Okay so how many of you looked at the title and groaned? Yeah thats what I thought. There is all this hype about Harry Potter, and I'm not going to lie I read every book and started watching the movies. This post is pretty much a similar rant to my previous post on Twilight, but honestly I don't know which one is worse. Today I was ready a study that showed that Wicca and Witch craft books and hotlines would spike after every new release of the HP book or movie. Here is a blog post by Girls, God and the Goodlife on Harry Potter back in 2005:
...
This weekend has changed my writing life. I was watching various reports on the newest Harry Potter Book. Several guest were debating whether the novels were fantasy or based on the occult. Other guests were debating whether it even mattered if the books were a form of occultic teachings as long as the children liked to read. Some guests admitted that they purchased the books for themselves and loved them.
Then I turned to CNN where a guest related that, according to several occult organizations, interest in the occult was up at least 12%. These organizations were regularly receiving calls from children asking "How can I become a witch?"
My jaw dropped and I thought that couldn't possibly be true when I answered a call from my aunt. We were trying to get together that day and she explained to me how the whole family was tired. Why? Because they had stayed up all night to get my nephew the new Harry Potter book and he was already almost done with it. He is eight years old. They made it a wonderful family outing and stood patiently for hours to get the book.
My blood ran cold.
Overreacting am I? Children are calling up occult organizations and asking how to become witches! When is the last time a church, let alone several Christian organizations, reported that children were so moved by a book that they were receiving calls about how to become a Christian? How about reports on CNN that Christian organizations were reporting an INCREASE in these calls? How about children and their families standing patiently in line to receive the Lord?
Perhaps as writers, like I as a Christian, we have hesitated. We have chosen to be invited in, waited patiently or wanted not to offend. Meanwhile, the enemy hasn't even had to storm our gates, we opened them and let the children run out. Some of us lead the way (many Christians buy the books)! Now, there is no doubt that it is NOT Christ who has the hearts and minds of a whole generation. But hey, if it gets the kids reading, right?
Maybe now, more than ever, we should just write. Come hell or highwater we write from our hearts, lead by the Lord. Whether we reach one reader or millions, we just trust the Lord to get it to who needs it. And controversy? Bring it on!
And just maybe we should jump into the fray of today's world. Not embrace the violence, sex and rampant occultisim, but certainly not ignore it. Have we whitewashed the heart, the redemption, the danger and the humanity from our work? Have we whitewashed the Lord? The worst offense of all, have we made Him boring and out of touch? Have we done the devil's work for him?
The Bible is certainly one of the most moving and life changing books of all time, it is also (in my experience) one of the least read. Sure, people can quote and paraphrase all day. But does anyone really sit down and read it for fun? Maybe somebody does, but in the numbers that read this Harry Potter?
Why is this? The Bible is full of sex and violence, fascinating stories and incredible feats. But how many people know this? The writers of the Bible didn't flinch when reporting the facts. They didn't care about being politically correct or offending someone. They didn't whitewash the battles, the sin and the faults of themselves or others. They didn't leave out passion, sex and lust. They didn't turn away from abuse, incest and murder. Yet, this book has lead untold numbers to the Lord, and is in fact called the word of God. So why are Christian writers doing this?
What if, as writers, we are called to write for such as time as this. What if we aren't just to say "hey, read the bible", but are called to write the way to it? Called to draw a treasure map to it. To lead people down the road to it, to rush towards it and draw people to follow us. To point the way with certainty to a lost and dying world?
And what if, just what if, someone else is doing that exact same thing for the Devil and we have simply stood aside and watched curiously while the spell has been cast?
.:♥:. Harry Potter .:♥:.
.:♥:. Forgiveness .:♥:.
