You now that girl at your school that just looks like she has everything handed to her on a silver platter? She always looks great, even if the school just had a major snow storm that she just had to walk through. Somehow this girl seems like no matter what physically hits her, she always has a solution. Bad hair day? No problem, she still looks great in a ponytail. Ran out of makeup? She has friends who will let her borrow some. No date to prom? That's alright, she has what... like 20 different options. Or more. To our untrained eye, this girl looks like her life is physically perfect. She has it all. The Looks. The Personality. The Guys. Why is it though that we take the time to notice so much about these kinds of people? We don't just notice that these people have everything made, but we also start thinking down the path of everything they have that we don't. We think to ourselves, "When I have a bad hair day, my hair looks nothing like that. I have no makeup so I'll have to run to the store this weekend. But with or without makeup, we'll never look like they do. No date to prom? Oh well, I'll just have to go with friends."
You see girls, we really need a new way of thinking here. First things first, even though this girl looks like everything in her life is just spectacular and perfect, most often times this is not the case. There could easily be something going on under the surface that we just don't see. But even if there is nothing going on underneath the surface and life is really going great for them, why can't we have life going the exact same way? Honestly, we don't need any of that stuff to make us happy. We don't need perfect looks, a drop dead gorgeous personality(although having God on your side does wonders for anyone's personality), or a guy hanging on our arm to make us happy. Why? Because God made us exactly the way we are for a reason. Who are we to say that he didn't make us perfectly? I don't know about you, but I don't exactly want to be telling God that something he made is not perfect. Who are we to judge God's work?
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27
What we need to start doing is accepting ourselves for the way they are, and taking pride in who we are. All of us are beautiful and unique because we were all created by God, in his image. That simple fact right there should be so encouraging. We were created by a perfect God, in his image. What a beautiful thought. To think that we were hand crafted by God, the creator of the universe. Sometimes this can seem like such a crazy concept that it can be sometimes difficult to understand. But stop and think about this for a moment. What are we doing sitting here worrying about how that popular girl a few tables over looks like she has everything made when we all were made equal and in his image?
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
Besides being beautifully created in his image, we were all unique and created with a purpose. Can you believe that? Not only do we get the honor of being created by God and in his image, but we also get to have a reason to live and purpose?! Insane and beautiful. :) Girls, think about this for a moment. You were created by God, for a reason. To look just the way you do. Regardless of whatever imperfections you think you have, God sees you perfectly and clearly. He loves you so much and you are beautiful to him. Instead of needed everyone at school to think you are popular, isn't it amazing to think that God sees you and you are popular in his sight? I sure think so. So next time you see that popular girl in the hallway, instead of thinking about everything she has and everything you don't, stop for a moment to remember that you are beautiful and God made you, just the way you are.
Merry Christmas girls! It's Christmas eve!!! I hope you all have had an amazing week! Time has gone by so fast! It feels like yesterday this school year was just beginning and now it's already halfway over! Goodness! I'll be praying for you girls in the coming weeks, I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. <3 On another note I wanted to add that for right now, I will be posted on the blog once a week, every Saturday until things change. In the future I might be able to post more frequently but with school I can only post about once a week for now. :) If any of you have any topics that you want me to write about or a question you want me to give my thoughts on, please feel free to comment below and I would love to get back to you. Merry Christmas girls!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Unequally Yoked: Relationships
As teenagers, we can sometimes tend to fall for someone without thinking long term. We see examples of this all around us when girls fall for a guy, they start dating and then break up with each other a few days, weeks, and in few cases months later all because it didn't work out. If we were to really stop and look at this pattern of dating someone for such a short amount of time and then breaking up with them, we would see that most of the time, these people were not right for each other from the very beginning but because they started dating each other anyway, it became a bad cycle that did not end very well at all.
As Christians, hopefully we are not going around and dating a bunch of guys to find the right one. We need to be trusting that God will bring the right one along when the time is right. But there are some things we should and should not be doing as we wait for God to bring us that special someone. The main thing is that we don't need to be getting romantically involved with people that are not equally yoked, or not Christians themselves.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14
When we attach ourselves to someone who does not have the same belief system, we are setting ourselves up for the relationship to eventually fail and for us to have a broken heart. Sometimes, even when we decide to get emotionally attached to someone, they are not the special person that God has chosen for us in our future. It is also very important to note that we are not supposed to completely forget about these people or decide not to be friends with them just because they don't believe the same thing you do. We are not to forget about these people, but are supposed to be there to befriend and support them. But there is a fine line that needs to be drawn here. We can be friends with unbelievers but nothing more.
When God does not want us to be romantically involved with unbelievers, this is not to punish us or take away our fun. Instead, God is trying to protect us from getting hurt and getting dragged down by them. Most often times when a Christian and an unbeliever start dating, what eventually starts happening is the more and more time they spend around each other, the more and more that the unbeliever starts dragging the Christian down. We need to be together with someone that will lift us up and help support us in our faith, not eventually drag us down.
You might be sitting there thinking, "Okay, this makes sense. But what if we start dating and then they will eventually become a Christian?" Although this is a nice thought, most of the time this is not the case. I'm not saying it's not possible, but more then likely this person will end up bringing you down, no matter how strong you are to begin with. This is where we need to trust that the person God will bring to us will not have to change their beliefs just to be in a relationship with us, but instead, will already have their beliefs set in stone by the time you are supposed to start dating them. We need to have trust in God that he will bring us someone who is way better then we could have ever imagined. Someone who will lift us up instead of drag us down. Someone who will not only respect your beliefs, but agree with them. :-)
"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" 1 Corinthians 15:33
Good luck girls, I'll be praying for you all in the weeks to come. Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? 7 days until we celebrate the birth of our King! <3
As Christians, hopefully we are not going around and dating a bunch of guys to find the right one. We need to be trusting that God will bring the right one along when the time is right. But there are some things we should and should not be doing as we wait for God to bring us that special someone. The main thing is that we don't need to be getting romantically involved with people that are not equally yoked, or not Christians themselves.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14
When we attach ourselves to someone who does not have the same belief system, we are setting ourselves up for the relationship to eventually fail and for us to have a broken heart. Sometimes, even when we decide to get emotionally attached to someone, they are not the special person that God has chosen for us in our future. It is also very important to note that we are not supposed to completely forget about these people or decide not to be friends with them just because they don't believe the same thing you do. We are not to forget about these people, but are supposed to be there to befriend and support them. But there is a fine line that needs to be drawn here. We can be friends with unbelievers but nothing more.
When God does not want us to be romantically involved with unbelievers, this is not to punish us or take away our fun. Instead, God is trying to protect us from getting hurt and getting dragged down by them. Most often times when a Christian and an unbeliever start dating, what eventually starts happening is the more and more time they spend around each other, the more and more that the unbeliever starts dragging the Christian down. We need to be together with someone that will lift us up and help support us in our faith, not eventually drag us down.
You might be sitting there thinking, "Okay, this makes sense. But what if we start dating and then they will eventually become a Christian?" Although this is a nice thought, most of the time this is not the case. I'm not saying it's not possible, but more then likely this person will end up bringing you down, no matter how strong you are to begin with. This is where we need to trust that the person God will bring to us will not have to change their beliefs just to be in a relationship with us, but instead, will already have their beliefs set in stone by the time you are supposed to start dating them. We need to have trust in God that he will bring us someone who is way better then we could have ever imagined. Someone who will lift us up instead of drag us down. Someone who will not only respect your beliefs, but agree with them. :-)
"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" 1 Corinthians 15:33
Good luck girls, I'll be praying for you all in the weeks to come. Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? 7 days until we celebrate the birth of our King! <3
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Running from God
Have you ever had a situation in your life when you just kept running from God's will, even though you knew exactly what he wanted you to do? Recently in my life I was faced with this exact problem. God had told me what he wanted to do, and at first I made the right decision. At first, I listened to God. But then do you know what happened? I turned back around again and went, "Uhm.. God, I think you were wrong. I'm going to do this my own way." I'm sure you can guess that things really didn't turn out very well. But when you think about it, do things ever turn out very well when you don't listen to what God wants? Let me use an example.
If your parents were to tell you not to go to the party that was this weekend, but you decided to go with a friend anyway, there could be major consequences to going to that party without their permission. At first, going to the party without them might seem a little fun. After all, you are getting out on your own, doing what you want to do, and you don't have to listen to your parents will. Sounds like fun, right? Maybe for awhile, but then you might start to feel guilty or something bad might happen. It is usually after we go out and have our fun that we realize that our parents were right after all.
This reminds me a lot of what happened when I ran away from God's will. Although God never flat out stopped me from making that decision, because God did give us free will, he just sat there and waited for me to come running back to him when I realized he was right. Isn't this a lot of what parents do? We decide not to listen to them, decide that we're right and they're wrong, but in reality they are actually the ones that are right.
I want to urge you right now that if you are running away from God or God's will, to stop. I know that right now, whatever you are going through will be so much easier if you start listening to God's will and not your own. It might be run to go your own way and not listen to God, but it will always be better to put his will before your own. He looks out for us and cares so much about us, his will is ALWAYS in our best interest. Sometimes in life we might think that he doesn't care but the opposite could not be more true. He cares so much that he wants to keep us out of trouble. No, he won't stop us from making the right decision, but he will be right there to catch us when we fall. So if you are busy running away from God, I would encourage you to stop running AWAY from God, but start running TO him instead. You will be amazed with the results.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20
If your parents were to tell you not to go to the party that was this weekend, but you decided to go with a friend anyway, there could be major consequences to going to that party without their permission. At first, going to the party without them might seem a little fun. After all, you are getting out on your own, doing what you want to do, and you don't have to listen to your parents will. Sounds like fun, right? Maybe for awhile, but then you might start to feel guilty or something bad might happen. It is usually after we go out and have our fun that we realize that our parents were right after all.
This reminds me a lot of what happened when I ran away from God's will. Although God never flat out stopped me from making that decision, because God did give us free will, he just sat there and waited for me to come running back to him when I realized he was right. Isn't this a lot of what parents do? We decide not to listen to them, decide that we're right and they're wrong, but in reality they are actually the ones that are right.
I want to urge you right now that if you are running away from God or God's will, to stop. I know that right now, whatever you are going through will be so much easier if you start listening to God's will and not your own. It might be run to go your own way and not listen to God, but it will always be better to put his will before your own. He looks out for us and cares so much about us, his will is ALWAYS in our best interest. Sometimes in life we might think that he doesn't care but the opposite could not be more true. He cares so much that he wants to keep us out of trouble. No, he won't stop us from making the right decision, but he will be right there to catch us when we fall. So if you are busy running away from God, I would encourage you to stop running AWAY from God, but start running TO him instead. You will be amazed with the results.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20
Friday, November 25, 2011
Public School: Keeping Focused
When I first decided that I was going to go back into the high school, I knew that I needed to be completely sure of what my goals would be in going back to the high school, and that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing. So I took some time praying about it to see God's opinion and have his hand in the process. When I felt that God was saying yes to be going back to the high school, I knew I had to keep a few very important things in mind. The first is that there is no way I can survive this on my own. I mean really, trying to survive in a public high school is kinda crazy! Without God in the picture, I knew I would fail. I also knew I not only needed to maintain a close relationship with God throughout my time at the high school, but he needed to be my main focus the entire time. Nothing could be placed before him or this was simply not going to work.
Well these goals started out fine in the beginning. The first few weeks of high school were great. I was focused. I kept God close to me by keeping him in my prayers, thoughts, and actions throughout every day. I kept a close relationship with him and as long as I did that, I did way more then survive at the high school. In fact, one could almost say that I thrived there. But then I started allowing other things to appear more important. Other things would take up my time, my thoughts, and my energy. Instead of spending time talking to God, I would be spending time worrying about an upcoming test or what someone would think about me if I did this or that. Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I was destined to start failing. And fail I sure did. I actually started coming to a point that I was no longer craving talking to God. I was getting so caught up in all these other worldly things that I was starting to no longer see the big picture. My view was becoming more and more limited. I started being more stressed out, not having as much fun, and snapping at my friends more. Things were not working.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" Matthew 22:37
So is we are supposed to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul, then that means there is no room for anything else. Nothing should ever take God's place. Well the more time that I spent worrying and stressing or being occupied in other things that were not about God, the more that I started taking my eyes off of God and I started allowing my heart to stray away from God. This was exactly what I knew I could not do in the very beginning when I signed up for public school. I knew I needed to be completely focused on God. Not partially focused, but completely focused. So this was where I went wrong.
