So i wake up this morning and recieve a text from my Mom. She tells me it is going to rain today. So i look outside and i can understand where she would say this, and plus the weather says it is. So i get my raincoat and head outside for classes this morning. Its hot outside. Point blank. In the near mid November month. It is hot. Yeah i immediately regret wearing the rainjacket that is oh so warm. So i'm doubley hot as i walk to class.
I'm sitting in Physical Science class and look out the window and the sky is so pretty and sunny. Yeah..it wasnt raining still. So after my 8:00 class i go to take the oh so wonderful Government test. Which despite the hatred for the class the test was quite easy to my surprise. So anyway i get out of class and realize it has gotten a little more gloomy.
I actually enjoy the rain, so i hope it rains today. The rain in my perspective is an awesome gift that God gives us to enjoy. It helps our crops to grow, the grass to be green, our trees, plants, and flowers to grow big and strong. Rain can also help people get a good nights rest. I know for me the sound of rain is like a quiet lullabye that just soothes me to sleep.
But anyway, i'm out of classes for the rest of the day and i'm going to enjoy this lovely gloomy weather that God has provided us. So i will be here in my next blog! See ya!!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
End of the Semester
So the end of my very first semester of college is quickly approaching. I have this week left and then starting Friday my break begins!! Amen! Haha. I will have to say for those who are about to enter college...prepare yourself. I thought for a good four years that my high school had been preparing me for college because that is what they based their whole school to. They told us that when we get to college it will be a breeze because of the material they were giving us. Well let me express that THEY LIED BIG TIME! After my first couple of tests (that i bombed) i realized i didn't know how to study. The teachers were not letting us be independant in school therefore i didn't know how to study on my own in college. Yeah...it was a tough first couple of weeks of college. But now i am more prepared and i understand how to study for tests and manage my time wisely. My grades are all A's...well except Government...but hey if our government in America is screwed up then of course Government will be the same way. I have a B in there just so you know! But anyway Thanksgiving is coming up next week and let me just say i am sooo thankful for a break before finals. Thanksgiving is a good holiday to destress yourself and focus on what you are thankful for. For myself i am thankful for an amazing God who is always there for me when i am on a continuous spiral downward. He is there to pick me up and point me back in the right direction. I am thankful for an awesome family and wonderful friends too. I'm thankful for God placing a roommate in my life that is so sweet and genuine and so much fun to hang around. Hana is just a sweetheart and even though right now she is actually laying in bed with tonsolitis (or however you wish to spell it) she is being a good sport about it. :) Anyway that's all i have for now. : ) See ya later Alligators!! And always remember this bible verse. Jeremiah 29:11
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day One "Would you be willing to give up everything to follow Christ?"
Today was my first encounter with the new college class i will be joining at my church. I am not going to lie to you. I was really nervous, and honestly i don't know why i was because these are the same people i went to high school with when i was a freshman. So i knew everyone there, but i have this nervous part of me that likes to act up when i am around people older than me.
Okay sorry i am getting off topic here. I seem to do that a lot though. Anyway, tonight was the first night in a bible study called Radical by David Platt that our class is going through. It is a very interesting book to say the least. In the beginning of the book it tells a story of how people risk their lives and their families every day just to learn and preach the gospel of Christ. Some were persecuted and others were kidnapped and tortured. Other believers were threatened to stop going to church and reading the Bible.
Now i don't know about you, but if i were in that situation i am not sure how i would react. The story reminds me of the shooting at the college where that boy took the lives of innocent students just because they believed in Christ. I would have been so frightened as the guy was going down the line shooting my peers one by one as they proclaimed they believed in Christ. I would be thinking in my head "Is God worth dying for?" And i know what some of you are thinking. Why would you even think that? Yeah, i know right? But just think if you were put in that situation what would be going through your mind. Would you want to leave behind your parents, siblings, friends, your spouse, your life?
Well i have news for you, it states in the Bible under Matthew 10:33, "But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven." You should not think twice about sharing with others that you love Him and 100 % believe in Christ.