Is there someone out there who has really cheesed you off? Have you forgiven them? Why not? Are you familiar with this verse? "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Who are we to with hold forgiveness from someone, when we break God's heart with all our sin? Here's a beautiful song by Chris August, it's called 7x70. Follow along with the lyrics:
I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born
These walls have seen me happy
But most of all they’ve seen me torn
They’ve heard the screaming matches
That made a family fall apart
They’ve had a front row seat
To the breaking of my heart
7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around
I remember running down the hallway
Playing hide-and-seek
I didn’t know that I was searching
For someone to notice me
I felt alone and undiscovered
And old enough to understand
Just when I’m s’posed to be learning to love you
Let me doubt again
7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around
I lost count of the ways you let me down
But no matter how many times you weren’t around
I’m all right now
God picked up my heart and helped me through
And shined a light on the one thing left to do
And that’s forgive you
I forgive you
7 times 70 times
If that’s the cost I’ll pay the price
7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times 70 times
There’s healing in this house tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around
Yeah
I’m gonna wrap it all around
I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born
.:♥:. What Are You Listening To? .:♥:.
What are you listening to? What do you let your children listen to? A lot of people really don't pay any attention to what is on the radio. I am choosing to cut out of secular music out of my playlists because they are so inappropriate & definitely don't reflect Christ. I have such an issue with this because I really like a lot of songs on the radio. Now I'm not saying its ALL bad (example LOVE Taylor Swift, she is such a sweetie and her music is clean) but like have you ever listened to some of these lyrics? For example, when I Like It - Enrique Iglesias comes on the radio I start singing along and dancing. But check out the first verse:
Girl please excuse me If I'm coming too strong
But tonight is the night We can really let go
My girlfriend is out of town And I'm all alone
Your boyfriend is on vacation And he doesn't have to know
BAM! Infidelity, is this really okay to be listening to?
What about this:
Come here rude boy, boy
Can you get it up
Come here rude boy, boy
Is you big enough
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me
Tonight
I'mma give it to you harder
Tonight
I'mma turn your body out
Relax
Let me do it how I wanna
(Rude Boy - Rhianna)
Question: WHEN DID THIS BECOME OKAY?!
For the past two years I have been working in daycares, play zones, and a kindergarten class and I hear 4 &5 years olds SINGING to this. Don't even get me started on the music videos!
I'm gonna end my rant here but these two girls will share their testimony with you about why they gave up secular music
.:♥:. The Comeback! .:♥:.
I'm back, hooray!!
So here's the story, my laptop carrying case, had a shoulder strap and when I was walking home, it just snapped. Yeah I know right? My laptop screen was busted, as in it was like black and I couldn't see anything. So I took it back and they fixed it, and I still have all my files on here, I didn't lose a thing! So now I'm back and ready to blog, and boy do I have a lot of blogging to catch up on!
.:♥:. Suicide .:♥:.
Teen suicide. Pretty scary huh? It's horrifying. Now stay with me and just hear me out, because this is important. Statistics show that suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death for teens. It's the SECOND leading cause in colleges.Every day there are approximately 11 youth suicides.
.:♥:. Losing my Heart .:♥:.
Check out this amazing song that I really love! I honestly just sing this out loud at the bus stop everyday :)
It's like I'm fallin in lovee ♥.
.:♥:. Do not Conform to the ways of This World .:♥:.
Okay so to some people I have made a 'crazy' decision to sell my copies of the Twilight series, and the two movies. Here's some enlightment as to why I made this decision. I was reading through these magazines a girlfriend of mine lent me, previoulsy known as "Brio" but now this mag is called 'Susie'. Anyways its a magazine for Christian teens and it is so amazing! Well because I'm reading through a stack of them this particular article is from 2008. Anyways it pretty much points out how Twilight contradicts so many Christian things. Now some of these things might be spoilers, so if you don't wanna know, don't continue.
First off, Bella does not value her parents, example, she lies to Charlie pretty much about everything, and has Edward in her room every night, also in the last book, she just cuts Renee out of her life like nothing. In the third book, Bella tries to seduce Edward before marriage and is very adament about having sex.
Also there is a lot of talk about them being damned, and how Edward was going to take Bella's soul. In fact in the second movie a direct quote is "If this is about my soul, take it, I don't want it!" Pretty much she would rather have Edward and deal with the consequences later.
Also salvation is portrayed as, doing good deeds instead of accepting Christ as your Saviour.
Now here is one of my biggest reasons, I started to idolize Twilight. I idolized having a man like Edward (obviously not a vampire, but loyal, loving, protective, handsome etc), I idolized having a love like theirs, I felt like I was becoming too attached to the series.