So here is my encouragement to you. Keep focused on what really matters in life. Instead of worrying about that big test you have next week, if you and your best friend are still going to be friends in the next 2 years, or if that cute guy is going to ask you to the winter dance, spend some time getting to know your creator. The more and more you get to know him, the less and less time you will spend worrying about these little things that don't matter. The results will be beautiful. :)
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
Well these goals started out fine in the beginning. The first few weeks of high school were great. I was focused. I kept God close to me by keeping him in my prayers, thoughts, and actions throughout every day. I kept a close relationship with him and as long as I did that, I did way more then survive at the high school. In fact, one could almost say that I thrived there. But then I started allowing other things to appear more important. Other things would take up my time, my thoughts, and my energy. Instead of spending time talking to God, I would be spending time worrying about an upcoming test or what someone would think about me if I did this or that. Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I was destined to start failing. And fail I sure did. I actually started coming to a point that I was no longer craving talking to God. I was getting so caught up in all these other worldly things that I was starting to no longer see the big picture. My view was becoming more and more limited. I started being more stressed out, not having as much fun, and snapping at my friends more. Things were not working.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" Matthew 22:37
So is we are supposed to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul, then that means there is no room for anything else. Nothing should ever take God's place. Well the more time that I spent worrying and stressing or being occupied in other things that were not about God, the more that I started taking my eyes off of God and I started allowing my heart to stray away from God. This was exactly what I knew I could not do in the very beginning when I signed up for public school. I knew I needed to be completely focused on God. Not partially focused, but completely focused. So this was where I went wrong.
So here is my encouragement to you. Keep focused on what really matters in life. Instead of worrying about that big test you have next week, if you and your best friend are still going to be friends in the next 2 years, or if that cute guy is going to ask you to the winter dance, spend some time getting to know your creator. The more and more you get to know him, the less and less time you will spend worrying about these little things that don't matter. The results will be beautiful. :)
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
Friday, October 21, 2011
Facing the Unknown
Hey guys! :)
I've just about disappeared off the face of the earth when it comes to blogging. Well I finally decided it would be a good idea to get back into the swing of things, and start blogging again! I recently moved from doing an online public high school to a traditional public school system, so I have been trying to get the hang of things there and not get too bogged down with school work and sports. A friend of mine brought it to my attention that I should start blogging again, and maybe start blogging about my experiences at the high school and my transition from going to an online school to a public school. So in the future weeks, I will be talking about topics related to high school students as well. :) So now that you're all updated as far as my school change goes, I had something on my mind that I felt like I should share with you guys. Enjoy! :)
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
I don't know about you, but I personally don't like much change in my life. Overall, I am perfectly content to stay in the same patterns and habits that I have been doing for years, and never change anything about them. You might be thinking, "Well why? Don't you want to try new things?" The answer to that is yes, of course. But sometimes I can get into the habit of thinking that life would be easier if I didn't try new things. If I just stayed in the same old patterns that I have been keeping up for years and never change a thing. Sure, I'm kinda right. Life would be a lot easier. But God wants us to be a light for others to see, and for me, this meant going back to the public school.
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16(NIV)
Trying new things can be very scary. I think just at anyone you meet can tell you that the unknown can be a little nerve wracking, if not downright frightening. As humans, we try to take control of the situation and make sense of everything ourselves. As soon as we can't make sense of something ourselves, we panic. But when life changes and things start working a little differently then we're normally used to, why do we panic? Doesn't God tell us not to be afraid when trouble arises?
"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10(NIV)
When we are placed in scary situations, it is very important to really remember just how big our God is. Why do we freak out when we're moving to a new school, a new city, a new state? Why do we freak out when things don't go as planned? Because even though they are unplanned on our part, they are all apart of God's plan. Keep these things in mind the next time you start to worry about something small and trivial. We have a BIG God. Why do we worry about the little things? God says that he will always take care of us, no matter what happens in our life.
"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?" Matthew 6:26(NIV)
** Another good passage in the Bible to read when you are afraid or worried is Psalms 23. :)
I've just about disappeared off the face of the earth when it comes to blogging. Well I finally decided it would be a good idea to get back into the swing of things, and start blogging again! I recently moved from doing an online public high school to a traditional public school system, so I have been trying to get the hang of things there and not get too bogged down with school work and sports. A friend of mine brought it to my attention that I should start blogging again, and maybe start blogging about my experiences at the high school and my transition from going to an online school to a public school. So in the future weeks, I will be talking about topics related to high school students as well. :) So now that you're all updated as far as my school change goes, I had something on my mind that I felt like I should share with you guys. Enjoy! :)
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
I don't know about you, but I personally don't like much change in my life. Overall, I am perfectly content to stay in the same patterns and habits that I have been doing for years, and never change anything about them. You might be thinking, "Well why? Don't you want to try new things?" The answer to that is yes, of course. But sometimes I can get into the habit of thinking that life would be easier if I didn't try new things. If I just stayed in the same old patterns that I have been keeping up for years and never change a thing. Sure, I'm kinda right. Life would be a lot easier. But God wants us to be a light for others to see, and for me, this meant going back to the public school.
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16(NIV)
Trying new things can be very scary. I think just at anyone you meet can tell you that the unknown can be a little nerve wracking, if not downright frightening. As humans, we try to take control of the situation and make sense of everything ourselves. As soon as we can't make sense of something ourselves, we panic. But when life changes and things start working a little differently then we're normally used to, why do we panic? Doesn't God tell us not to be afraid when trouble arises?
"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10(NIV)
When we are placed in scary situations, it is very important to really remember just how big our God is. Why do we freak out when we're moving to a new school, a new city, a new state? Why do we freak out when things don't go as planned? Because even though they are unplanned on our part, they are all apart of God's plan. Keep these things in mind the next time you start to worry about something small and trivial. We have a BIG God. Why do we worry about the little things? God says that he will always take care of us, no matter what happens in our life.
"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?" Matthew 6:26(NIV)
** Another good passage in the Bible to read when you are afraid or worried is Psalms 23. :)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 23
Total Word Count: 59,571
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: Again, not a concern at the moment. ;)
Mood: Tired
Update: So now is where you are sitting here thinking, "Didn't she win NaNo already? Why is she posting another update?" Well even though I have officially crossed the finish line, I decided I wanted to create another personal goal for myself. To push myself just a little harder this month. So pretty much, this is what happened. When I crossed the 50K finish line, I stopped and took a break. A little over a week break actually, with only a few thousand words being written over that time. For the longest time, I was continually beating myself up over it. Saying things to myself like, "I should be writing", "Why am I ignoring my novel?", and "Was I in this just for the word count?" Well I figured out the answers to these questions. I was just tired. I had written so many words in such little time, I was just tired of writing. So I kinda took a sigh of relief when I crossed the goal. Well now my motivation is back up, and I'm excited to keep going! My personal goal is to make it to 60K, but I just might have to change that goal here soon. ;) I'm a little close to that goal already!
I know I have told you all this so many times, but once again I wanted to stop and thank all of you who have been supporting me this month! Writing a novel in a month has been an insane but amazing experience, and one I hope I will never forget. (: So a huge thank you to everyone out there who has been encouraging me when I need it most! *hands you a s'more*
One last thing before I go! I still can't quite make up my mind about whether or not I should participate in the August Camp NaNo! It starts next month, so I need to start trying to decide if I want to participate or not. If you could please vote on the poll to the right of the blog, and let me know your opinion, it would be greatly appreciated! Love you guys!
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: Again, not a concern at the moment. ;)
Mood: Tired
Update: So now is where you are sitting here thinking, "Didn't she win NaNo already? Why is she posting another update?" Well even though I have officially crossed the finish line, I decided I wanted to create another personal goal for myself. To push myself just a little harder this month. So pretty much, this is what happened. When I crossed the 50K finish line, I stopped and took a break. A little over a week break actually, with only a few thousand words being written over that time. For the longest time, I was continually beating myself up over it. Saying things to myself like, "I should be writing", "Why am I ignoring my novel?", and "Was I in this just for the word count?" Well I figured out the answers to these questions. I was just tired. I had written so many words in such little time, I was just tired of writing. So I kinda took a sigh of relief when I crossed the goal. Well now my motivation is back up, and I'm excited to keep going! My personal goal is to make it to 60K, but I just might have to change that goal here soon. ;) I'm a little close to that goal already!
I know I have told you all this so many times, but once again I wanted to stop and thank all of you who have been supporting me this month! Writing a novel in a month has been an insane but amazing experience, and one I hope I will never forget. (: So a huge thank you to everyone out there who has been encouraging me when I need it most! *hands you a s'more*
One last thing before I go! I still can't quite make up my mind about whether or not I should participate in the August Camp NaNo! It starts next month, so I need to start trying to decide if I want to participate or not. If you could please vote on the poll to the right of the blog, and let me know your opinion, it would be greatly appreciated! Love you guys!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Setting an Example
You should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. -- 1 Timothy 4: 12
What comes to mind when you think about a role model? Some would think of celebrities, actors, actresses, your pastor, a family friend, or overall just someone that others look up to. I mean I'm sure we all have someone in our life that we can honestly see as a role model. For some of us, this could even be your mom or dad. But have you ever really stopped to see what the word role model really means? Let's take a quick look at what a dictionary says a role model is.
Role Model- Noun: A person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.
A person looked to by other...as an example to others. Hmmm... go back up and read the Bible verse in 1 Timothy. You might find a few similarities with this definition and that Bible verse. God calls Christians to be role models in Christ to shine His light to others. I'm sure for most of you, this is not any new news. But I have a crazy idea for you, that you might want to spend some time thinking about this month.
Have you ever maybe thought that YOU could be setting an example for someone else?
Honestly, I don't think this question comes to mind very often. We know that our little sisters or brothers tend to look up to us. We know that we have other people we look up to. But have we ever really stopped to think that we are setting an example for someone else? I know for me, I really never thought about it. Maybe you're in the same boat too. Stop and think for a second. Do you go to church, or youth group? You are setting an example there. Walk into Wal-mart? You're setting an example there too. Go to the local mall with your friends? More examples being set.
The thing is, we can set a good example, or a bad example. Of course, as Christians, we want to strive to set good examples everywhere we go that will shine all of the glory back on God. Sometimes it is easy to get trapped into the lie that we don't set an example for anyone. But believe it or not, you are setting an example to many, many people. You just might not know it yet, but you are. :) I wanted to take this post to encourage you today. We are all setting an example, but what kind of example are we setting? We want to strive to be setting a Godly example in everything we do. You never know who you just might be setting an example for.
What comes to mind when you think about a role model? Some would think of celebrities, actors, actresses, your pastor, a family friend, or overall just someone that others look up to. I mean I'm sure we all have someone in our life that we can honestly see as a role model. For some of us, this could even be your mom or dad. But have you ever really stopped to see what the word role model really means? Let's take a quick look at what a dictionary says a role model is.
Role Model- Noun: A person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.
A person looked to by other...as an example to others. Hmmm... go back up and read the Bible verse in 1 Timothy. You might find a few similarities with this definition and that Bible verse. God calls Christians to be role models in Christ to shine His light to others. I'm sure for most of you, this is not any new news. But I have a crazy idea for you, that you might want to spend some time thinking about this month.
Have you ever maybe thought that YOU could be setting an example for someone else?
Honestly, I don't think this question comes to mind very often. We know that our little sisters or brothers tend to look up to us. We know that we have other people we look up to. But have we ever really stopped to think that we are setting an example for someone else? I know for me, I really never thought about it. Maybe you're in the same boat too. Stop and think for a second. Do you go to church, or youth group? You are setting an example there. Walk into Wal-mart? You're setting an example there too. Go to the local mall with your friends? More examples being set.
The thing is, we can set a good example, or a bad example. Of course, as Christians, we want to strive to set good examples everywhere we go that will shine all of the glory back on God. Sometimes it is easy to get trapped into the lie that we don't set an example for anyone. But believe it or not, you are setting an example to many, many people. You just might not know it yet, but you are. :) I wanted to take this post to encourage you today. We are all setting an example, but what kind of example are we setting? We want to strive to be setting a Godly example in everything we do. You never know who you just might be setting an example for.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Looking Back at NaNo Goals
So remember when I had that post, back in the last few days before July started that contained my goals for NaNo and what I wanted to get out of all of this madness?(If not, check it out here first.) Well now that I have officially crossed the 50,000 word count goal, I decided it would be a good time to look back on my goals for all this madness. Technically I will still be writing throughout the entire month, so I think I'll be checking in at the very end with my final word count. But for now, we have some goals to look at. I had a few things that I wanted to make sure happened during Camp NaNo. I had never expected any of this, so I was new to the entire thing. So next to the goal I'm going to list, I'm going to update you on how that goal went and weather or not I succeeded at that personal goal of mine. (:
Have Fun- Succeeded! This goal most definitely was accomplished this month, and I'm sure it will continue to be fulfilled! The planning stage itself was stressful and difficult, but once I actually sat down and started writing, I had a lot of fun. Writing became something that was fun. So much fun that I would write for hours. It was awesome.
Grow As A Writer- Succeeded !For me, this goal meant that I would just grow. Get better at writing, learn to not be so self critical and such. And to be honest, this one was difficult at times. There were times where I thought that this was just crazy and it was sure not helping me grow as a writer. But this entire month has been a growing experience, and I can't wait to keep writing and see how much more growth I achieve.