Something Mrs. Donna Kay said tonight has stuck in my brain and has made me think. She asked us a question tonight that made me want to change how i view my life. She asked us if we would be willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Now that is a big question to ask yourself. It has been racing through my mind like crazy. We looked at Luke 14:25-33. Let me break it down to those of you who are like me and need things to be broken down to the simplest form possible. Those few verses have made such an impact on me.
Verses 25-27 say this. They say if you are not willing to put Christ before your father, mother, wife, children, sisters, brothers, and your own life then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. And also if you cannot claim Christ as your Savior and put him first in your life then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. Simple as that right? I know right now in my life i have not been putting Christ first in my life. I have been putting other things first like my boyfriend, technology, friends, and yes even family before Him. Boy! I feel very unholy i guess you would say. I have a lot of things i need to change. I know i haven't been praying like i should and i am going to change that immediately.
In verse 33 it says if you can't say bye to all your possessions then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. Pretty hard? Making you think about how your life is going right now? I know I am. So this is only the first day and already I'm finding things that need to be remodeled in my life.
Here is how I am going to change:
1.) I will stop putting earthly things before Christ
2.) I will tell anyone and everyone that asks...or doesn't ask....that I love Christ and i believe in Him 100%!
3.) Stop letting influences from my boyfriend, friends, family, and even myself get in the way of knowing Christ
4.) Give up all my possessions for Christ in order to become a disciple of Christ.
5.) Pray everyday for things, people, and praises in my life
I challenge you to come up with things that will be changed in your life and follow through with them everyday.
Now i don't know if i explained this well enough to change someones life. I pray i did. I know it is changing mine. Hope this gave you something to ponder on.
And just remember...."Would you be willing to give up everything to follow Christ?"
Okay sorry i am getting off topic here. I seem to do that a lot though. Anyway, tonight was the first night in a bible study called Radical by David Platt that our class is going through. It is a very interesting book to say the least. In the beginning of the book it tells a story of how people risk their lives and their families every day just to learn and preach the gospel of Christ. Some were persecuted and others were kidnapped and tortured. Other believers were threatened to stop going to church and reading the Bible.
Now i don't know about you, but if i were in that situation i am not sure how i would react. The story reminds me of the shooting at the college where that boy took the lives of innocent students just because they believed in Christ. I would have been so frightened as the guy was going down the line shooting my peers one by one as they proclaimed they believed in Christ. I would be thinking in my head "Is God worth dying for?" And i know what some of you are thinking. Why would you even think that? Yeah, i know right? But just think if you were put in that situation what would be going through your mind. Would you want to leave behind your parents, siblings, friends, your spouse, your life?
Well i have news for you, it states in the Bible under Matthew 10:33, "But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven." You should not think twice about sharing with others that you love Him and 100 % believe in Christ.
Something Mrs. Donna Kay said tonight has stuck in my brain and has made me think. She asked us a question tonight that made me want to change how i view my life. She asked us if we would be willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Now that is a big question to ask yourself. It has been racing through my mind like crazy. We looked at Luke 14:25-33. Let me break it down to those of you who are like me and need things to be broken down to the simplest form possible. Those few verses have made such an impact on me.
Verses 25-27 say this. They say if you are not willing to put Christ before your father, mother, wife, children, sisters, brothers, and your own life then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. And also if you cannot claim Christ as your Savior and put him first in your life then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. Simple as that right? I know right now in my life i have not been putting Christ first in my life. I have been putting other things first like my boyfriend, technology, friends, and yes even family before Him. Boy! I feel very unholy i guess you would say. I have a lot of things i need to change. I know i haven't been praying like i should and i am going to change that immediately.
In verse 33 it says if you can't say bye to all your possessions then you cannot become a disciple of Christ. Pretty hard? Making you think about how your life is going right now? I know I am. So this is only the first day and already I'm finding things that need to be remodeled in my life.
Here is how I am going to change:
1.) I will stop putting earthly things before Christ
2.) I will tell anyone and everyone that asks...or doesn't ask....that I love Christ and i believe in Him 100%!
