Our visit to Kentucky :)

Last week I visited my brother Erik, in Kentucky. It was the most wonderful, refreshing week I've had in a long time. The reason we visited him was because he had to get all 4 of his wisdom teeth taken out, and needed some help through that. When he first came out of the surgery he was SO funny! The laughing gas and anesthesia made him totally loopy, and he would not stop talking, and saying the funniest things. The funniest part was that he had gauze in his mouth, and Novocaine making his mouth numb, so it was really hard to understand him. He was so funny! He was in pain for a while afterward, but overall he did very well, and was soon talking and laughing again.

Some of my best friends live in his little town, and I was extremely happy to see them again. I spent every evening at their house. It's so wonderful to be in a place where there are so many people who you love and who love you! We had lots of fun, and I miss them all a lot.

Also, we got to see the Garden of Lights at the Creation Museum. I was excited because, although I've been there many times, I've never been there at Christmas. It was absolutely spectacular. I adore Christmas lights, so it was especially beautiful to me. We even got to see a sneak preview of Christmas Town, and we didn't even plan on it! Another cool thing was seeing Jason Lisle's "Christmas Star" video at the planetarium. I have often wondered about what the Christmas star was, and it answered a lot of questions.

I am so blessed to have such an awesome family, and friends, and opportunities. :)

Oh, how He loves us!

Well, November is coming to a close, so I will post one last time this month about what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the lovely dinner and fellowship we had for Thanksgiving.
I am thankful that it's finally the season for Christmas decorations and music.
I am thankful for the godly leaders in our church who challenge us with truth.
I am thankful for truth in general, and all of the many sources it comes in to change my life - music, books, sermons, prayer, scripture, and even movies and the words of my friends.
I am thankful that God has blessed me by allowing me to take piano lessons.

Most of all, I am thankful for the intimate, everlasting, and personal love of my Lord Jesus Christ, and that I know Him personally. I possess the secret of what is so sought after in this world - love and happiness. Why would God choose me to be one of His children? I will never know. It certainly wasn't anything in me that drew Him to me. I am speechless when I think of all He endured to make me His own, His very own. The Bible is packed with so much wealth. The joy and wonder of it all, oh! I never want to dull to it; I want to learn more and more of His love and press on to greater and greater levels of holiness for His sake.

"And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all"
This is one of my favorite songs these days... I just sing it all the time because I am just in awe of this fact. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor. 9:15)

Unto thee, O God!

Well, last week was a VERY busy week! I had even more things going on than I told about in my last post. I was gone all day every day except Monday! I got a little behind on school because of that, so this week I am working hard at school to catch up. So, this busy November day I am thankful for:

Oatmeal with strawberries
Phone calls from my big brother
Stepping Heavenward (AWESOME book!)
Thunderstorms
Knitting (Yes, I am learning!)
Christmas shopping
Answered prayer
and Long, pretty skirts

Thanksgiving is soon. How are you going to celebrate? :)

"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for
that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." Psalm 75:1

Thanks be to God

Another day to be thankful! Today I am thankful for:

Relaxing weekends
Christmas songs
Friends
School
My brothers

And, I thought I'd give you an update about what's going on in my busy life lately. Last week I was kept busy with: Prayer group, visiting friends, choir practice, a volleyball playoff game at the Christian school, and of course, lots of school. This week I am looking forward to spending the day with my friend Mrs. Reese tomorrow, enjoying an afternoon with Mrs. Taylor on Wednesday, and a Veteran's Day program on Friday. Trying to get school done amidst all those activities does get a little tricky, but today I was able to do extra work, so I know things will all work out. :) I absolutely cannot WAIT for Christmas. It's when I really shine. I've already started thinking about my Christmas shopping, and I can't wait to get started on it. As soon as December starts, you can be sure I'll be singing/playing Christmas music (I already am! hehe), baking lots of Christmas goodies, decorating for the season, dressing in seasonal colors, shopping, wrapping, watching Christmas movies and classic shows, and of course, getting together with friends and family to celebrate! Are you as excited as I am? But of course, Thanksgiving comes first. We'll have a big dinner, and my Grandparents are coming on Friday. I am so thankful most of all for Jesus Christ, salvation, and the amazing things God is teaching me every single day!