Just Write- Succeeded! I wanted to be able to get rid of my inner editor for a month. I might have finished early, but this goal still applies. I want to be able to look back and say, "That might not have been the best rough draft in the world, but all rough drafts need work. I was able to get rid of my inner editor and just write. And that's what I came here to do." Sometimes I think we all need to get rid of our inner editor when writing. Otherwise we can be too self critical. So this one was difficult, and I struggled, but all in all I succeeded! (:
Reach 50,000- Succeeded! This one actually was more of a side goal. I was so hesitant to even put this as a goal, because reaching something this big seemed quite scary, to be honest. But sometimes you have to not worry about your word count and just write. My other goals helped me with this. So even though this one is just a side goal, it is such a huge accomplishment.
So there were my goals for this month of Camp NaNo! I still have 19 days remaining in this month. Anything's possible. (: I'll update you all through the entire month, just not nearly as frequently. Remember to vote on the poll on the right hand side of the blog, you're opinion really does count. Thanks again for your support, you guys are awesome!
Have Fun- Succeeded! This goal most definitely was accomplished this month, and I'm sure it will continue to be fulfilled! The planning stage itself was stressful and difficult, but once I actually sat down and started writing, I had a lot of fun. Writing became something that was fun. So much fun that I would write for hours. It was awesome.
Grow As A Writer- Succeeded !For me, this goal meant that I would just grow. Get better at writing, learn to not be so self critical and such. And to be honest, this one was difficult at times. There were times where I thought that this was just crazy and it was sure not helping me grow as a writer. But this entire month has been a growing experience, and I can't wait to keep writing and see how much more growth I achieve.
Just Write- Succeeded! I wanted to be able to get rid of my inner editor for a month. I might have finished early, but this goal still applies. I want to be able to look back and say, "That might not have been the best rough draft in the world, but all rough drafts need work. I was able to get rid of my inner editor and just write. And that's what I came here to do." Sometimes I think we all need to get rid of our inner editor when writing. Otherwise we can be too self critical. So this one was difficult, and I struggled, but all in all I succeeded! (:
Reach 50,000- Succeeded! This one actually was more of a side goal. I was so hesitant to even put this as a goal, because reaching something this big seemed quite scary, to be honest. But sometimes you have to not worry about your word count and just write. My other goals helped me with this. So even though this one is just a side goal, it is such a huge accomplishment.
So there were my goals for this month of Camp NaNo! I still have 19 days remaining in this month. Anything's possible. (: I'll update you all through the entire month, just not nearly as frequently. Remember to vote on the poll on the right hand side of the blog, you're opinion really does count. Thanks again for your support, you guys are awesome!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 10- WINNER!!!
Total Word Count: 50,803
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: Who cares?!
Mood: Acomplished!!
Update: I DID IT! WHOOOOOOOOOO! Earlier in the day I officially crossed that finish line! I strongly believe that this Camp NaNo will be one I will remember for quite awhile now. Not only was this NaNo my very first NaNo ever, but it was also the very first Camp NaNo ever offered. I also succeeded at my goal of writing 50,000 words in a month. And I actually went one step beyond that and wrote that many words in about 10 days. My goal for next time I try this? Finish in a week. ;) I wish I was kidding, but one day I'd love to give that a try. I know, I know. I'm loosing it. :D
Tomorrow I'll publish a post that contains the goals that I set for myself, and what happened to those goals while I wrote this month. I think I'll shock myself. Some of you may have noticed the purple, little word counter on the right hand side of my blog. I have been updating that regularly throughout Camp NaNo. I wanted to let you know that I will continue to be updating that this month, because I will continue writing. I also think I will continue to update my blog here on my progress, just maybe not as frequently as I did during NaNo. We'll see.Now that my goal has officially been passed, I want to see how much farther I can take it. Sure, I don't think I'm going to be writing nearly as much every day(we hope to protect my sanity- oh wait, too late) but we'll see what happens! (:
A huge THANK YOU to every single person who has been supporting me through this. Some of you were here with me from the planning stage on, and others joined me later on in the month. Whichever category you fall under, thanks for helping me out with this! You're awesome and your support means a lot. <3
SO! I have a question for all of you, and your opinion matters here. Camp NaNo is also offered next month. What do you guys think? Do you think I should try it again? Next month, right after this one? Dang, that would be difficult but a lot of fun. I want to know your opinion! If you want, head on over to the poll on the right side of the blog here and vote for me. It would mean a lot. (: Thanks so much!
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: Who cares?!
Mood: Acomplished!!
Update: I DID IT! WHOOOOOOOOOO! Earlier in the day I officially crossed that finish line! I strongly believe that this Camp NaNo will be one I will remember for quite awhile now. Not only was this NaNo my very first NaNo ever, but it was also the very first Camp NaNo ever offered. I also succeeded at my goal of writing 50,000 words in a month. And I actually went one step beyond that and wrote that many words in about 10 days. My goal for next time I try this? Finish in a week. ;) I wish I was kidding, but one day I'd love to give that a try. I know, I know. I'm loosing it. :D
Tomorrow I'll publish a post that contains the goals that I set for myself, and what happened to those goals while I wrote this month. I think I'll shock myself. Some of you may have noticed the purple, little word counter on the right hand side of my blog. I have been updating that regularly throughout Camp NaNo. I wanted to let you know that I will continue to be updating that this month, because I will continue writing. I also think I will continue to update my blog here on my progress, just maybe not as frequently as I did during NaNo. We'll see.Now that my goal has officially been passed, I want to see how much farther I can take it. Sure, I don't think I'm going to be writing nearly as much every day(we hope to protect my sanity- oh wait, too late) but we'll see what happens! (:
A huge THANK YOU to every single person who has been supporting me through this. Some of you were here with me from the planning stage on, and others joined me later on in the month. Whichever category you fall under, thanks for helping me out with this! You're awesome and your support means a lot. <3
SO! I have a question for all of you, and your opinion matters here. Camp NaNo is also offered next month. What do you guys think? Do you think I should try it again? Next month, right after this one? Dang, that would be difficult but a lot of fun. I want to know your opinion! If you want, head on over to the poll on the right side of the blog here and vote for me. It would mean a lot. (: Thanks so much!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 7
Total Word Count: 37,707
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 11,291
Mood: Tired but Excited!
Update: Well I am so close! I think it's safe to say I'm in the home stretch right now!I have to admit it, I never thought I would even make it this far, let alone within the first 7 days. Can you believe it guys? NaNo has only been in progress for a week! Yippie! So I think I might be able to relax a little more and not stress so much. But it's so funny because I was actually planning on not writing at all today, but you won't guess what happened. I wrote today anyway! The dang book keeps calling me back. Makes me wonder if it will do that the entire time I'm writing it. Goodness, can you believe the mental mess I'd be in if I kept up this pace for a month? XD Don't even want to go there.
But thanks so much for everyone who has been supporting me this week, and for the 2 weeks before NaNo that I spent planning all of this. All of you have been so supportive and encouraging, and I could not have done any of this without you! So a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting me during this crazy month. (:
To all you other crazy people out there doing NaNo too(that's alright, I'm just as crazy): How has this first week gone for you? Do you have any tips that you think would help other people doing NaNo? Leave them in the comments section, and I will compile your tips for a post later this month. Can't wait to hear from you!
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 11,291
Mood: Tired but Excited!
Update: Well I am so close! I think it's safe to say I'm in the home stretch right now!I have to admit it, I never thought I would even make it this far, let alone within the first 7 days. Can you believe it guys? NaNo has only been in progress for a week! Yippie! So I think I might be able to relax a little more and not stress so much. But it's so funny because I was actually planning on not writing at all today, but you won't guess what happened. I wrote today anyway! The dang book keeps calling me back. Makes me wonder if it will do that the entire time I'm writing it. Goodness, can you believe the mental mess I'd be in if I kept up this pace for a month? XD Don't even want to go there.
But thanks so much for everyone who has been supporting me this week, and for the 2 weeks before NaNo that I spent planning all of this. All of you have been so supportive and encouraging, and I could not have done any of this without you! So a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting me during this crazy month. (:
To all you other crazy people out there doing NaNo too(that's alright, I'm just as crazy): How has this first week gone for you? Do you have any tips that you think would help other people doing NaNo? Leave them in the comments section, and I will compile your tips for a post later this month. Can't wait to hear from you!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 5
Total Word Count: 31,491
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 8,065
Mood: Excited!
Update:Well I did it! I have officially passed the 25K point, and actually went another 6K over my goal! Whoooo! I am so excited that I finally made it. I know I am too ahead to be concerned about my word count, but I had set a goal for myself to reach 25K by the 4th of July, and I was upset that I did not make that goal. But I think I more then made up for it. I am 3/5 of the way through Camp NaNo! I'm really excited, but also am starting to realize that there is so much more of my novel that still needs to be written. Something tells me I won't be completely done with my novel by the end of NaNo, but we'll see! I'm just about done with Chapter 5 of the novel so far. (: So my NaNo progress has been going really well.
To those of you who are doing Camp NaNo: Don't get discouraged! Keep powering through! Even if you have a day that you really just do not feel like writing, or you have no ideas, keep writing anyway. Believe it or not, forcing yourself to write even when you feel like you have no ideas, can really help create an idea. Trust me, I know. So hang in there my fellow Camp NaNoer's! You can do this! (: Contact me if you need a pep talk! (:
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 8,065
Mood: Excited!
Update:Well I did it! I have officially passed the 25K point, and actually went another 6K over my goal! Whoooo! I am so excited that I finally made it. I know I am too ahead to be concerned about my word count, but I had set a goal for myself to reach 25K by the 4th of July, and I was upset that I did not make that goal. But I think I more then made up for it. I am 3/5 of the way through Camp NaNo! I'm really excited, but also am starting to realize that there is so much more of my novel that still needs to be written. Something tells me I won't be completely done with my novel by the end of NaNo, but we'll see! I'm just about done with Chapter 5 of the novel so far. (: So my NaNo progress has been going really well.
To those of you who are doing Camp NaNo: Don't get discouraged! Keep powering through! Even if you have a day that you really just do not feel like writing, or you have no ideas, keep writing anyway. Believe it or not, forcing yourself to write even when you feel like you have no ideas, can really help create an idea. Trust me, I know. So hang in there my fellow Camp NaNoer's! You can do this! (: Contact me if you need a pep talk! (:
Monday, July 4, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 4
Total Word Count: 21,784
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 6,452
Mood: Determined
Update: Happy 4th of July everyone! (: I hope you all have had an amazing day of fireworks, parties, family traditions, or barbeque's! I would love to be updating you right now and telling you all that I made it to my goal of 25K. But sadly, that's not the case. I have been finding it a little harder to get distracted these past few days. But I'm determined to make it to 25K within the next few days or so. I think it all depends on just how determined I am to make that goal. So we'll see how everything goes, and I'll keep you updated. But I have a question for all you writers out there. Maybe you can help me out. Post your ideas in the comments, and I can assure you, they will be greatly appreciated! Love you guys! <3 Thanks so much for all your support!
How do you get rid of writers block?
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 6,452
Mood: Determined
Update: Happy 4th of July everyone! (: I hope you all have had an amazing day of fireworks, parties, family traditions, or barbeque's! I would love to be updating you right now and telling you all that I made it to my goal of 25K. But sadly, that's not the case. I have been finding it a little harder to get distracted these past few days. But I'm determined to make it to 25K within the next few days or so. I think it all depends on just how determined I am to make that goal. So we'll see how everything goes, and I'll keep you updated. But I have a question for all you writers out there. Maybe you can help me out. Post your ideas in the comments, and I can assure you, they will be greatly appreciated! Love you guys! <3 Thanks so much for all your support!
How do you get rid of writers block?
God's Fireworks
So every 4th of July, our family always takes everyone out to go see fireworks. Sometimes it is not always the same place every year, but every year we never fail to see firework displays somewhere. In a way, it is one of the family traditions our family has for the 4th of July. I have always thought fireworks were so cool. So beautiful and captivating in a way.
Well around 3 to 4 years ago, on the 4th of July, we were on our way home from a fireworks display. Everyone was so excited and chatty about the beautiful display we had just seen. Everyone had a different perspective of the display as well. I had looked up into the clear, starry night sky when I saw bright flashes of light in the sky. There was no explanation for them, because there was not a storm cloud in sight. I thought they were the coolest thing and had told my parents, "Look Mom and Dad! It's God's Fireworks!" Everyone had laughed and agreed.
Well now, 3 to 4 years later, these mysterious light flashes still happen. Always on the 4th of July. Never failing. (: Tonight we all thought there would be none of God's fireworks because, one again, there was not a storm cloud in the sky. Well when we were driving home, just as I had turned and looked at the sky, I saw God's bright flashes of fireworks in the sky. We saw them 3 to 4 times before they were done. It's something so simple, but something that I hope continues to happen for the rest of my life. Just a little something that says, "I love you, this is just for you." Keep on the look out for little things that are "God's Fireworks" for you. They may or may not be the same thing. But do you have something that happens that you can just tell it was God? Be on the look out for these little things in life itself, not just the 4th of July. You never know, you might form a tradition with God. (:
Well around 3 to 4 years ago, on the 4th of July, we were on our way home from a fireworks display. Everyone was so excited and chatty about the beautiful display we had just seen. Everyone had a different perspective of the display as well. I had looked up into the clear, starry night sky when I saw bright flashes of light in the sky. There was no explanation for them, because there was not a storm cloud in sight. I thought they were the coolest thing and had told my parents, "Look Mom and Dad! It's God's Fireworks!" Everyone had laughed and agreed.