3.) Stop letting influences from my boyfriend, friends, family, and even myself get in the way of knowing Christ
4.) Give up all my possessions for Christ in order to become a disciple of Christ.
5.) Pray everyday for things, people, and praises in my life
I challenge you to come up with things that will be changed in your life and follow through with them everyday.
Now i don't know if i explained this well enough to change someones life. I pray i did. I know it is changing mine. Hope this gave you something to ponder on.
And just remember...."Would you be willing to give up everything to follow Christ?"
Surgery, Struggles, and a Path that got diverted.
So not too long ago. Maybe two years ago, I had my first real surgery. I had some how managed to cut the blood supply from my knee causing it to become very painful to walk. Well I have my first surgery and they put a screw that will dissolve they said in about two years. Ok. It was pretty dramatic to me since it was my first surgery, but really it was no big deal. I was currently dancing and had just probably danced through the worst pain I have ever encountered during a recital. I did pointe, which for those of you who do not know is where I stand on my toes and dance, so that probably wasn't the best idea to dance through that.
Well it was summer so I went through my first surgery. After everything was said and down it seemed fine. I went back to dancing and my knee felt normal. Well I guess the saying, "Only time will tell" took affect. Around December I started having trouble with my knee again. It was giving out on me and the pain was becoming unbearable. I went back to the doctor and he told me something that was quite frightening. He told me he didn't know what was wrong with me and wanted to send me to his other colleague to see what he thought it might be. So i travelled to his other colleague to let him take a look at my knee. I could tell my mom was a nervous wreck, so i tried to hide the fact that 1.) I was in a lot of pain and 2.) I also was a nervous wreck. Well i went through the same process of getting my knee x-rayed and all that good stuff. Turns out he doesn't know what is wrong with me either.
Let me just tell you. When you are in a lot of pain and no doctor seems to know what is wrong with you...it becomes a little discouraging to hear. Okay, I won't lie. It becomes very discouraging to hear. We went back to my original doctor and he suggested I get an MRI done. I have never had an MRI done before and I can tell you I don't want another. It is too loud for me. The results came in and finally....we had an answer.
It seemed I had a huge peice of my knee that was missing. Missing?? Really? I mean come on it's not everyday you wake up to someone telling you you have a crater in your knee where a piece of bone should be. Ha. Yeah I don't think Mom's nerves were calmed any. I went to the doctor and he told me what kind of surgery he was going to do. Little did I know I was about to become famous in the medical world.
I had the surgery and it was a lot worse than the first surgery i encountered. I went through a lot of tears and therapy. Ugh don't even get me started on what therapy is like. Well It was time for my monthly check up at the surgeon doctors place. What I was told gave me different emotions. I was angry, excited, and shocked. I was told the surgery that was performed on me was a new surgery. Oh you want to know how new? Yeah like new as in I was the first person in the United States of America to have this surgery done. Crazy right?? I was ultimately a guinea pig. But the surgery worked and up till this day I have no problem with my knee.
Two years later....my other knee had surgery..same thing but this time we caught it early so the surgery with the screw that dissolves worked. :) I almost thought I was going to have to wheel across the stage in my wheelchair to get my diploma! I am so glad i didn't. But i did have to quit dance. The thing i loved so much. Even sitting here writing this brings tears to my eyes. I didn't understand at the time why God had taken the thing I was best at, the thing I loved the most was taken out from under me. It was my senior year and i had my senior solo i was to perform at the recital this spring. I struggled with this. I cried and questioned God a thousand times.
I still may not know why God took something i loved so much away from me, but He has a plan. He has a plan for my life, and though at times I may not know where this path is headed I just have to put my faith in Him and I know "He will make my paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Just always know God has a plan for your life and He will always be there to show you the way.
Over and Out! See ya!