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:57

In everything

Well, I see that my post-on-blog-every-day idea isn't working so well. I've missed
2 days already! I guess I'll change that to post-on-blog-as-often-as-possible. ;)

Today I am thankful for:
Volleyball games that I get to watch my friends play in
Our church's Pastor -We're having a pastor-appreciation dinner tonight!
Kids to mentor, talk with, and just have fun with
Christmas - Yes, I'm thinking about it already ;)
Bible study tools - Commentaries, cross-references, and concordances are SO cool!
Piano music
the blessing of education
windmills
and beautiful, blue skies

1Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Give thanks

This month, as it is the month of Thanksgiving, I've decided to post every day (if possible) some things I am thankful for. So here's day 1!

Today I am thankful for:
wood stoves that keep the house toasty warm,
good memories with friends and family
music to brighten every day
brisk walks in through the woods
and of course,
a blog to post my thoughts on.

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
1 Chronicles 16:8

New news :)

Hey everybody! I don't have anything particular or profound to say today, but I thought I should update you on what's been going on in my life.

I've been busy as ever with school. It snowed at my house last week - almost 3 inches! It made me feel so Christmasy. :) Speaking of which, I'm starting to play Christmas music on the piano so that by Christmas I will have learned some new, beautiful songs to play.

Considering the fact that my blog is mostly read by girls, I though you'd like to know that my big brother Erik has a girlfriend! Awww! :) They became "Official" a couple of months ago, but they have been good friends for years. They make and adorable couple, and they're so perfect for each other! Her name is Leah. If you'd like, you can check out her brand-new blog,
God's Daughter

Well, I think that's all I have for now, folks! Enjoy your week :)

Dad :)

I just wanted to tell you all about my dad. He's been such an influence in my life. He's always fun to be with, and supports me when other people don't.

He's a hard worker, and makes sure our family is well provided for. He's smart, and has had many different businesses over the years, because he's good at investing, managing, and creating new ideas.He's also really funny. He is a total nut sometimes, which is why I am too, I guess. ;) His jokes, puns, silly songs and faces are common - always lightening things up.

Also, it's funny to see my serene, quiet mother next to him. ;) Don't they make a cute couple? :D

I'm so thankful for him, and I wouldn't trade him for any other dad in the world.

That's it!

Let Them Live!

I'm taking biology this year. In biology, you learn about life. The past few weeks I have been studying microscopic, single-celled organisms, and it is stunning to realize the complexity of these tiny creatures. And, it confirmed to me yet again something which I have already believed all my life: human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made, and are alive and fully human from the moment they are conceived. How did miniscule protozoa, algae, and bacteria remind me of the sanctity of human life, you may ask? Well, as I began to comprehend how intricate the design of these little creatures is, I comprehended just how elaborate an unborn child is. If there can be that much detail and life in an amoeba, just think how incredible a child in the womb is. Astounding life is existent from the very start, and continues to flourish as the baby forms.

Psalm 149 14-16 says, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them."

This is God's word. That means that this is a very serious matter! We must stand up for life, and protect it. It is our duty as believers in Jesus Christ.

I'd like to recommend a blog to you all called Let Them Live. It is written by 3 girls who support life, and are working hard to defend it. Also, please sign their Petition.

Stand up for what God's word says, Christian friends, and let them live!

Restored dreams

Lately I have been thinking thoughts that I haven't thought in a while. Somehow, as a teenager in our modern culture, I've lost the vision I used to have for my life. When I was a little girl, all I wanted out of life was to be a godly wife and mother, and to have a simple, loving home. But, of course, ideas like that are "out-of-date" and repugnant to us these days. After all, isn't it absolutely vital for women to go to college and have a thriving career? She could get married later on if she really wanted to, and maybe have a baby... but only as a supplement to a successful career. Being a homemaker is demeaning to women. Equality of the sexes! Women's rights! Our culture flaunt feminism, instead of femininity.

The Bible, however, has a different approach. Titus 2:4-5 says, "...admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." Also, 1 Timothy 5:14, which encourages, "Therefore I desire that the younger women marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully,"

This is what we were created for. This is the pattern of scripture. From the very beginning mankind was told, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh," and, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over... the earth." (Genesis 2:24 and 1:28) And, this is a beautiful thing!