Here's a video I strongly reccomend watching, this is actually so scary, we have got to start doing something to change this!
.:♥:. You are Beautiful .:♥:.
This song is so encouraging, and makes me feel so loved. I just had to share it with you, please take the time to watch the video and tell me what you think
The days will come when you don't have the strength
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
And praying that you have the heart to find
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skys above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to death
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You're meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
.:♥:. New Beginnings .:♥:.
So on Tuesday when everyone was going back to/starting school, or highschool, I started....college. Yep, I am currently at Fanshawe and this first week has been fantastic! All that hard work at Kidscape payed off, and I payed for my first term, and my books on my own. Even though I nearly cried when they pulled my money out of my account (seeing as it was equal to about 2 months of being on my hands and knees scraping gum off a play structure) it felt really good to know that all of that was earned by me.
The program I am in is early childhood education. So far what I have been doing this past week was, playing trivia bingo, spending over an hour and a half taking up attendance because we all had to answer what it was we like about children (My answer being the things they say, keeping in mind my adorable little cousin Joel), we learned that puddle jumping is a very important part of life and today we had to sing and dance to the wheels on the bus (5 verses), itsy bitsy spider, and I love you from barney.
I am truly looking forward to this year and hope to learn more about myself and how I best interact with kids!
.:♥:. K-love .:♥:.
Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know, but I'm gonna do some catching up!
Alrighty, so there is this AMAZING radio station in the states and it's called K-love. And I love this station, it has been the best thing thats happened to me in a while, and it never fails to encourage you. I honestly listen to this radio station everytime I have my laptop around. I can be downstairs doing dishes, outside in the back yard just hanging around, when I'm in my room cross-stitching or drawing, when I'm baking cookies and just all the time :)
so here is the link to go listen online:
http://www.klove.com/listen/
Go check it out and let me know what you think! Tell me what songs you like, or who do you like listening to on air? I personally love Scott and Kellie
P.S I realize that since I have changed my background that my youtube videos are slightly cut off. I have tried making them smaller but they just don't fit. So when you try to watch the video, just double click on the player and it will take you to the actual link on youtube.
.:♥:. Watered Down Faith .:♥:.
Please note that I did not write this. I came across this link today on facebook and what I read shocked me. Below is the whole story, read it through and tell me what you think!
(CNN) -- If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning:
Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.
Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.
Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of "Almost Christian," a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.
She says this "imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches.
"If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."
What traits passionate teens share
Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.
--Kenda Creasy Dean, author
The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.
The study included Christians of all stripes -- from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.
Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."
Some critics told Dean that most teenagers can't talk coherently about any deep subject, but Dean says abundant research shows that's not true.
"They have a lot to say," Dean says. "They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance. Most people who work with teenagers know that they are not naturally inarticulate."
In "Almost Christian," Dean talks to the teens who are articulate about their faith. Most come from Mormon and evangelical churches, which tend to do a better job of instilling religious passion in teens, she says.
No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.
"There are countless studies that show that religious teenagers do better in school, have better relationships with their parents and engage in less high-risk behavior," she says. "They do a lot of things that parents pray for."
Dean, a United Methodist Church minister who says parents are the most important influence on their children's faith, places the ultimate blame for teens' religious apathy on adults.
Some adults don't expect much from youth pastors. They simply want them to keep their children off drugs and away from premarital sex.
Others practice a "gospel of niceness," where faith is simply doing good and not ruffling feathers. The Christian call to take risks, witness and sacrifice for others is muted, she says.
"If teenagers lack an articulate faith, it may be because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation," wrote Dean, a professor of youth and church culture at Princeton Theological Seminary.
More teens may be drifting away from conventional Christianity. But their desire to help others has not diminished, another author says.
Barbara A. Lewis, author of "The Teen Guide to Global Action," says Dean is right -- more teens are embracing a nebulous belief in God.
Yet there's been an "explosion" in youth service since 1995 that Lewis attributes to more schools emphasizing community service.
Teens that are less religious aren't automatically less compassionate, she says.
"I see an increase in youth passion to make the world a better place," she says. "I see young people reaching out to solve problems. They're not waiting for adults."