Well it was summer so I went through my first surgery. After everything was said and down it seemed fine. I went back to dancing and my knee felt normal. Well I guess the saying, "Only time will tell" took affect. Around December I started having trouble with my knee again. It was giving out on me and the pain was becoming unbearable. I went back to the doctor and he told me something that was quite frightening. He told me he didn't know what was wrong with me and wanted to send me to his other colleague to see what he thought it might be. So i travelled to his other colleague to let him take a look at my knee. I could tell my mom was a nervous wreck, so i tried to hide the fact that 1.) I was in a lot of pain and 2.) I also was a nervous wreck. Well i went through the same process of getting my knee x-rayed and all that good stuff. Turns out he doesn't know what is wrong with me either.
Let me just tell you. When you are in a lot of pain and no doctor seems to know what is wrong with you...it becomes a little discouraging to hear. Okay, I won't lie. It becomes very discouraging to hear. We went back to my original doctor and he suggested I get an MRI done. I have never had an MRI done before and I can tell you I don't want another. It is too loud for me. The results came in and finally....we had an answer.
It seemed I had a huge peice of my knee that was missing. Missing?? Really? I mean come on it's not everyday you wake up to someone telling you you have a crater in your knee where a piece of bone should be. Ha. Yeah I don't think Mom's nerves were calmed any. I went to the doctor and he told me what kind of surgery he was going to do. Little did I know I was about to become famous in the medical world.
I had the surgery and it was a lot worse than the first surgery i encountered. I went through a lot of tears and therapy. Ugh don't even get me started on what therapy is like. Well It was time for my monthly check up at the surgeon doctors place. What I was told gave me different emotions. I was angry, excited, and shocked. I was told the surgery that was performed on me was a new surgery. Oh you want to know how new? Yeah like new as in I was the first person in the United States of America to have this surgery done. Crazy right?? I was ultimately a guinea pig. But the surgery worked and up till this day I have no problem with my knee.
Two years later....my other knee had surgery..same thing but this time we caught it early so the surgery with the screw that dissolves worked. :) I almost thought I was going to have to wheel across the stage in my wheelchair to get my diploma! I am so glad i didn't. But i did have to quit dance. The thing i loved so much. Even sitting here writing this brings tears to my eyes. I didn't understand at the time why God had taken the thing I was best at, the thing I loved the most was taken out from under me. It was my senior year and i had my senior solo i was to perform at the recital this spring. I struggled with this. I cried and questioned God a thousand times.
I still may not know why God took something i loved so much away from me, but He has a plan. He has a plan for my life, and though at times I may not know where this path is headed I just have to put my faith in Him and I know "He will make my paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Just always know God has a plan for your life and He will always be there to show you the way.
Over and Out! See ya!
Mission Trip
Hey everyone. My church's mission trip is approaching pretty fast. Only 17 days left according to the wall calender. Yep. I'm very excited about this trip too. It will be the second mission trip I have gone on.
The first was when I was in middle school and we went to the coast to help with the Katrina disaster. We built bunkbeds and cleaned up local houses. I received a rush from that trip, but not like the rush I am getting from preparing for this mission trip.
It is the greatest feeling I have ever felt. I am really psyched about going. I'm about to be a freshman in college and it is the last mission trip I will be taking with our youth group. I love our youth group so much. Over the last two years our group has become close. Well anyway, back to our mission trip. As i already said I am really excited about it. We are flying all the way to Seattle, WA. Wow!! That's so far away, but I can't wait. I love to travel and travelling for God just makes it even better!
One of the bad parts to me though is the plane ride. I have never flown before so I am a little hesitant to fly. I am not big on heights and really not big on planes. I have this fear of the plane for some reason having a problem and the whole thing crashes into the ground. I have shivers just thinking about it. On the other hand I love to try new things and flying will definitely be a new experience for me. So maybe it will all turn out just fine. Fingers crossed.