Often it's easy to be repulsed by the idea of submission, or "gentleness and quietness of spirit" because it's easy to misunderstand these concepts. Submission does not mean being beneath or lower in value. Jesus Christ is in submission to God the Father! It's a joyful position that has blessing and value equal to the position of leadership. Gentleness and quietness does not mean somber, oppressed silence. To be gentle is to not be harsh, to be considerate and kind. Even men are commanded to be gentle. (1 Timothy 6:11) In order to have a quiet spirit, we must quell the clamor in our hearts. Vanquishing all fear, anxiety, hurry, stress, and worry will cause our spirit to finally be quiet enough for us to hear God's still, small voice. I don't know about you, but I think that sounds wonderful, not oppressive!

The Bible doesn't encourage wimpy, whiny, helpless women(even though many people think it does). On the contrary, radiant and courageous femininity is commanded! Reading proverbs 31, you will find that the godly woman is diligent and strong, yet wonderfully selfless. She works hard and is strong for purpose of serving others, not for pursuing her own plans.

Before I end this post, I want to say that the Bible is not opposed to women having a job outside of the home. Deborah, for example, was a judge. (Judges 4) What I would like to do is dispel the false ideas that we as women often have towards scriptural instruction to us, and to point out that marriage is the norm in scripture, not career.

God has a specific, unique plan chosen for each of his daughters. He has restored my dreams of courageous femininity, and I hope He will give you that vision, as well.

Live Every Moment

Last night, at prayer meeting, Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 was preached on. What grabbed me the most out of this passage was verse 10: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going."

Recently I have been living in the future. Dreaming about something that will happen next week, next year, or far into the future, I tend to forget the life is composed of only one moment: right now. It will never be "tomorrow." Do you realize that? Wow! It will always be right now. When tomorrow comes, it will become right now. If I live in the future, I'm not really living at all. This is my only life; I want to live every minute of it to the fullest! I don't ever want to miss the opportunity of the present moment. I need to do everything with all of my might. Whether it's studying Biology, writing a blogpost, listening to a sermon, sorting laundry, or anything else, I want to delight in it and use it to serve the Lord. My life should be a continual offering.

Also, what if I don't live to see tomorrow? What would I do today if I knew I didn't have another day of life? I certainly wouldn't get caught up in my dreams of the future; I would take advantage of every single second. I wouldn't waste time doing selfish things, "vegging out," or complaining.

Life is short. Since we don't know if we have tomorrow, let's live like today is all we've got. We don't have to cling to right now or become desperate, either. We just need to trust in God's goodness, mercy, and grace, enjoy every blessing, and persevere through every trial. Live every moment!

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." (C.T. Studd - Missionary)

Infinite Love

Oh my goodness! I haven't posted in a very long time! Silly ol' me. Life has been so busy this summer, and I've just gotten kind of lazy about it, I guess. I think it's time for a fresh start - in many ways.

The busyness of the summer has required me to suppress some emotional and spiritual issues for a long time, which caused them to enlarge under the surface. This week they finally emerged. My heart has been disquieted by numerous fears for far too long. Mainly, I've been afraid of rejection and not having control. Those fears fears which have so seized my heart have displayed themselves in many ways... I have been afraid of being ugly, not having enough talent and aptitude, being rejected by people who love me, not having a "likable" personality, etc. You get the point. Quite honestly, I haven't trusted in God's unfailing grace and have not allowed Him to keep me in perfect peace. Fixing my eyes on myself, I have forgotten what my life is all about. It's all about Jehovah, my Savior! He is my Rock, my Lover, my Friend, my Father, my Redeemer, and my Joy. He is my life! Oh, how foolish it is to worry about not being lovable; that's the whole point! If I could gain favor with God by my own works, there would be no gospel. Christ died for my sin, because I could never earn favor with God on my own. Additionally, if I could "earn" grace, it wouldn't be grace! I am nothing but a totally depraved sinner, and that is why the gospel is such good news. the Lord Jesus loves me - though I do not deserve even a smidgen of His love - and has given His life to save me! Since I never earned His love to begin with, I can never "un-earn" it by not being good enough. He took the penalty for my sin, and placed on me infinite value. I am now adopted by the infinite God of the galaxies, and I am a co-heir with Jesus Christ! What incredible news! Can I get an amen?!