What religious teens say about their peers
--Elizabeth Corrie, Emory University professor
Elizabeth Corrie meets some of these idealistic teens every summer. She has taken on the book's central challenge: instilling religious passion in teens.
Corrie, who once taught high school religion, now directs a program called YTI -- the Youth Theological Initiative at Emory University in Georgia.
YTI operates like a theological boot camp for teens. At least 36 rising high school juniors and seniors from across the country gather for three weeks of Christian training. They worship together, take pilgrimages to varying religious communities and participate in community projects.
Corrie says she sees no shortage of teenagers who want to be inspired and make the world better. But the Christianity some are taught doesn't inspire them "to change anything that's broken in the world."
Teens want to be challenged; they want their tough questions taken on, she says.
"We think that they want cake, but they actually want steak and potatoes, and we keep giving them cake," Corrie says.
David Wheaton, an Atlanta high school senior, says many of his peers aren't excited about Christianity because they don't see the payoff.
"If they can't see benefits immediately, they stay away from it," Wheaton says. "They don't want to make sacrifices."
How 'radical' parents instill religious passion in their children
Churches, not just parents, share some of the blame for teens' religious apathy as well, says Corrie, the Emory professor.
She says pastors often preach a safe message that can bring in the largest number of congregants. The result: more people and yawning in the pews.
"If your church can't survive without a certain number of members pledging, you might not want to preach a message that might make people mad," Corrie says. "We can all agree that we should all be good and that God rewards those who are nice."
Corrie, echoing the author of "Almost Christian," says the gospel of niceness can't teach teens how to confront tragedy.
"It can't bear the weight of deeper questions: Why are my parents getting a divorce? Why did my best friend commit suicide? Why, in this economy, can't I get the good job I was promised if I was a good kid?"
What can a parent do then?
Get "radical," Dean says.
She says parents who perform one act of radical faith in front of their children convey more than a multitude of sermons and mission trips.
A parent's radical act of faith could involve something as simple as spending a summer in Bolivia working on an agricultural renewal project or turning down a more lucrative job offer to stay at a struggling church, Dean says.
But it's not enough to be radical -- parents must explain "this is how Christians live," she says.
"If you don't say you're doing it because of your faith, kids are going to say my parents are really nice people," Dean says. "It doesn't register that faith is supposed to make you live differently unless parents help their kids connect the dots."
'They called when all the cards stopped'
Anne Havard, an Atlanta teenager, might be considered radical. She's a teen whose faith appears to be on fire.
Havard, who participated in the Emory program, bubbles over with energy when she talks about possibly teaching theology in the future and quotes heavy-duty scholars such as theologian Karl Barth.
She's so fired up about her faith that after one question, Havard goes on a five-minute tear before stopping and chuckling: "Sorry, I just talked a long time."
Havard says her faith has been nurtured by what Dean, the "Almost Christian" author, would call a significant faith community.
In 2006, Havard lost her father to a rare form of cancer. Then she lost one of her best friends -- a young woman in the prime of life -- to cancer as well. Her church and her pastor stepped in, she says.
"They called when all the cards stopped," she says.
When asked how her faith held up after losing her father and friend, Havard didn't fumble for words like some of the teens in "Almost Christian."
She says God spoke the most to her when she felt alone -- as Jesus must have felt on the cross.
"When Jesus was on the cross crying out, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' Jesus was part of God,'' she says. "Then God knows what it means to doubt.
"It's OK to be in a storm, to be in a doubt," she says, "because God was there, too."
.:♥:. John 3:16 .:♥:.
This video quite literally took my breath away. Check it out, and you will never view John 3:16 the same way again. Share this with your friends, let me know what you think, and start spreading the news. Let yourself be lit on fire with a burning passion for Christ.
.:♥:. Playing it Safe .:♥:.
Today, most Christians tend to live in a box. They think that if they don't step out of the box, nothing bad will happen and they can just quietly go to heaven and say "Whew I'm glad that's over" But what about our mission in life? What about creating disciples, who make disciples to make disciple cycles? (Last line from Lecrae) We are just so scared to go out and do something crazy for God, that our lives aren't the testimonies they should be. I'd like you to check out this video by Francis Chan, author of the book Crazy Love. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
We really need to start stepping out and living for Christ!