Well now, 3 to 4 years later, these mysterious light flashes still happen. Always on the 4th of July. Never failing. (: Tonight we all thought there would be none of God's fireworks because, one again, there was not a storm cloud in the sky. Well when we were driving home, just as I had turned and looked at the sky, I saw God's bright flashes of fireworks in the sky. We saw them 3 to 4 times before they were done. It's something so simple, but something that I hope continues to happen for the rest of my life. Just a little something that says, "I love you, this is just for you." Keep on the look out for little things that are "God's Fireworks" for you. They may or may not be the same thing. But do you have something that happens that you can just tell it was God? Be on the look out for these little things in life itself, not just the 4th of July. You never know, you might form a tradition with God. (:
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 3
Total Word Count: 20,108
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 4,839
Mood: Tired, Excited
Update:Well we have officially finished 3 days of Camp NaNo! Craziness! I have pushed myself to the limit these past few days and have caused myself to be a good 10 days or so ahead of schedule! Whooo! I don't think I could be more happy. I did have a goal today to finish 25K(half of NaNo) by tonight before I went to bed. I might be able to acomplish that if I were to stay up late, like I have been these past 2 nights. But instead, I think I am going to be happy about all of my progress and call it a night. I'm so tired I very well might fall asleep during fireworks tomorrow! So I think I'll be heading to bed a tad earlier then 3am tonight. (: Thanks so much for all of your loving support! Camp NaNo has been so much fun and I look forward to many NaNo's to come! (: But until the next update, I have a question for you! Here is what I want to know:
What are YOU doing for the 4th of July? Check out the poll to the right and let me know! (:
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 4,839
Mood: Tired, Excited
Update:Well we have officially finished 3 days of Camp NaNo! Craziness! I have pushed myself to the limit these past few days and have caused myself to be a good 10 days or so ahead of schedule! Whooo! I don't think I could be more happy. I did have a goal today to finish 25K(half of NaNo) by tonight before I went to bed. I might be able to acomplish that if I were to stay up late, like I have been these past 2 nights. But instead, I think I am going to be happy about all of my progress and call it a night. I'm so tired I very well might fall asleep during fireworks tomorrow! So I think I'll be heading to bed a tad earlier then 3am tonight. (: Thanks so much for all of your loving support! Camp NaNo has been so much fun and I look forward to many NaNo's to come! (: But until the next update, I have a question for you! Here is what I want to know:
What are YOU doing for the 4th of July? Check out the poll to the right and let me know! (:
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 2
Total Word Count: 14,851
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 3,226
Mood: Excited and Pumped!
Update: Wow! It has been an exciting first few days of NaNo here! Just minutes away from it being the third day of NaNo, I would say things have gone way better then expected. As of now, I am on target to start writing for the 10th of the month. But actually, tomorrow is the third! Wow, it is crazy the kinds of things that can happen to your mind when you write that much. It has been difficult separating the stuff that is happening in the novel, from stuff that is happening out here in real life. I think my sanity level might be going down. :P But I'm a writer... so that's OK. Right? But everything has been going so well so far and I have had so much fun! My characters have been doing some crazy things and a lot of them feel like they have developed a mind of their own. Yep, that's one of the things that when it happens, you know you're a writer. There is nothing like writing so non stop like this. Nothing like it. What about my fellow NaNoer's out there? How is your novels coming along? Tell me about it! :) <3 And thanks again for all your loving support! Could not have done this without you guys!
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 3,226
Mood: Excited and Pumped!
Update: Wow! It has been an exciting first few days of NaNo here! Just minutes away from it being the third day of NaNo, I would say things have gone way better then expected. As of now, I am on target to start writing for the 10th of the month. But actually, tomorrow is the third! Wow, it is crazy the kinds of things that can happen to your mind when you write that much. It has been difficult separating the stuff that is happening in the novel, from stuff that is happening out here in real life. I think my sanity level might be going down. :P But I'm a writer... so that's OK. Right? But everything has been going so well so far and I have had so much fun! My characters have been doing some crazy things and a lot of them feel like they have developed a mind of their own. Yep, that's one of the things that when it happens, you know you're a writer. There is nothing like writing so non stop like this. Nothing like it. What about my fellow NaNoer's out there? How is your novels coming along? Tell me about it! :) <3 And thanks again for all your loving support! Could not have done this without you guys!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Camp NaNo Update- Day 1
Total Word Count: 4,679
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 1,613
Mood: Thrilled!
Update: Well I have had a really productive writing day today! I don't think it could have gone any better! I had a lot of fun writing and I really felt like I got into the story. It's like nothing else is even happening around you when you're writing. I'm excited to keep writing and see where the story leads. I have heard of the characters taking off and doing things you never expected, but never thought that would happen to me. Well some of my characters have decided to do some crazy things already! Can't wait for tomorrow. And thanks to all of you who have been supporting me through this each and every day of planning, and now writing. Could not have done it without you! <3
Total Word Count Goal For The Day: 1,613
Mood: Thrilled!
Update: Well I have had a really productive writing day today! I don't think it could have gone any better! I had a lot of fun writing and I really felt like I got into the story. It's like nothing else is even happening around you when you're writing. I'm excited to keep writing and see where the story leads. I have heard of the characters taking off and doing things you never expected, but never thought that would happen to me. Well some of my characters have decided to do some crazy things already! Can't wait for tomorrow. And thanks to all of you who have been supporting me through this each and every day of planning, and now writing. Could not have done it without you! <3
And... We're Off!
So we're finally here! That moment that I have been waiting for! Camp NaNo has officially started! Whooo! I'm off to get a head start on my word count as soon as possible, but I wanted to share my novel Synopsis with you. Here it is:
Lila Marie Langley has been around abuse all her life. Her Dad was verbally and physically abusive to her Mom, and they finally decided that getting a divorce would be best for the family. Lila then got into a relationship with an abusive boyfriend, who treated her no better, if not worse, then her Dad. The worst part is, she knows nothing different. This has been her life, and she decides to accept it.
One day when she gets into an accident at the local swimming pool, Lila's life is forever changed. She meet's Will Anthony Parker who is handsome, sweet, and seems like the perfect guy. Can Lila learn to trust Will and finally have a normal relationship again? Or will she continue this cycle of abusive relationships because that is all she has ever known?
So I'm off to start writing! I'll be updating you guys shortly, so be sure to stay tuned! Thanks for all of your support! It really means a lot!
Lila Marie Langley has been around abuse all her life. Her Dad was verbally and physically abusive to her Mom, and they finally decided that getting a divorce would be best for the family. Lila then got into a relationship with an abusive boyfriend, who treated her no better, if not worse, then her Dad. The worst part is, she knows nothing different. This has been her life, and she decides to accept it.
One day when she gets into an accident at the local swimming pool, Lila's life is forever changed. She meet's Will Anthony Parker who is handsome, sweet, and seems like the perfect guy. Can Lila learn to trust Will and finally have a normal relationship again? Or will she continue this cycle of abusive relationships because that is all she has ever known?
So I'm off to start writing! I'll be updating you guys shortly, so be sure to stay tuned! Thanks for all of your support! It really means a lot!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Final Countdown Begins!
Well I can't believe that Camp NaNo is just around the corner! After a week and a half of planning, I could not be more excited! (: I think I'm going to be one of those crazy writers who start writing at midnight tonight just to officially get started. I've heard that this can't-wait-to-get-started-feeling usually goes away shortly after you begin, so I figure if it's going to go away early on anyway, I might as well ride it out. So if I pass the daily word goal, then I think I'll keep going if I still have more in my head to write. :) That way, when it becomes week 2 and I want to stop, I'll be able to realize I'm ahead of the game and continue. But maybe I'm just dreaming. :)
The official Camp NaNo website has officially been launched as well! You can check it out and fill out your information if you are planning on participating this summer! Here is the link.
And of course, I thought it was so awesome when I found this wallpaper just for July Camp NaNo 2011. Here is a link for you to check it out. :)
So acording to my countdown clock I have on my browser, we have..
17 hours, 19 minutes, and 42 seconds until Camp NaNo Begins!
The official Camp NaNo website has officially been launched as well! You can check it out and fill out your information if you are planning on participating this summer! Here is the link.
And of course, I thought it was so awesome when I found this wallpaper just for July Camp NaNo 2011. Here is a link for you to check it out. :)
So acording to my countdown clock I have on my browser, we have..
17 hours, 19 minutes, and 42 seconds until Camp NaNo Begins!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
NaNo Goals
Well we are down to the last few days before NaNo. There are officially 2 more days before the madness begins. So instead of worrying about last minute planning, character sheets and outlines, I have actually had something more important on my mind. My goals for NaNo.
You see, a lot of people see NaNo and sign up, without any actual idea of what they hope to achieve from NaNo. Then, when they don't succeed at the 50,000 word count goal, they get frustrated and discouraged. Don't get me wrong, if I don't make it to the word count goal, I'm going to be disappointed for sure. But having goals set out and knowing what you expect to achieve from the experience can really help you keep your thoughts organized and not be too hard on yourself. I have actually never participated in NaNo before, so I'm what you would call a "NaNo Newbie". But here are my goals for this year's NaNo.
Have Fun- This one seems so simple, but a lot of people can easily forget that the entire experience is supposed to be fun. They get all stressed out and actually cause themselves more stress then joy. This year, I want to have fun and enjoy myself as I take on this new writing challenge.
Grow as a Writer- For me, this goal simply means that I grow in the area of writing. Writing everyday is a good way to grow as a writer, and that's exactly what I'll be doing. Writing, pushing myself, and growing. I want to be able to have a writing experience that I look back on and say, "You know, I think that experience really made me the better writer I am today."
Just Write- For one month, I am going to attempt to just write and ignore my inner editor. This means no editing anything during the month of July. Instead, I need to focus on getting my ideas down and writing. Anyone want to help keep me accountable?
Reach 50,000- I want to cross the finish line, so to speak. At the end of the month, on July 31st at Midnight, I want to be able to officially say I reached 50,000 words on my novel.
So for this year's NaNo, these are my goals. Personally, I don't think these goals are too hard or not achievable. In fact, I believe I can succeed at every one of my goals I listed. Sure, they will be difficult to achieve at times. But I know that if I try hard and I want this bad enough, I can do it. :)
If you are participating in Camp NaNo yourself in the month of July, I strongly caution you not to be too hard on yourself. Writing a novel in a month is hard! I mean, I don't have to be a NaNo Veteran to know that. Everyone says it is difficult, and no one said it was easy. But we can do this! People all over the world, every year, accomplish it. Who said we can't be one of the people to cross the finish line? :)
2 more days until NaNo begins!
You see, a lot of people see NaNo and sign up, without any actual idea of what they hope to achieve from NaNo. Then, when they don't succeed at the 50,000 word count goal, they get frustrated and discouraged. Don't get me wrong, if I don't make it to the word count goal, I'm going to be disappointed for sure. But having goals set out and knowing what you expect to achieve from the experience can really help you keep your thoughts organized and not be too hard on yourself. I have actually never participated in NaNo before, so I'm what you would call a "NaNo Newbie". But here are my goals for this year's NaNo.
Have Fun- This one seems so simple, but a lot of people can easily forget that the entire experience is supposed to be fun. They get all stressed out and actually cause themselves more stress then joy. This year, I want to have fun and enjoy myself as I take on this new writing challenge.
Grow as a Writer- For me, this goal simply means that I grow in the area of writing. Writing everyday is a good way to grow as a writer, and that's exactly what I'll be doing. Writing, pushing myself, and growing. I want to be able to have a writing experience that I look back on and say, "You know, I think that experience really made me the better writer I am today."
Just Write- For one month, I am going to attempt to just write and ignore my inner editor. This means no editing anything during the month of July. Instead, I need to focus on getting my ideas down and writing. Anyone want to help keep me accountable?
Reach 50,000- I want to cross the finish line, so to speak. At the end of the month, on July 31st at Midnight, I want to be able to officially say I reached 50,000 words on my novel.
So for this year's NaNo, these are my goals. Personally, I don't think these goals are too hard or not achievable. In fact, I believe I can succeed at every one of my goals I listed. Sure, they will be difficult to achieve at times. But I know that if I try hard and I want this bad enough, I can do it. :)
If you are participating in Camp NaNo yourself in the month of July, I strongly caution you not to be too hard on yourself. Writing a novel in a month is hard! I mean, I don't have to be a NaNo Veteran to know that. Everyone says it is difficult, and no one said it was easy. But we can do this! People all over the world, every year, accomplish it. Who said we can't be one of the people to cross the finish line? :)
2 more days until NaNo begins!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hugging Jesus
Hey everyone! (:
We're busy people, let's face it. Yes, even us teenagers. We might not start off so busy, but then we fill up our schedules with school work, friends, going to the movies, phone calls, sports and NaNo. ;) Sometimes it can be hard just to sit quietly and focus on God. Even for a few moments a day. Why is this so difficult? Just like a close friend, he longs to spend time with you and can't wait to spend some time just with you. Think about this.