To tan or not to tan?

This summer I decided I was going to get a tan. Yup, that's right. Me, Christy - who is normally bleach white - decided to tan! So, I proceeded to lay out in the sun for a while every day. And sure enough, I got a tan! But then I decided to do some research because I wanted to know the truth about tanning.As you probably know, our culture is completely obsessed with physical beauty. We're the only ones, though - many other cultures have also done absurd things because they want to look attractive. Throughout history, people have: broken girls' feet to keep them small, stretched out women's necks with metal rings (to the pint that they can't even support their own heads), tied boards to their babies heads to make their skulls cone-shaped... the list could go on. When we observe those practices, we can see that they are clearly harmful and unnecessary. We would never do something like that in America! Or would we?

As a mater of fact, we have all sorts of harmful "beautifying" practices. Tanning is one of many. According to research, too much exposure to UV rays greatly increases your risk for skin cancer. Yikes! Why would I do that?!On the other hand, however, many people shun sunlight altogether for beauty purposes. Since pop culture glorifies youth, women often try to avoid sunlight to protect their skin from aging. Well, it's true that sunlight ages your skin. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, because sunlight is good for you, too! Sunlight is the #1 source of Vitamin D. Studies indicate that people who wear sunscreen every time they go outside in the summer are very likely to have vitamin D deficiencies. Vitamin D is incredibly necessary for your body in many ways. It helps prevent many types of cancer, it keeps your bones strong, and keeps your hormones in check. In other words, vitamin D deficiency is a very bad thing!So what am I saying? Sunshine causes skin cancer, but yet prevents cancer? It's good, and it's bad? What are we supposed to do?!

Well, my final conclusion is this: live your life! Don't worry too much about it. And don't try too hard to be "beautiful." Enjoy sunshine reasonably. If you're going to be in it for a long time, slap on some sunblock. In the end, you may not be very tan, and may get some wrinkles when you're older, but you'll be healthy! The Lord never tells us to stay young or to have perfectly bronzed skin tones, but He does tell us to be good stewards of what he gives us, and to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is our body. We don't have to harm ourselves to beautiful because He sees us as beautiful when we honor Him with our lives, through Jesus Christ. So live life, enjoy it, and strive only to please your Savior!

Bake Sale!

Hello again everyone!! First, I want to say thank you all SO much for praying for me... I have been feeling much better! Hopefully it will last.

And I wanted to tell you about my bake sale! It went AMAZINGLY well. The Lord brought in a lot of money for the orphanage - people were so generous! And, it was super fun baking everything. And since my awesome friend Sarah took lots of pictures, I thought I'd share some of them with you. :)

This is Sarah and I at the beginning of the day, excited and ready to go!

Mixing lots of things up :)

Cupcakes! :D

Silly grin! I looked so horrible :P

Mmm... rocky road cupcakes and Oreo cupcakes all finished!

Triple Chocolate cookies... sooo good!

Are they done yet?!

This batch was a total FLOP! But surprisingly, they sold pretty well.

They tasted like rocks!! Very tasty rocks, of course ;)

Marshmallow pops! So cute and yummy :)

My beautiful bouquet :)

Cinnamon Swirl bread :)
(I know, it looks sunken in, but that's just because of the swirls)

The whole table of goodies... and that's not even all of them!

Another angle... mmm so tempting :)

It was such a wonderful, faith-building event! Perhaps sometime I will write about how awesome God was through it, but right now my brother wants the computer. So goodbye for now! :D

Ugh...

So, I just wanted to ask you all to pray for me. I have been very sick lately. I have no idea what's wrong with me, but I've been nauseous, my stomach hurts, and I get killer migraines. It's been going on for quite some time, and my doctor doesn't know what's wrong. Please pray. Thanks!

Alone?

*Sigh*

Lately I've been feeling pretty lonely and discouraged. Ever since my brother moved away I feel like I've lost a really close friend. And lately, I've been missing him a lot. Also, our family has been really busy lately, so we don't have as much time together. Sitting at the kitchen table - alone - has become a hobby of mine. I don't want to write on and on about melancholy details, but I just feel so alone.

But am I?