Back to the mission trip. We are having a Mega sports camp for kids at a church near Seattle, WA. Ha very ironic since I am no where near sportsy. I used to when i was younger. The only other sports activity I have any experience with is dance. I took ballet and jazz for 15 years until finally, unfortunately, i had knee surgery for the third time that put me out of commission. My senior year and I had to quit. I had already bought my senior solo costume, and I never even got to use it. I know God had a plan for my life and he wouldn't have given me that hardship unless I could handle it. But back to reality, I have no sports bone in me ha. So there was another option besides teaching basketball, soccer, or cheerleading. It didn't really have a group so we came up with one. We are called the fine arts group. Kinda silly, but hey it fits. We will be teaching the kids basic cooking skills, cardmaking skills, and also drama skills.
Also, we have what is called object lessons that some of us youth will be performing during rally times. There also bible stories and sports stories that some of us will be giving. I chose to perform an object lesson. Mine is very manipulative, but a very cool idea once shown. :) I think the kids will enjoy it.
Throughout this whole time we have been getting prepared for the trip. Before each mission trip meeting we get in groups and pray for things that we need to happen or would like to happen for this trip. Also we pray for the things God has given us. We pray for the kids that will be attending the camp and for the church in WA and our church too. I use to be very shy praying in front of others. It was something I was struggling with. I never felt comfortable praying in front of others because I felt I was being judged at how I prayed. By praying in our groups I am slowly feeling more comfortable praying in front of others. It may not seem like a big deal to some but to me I am totally happy about this change in my life. It is one of the many ways I feel God is going to change my life by going on this trip. : )
But that is all I really know so far. I will keep you updated on our progress getting prepared for the mission trip. See ya! Remember God does change lives!
The first was when I was in middle school and we went to the coast to help with the Katrina disaster. We built bunkbeds and cleaned up local houses. I received a rush from that trip, but not like the rush I am getting from preparing for this mission trip.
It is the greatest feeling I have ever felt. I am really psyched about going. I'm about to be a freshman in college and it is the last mission trip I will be taking with our youth group. I love our youth group so much. Over the last two years our group has become close. Well anyway, back to our mission trip. As i already said I am really excited about it. We are flying all the way to Seattle, WA. Wow!! That's so far away, but I can't wait. I love to travel and travelling for God just makes it even better!
One of the bad parts to me though is the plane ride. I have never flown before so I am a little hesitant to fly. I am not big on heights and really not big on planes. I have this fear of the plane for some reason having a problem and the whole thing crashes into the ground. I have shivers just thinking about it. On the other hand I love to try new things and flying will definitely be a new experience for me. So maybe it will all turn out just fine. Fingers crossed.
Back to the mission trip. We are having a Mega sports camp for kids at a church near Seattle, WA. Ha very ironic since I am no where near sportsy. I used to when i was younger. The only other sports activity I have any experience with is dance. I took ballet and jazz for 15 years until finally, unfortunately, i had knee surgery for the third time that put me out of commission. My senior year and I had to quit. I had already bought my senior solo costume, and I never even got to use it. I know God had a plan for my life and he wouldn't have given me that hardship unless I could handle it. But back to reality, I have no sports bone in me ha. So there was another option besides teaching basketball, soccer, or cheerleading. It didn't really have a group so we came up with one. We are called the fine arts group. Kinda silly, but hey it fits. We will be teaching the kids basic cooking skills, cardmaking skills, and also drama skills.
Also, we have what is called object lessons that some of us youth will be performing during rally times. There also bible stories and sports stories that some of us will be giving. I chose to perform an object lesson. Mine is very manipulative, but a very cool idea once shown. :) I think the kids will enjoy it.
Throughout this whole time we have been getting prepared for the trip. Before each mission trip meeting we get in groups and pray for things that we need to happen or would like to happen for this trip. Also we pray for the things God has given us. We pray for the kids that will be attending the camp and for the church in WA and our church too. I use to be very shy praying in front of others. It was something I was struggling with. I never felt comfortable praying in front of others because I felt I was being judged at how I prayed. By praying in our groups I am slowly feeling more comfortable praying in front of others. It may not seem like a big deal to some but to me I am totally happy about this change in my life. It is one of the many ways I feel God is going to change my life by going on this trip. : )
But that is all I really know so far. I will keep you updated on our progress getting prepared for the mission trip. See ya! Remember God does change lives!
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