.:♥:. Breaking Barriers .:♥:.
Okay so I do have a lot of catching up to do from this summer, I will get to it I promise, but I was having a bit of a struggle with God recently and just haven't been doing much of anything. So anyway I really needed to write this tonight, and man do I have some good news. I finally broke through a small piece of my barrier from God tonight, right now as I'm writing, about 15 minutes ago I could feel the peace of God once again and ohmigoodness does it feel just simply amazing.
Alright now don't think "Oh huzzah she's alright again!" Hah no. No where near close, but I have taken the first step again and I am starting to see God again.
So anyways a lot had happened this past year and me being the prideful person I am, decided I could totally deal with it on my own and I didn't need God's help. Little did I know that was the first step to my separation from God.
I wasn't sleeping well, I wasn't eating well, no longer could I feel joy, I felt frusterated and angry quite often, then I would get even more irritated for feeling this way. What the heck was wrong with me? Well I still don't quite know what it is, but I am just so ecstatic that I am feeling God again. Well I was just having a heart-to-heart with one of my closest friends and he was giving me all sorts of advice, and finally something he said just clicked. Like it was a 'click' everything fell together moment. So the gist of what he said was "Jess I really care about you and seeing you like this makes me sad because I don't know what to do. Just remember you have a friend that loves you." ... *ting!* As if that whole click moment wasn't enough this song came on and it just broke me.
Yea I just started crying like I hadn't cried for the past couple months, and it was finally me letting Jesus see my brokeness once again, and saying that I really did need him.
As I was writing this one of my favourite songs came on and I thought it was just the perfect way to wrap this all up.
Please pray for me as I continue in my journey of further opening my heart to Jesus,
God Bless you all, and for those of you who haven't found the peace of God, I pray that someday it will find you.
.:♥:. Sauble .:♥:.
Here are just a few pictures I took on a camping trip to Sauble Beach. It's definitely one of of my favourite places to
camp
!
.:♥:. FML .:♥:.
You know what I'm tired of seeing all over my facebook news page?
fml. F.M.L.
seriously people?
fml because your parents caught you coming home drunk right?
fml because you have to work instead of going out to a party.
fml because you're cell got taken away.
fml
what strong words.
strong stupid horrible words.
I dare you to look at these pictures and then post a status as "fml" again.
you won't die because you can't text. so stop complaining, we are such a lazy generation who only care about our technology crap we don't even take the time to recognize how horribly broken this world is, what we can do to make a difference. come on guys, really?
I'm sick of this crap, hearing about how bad your life is cause you don't have a cell, your internet got taken away, you got grounded for partying. How is that showing people the love of Christ? I'm sorry people, but I am going to do something about this, but I can't do it alone, I need the support of my peers, to help spread the love of Christ, to stop horrible things such as child abuse, spousal abuse, any abuse, sex trade, slavery, murder, war. Come together for Christ!
Child Abuse Awareness
Alyssa Lies
.:♥:. Real Men & Women .:♥:.
So I was browsing through this website : www.therebelution.com and I came across these two posts. Note they were NOT written by me, nor were the pictures taken by me.
A Real Man
Lori Hainline & Rebecca Chandler co-authored this list at the respective ages of 19 and 17. Their closing comment: This list is not exhaustive and men like this do exist!
A real man . . .
…understands and lives according to the basic purposes for which he was created: to worship, honor, and serve God. (Romans 12:1-2)…values and carefully handles the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15)
…doesn’t pride himself on being knowledgeable in the sinful ways of the world. (1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, Philippians 4:8)
A real man . . .
…isn’t embarrassed to worship God and pray in a group setting. (Mark 8:38)…is wise, yet humble. (Proverbs 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16)
A real man . . .
…takes leadership in a self-sacrificing way. (Ephesians 5:25-28)…is kind because, “What is desirable in man is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22)
…doesn’t try to prove himself but is simply confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 14:26-27)
…doesn’t put others down with his actions, attitude, words, or his strength. But on the contrary, he affirms and builds others up (Proverbs 15:4, Ephesians 4:29)
A real man . . .