I know I am not. Even in the times when I feel so alone, I have a Savior, a Father, a Friend, and a Husband to be with and talk to. Sometimes I forget that. And when I do, I miss out on a wonderful joy and peace. He's waiting, eager to talk with me, to listen to me and comfort me, and to show me more of how marvelous He is.

So my challenge to myself - and anyone else who struggles with loneliness, as I know we all do sometimes - is to cry out to God. He will listen, comfort, help, and strengthen.

"Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

"...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

"This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life." Psalm 119:50

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him." Psalm 62:5

Spring is wonderful!

Oh. My. Word! It has been almost 3 months since I've posted! Well, I won't try to catch you up on all that's happened. I'll just tell you all what has been happening recently. :)

In about 3 weeks I will be done with school for the summer! WOOT! I can't wait. As of right now, I only have 3 subjects left - Spanish 2, Chemistry, and Algebra 2. Also, my spring piano recital is coming up in a few weeks. I'm totally loving school these days. Since I don't have as much to do, I am able to really focus my attention and effort on a few subjects, which I really enjoy. I've been spending my extra time cooking and baking up a storm - and I love every minute of it!

Some exciting news: I'm holding a bake sale at the end of this month, and giving the proceeds to an orphanage! I'm trying to raise $1,000 to send to Danita's Children, a wonderful Christian orphanage in Haiti. I've been working on it since about Christmas, but all of the other things have tried have fallen through. I'm SO excited that I am finally going to have an opportunity to do this!

I am SOOO glad that spring weather is here! Since it's been cold for so long, I am soaking up every bit of this warm weather! It's sunny, warm, and green! I am so thankful to the Lord for all of the blessings He has given and continues to give me. He is teaching me so much!

Hopefully soon I can upload some pictures to show you all what I've been up to lately. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Passionate Romance

"Love is here, love is now, love is pouring from His hands, from His brow. Love is near, it satisfies, streams of mercy flowing from His side." (Love is Here - Tenth Avenue North)

Wow, those lyrics are so true! In light of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be apropos to write a post about love.

All too often, we look for love from other people; girls are especially guilty of this. And, as Christians who are striving to remain pure for the person we will someday marry, it's easy to act like love is something that's in the future.

Love is not somewhere, someday. It's here; it's now. Jesus Christ is the only one who can satisfy us.

"Why are you looking for love? Why are you still searching, as if I'm not enough? To where will you go, child? Tell me, where will you run?" (By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North)

Jesus loves us. Yes, it's true! He loves you more than you can imagine. He gave up everything for you. Even though we are, by nature, God-hating, selfish, and wicked, God chose to love us and sacrifice everything for us. But His love has one condition. "But," you say, "I'm nothing, I'm a failure. I can't meet any conditions!"

Well, read on. His one condition is this: You must hope in Him. That's it! You must reject any other hope, any other pursuit of love, security, wealth, power, or anything else, and place all of your hope in Him. He is the only hope of salvation, love, and joy. If you cling to Him as the only way to save you from your sins, repenting of all of our sins, rejecting all that is contrary to His word, He will adopt you as His child. He will betroth you as His perfect bride. You will no longer be condemned, and sin will no long have any power over you.

And this isn't some distant, mystical love. Having a relationship with Him is a day by day, hour by hour, intimate romance. If we really believed He was our lover, how would our lives be different? We would daydream about Him. We would laugh with Him. We would talk about Him. We would tell Him everything, and listen with delight to everything He tells us. We would pour over His love letter to us, memorizing it, obsessing over it. We would be so much more joyful!

That's my challenge to you today. Treat Him as you would treat a lover.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness(alone with Him!), and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there(blessings/tokens of affection), and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt(Coming out of Egypt = Being freed from sin/salvation). And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ for I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals (idols/sins), and they shall be remembered by their name no more... I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving-kindness and mercy;" (Hosea 3: 14-17, 19) (All of the words in parentheses were added by me, for clarification.)

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, everyone! I pray that you will have an every growing, passionate romance with the Lord.

Hope and Courage to Face Tomorrow

"God, I can't do that again! I just can't!!" I bawled. "I wish I could just erase this day from history."