If you go to the movies with your friend who you have not seen in awhile, and your friend spends the entire time texting another friend, on the phone, or talking about another close friend they have..would you feel like your friend really cared enough to spend time with you? I know I would really be thinking about how well my friendship is doing if this was to happen. Now, you do need to keep in mind that God will never look you're relationship and decide someone would make a better friend. He loves you all so much that he keeps pursuing you. Beautiful, just beautiful.
So in a way, I have a challenge for you. Spend some time with Jesus. Just time alone. Even if it for 1 hour, 20 minutes, or 5 minutes of your day. God gave his Son to us, don't you think you should be able to give him 5 minutes of your day? Jesus speaks to us in different ways and he knows our heart. You never know, you just might get a hug from Jesus. :)
We're busy people, let's face it. Yes, even us teenagers. We might not start off so busy, but then we fill up our schedules with school work, friends, going to the movies, phone calls, sports and NaNo. ;) Sometimes it can be hard just to sit quietly and focus on God. Even for a few moments a day. Why is this so difficult? Just like a close friend, he longs to spend time with you and can't wait to spend some time just with you. Think about this.
If you go to the movies with your friend who you have not seen in awhile, and your friend spends the entire time texting another friend, on the phone, or talking about another close friend they have..would you feel like your friend really cared enough to spend time with you? I know I would really be thinking about how well my friendship is doing if this was to happen. Now, you do need to keep in mind that God will never look you're relationship and decide someone would make a better friend. He loves you all so much that he keeps pursuing you. Beautiful, just beautiful.
So in a way, I have a challenge for you. Spend some time with Jesus. Just time alone. Even if it for 1 hour, 20 minutes, or 5 minutes of your day. God gave his Son to us, don't you think you should be able to give him 5 minutes of your day? Jesus speaks to us in different ways and he knows our heart. You never know, you just might get a hug from Jesus. :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Almost Done Planning
Hey everyone! (:
So as I'm sure you all know, today is Saturday! Normally teens would be out hanging with their friends, watching a movie, hanging out and overall having fun on a Saturday afternoon, am I right? Well I am actually having a lot of fun! I might not be hanging out or seeing a movie(although I did do that last night) but I am having a lot of fun getting ready for NaNo next Friday. Here are some of the crazy but really fun things I have been doing to get ready for NaNo next Friday:
~ Writing outlines
~ Creating Character Sheets
~ Writing down random plot ideas
~ Doing daily writing exercises(Anywhere from 100 word to 4,000 word exercises)
~ Internet Research
~ Having phone calls, just on the topic of NaNo ;)
As you can see, I have been doing a lot of planning for NaNo. Normally when I sit down to write fiction I don't really spend a lot of time planning, I normally jump right in and hope everything goes well. But because of the huge size of this project I have decided to do some planning. Maybe too much planning that is.If you are jumping into NaNo yourself, you can choose to do some planning before you start, or jump right in. Every person has a little something different that works for them, try something and see how it works for you! The the planning part of NaNo can be a lot of fun. :) If you are currently in the crazy stage of planning for your novel, here are some tips I have learned:
Bring a Writers Notebook- This one is so important. If you don't already have a writers notebook hanging around the house, then find a good notebook to be able to bring with you everywhere. If you have to go run a few quick errands, bring your notebook and pen with you. This can save you a lot of valuable time later on. Last night while we were going to the movies, I had all these ideas for my novel and the way things should work. I had to write down some notes on my hand because I forgot my writers notebook! Don't let this happen to you. :)
Stay Organized- This one is actually an important but easy step when preparing for NaNo, or any other writing project. If you are working mainly on your computer, make sure to have a folder in your bookmarks for when you decide to bookmark websites. This can save you a lot of time later on so you don't have to dig through all your bookmarks! Also be sure to keep a folder on your computer with your different documents all related to NaNo. If you are working off of the computer, be sure to have a good few select notebooks for the task. This can save you a lot of time later!
Have a Friend- This one is so important in the planning stages, and during NaNo itself. You can't write an entire 50,000 word novel alone! Of course, you actually have to be the one writing the words, but there is no rule against having a friend be there to cheer you on! In fact, that is actually encouraged! If you don't have a close friend that loves to write, check out the NaNo website and there will be many people there ready to support you! Check that out here.
Have Fun- This is the most important point I want to make! Writing should be a fun experience. If you don't love to write, then NaNo might not be for you. Make sure to have fun during the planning stages, writing stages, and even the editing stages of writing. Writing should be a fun and stress free activity, not something that gives you more of a headache! :)
For those of you who are doing NaNo too, I hope these tips were helpful to you. :) You will be seeing(or reading) much more of me in the near future.
5 days left until NaNo!
So as I'm sure you all know, today is Saturday! Normally teens would be out hanging with their friends, watching a movie, hanging out and overall having fun on a Saturday afternoon, am I right? Well I am actually having a lot of fun! I might not be hanging out or seeing a movie(although I did do that last night) but I am having a lot of fun getting ready for NaNo next Friday. Here are some of the crazy but really fun things I have been doing to get ready for NaNo next Friday:
~ Writing outlines
~ Creating Character Sheets
~ Writing down random plot ideas
~ Doing daily writing exercises(Anywhere from 100 word to 4,000 word exercises)
~ Internet Research
~ Having phone calls, just on the topic of NaNo ;)
As you can see, I have been doing a lot of planning for NaNo. Normally when I sit down to write fiction I don't really spend a lot of time planning, I normally jump right in and hope everything goes well. But because of the huge size of this project I have decided to do some planning. Maybe too much planning that is.If you are jumping into NaNo yourself, you can choose to do some planning before you start, or jump right in. Every person has a little something different that works for them, try something and see how it works for you! The the planning part of NaNo can be a lot of fun. :) If you are currently in the crazy stage of planning for your novel, here are some tips I have learned:
Bring a Writers Notebook- This one is so important. If you don't already have a writers notebook hanging around the house, then find a good notebook to be able to bring with you everywhere. If you have to go run a few quick errands, bring your notebook and pen with you. This can save you a lot of valuable time later on. Last night while we were going to the movies, I had all these ideas for my novel and the way things should work. I had to write down some notes on my hand because I forgot my writers notebook! Don't let this happen to you. :)
Stay Organized- This one is actually an important but easy step when preparing for NaNo, or any other writing project. If you are working mainly on your computer, make sure to have a folder in your bookmarks for when you decide to bookmark websites. This can save you a lot of time later on so you don't have to dig through all your bookmarks! Also be sure to keep a folder on your computer with your different documents all related to NaNo. If you are working off of the computer, be sure to have a good few select notebooks for the task. This can save you a lot of time later!
Have a Friend- This one is so important in the planning stages, and during NaNo itself. You can't write an entire 50,000 word novel alone! Of course, you actually have to be the one writing the words, but there is no rule against having a friend be there to cheer you on! In fact, that is actually encouraged! If you don't have a close friend that loves to write, check out the NaNo website and there will be many people there ready to support you! Check that out here.
Have Fun- This is the most important point I want to make! Writing should be a fun experience. If you don't love to write, then NaNo might not be for you. Make sure to have fun during the planning stages, writing stages, and even the editing stages of writing. Writing should be a fun and stress free activity, not something that gives you more of a headache! :)
For those of you who are doing NaNo too, I hope these tips were helpful to you. :) You will be seeing(or reading) much more of me in the near future.
5 days left until NaNo!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Camp NaNoWriMo!!!
Hey everyone! (:
I know it has been forever since I posted here, and for that I really am sorry! I have thought back and forth about closing the blog down, but now that I have something to update the blog with, it will stay up. (: So you might have looked at the title, and went, "What the heck is that?" Kinda an odd title, huh? Well here is some background on Camp NaNoWriMo.
In order to have any idea what Camp NaNo is, you have to know what NaNo is in general. Here is a basic idea of this madness.
"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30."
Now you see why I chose the word "madness"? It seem to fit the bill. Who is this for? Here is some more information taken from the site.
"NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved."
So now that you know a little more about what NaNo is, feel free to check out the official website here. So you might be wondering why I am telling you all about this. Well, I decided to participate this year. I wanted to participate in the actual NaNo last year, but found out about it too late. But you may have noticed that the actual NaNo is in November. That's a long time away. So as you can imagine, I was so excited to find out that they were starting a summer camp! Over the month of July and August, they will be having NaNo! (: Camp NaNo is exactly the same thing as NaNo, just being held in a different month then November. So I have officially jumped on the band wagon to participate in camp going on this next July.(next month) I decided that I will use my blog to keep everyone updated on how my word count and writing goals go. There is something about being help accountable that helps writers, well...write. I know we are about a week away or so now from "Camp" but if you want to join me in this insane madness, feel free to go ahead! But let me know you decided to join! I think this will be a lot of fun, but maybe I'm just crazy. Looking forward to keeping you all updated this next month. (:
Does anyone want to join me in this crazy month? If so, let me know using the contact form at the top of the blog, I would love to have someone to do this craziness with! :)
Here are some links you might find helpful when looking into NaNo:
Main Site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
NaNo in a Nutshell: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3699214
Novel-Writing Guidelines: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/taxonomy/term/2536
I know it has been forever since I posted here, and for that I really am sorry! I have thought back and forth about closing the blog down, but now that I have something to update the blog with, it will stay up. (: So you might have looked at the title, and went, "What the heck is that?" Kinda an odd title, huh? Well here is some background on Camp NaNoWriMo.
In order to have any idea what Camp NaNo is, you have to know what NaNo is in general. Here is a basic idea of this madness.
"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30."
Now you see why I chose the word "madness"? It seem to fit the bill. Who is this for? Here is some more information taken from the site.
"NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved."
So now that you know a little more about what NaNo is, feel free to check out the official website here. So you might be wondering why I am telling you all about this. Well, I decided to participate this year. I wanted to participate in the actual NaNo last year, but found out about it too late. But you may have noticed that the actual NaNo is in November. That's a long time away. So as you can imagine, I was so excited to find out that they were starting a summer camp! Over the month of July and August, they will be having NaNo! (: Camp NaNo is exactly the same thing as NaNo, just being held in a different month then November. So I have officially jumped on the band wagon to participate in camp going on this next July.(next month) I decided that I will use my blog to keep everyone updated on how my word count and writing goals go. There is something about being help accountable that helps writers, well...write. I know we are about a week away or so now from "Camp" but if you want to join me in this insane madness, feel free to go ahead! But let me know you decided to join! I think this will be a lot of fun, but maybe I'm just crazy. Looking forward to keeping you all updated this next month. (:
Does anyone want to join me in this crazy month? If so, let me know using the contact form at the top of the blog, I would love to have someone to do this craziness with! :)
Here are some links you might find helpful when looking into NaNo:
Main Site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
NaNo in a Nutshell: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3699214
Novel-Writing Guidelines: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/taxonomy/term/2536
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Book Nook- Review Blog
Hey guys!
It feels like it has been forever since I have posted here- and checking the date, looks like It has been quite a long time! The last time I checked in was late in April. Please forgive me, these last few months of school were super, super crazy. I hope to keep you all more updated over the summer. (: But for now I have something to share with you all.
I recently decided to start up a blog called The Book Nook. This blog, My Life With God In Control will still exist, this is just like another blog where I will post information about books I have read, and book reviews on the different books. All of the reviews on the books will come from a Christian perspective on the books, and you just might find a good book you might like to read over time! So if you are interested in checking the blog out, go ahead and check out the link below! Please note that this blog is fairly new, but will have more content to come. Thanks for taking a look guys! (:
http://somefunwithbooks.blogspot.com/
It feels like it has been forever since I have posted here- and checking the date, looks like It has been quite a long time! The last time I checked in was late in April. Please forgive me, these last few months of school were super, super crazy. I hope to keep you all more updated over the summer. (: But for now I have something to share with you all.
I recently decided to start up a blog called The Book Nook. This blog, My Life With God In Control will still exist, this is just like another blog where I will post information about books I have read, and book reviews on the different books. All of the reviews on the books will come from a Christian perspective on the books, and you just might find a good book you might like to read over time! So if you are interested in checking the blog out, go ahead and check out the link below! Please note that this blog is fairly new, but will have more content to come. Thanks for taking a look guys! (:
http://somefunwithbooks.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 22, 2011
Making God # 1!