…treats his sisters and mother with as much respect as he would treat a prospective wife. (Matthew 25:21)…not only respects but appreciates a young lady’s purity and innocence. In our culture innocence isn’t retained by accident. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)
…values his purity as much as he values a young lady’s purity. He is not ashamed to live and act differently from the world in order to guard himself. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:26)
…can look a girl straight in the eye without communicating any impurity. (Proverbs 20:11)
A real man . . .
…isn’t ashamed to identify himself with his family (Ephesians 6:2-3)…is a gentleman. He is polite and shows women honor in everyday things such as opening doors, etc. (1 Peter 3:7)
…has no desire to be gross in order to impress other men. He doesn’t burp, swear, or tell disgusting stories. (Proverbs 13:5, Ephesians 5:4)
A real man . . .
…shows by his actions that he loves children. (Matthew 19:13-14)…is pleasant and expresses joy rather than feeling that it’s masculine to be sullen. (Proverbs 21:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:16)
…doesn’t blame others for his own problems but embraces responsibility. (Proverbs 12:27)
…can accept correction (Proverbs 12:1, Proverbs 29:1)
A real man . . .
…is mature in his emotions and his expressions of them. He can deal with the trials of life logically, with wisdom, not on a basis of emotional instability. (Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 12:18)…understands the value of work and is financially responsible. (Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Luke 16:10-11)
…expresses himself with intelligent words rather than using “street talk”. (Proverbs 17:20, Titus 2:6-8, 1 Peter 4:11, Ephesians 4:29)
A Real Woman
Written by Philip Hainline, Heidi Reimer, and Maria Reimer at the respective ages of 16, 19, and 17.
A real woman . . .
…is glad she’s a woman and rejoices in her femininity, expressing it through her attitude, appearance and bearing. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)…does not compete for equality with men or chafe at God’s design for male and female, but delights in and understands the importance of her calling to complement man’s role. (1 Timothy 2:11-12, Ephesians 5:22-24)
…values the cultivation of her mind and diligently seeks after wisdom and knowledge. (Proverbs 22:17-21, 2:2-6)
…realizes her imperative need to allow the Holy Spirit to control her emotions and expressions of them. (James 1:19-20)
…does not wallow in self-pity or make a habit of voicing complaints, but radiates cheerfulness and joy. (Proverbs 15:15, Proverbs 17:22)
A real woman . . .
…appreciates her father’s protection, and respects and submits to his authority. In so doing, she is preparing herself to exercise the Biblical role in her relationship with a possible future husband. (Ephesians 5:33-6:3, 1 Peter 3:1-2)…is trustworthy and gains the respect of those around her. (Proverbs 31:11)
…restrains herself from listening to, or participating in gossip, but instead speaks with wisdom and discretion. (Proverbs 11:12-13, 22, 20:19, 3:11)
…encourages and builds up those around her instead of criticizing and tearing them down. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29)
…does not have a nagging, contentious or manipulative manner in which she deals with others. (Judges 16:16, Proverbs 21:9, 19, 26:21)
…is not boisterous or loud in her speech or actions but is characterized by a gentle and quiet spirit. (Proverbs 9:13, 1 Peter 3:4)
A real woman . . .
…portrays chastity, modesty and reverence in her manner, and wears the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is her true beauty. (1 Peter 3:3-4, Titus 2:4-5)…is not offended by respect shown her through gentlemanly courtesies (opening doors, etc.) but cultivates the differences between the sexes that make her worthy of this deference. (1 Peter 3:7, Mark 10:6)
…seeks to make God her number one desire and the Lover of her soul, knowing that only He can fully satisfy. (Psalm 73:25, Psalm 63:1)
…uses her years of singleness to seek and serve God without distraction, and is content to leave the details of her future to Him. (Psalm 73:25, Philippians 4:11)
A real woman . . .
…does not relate to members of the opposite sex in a flirtatious or forward manner, but instead saves all her passion for her future husband. (Thessalonians 4:3-8, Proverbs 6:25, 1 Corinthians 7:1)…holds her virginity before marriage sacred and will not compromise it for anything. (This one goes for guys too)
(1 Timothy 5:22)
.:♥:. Turning a Deaf Ear .:♥:.
