MONDAY: Ha. Yeah, I don't know what Monday posts will be about, we'll see. Haha:).

WORSHIP WEDNESDAY: On Wednesdays I will write about God and the Christian life. The posts will include passages from scripture and my favorite "bible heroes and heroins". I will often use my little motto: "I'm just a Christian girl in a fallen world."

WILD CARD DAY: Sometimes I will just randomly splurge and write on a Tuesday or Friday. My posts on a wild card day may be filled with memories, insights, favorite quotes, and family adventures.

Let me know what you think!

Keep on reading!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Top 30 Best Songs of the Year (In My Taste)

I am most definitely a music-lovin gal, so here's some of my favorite songs of the year:

~"Everyone to Know"; Bethany Dillon
~"I am Yours"; Bethany Dillon
~"One More Round"; Barlow Girl
~"Hanging On"; Britt Nicole
~"Walk on Water"; Britt Nicole
~"Welcome to the Show"; Britt Nicole
~"Say It"; Britt Nicole
~"Free to be Me"; Francesca Battistelli
~"Beautiful, Beautiful"; Francesca Battistelli
~"Gimme that Funk"; Group 1 Crew
~"iContact"; Group 1 Crew
~"I See You"; Group 1 Crew
~"Change"; Group 1 Crew
~"I'm Yours"; Jason Mraz
~"We"; Joy Williams
~"Beautiful Redemption"; Joy Williams
~"For the Ladies"; KJ-52
~"Everything"; Lifehouse
~"The Upside"; Newsboys
~"My Friend Jesus"; Newsboys
~"Fireflies"; Owlcity
~"Free"; Switchfoot
~"Wishes and Dreams"; Stellar Kart
~"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours"; Stevie Wonder
~"White Horse"; Taylor Swift
~"Our Song"; Taylor Swift
~"True Beauty"; Mandisa
~"You'll Never Know"; Krystal Myers
~"Mr. Blue Sky"; ELO
~"Falling Slowly"; Kris Allen

Monday, February 1, 2010

One of those Days

Ugh. It's Monday again.

I think that sentence just speaks for itself.

Mondays are filled with:
Forgetting to remember what you forgot over the weekend.
Failing to pay attention in your least favorite class.
Mindlessly staring off into space.
Getting a C on a science test for the first time in your life.
Watching an excruciating English lesson on writing a How-to paper about making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Realizing that you forgot your lunch box at school while on the bus.
Getting frustrated with your friends and the stupid drama they cause.
Noticing at the IM room while running on the track how out of shape you are.
Being overcome by fatigue.

Anyone out there having the same kind of day?

P.S. Tomorrow is lookin better:).
 
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