Hey girls,
You know what I noticed this morning? Well I noticed a few things, but I realized I had been neglecting my blog here. I have been back and forth thinking about closing it down, or just maybe not posting in it so often. Luckily, I have decided to keep it running, there will just not be posts on the blog from me nearly as frequently. (: So thats good news! But really now.. as I realized that I was neglecting the blog, I also realized I was neglecting something else. Something WAY more important then a silly blog on the internet. You want to take a wild guess at what that is? You guessed it! God. Sure, I have been talking to him every day. Sure, I have been reading the Bible more then once a week. But I made a huge mistake. I was spending more time in Ministry, then I was spending time with him. Spending a good amount of time in Ministry and helping others can be a good thing, yes. Don't get me wrong there. But here is where I messed up. Participating in the Ministry took a higher priority then having quiet times with God and spending time with him. Instead of spending some time with him like I should have been, I would have quick conversations with him through the entire day, spend a few days out of the week in his Word but really never sat down and went, "Okay God, this time is yours. I won't think about everything I have to do or should be doing. This time is all yours." The thing is, that step there is so important. Making the time to sit down and spend time with God, but also saying "You know what? This time is ALL yours and ONLY yours." I think thats where we mess up a lot of the time. So you know I want to encourage you this week to find something that you have been placing before God. This can be anything that you have spent more time with but him. Some examples are a boyfriend, school work(although school is mandatory, you need to know when to stop and give God some time), friends, your job, or even ministry. Everyone will be unique in what they find here. But pray to God for him to show you what is getting in between your relationship. Once he shows you, start working with him on changing that and making God first in your life. Spend some quiet time with him and try to spend time with him every day. You will feel so much more refreshed and loved, and in my case.. I might just have even more love and excitement for Ministry if God is being placed first. (:
Side Note: I changed the background of the blog because the old one got old. I also took the music off the blog until I can find the time to change the music options on there. (: Hopefully its not too pink, and if so then please let me know. Have an awesome day, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me using the form above. Thanks!
You know what I noticed this morning? Well I noticed a few things, but I realized I had been neglecting my blog here. I have been back and forth thinking about closing it down, or just maybe not posting in it so often. Luckily, I have decided to keep it running, there will just not be posts on the blog from me nearly as frequently. (: So thats good news! But really now.. as I realized that I was neglecting the blog, I also realized I was neglecting something else. Something WAY more important then a silly blog on the internet. You want to take a wild guess at what that is? You guessed it! God. Sure, I have been talking to him every day. Sure, I have been reading the Bible more then once a week. But I made a huge mistake. I was spending more time in Ministry, then I was spending time with him. Spending a good amount of time in Ministry and helping others can be a good thing, yes. Don't get me wrong there. But here is where I messed up. Participating in the Ministry took a higher priority then having quiet times with God and spending time with him. Instead of spending some time with him like I should have been, I would have quick conversations with him through the entire day, spend a few days out of the week in his Word but really never sat down and went, "Okay God, this time is yours. I won't think about everything I have to do or should be doing. This time is all yours." The thing is, that step there is so important. Making the time to sit down and spend time with God, but also saying "You know what? This time is ALL yours and ONLY yours." I think thats where we mess up a lot of the time. So you know I want to encourage you this week to find something that you have been placing before God. This can be anything that you have spent more time with but him. Some examples are a boyfriend, school work(although school is mandatory, you need to know when to stop and give God some time), friends, your job, or even ministry. Everyone will be unique in what they find here. But pray to God for him to show you what is getting in between your relationship. Once he shows you, start working with him on changing that and making God first in your life. Spend some quiet time with him and try to spend time with him every day. You will feel so much more refreshed and loved, and in my case.. I might just have even more love and excitement for Ministry if God is being placed first. (:
Side Note: I changed the background of the blog because the old one got old. I also took the music off the blog until I can find the time to change the music options on there. (: Hopefully its not too pink, and if so then please let me know. Have an awesome day, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me using the form above. Thanks!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Reality Check: What's Getting In The Way?
Hey girls!
You will never guess what I was doing tonight. I was in bed reading Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd. Okay, so maybe it is not that odd of an idea to catch me reading at night. But, I had finished the first chapter a few days ago and was just starting to read the second chapter. As I was reading, I came across a few lines in the book that said this,
"The well was about to become a symbol for all the places she's gone (unsuccessfully) looking for perfect love. And the man waiting there is going to offer her a deep, beautiful life that she probably didn't even feel she deserved. She had looked for love in some empty places, but that day love was waiting to show her what she'd been missing. (pg. 41 of Paperdoll)
You might be sitting here wondering, "Okay, that is an awesome passage in the book, but what does this have to do with anything?" Well you see, this explains exactly what I have been doing for so long. Looking for love in all the wrong and empty places. Over and over and over again. But do you know what keeps happening? God keeps calling me back to him. He is whispering to me letting me know that everything is going to be okay, he is here. The funny thing is I am currently stuck in the middle of all of this right now. Right in the middle. In fact, I would be sleeping right now if it was not for the fact I felt like I should pick up the book. And would you look at what God did. But the funny thing is it was not just reading tht part of the book that made me realize that was exactly what I was doing. God connected it with something that had happened a few weeks ago. I was participating in a small group for the youth and while we were all praying, one of the young ladies there had stopped to tell me that she had a picture of a well in her mind. She had felt lead to encourage me that God has so much in store for me. I had gone home giddy and happy that God has so much in store for me, but had never thought that maybe that simple night, God was trying to call me back to him.
As we see in this passage here in the book, Natalie is trying to explain how the well is a symbol of looking for love in all the wrong places. So now you can see how I connected these two together with a sudden understanding of this. God is trying to call me back to him to stop looking for love in all the wrong places. I think I am finally ready to take him up on that offer.
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39
"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7
Both of these Bible verses are amazing, but out of these two the second one really hits home. This Bible verse here is actually reality. When it says that the "very hairs of your head are numbered" this is 100% true. Can you do something with me? Take a section of your hair and start counting. No, really. Try it with me. (: 1....2.....3.....4.....5....6.....7...8...9... Okay. I think you get the point here. I stopped at 9 only because I lost count! (: Out hairs are all together and intertwined, which makes them even harder to count. But I want you to think about something for a second. ALL of the hairs on your head have been counted, and God knows an exact number. Every thought that goes through your head, every word you speak, and where you are right now... God knows. But it is one thing to know that God knows all these things, and another to realize that he cares about all these things. Every one of these little things about you, God loves. Amazing huh? (:
Apparently I am in a writing mood tonight, so I better stop before I write a book. =) But girls there is one thing that I want to make so clear tonight. God, the creator of the universe, cares about you. He is calling you back home to him. Stop looking for love in all the wrong places and going after guys, money, looks, or whatever it might be. You see, we have to remember here that God created you. Let me try to put this in a little bit of a perspective for you for a second. =)
Let's pretend for a moment that you really wanted this brand new dress in the mall. It was an amazing dress. It was pink, sparkly, bright and colorful, and was even 50% off it's original price! In fact, it just might be that perfect dress to wear to prom! After almost a half an hour of begging your mom to buy you that dress, she finally gives in and gets you the dress. You are thrilled to be able to have that beautiful dress to call your own. After thanking your mom a million times you finally try on the dress when you are back at your house. It makes you look beautiful and attractive. Days go by, and you decide to wear the dress to prom. It seemed perfect. (: While you were at prom you spilled some punch on the dress creating a huge stain down the front of the dress. Although this might be really sad and disappointing, your mom bought you the dress and she can always get you another one. The pain caused by the dress getting ruined was not as strong in any way because you were not the one that made, or paid for the dress.
Okay so obviously, you would not be so rude as to not care that the dress was ruined after your mom kindly paid for it. Not to mention there are many things that could take the stain out of the dress now a-days. But, forgetting those little details, I hope you get my point. Because you did not pay for the dress, or make the dress, the pain caused by the dress getting ruined would not be as great. But on the other hand, imagine you had made the dress by hand. It had taken many days and days to put that dress together. Then you had taken it out to prom and ruined it. The pain caused by the dress getting ruined would be a lot worse now that you had actually taken the time yourself to put the dress together.
The point in all of this is simple. God made you, and everything about you. Everything from the fact that you have a freckle on your nose to the fact that your hair is a beautiful brown. He created you and made every part of you beautifully unique. Don't you think you would love something that you spent time time to create? When you create something, it becomes yours and all yours. You love it a lot because it was something that you uniquely made. Same with God. He created every little part of you, and loves you more then you can ever imagine. (:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13
So girls I want to give you something to think about tonight. What is coming in the way of you and God? Where are you looking for love in all the wrong places? For me personally, I have been longing for acceptance. Acceptance from guys, and from the kids at my youth group. I get hurt so easily simply because I feel they are not "trying hard enough to be my friend" But tonight I guess something spoke to me. Something connected with the fact that I don't need these kids from youth group to feel accepted. I don't need the sweet and handsome boy from who knows where to come and sweep me off my feet. What I need, is a God that loves me and will never leave. And you know what? He is already here! (:
In His Love,
Angelica
Note: Remember that all work on this blog is original and belongs to me. Please contact me for permission if you want to use or take anything off of this blog. Thank you. (:
You will never guess what I was doing tonight. I was in bed reading Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd. Okay, so maybe it is not that odd of an idea to catch me reading at night. But, I had finished the first chapter a few days ago and was just starting to read the second chapter. As I was reading, I came across a few lines in the book that said this,
"The well was about to become a symbol for all the places she's gone (unsuccessfully) looking for perfect love. And the man waiting there is going to offer her a deep, beautiful life that she probably didn't even feel she deserved. She had looked for love in some empty places, but that day love was waiting to show her what she'd been missing. (pg. 41 of Paperdoll)
You might be sitting here wondering, "Okay, that is an awesome passage in the book, but what does this have to do with anything?" Well you see, this explains exactly what I have been doing for so long. Looking for love in all the wrong and empty places. Over and over and over again. But do you know what keeps happening? God keeps calling me back to him. He is whispering to me letting me know that everything is going to be okay, he is here. The funny thing is I am currently stuck in the middle of all of this right now. Right in the middle. In fact, I would be sleeping right now if it was not for the fact I felt like I should pick up the book. And would you look at what God did. But the funny thing is it was not just reading tht part of the book that made me realize that was exactly what I was doing. God connected it with something that had happened a few weeks ago. I was participating in a small group for the youth and while we were all praying, one of the young ladies there had stopped to tell me that she had a picture of a well in her mind. She had felt lead to encourage me that God has so much in store for me. I had gone home giddy and happy that God has so much in store for me, but had never thought that maybe that simple night, God was trying to call me back to him.
As we see in this passage here in the book, Natalie is trying to explain how the well is a symbol of looking for love in all the wrong places. So now you can see how I connected these two together with a sudden understanding of this. God is trying to call me back to him to stop looking for love in all the wrong places. I think I am finally ready to take him up on that offer.
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39
"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7
Both of these Bible verses are amazing, but out of these two the second one really hits home. This Bible verse here is actually reality. When it says that the "very hairs of your head are numbered" this is 100% true. Can you do something with me? Take a section of your hair and start counting. No, really. Try it with me. (: 1....2.....3.....4.....5....6.....7...8...9... Okay. I think you get the point here. I stopped at 9 only because I lost count! (: Out hairs are all together and intertwined, which makes them even harder to count. But I want you to think about something for a second. ALL of the hairs on your head have been counted, and God knows an exact number. Every thought that goes through your head, every word you speak, and where you are right now... God knows. But it is one thing to know that God knows all these things, and another to realize that he cares about all these things. Every one of these little things about you, God loves. Amazing huh? (:
Apparently I am in a writing mood tonight, so I better stop before I write a book. =) But girls there is one thing that I want to make so clear tonight. God, the creator of the universe, cares about you. He is calling you back home to him. Stop looking for love in all the wrong places and going after guys, money, looks, or whatever it might be. You see, we have to remember here that God created you. Let me try to put this in a little bit of a perspective for you for a second. =)
Let's pretend for a moment that you really wanted this brand new dress in the mall. It was an amazing dress. It was pink, sparkly, bright and colorful, and was even 50% off it's original price! In fact, it just might be that perfect dress to wear to prom! After almost a half an hour of begging your mom to buy you that dress, she finally gives in and gets you the dress. You are thrilled to be able to have that beautiful dress to call your own. After thanking your mom a million times you finally try on the dress when you are back at your house. It makes you look beautiful and attractive. Days go by, and you decide to wear the dress to prom. It seemed perfect. (: While you were at prom you spilled some punch on the dress creating a huge stain down the front of the dress. Although this might be really sad and disappointing, your mom bought you the dress and she can always get you another one. The pain caused by the dress getting ruined was not as strong in any way because you were not the one that made, or paid for the dress.
Okay so obviously, you would not be so rude as to not care that the dress was ruined after your mom kindly paid for it. Not to mention there are many things that could take the stain out of the dress now a-days. But, forgetting those little details, I hope you get my point. Because you did not pay for the dress, or make the dress, the pain caused by the dress getting ruined would not be as great. But on the other hand, imagine you had made the dress by hand. It had taken many days and days to put that dress together. Then you had taken it out to prom and ruined it. The pain caused by the dress getting ruined would be a lot worse now that you had actually taken the time yourself to put the dress together.