Isaiah 65 : 1-2, 12
"The Lord says 'I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found but no one was looking for me. I said "Here I am! Here I am!" to a nation that did not call my name. All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.' " ... "For when I called you did not answer. When I spoke you did not listen. You deliberately sinned -- before my very eyes -- and chose to do that which you know I despise."
Okay so I finally finished Isaiah today and came across this chapter and it really made me think. Sure those words were meant for the people of Israel, but they are recorded for us to read. All the time you hear people complain, "Oh God can't hear me. Why doesn't he answer? God has abandoned us." Well perhaps it is us who have abandoned God, we're the ones who've forgotten how to listen. It takes two people to have a relationship, so both people have to contribute. You can't just expect God to pop up whenever you want Him and then never give Him the time of day.
I find we do that all the time. "Hey God I've got this new wishlist for ya. Can you do this and this and this, oh and I'd really love it if you could handle that too. Kaythanksbye!" and then when you need Him we complain He's not listening. Hey have you ever heard that little voice in the back of your head giving you advice, or just offering some words of comfort. Or how about that small warmth, or feeling of peace. Yea hello?! I believe thats God. Problem is, we often overlook that voice or feeling. We spend all week rushing and bustling around never stopping till Sunday morning where we listen to a quick sermon, bouncing the whole time wondering how full the restaurant will be, then dashing out the doors after stopping to say a few hellos.
Okay people so I say we need to s.l.o.w. d.o.w.n. Whew, okay take a few deep breaths. Kay now spend some time, how ever long you need and talk with God. Talk about anything and everything, tell Him how your week went, how your day was, that person at work that you can't stand, how your sick family member is. Do this everyday as often as you can and soon enough you should feel God speaking to your heart.
.:♥:. Growin Up .:♥:.
So my parents are all done with elementary school, that is until grandchildren come around, but thats still off in the future. On June 28 my youngest brother J. graduated from elementary school. They ended up holding the reception at my old high school, and my brothers next destination.
There's the three of us together before the grad.
.:♥:. Father's Love Letter .:♥:.
Here's my latest video, it's not song lyrics, it's called a Father's Love Letter. Hope you enjoy!
.:♥:. Just Stop & Think .:♥:.
Go somewhere quiet, away from distractions, some place where you can give your full attention and just stop and think.
http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_stop.html
.:♥:. Fresh as a Daisy .:♥:.
So here are a bunch
of my attempts at being artistic. This is the path I take home once in a while and I get to see a bunch of neat things.
.:♥:. Frolicking Through Flowers .:♥:.
So I may have become slightly enthusiastic about taking pictures of flowers, but I can't help it, they're so beautiful! Anywho here's a few to tide over your curiosity, but I will have tons more! I really am thinking of looking into investing in a pro camera and improve my shooting skills just as a hobby. I mean who doesn't love to take pictures of Gods creative artwork?
.:♥:. Celebrating Moms .:♥:.
So to celebrate madres day I decided to bake up a cake from scratch, with icing also made from scratch. Well apparently I used the wrong sized tin, because it was supposed to be a double layered cake. My dad said when it was done it looked like a beach, great now how can I top that for the day of papas? I also made a wee too much icing so my dad and I were in the kitchen slicing up all sorts of fruits trying to hide the evidence.
.:♥:. A day of celebration .:♥:.
So one of my best girls from youth group just graduated. She was homeschooled, so the grad was actually at our church. She looked lovely of course, and we all had a blast!
.:♥:. Nick Vujicic - Life Without Limbs .:♥:.
So I just realized I've been putting my titles in the post, instead of the title bar, I'm such a goose :)
Anyways, last night I was very lucky to be one of the last people let into West Park church yesterday to watch Nick Vujicic speak, about life without limbs.