The point in all of this is simple. God made you, and everything about you. Everything from the fact that you have a freckle on your nose to the fact that your hair is a beautiful brown. He created you and made every part of you beautifully unique. Don't you think you would love something that you spent time time to create? When you create something, it becomes yours and all yours. You love it a lot because it was something that you uniquely made. Same with God. He created every little part of you, and loves you more then you can ever imagine. (:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13
So girls I want to give you something to think about tonight. What is coming in the way of you and God? Where are you looking for love in all the wrong places? For me personally, I have been longing for acceptance. Acceptance from guys, and from the kids at my youth group. I get hurt so easily simply because I feel they are not "trying hard enough to be my friend" But tonight I guess something spoke to me. Something connected with the fact that I don't need these kids from youth group to feel accepted. I don't need the sweet and handsome boy from who knows where to come and sweep me off my feet. What I need, is a God that loves me and will never leave. And you know what? He is already here! (:
In His Love,
Angelica
Note: Remember that all work on this blog is original and belongs to me. Please contact me for permission if you want to use or take anything off of this blog. Thank you. (:
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
From The Inside Out- Kristian Stanfill
I found this song today and wanted to share it with you guys. Hopefully it speaks to you all like it has to me today. (:
Friday, March 25, 2011
Becoming a Hopeful Romantic- Interview!
Hey guys! (:
I recently sat down with Heather, the owner of the popular blog, Becoming a Hopeful Romantic. She was such a joy to interview, I decided to share the interview here with you guys. Here is an expert from her blog that will tell you guys what she is all about. =) Enjoy the interview!
"Welcome to A Hopeful Romantic! This "blog" is all about my convictions on everything from dating to marriage, and everything in between! I am very passionate to not only live out a life of purity as God calls us to, but also to help encourage others along the way. I do not and will not judge you no matter what you may have done in your past/are doing; that's between you and God, not me. However, I will challenge and encourage you to give up living your life your way, and to give it to God; the safest place to put it! I want to challenge and encourage you all--boys or girls(though I talk mainly to girls since I am one and understand where they are coming from better), to live a life sold-out for God, and to pursue a life of true purity; Purity of the body, mind, and soul."
Q. What would you say to Christian teens that are striving to live life in purity but feel bogged down by the weight of the world?
Q. Can you tell us the story of how you came to know Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Q. What is your biggest temptation or struggle when striving to live a pure life for God?
Q. How do you keep coming up with fresh content for your blog?
Q. If you could tell other teens who are also striving to live a life of purity one thing, what would that be?
If you guys want to check out her blog, follow this link. (: Becoming a Hopeful Romantic Blog
I recently sat down with Heather, the owner of the popular blog, Becoming a Hopeful Romantic. She was such a joy to interview, I decided to share the interview here with you guys. Here is an expert from her blog that will tell you guys what she is all about. =) Enjoy the interview!
"Welcome to A Hopeful Romantic! This "blog" is all about my convictions on everything from dating to marriage, and everything in between! I am very passionate to not only live out a life of purity as God calls us to, but also to help encourage others along the way. I do not and will not judge you no matter what you may have done in your past/are doing; that's between you and God, not me. However, I will challenge and encourage you to give up living your life your way, and to give it to God; the safest place to put it! I want to challenge and encourage you all--boys or girls(though I talk mainly to girls since I am one and understand where they are coming from better), to live a life sold-out for God, and to pursue a life of true purity; Purity of the body, mind, and soul."
Q. What stirred you to decide to create your blog, Becoming a Hopeful Romantic?
I created my blog, “Becoming a Hopeful Romantic”, during the time in my life when God was convicting me of my morals, where I stand on purity and how precious it is to Him.
The blog actually started off on the website for a Christian magazine (Susie Mag, whose editor is Susie Shellenberger; she use to be the editor for Brio Magazine before it was discontinued).
On the online portion of the website, they had forums where teenage girls could ask each other questions. Some of the most common and popular questions dealt with purity; “When is it okay to date?”, Should I save my first kiss?”, “How far is too far?”, etc. It was through these girls’ questions that I started “Becoming a Hopeful Romantic” through means of the websites blog application, and then I also moved it to blogger.com. I would pick a topic that I saw had a lot of confusion, and I would write about what God has personally convicted me of in that area, and shared it with them. I wanted to encourage girls to live out a complete lifestyle of purity for God, and to take the questions seriously and deeply to Him in prayer, and be willing to do what He convicted them of.
I wanted to be a tool used by God; He was changing me so dramatically in this area, and I found myself becoming so passion for true purity, that I decided to share with others what God was laying on my own heart. I wanted to help girls realize that purity is so much more then simply not having sex until marriage. This is how “Becoming a Hopeful Romantic” took off.
Q. What made you decide to live a life in purity?
Q. What made you decide to live a life in purity?
When I was 15 years old, God started to really hit me hard and heavy on the topic of purity. I found it laying so heavy on my heart that I thirsted for real, challenging, God-convicting answers. I had known of purity rings, and that they represented a girl saving sex for marriage, yet it all seemed a little off to me. I knew God commanded us to save sex for marriage, and I told Him I knew that, but I still felt unsatisfied; I felt like I was missing the big picture or the whole key to real purity. I received a devotional book as a gift called “Pure: Body, Mind, and Soul” by Rebecca St. James. The title captured me—purity? It goes beyond your body? I devoured the book. It was meant to be a 90 day devotional, but that didn’t happen. I couldn’t get enough of it. I had never once heard anyone talk about purity applying to so much more then just being a virgin on your wedding day. This was the beginning of my passion for purity; this was what I had been searching for, longing for. The true, real, complete, God called lifestyle of purity. I then began reading a variety of different books such as “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris and “Wait for Me” by Rebecca St. James. I felt God teaching me and talking to me through these books—I did not simply accept what the books were talking about; I took all areas to God, and really felt myself being convicted by God to apply what I was learning to my life. I learned that God calls us to live out a complete lifestyle of purity—body, mind, and soul—and not simply wait for marriage. I became so passion for purity, and I found myself exploring more books, Bible verses, and then deep conversations and thoughts with God. It was a truly life changing time in my life, and I have been passionately striving to live out a lifestyle of purity ever since.
Q. What would you say to Christian teens that are striving to live life in purity but feel bogged down by the weight of the world?
I would tell you to run to God, and allow Him to help you each and every step of the way. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God will help you—He wants to help you! Pray and pour everything out to Him, and then have faith and the willingness to do what He calls you to do!
Living a lifestyle of true, God called purity is not always easy, but it is always worth it! I would also encourage you to find an accountability partner who is older and wiser then you—that way, even when you are feeling the pressure of the world, you can go to this person and talk to them, get advice, have them pray for/with you, and encourage you to continue on your path of purity! James 5:16 encourages Christians to do this when it says “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Q. Can you tell us the story of how you came to know Christ as your Lord and Savior?
I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 7 years old.
It was after my family had gone to a Carman concert that I over heard my two older sisters worrying about how none of us kids had gone forward during the alter call at the concert. It was then that I realized that I had never asked Jesus into my life, and that therefore my life was missing Someone very important. I decided to ask my brother how to go about asking Jesus into my life. He told me that I had to pray to Jesus, admit to Him that I was a sinner, repent from my sin and believe that He not only died on the cross for my sins, but also rose again the third day from the dead.
So that same day, I crawled into my bed alone, and asked Jesus to come into my life.
Since then, I have been learning more and more about Him, and falling more and more in love with Him every day! I have learned that it is not just some religion, but a relationship with the King of Kings!
I pray that I will never be ignorant enough to believe that I will ever reach a point in my life where I am done growing in Him’ not until I close my eyes for the last time and awake in Heaven!
Q. What is your biggest temptation or struggle when striving to live a pure life for God?
My biggest temptation or struggle in striving to live a pure life for God is to guard, monitor and purify my thoughts. A thought can happen so quickly, and can sometimes seemingly come out of nowhere, that I find it the hardest aspect for me personally when it comes to purity. However, God has been teaching me to closely monitor what I take in (movies, books, television, people’s opinions, etc) and to see if it matches up to Philippians 4:8. I remember praying to God, and literally asking Him to help install a “filter” in my mind, that would help propel anything bad or inappropriate out, and not allow me to dwell on it. It worked!
Q. How do you keep coming up with fresh content for your blog?
Anything that I blog about comes from something I had recently gone through, something I felt laid on my heart, something God recently taught me, or something that a reader asks me about, that I feel may apply to more girls out there.
This is the reason why my blog posts aren’t all that often like a typical blog tends to be; I only write when one of the above occur. I suppose you could say it’s like an open journal, because I am sharing what God has convicted me of, with other girls, and I encourage and challenge them to talk it over deeply with God, and listen to what He is telling them. For some topics—such as whether to save your first kiss for your wedding day or not—it is especially important for girls to talk to God, and look to Him for an answer, because it will not be the same for every girl. He convicted me to save my first kiss for my wedding day, yet for other girls, He may call them to wait for engagement, or for someone extremely special. In these such cases, it is so important to look to God, and not to me, to find out what He wants for you. For other topics, such as having a pure mind, body, and guarding your heart, God does make it clear what He wants us to strive for, and in that case, I encourage and challenge girls to strive to live it out in their daily lives, yet I always want them to walk away from what they read, and to turn to God, and simply talk it over with Him. This is the key to absolute purity—allowing God to mold you, convict you, and to lead you!
Q. If you could tell other teens who are also striving to live a life of purity one thing, what would that be?
I would encourage them to make sure that they are completely sold out to God and His will, and that they are fully living out the pure lifestyle He is calling them to live. So many girls who sport “True Love Waits” rings are only saving themselves sexually for marriage, but God calls us to live out true purity; purity of the body, mind, and soul! God is with you, He loves you, and you aren’t walking this road of purity alone!
Despite the lies you may hear from your peers or the media, it does pay off beyond your wildest imagination to allow God to take not only the pen of your love story, but also the pen of your life story!
If you guys want to check out her blog, follow this link. (: Becoming a Hopeful Romantic Blog
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Dancing With Jesus- Advice, Support and Prayer
Hey guys,
I wanted to take some time to let you all know about this awesome site called Dancing With Jesus. Dancing With Jesus is a site that recently launched that is there for teenage girls (and guys, although the main target at this point is girls) and is a place for them to go for comfort, support, advice, prayer, and overall just a place to talk to other teenage girls who understand what you are going through. Overall, the main goal is to love each and every one of the people that come through the site and try to help them in any way possible.
Here is the goal, taken from the website.
The goal of Dancing with Jesus is to provide a place for hurting teenage girls to get advice and support for whatever problems they might be facing at the time. Whether it be addictions, depression, loss of a loved one, relationship problems or wanting to find out more about Christ, we want to be there for you. We want to be a friend you can talk to and trust. It is our hope that as we help these teens with the problems they are facing, we will share with them how much Jesus loves each and every one of us, uplift one another through trials, and help equip you to have a better relationship with Abba Father.
The website is: www.dancingwithjesus.org
If you take some time to visit the site and check it out, I would love to hear what you think of it! Feel free to comment about the site, or send me a message letting me know what you think! (: ( You will also be able to find the site link at any time on the right hand side of my blog, with the other links.)
I wanted to take some time to let you all know about this awesome site called Dancing With Jesus. Dancing With Jesus is a site that recently launched that is there for teenage girls (and guys, although the main target at this point is girls) and is a place for them to go for comfort, support, advice, prayer, and overall just a place to talk to other teenage girls who understand what you are going through. Overall, the main goal is to love each and every one of the people that come through the site and try to help them in any way possible.
Here is the goal, taken from the website.
The goal of Dancing with Jesus is to provide a place for hurting teenage girls to get advice and support for whatever problems they might be facing at the time. Whether it be addictions, depression, loss of a loved one, relationship problems or wanting to find out more about Christ, we want to be there for you. We want to be a friend you can talk to and trust. It is our hope that as we help these teens with the problems they are facing, we will share with them how much Jesus loves each and every one of us, uplift one another through trials, and help equip you to have a better relationship with Abba Father.
The website is: www.dancingwithjesus.org
If you take some time to visit the site and check it out, I would love to hear what you think of it! Feel free to comment about the site, or send me a message letting me know what you think! (: ( You will also be able to find the site link at any time on the right hand side of my blog, with the other links.)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Run TO God
Earlier today my little sister was crying over some school work she was frustrated with. She wanted to give up and throw in the towel. She was flat out done with trying to complete the lesson and wanted nothing more to do with it. My little brother who is almost 5, walked in the room after hearing his sister cry. "Are you okay?" He asked her, his eyes full of concern and worry. "Go away!" She had screamed back at him. My poor little brother had turned around and slowly walked out of the room.