West Park was packed, I was there almost 45 minutes early and I was one of the last people they let inside, because of fire codes. When I got in to one of the three overflow rooms, all the seats were taken, so I stood at the back of the room. Well they announced that whoever couldn't find a place to sit would have to be asked to leave, because if we all stood, then the doors would be blocked, causing a fire hazard. I looked and looked but could not find a place to sit anywhere, so I reluctantly went back to stand at in my place right beside the doors. I held my breath waiting to be ushered out with the rest of the non-seated people, but after a while I realized that they were done kicking people out, and the presentation was starting. I looked around and saw I was the only one besides the staff who was standing, I don't know why but I was given the chance to be part of this amazing night. One of the staff even offered me a chair he had found but I told him to give it to someone who needed it more than I did, so they knew I wasn't staff, I was just a very blessed audience member.
Here's a link of a promo video for Nick Vujicic - Life without limbs:
I strongly suggest you check it out :)
Another promo video
.:♥:. All the pretty little ponies .:♥:.
So there's this barn that I go visit often, one of my friends' mom is a teacher, and her friend owns some horses, a pony and a bunch of kitties.
Well the lady (B.) had a stroke a week and a half ago and needs to take it easy, so tonight my friend and I went there for the first time since last summer, to help out. We plan on going there at least every Tuesday.
Here are some of the cats :)
Also at the bottom is a picture of Mellers, theres the original photo, then the one I edited. Mellers is our oldest horse and this is probably his last year.
.:♥:. Here I am. Send me .:♥:.
Lately I've really been thinking about going on a missions trip. I'm currently in the middle of reading Isaiah and I came across the well known line, "Here I am. Send me."
But where have we been? We sit comfortably in our homes, in our jobs, in our churches and say "Someone else is more suited than me for this job."
I'm sure most of you know the story of Moses? Moses thought he was inadequate, and what was God's response? "So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth ? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."
We have been called to GO so why do we wait?
Here are two videos
Here I Am send me.
Think you're not good enough for God to use, just look at some of these examples
March of the Unqualified
God Bless!
.:♥:. Every Season .:♥:.
So I have a channel on youtube and have recently decided to actually upload videos. I really want to inspire people to further pursuit Christ, and get people excited and motivated.
Well anyways I made this video and posted it, the song is Every Season by Nicole Nordeman and it talks about how you can see God in every season and his creation.
God Bless!
.:♥:. What God has been doing the past year .:♥:.
As promised here is the speech from Sunday *Note the picture below was NOT taken by me :) *
So tonight I am here to talk to you a little about what God has been doing in my life this past year. To begin I am a former student from Banting Secondary School. During my 4 1/2 years a lot happened during my last year and a half that tested my faith in many ways. Sometime in March of 2009, I learned that a classmate of mine had just been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. I had known this girl since kindergarten, and had been friends through elementary school, we still talked to each other during high school, but we weren't that close. I only visited her once during illness, and that was in May, the very day she was transferred to Parkwood hospital. Seeing her lying in the bed looking so frail and sick really scared me. A month passed and on June 14th I prayed to God that night, but instead of just praying I wrote it in my prayer journal. I prayed that God would end her suffering according to his will whether it meant a miraculous healing, or calling her into heaven. The next morning at school during first period, it was announced that she had passed away in the early hours of the morning. I had never thought that the first funeral I went to would be that of a classmate. During that week at school, a bunch of her friends congregated in the vocal music room to sit, comfort each other, and just cry. Two days after her death, we decided we wanted a change of atmosphere, so we marched of the music room, two people grabbing their guitars, and we lined the walls of the hallway and spent the day singing. I will never forget the feeling of that day were we all sang together, God worked through the tragedy to bring all of us together to celebrate the life of a departed friend. That was probably one of the hardest times I've been through, but God was there through it all. I graduated Banting in November 2009 and am now working full time at kidscape- an indoor playground for kids. God literally provided this job right when I needed it most. After two years of unsuccessful job searching I finally decided to turn things over to God. I was hired at kidscape a week before my final exams were finished. Being a christian isn't always easy, and there are times when I feel separated from God, but it's through these times that you have to keep going, run the race, live the faith, and trust that God will always provide for all your needs. A bible verse that has been a great comfort to me is Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. I now leave you with the lyrics to one of my favourite songs, "Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope, you're gonna do great things, God's got his hands on you so don't live life in fear, forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here." Thank you.