After watching this happen as I got ready to do some school for the day, I realized something. All of us are a lot like my little sister. At times we can get sad, frustrated, and angry at God because we can feel like everything we are going through is all his fault. We blame God for things and problems that he is not causing. And I think this is all because we want someone to blame. If we can't blame our father, mother, or siblings we want to blame someone. And in this case, it can easily be God. And you know what God does when we yell and scream at him? He backs off, and waits. He waits for us to come running to his arms, and he will never leave. He will never turn around and walk out that door, but he will wait for you to decide to come to him. He loves you more then you could ever imagine. If you are in the middle of running away from God, I encourage you to stop and do the opposite. Run TO him. He cares so much about you, and wants to be closer to you, not further away. :)
After watching this happen as I got ready to do some school for the day, I realized something. All of us are a lot like my little sister. At times we can get sad, frustrated, and angry at God because we can feel like everything we are going through is all his fault. We blame God for things and problems that he is not causing. And I think this is all because we want someone to blame. If we can't blame our father, mother, or siblings we want to blame someone. And in this case, it can easily be God. And you know what God does when we yell and scream at him? He backs off, and waits. He waits for us to come running to his arms, and he will never leave. He will never turn around and walk out that door, but he will wait for you to decide to come to him. He loves you more then you could ever imagine. If you are in the middle of running away from God, I encourage you to stop and do the opposite. Run TO him. He cares so much about you, and wants to be closer to you, not further away. :)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
I found this comic earlier today and I had to post it here. I'm not going to write this super long post, because I want you guys to really think about this. Often times when life gets hard we ask God to "lighten our load" and cut the cross down to make it easier to bear. Christ wants us to choose every day to follow him and do it in such a way that we are obedient to everything he asks of us. Don't ask God to cut down your cross...you never know what he is using it to prepare you for. :)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wait For Me- Rebecca St. James
Hi guys, I found this song called Wait For Me by Rebecca St. James. This song has touched my heart and has really been a huge encouragement to me. I hope this song speaks to you as it has me. :) Enjoy!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Taking Advantage of the Beautiful Single Season
To anyone reading this blog who is single, I want to offer you two words of advice; seize it. Being single is not a punishment, demerit, or any other negative correlation you—or the world— may have linked up with the relational status. As hard as it may be to believe, this single season in our lives is a gift from God. “What!? You call being lonely and unsatisfied a gift?” It’s all about perspective. If you associate being single with a negative meaning, then it’s going to be lonely and depressing. On the other hand, if you associate being single with positive words (a blessing, a gift, a special time, joy, etc) then you will end up seeing how God puts you through it for a good reason.
The first and foremost reason why God allows us to go through a single season in our lives is because He wants us. God wants us! He wants us to fall passionately and deeply in love with Him; He wants us to learn about Him, tell Him about ourselves, talk to Him, sing to Him, dance for Him, paint Him a picture, laugh with Him, etc! He wants us, and everything that comes with us! He paid the highest price possible for us, and He wants us! If you didn’t experience a single season, and went straight into relationship after relationship, then you would constantly be distracted, and not make time to fall in love with Him. Plain and simple; God needs to be our Number One in our lives. We want, want, want from God, yet we barely stop to think about what GOD wants for us, what we can do for Him, how we can serve Him, how we can worship and praise Him and how we can fall deeply in love with Him! Before He shares your heart with an earthly man, He wants to first make sure that by adding ‘the one’ to your life, that it will only end up making you love Him even more! You and ‘the one’ will become one body and unit, serving, praising, and loving God with all of your hearts! But that can’t come about until you both learn to do so as single individuals, without the promise of ever having an earthly marriage.
This brings us to our next reason for single hood; becoming a complete, whole individual without a spouse/romantic relationship. Many girls buy into the lie that they can’t be complete with a man. Let me tell you, you are complete as long as you are in love with The Man! Jesus Christ fills a void in your life that nothing else ever can; sadly, many people try to fill it with men, drugs, alcohol, partying, being popular, etc. Nothing—I repeat nothing—can fill that void except for a personal, growing relationship with the King of Kings, Jesus Christ! Being single is when you discover who you and what you are made of. If you enter a relationship not knowing who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for, what you like, what your morals/standards are, then it will fail. You may convert to his beliefs—or lack thereof—and you may change to please his interests. God doesn’t want that for you. He wants to be the only person gently telling you if something in your life needs a makeover (such as being impatient, dressing provocatively, etc) to better reflect Him. When its just you and God, then you can be molded into who you are through Him, and become a whole, complete individual—without even needing any earthly man in your life!
This after all, is something we should expect; to be single for life, yet satisfied fully through God. After all, we are not guaranteed that we will find an earthly spouse during our time here; however Psalms 37:4 tells us “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Once again, if we solely focus on loving God and growing in Him, then all else will fall into place according to His will for your life. You may be thinking “Well, the desire of my heart is to get married, so that means I will get it, right?” Actually no…you see, sometimes the desires of our heart becomes shaped into the same desires and dreams that God has for us—which is beyond what we could ever dream up! Whether that includes a husband or not, all the love we could ever need/want is satisfied through God Himself! Even if marriage happens, our husband could never love us more then He does! So, this single season helps prepare us for living a happy, thriving, fulfilled life—without a spouse! All our needs are met through God Himself! Being single prepares us for whatever path God chooses to lead us down; single or married.
Wake up, and seize the day for Him!
Soak up these Words of Truth from God’s Holy Word, the Bible!
The first and foremost reason why God allows us to go through a single season in our lives is because He wants us. God wants us! He wants us to fall passionately and deeply in love with Him; He wants us to learn about Him, tell Him about ourselves, talk to Him, sing to Him, dance for Him, paint Him a picture, laugh with Him, etc! He wants us, and everything that comes with us! He paid the highest price possible for us, and He wants us! If you didn’t experience a single season, and went straight into relationship after relationship, then you would constantly be distracted, and not make time to fall in love with Him. Plain and simple; God needs to be our Number One in our lives. We want, want, want from God, yet we barely stop to think about what GOD wants for us, what we can do for Him, how we can serve Him, how we can worship and praise Him and how we can fall deeply in love with Him! Before He shares your heart with an earthly man, He wants to first make sure that by adding ‘the one’ to your life, that it will only end up making you love Him even more! You and ‘the one’ will become one body and unit, serving, praising, and loving God with all of your hearts! But that can’t come about until you both learn to do so as single individuals, without the promise of ever having an earthly marriage.
This brings us to our next reason for single hood; becoming a complete, whole individual without a spouse/romantic relationship. Many girls buy into the lie that they can’t be complete with a man. Let me tell you, you are complete as long as you are in love with The Man! Jesus Christ fills a void in your life that nothing else ever can; sadly, many people try to fill it with men, drugs, alcohol, partying, being popular, etc. Nothing—I repeat nothing—can fill that void except for a personal, growing relationship with the King of Kings, Jesus Christ! Being single is when you discover who you and what you are made of. If you enter a relationship not knowing who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for, what you like, what your morals/standards are, then it will fail. You may convert to his beliefs—or lack thereof—and you may change to please his interests. God doesn’t want that for you. He wants to be the only person gently telling you if something in your life needs a makeover (such as being impatient, dressing provocatively, etc) to better reflect Him. When its just you and God, then you can be molded into who you are through Him, and become a whole, complete individual—without even needing any earthly man in your life!
This after all, is something we should expect; to be single for life, yet satisfied fully through God. After all, we are not guaranteed that we will find an earthly spouse during our time here; however Psalms 37:4 tells us “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Once again, if we solely focus on loving God and growing in Him, then all else will fall into place according to His will for your life. You may be thinking “Well, the desire of my heart is to get married, so that means I will get it, right?” Actually no…you see, sometimes the desires of our heart becomes shaped into the same desires and dreams that God has for us—which is beyond what we could ever dream up! Whether that includes a husband or not, all the love we could ever need/want is satisfied through God Himself! Even if marriage happens, our husband could never love us more then He does! So, this single season helps prepare us for living a happy, thriving, fulfilled life—without a spouse! All our needs are met through God Himself! Being single prepares us for whatever path God chooses to lead us down; single or married.
Your current single life of living at home with the family is the perfect training ground for either direction in life because;
1. It Helps You Install Virtues; if you can learn how to be patient by waiting your turn for the shower after 8 siblings and a dog take one before you(and consequently the water is now freezing), then you can be patient with your own future husband, future children, future co-workers, future in-laws, future (fill in the blank here). Your family tends to be the hardest people to be patient with; so if you can conquer being impatient with them, then you are set for life! Your family is really the best training ground for practicing and gaining the virtues of life; whether it’s allowing your sibling to watch the show they want too instead of you watching the brand new episode of your favorite show, or doing the dishes for your sibling who still has to finish their math homework. Opportunity is smothering us within our families, and it’s all a blessing in preparing us for our future lives—whether we spend it as a single or married!
2. It Helps You Learn Basic Life Skills; When you are single and living with your family, you can learn so many basic life skills, that most singles choose not to learn while they can, and suffer from it later. For example, can you cook? I’m not talking about throwing a frozen pizza in the oven! I’m talking about actual home cooked meals, with good, nutritional value and great taste. After all, whether its preparing food for yourself, friends, visiting family, your husband, your children, your in-laws, etc, the ability to cook is one highly prized and of great use! Why not start practicing from the safety of your own home? You can start small and try your hand at making eggs for breakfast—practice making them a bunch of different ways. Watch your mom cook in the kitchen, and volunteer to help her. Take advantage of learning how to cook without having to sign up for a course!
How about finances? After all, whether you are budgeting for yourself, or for a family, you need to know how to be financial smart and fit for life. You need to learn how to shop smart, learn how to tell what’s the better value for your buck, how to set aside enough for basic necessities such as the electricity bill and house payments, etc. Why not tag along grocery shopping, and watch your mom hunt down the best bargains? Why not pick up a pair of scissors and help her clip coupons? Why not going along with your dad as he makes sure that the car he’s getting is a good deal? Why not practice by budgeting your allowance or current part-time job income? Being single is not about moping about your room, looking out the window, waiting for some boy to throw a rock at it, and for your life to begin. Newsflash; your life is happening now! Seize it! Take advantage of it! See this single season as a blessing, not a curse! It really is a beautiful gift from God! You will never need a man besides The Man—Jesus Christ!—to fulfill you! The only way to be complete and feel whole and worth while is through Him! Live your life vibrantly and thank God for this single season—this season of opportunity to serve, worship, and fall madly in love with Him!
Will the world approve of you seeing being single as a positive thing? No way! It’s the world—anything they say, shouldn’t go! Your own family and friends may even be giving your grief about being single; they may say things like “When are you gonna get yourself a man?”, “What are you waiting for?”, “I want some grandchildren someday!” Whenever you feel down, lonely, and discouraged, remember this; Jesus went through the same thing. The world hated Him. Did He let that get Him down? No way! He changed the world, and created a way to save those drowning in their daily sins! He reminds us in John 15: 18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” Talk to God when you are feeling down and lonely! He does understand, He does care, and He does have a plan for you!
Are you seizing this most important, crucial and set-aside-time for growing single season, or are you wasting it away, and being ignorant of the fact that God wants you now, and want to work through you, and mold you into something truly one of a kind and beautiful?
Wake up, and seize the day for Him!
Soak up these Words of Truth from God’s Holy Word, the Bible!
- “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” – Phil 4:19
- “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
- "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."-Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
- "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."-Psalm 90:12
- “God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” –Psalm 68:6
- "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"-Philippians 1:6
- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11
Monday, February 14, 2011
Beloved- Tenth Avenue North
I found this song and I thought it was a perfect video for Valentines Day. No matter who you are spending Valentines Day with, if with someone or alone you can always remember that Jesus is your ultimate Valentine! Happy Valentines Day! :)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
“Dear Future Husband” Part 2
Part 2
Hi everyone!
So last time I brought up the idea of writing a letter to your future husband. You might be thinking, “That sounds great, but really, how am I going to write a letter to someone I can’t see, hear, touch, or feel?” I know, I know the idea sounds a little crazy. :) But, it actually is possible and I can tell you, you’re future husband (or wife) will love that gift of letters written to them before you even met.
So, back to our topic, writing letters to your future husband or wife. The first thing I would suggest you do is buy a notebook or journal to write these letters in. No, I’m not talking about a $1 notebook at Wal-Mart! Although, this is a good start, plan on copying these letters to something nicer later. Another good option is writing these letters online. Personally, I have started a personal blog just for these letters to him. Weather it’s a notebook, a journal, or a blog online your future husband or wife is sure to love them if they come from your heart.
So now you have a place to put these heartfelt letters to your future soul mate. But how do you write them? The answer to this question is not as easy as black and white. I can’t just simply tell you the answer to this question. It takes time, and exploration to find a way that writing these letters works for you. But, here are some friendly suggestions.
1. Write from your heart. This is key. Write the letter from your heart, and make it personal. Your future husband or bride to be will love something that comes strait from you.
2. Take your time. Don’t rush through writing these letters just because you have chores or school work to do. Take your time and think about what you are saying to them. :)
3. Don’t judge your words. What I mean by this is don’t erase or backspace too much. Trust that what you are saying comes from you. Sometimes erasing too much can cause you to feel frustrated and feel like you are not getting anywhere.
5. Have fun with it! This one is the most important. Just have fun writing these letters that will only be seen by your future husband or wife, and remember they will love them just the same.
I hope I have you guys somewhere to start with these letters. If you remember to take your time and have fun with it, writing these letters will be easy. :) Also, if you want to ask me any questions, suggestions, prayer requests, or need advice please contact me using my formspring account on the right side of the blog. Have an amazing day, and remember Jesus loves you!
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