It had been an awful day. From the time I got up, things weren't going as I had planned. Everything, even the most trivial inconveniences, seemed overwhelmingly difficult. I cried, and then prayed, and got my emotions straightened out. Diligently, I tried to keep my emotions tamed and work on my school work. But, I ended up crying again, and the process started all over.

As the day continued, I eventually got my strength and joy back. Later on, I went to play practice, which I normally love. It started well. While we were working on our choreography, however, I started to get discouraged. I was the only girl (out of about 1o girls) who couldn't do my part correctly. Finally, I started to cry. Yup, I cried. Right there, in front of everyone, I started sobbing. To make things worse, just a few minutes later we were supposed to go on stage and practice with the rest of the cast. Trying to regain my composure, I went into the bathroom to see if my appearance made it obvious that I had been crying. Well, I looked okay, so when I felt ready I started to go out to the stage. I made it about halfway... and then started my ridiculous weeping all over again! I couldn't bear the thought of failing in front of everyone. Exhausted, I sat in a dark room and thought, prayed, and listened to music. Eventually, I went out and practiced with everyone. It was humiliating - everyone could see my tear-stained face.

After the practice, my mom came to pick me up. As soon as I sat down in the car, my emotions sprung up yet again. "Today was one of the worst days of my life!" I told her between sobs. She listened sympathetically as I recounted to her the traumatizing events of my day. When we arrived home, I sat in the car for a little while, praying. This is where the first line of this blog post fits in. I just wanted to disappear, and never have to face the mountain of fear and embarrassment that stood before me.

I went inside, got some supper, and flopped on the couch. Hoping for some spiritual encouragement, I started to watch, "Facing the Giants" (an AMAZING movie!). Wow! It was SO uplifting! God reminded me that He wants me to give my very best - for His glory. The only way to every be truly fulfilled is to be poured out for Jesus Christ. Whether I perform perfectly or completely fail, I need to give my very best and give Him praise. And, I can be triumphant! The greatest success I can ever have is to honor Him. He loves us so vastly... I don't ever have to be afraid of what anyone else thinks of me, and I don't have to be the best. All I have to do is give Him my very best. He's my audience, and He gives me the hope and courage to face tomorrow, whatever it may hold.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

Though none go with me

I've been reading The Chronicles of Narnia recently, which I had never read before, and I am amazed at how spiritually beneficial they are! I had seen the movies plenty of times before, and there is some spiritual analogy in them, but not nearly as much as the books.

I just finished reading Prince Caspian - the second book of the series. At one point in the book, Lucy finally meets up with Aslan (who represents God). The conversation that follows goes like this:
"Welcome, child," He said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

I love that! There are times in our life when God seems big to us, and times when He seems small. But is He the one changing? No! God is always the same, infinitely awesome God. But as we grow, we get a bigger glimpse of just how awesome He is.

As her conversation with Aslan continues, she tells him about how she saw him earlier, and knew it was him, but the reason she didn't follow him was because no one else believed that it was him and they all went the other direction. She felt like the only thing she could do was go along with the others, even though Alsan wanted them to follow him. But then she realizes (with Alsan's help) that she should have followed him, even if she had to do it alone. Aslan tells her that she must go and tell the others that she had seen him, and tell them to follow him with her. But if they wouldn't follow, she must follow him alone.

Wow, what an amazing analogy that is! Often, God shows Himself to us, and asks us to follow Him. We get excited and tell other people, (as Lucy did) but when they don't believe us and scorn what we have to say, we give up and decide to follow them. God wants us to follow Him, even if no one else is. We are never alone, because He is with us. And in the end, if we follow Him, we find out (as Lucy did, but it would take too long to quote the whole episode) that following Him is the only safe thing to do, and it leads to victory!

Every day I must make the choice to follow Him, through dark and seemingly dangerous paths and unknown territory, even if it means being abandoned and mocked by everyone. His path is not always the easiest, but it is the only one that lead to life!

Busyness

Wow, my life has been busy lately! Between school, friends, music, and everything else, I hardly have a calm day! But it's wonderful... I've really enjoyed the busyness of the past few weeks.

One thing that is keeping me busy is: Practice for a musical! Yes, that's right, I get to be in "The Fiddler on the Roof" musical with a christian school nearby! I'm so excited. I don't have any lines; I'm a towns-person. I sing a lot of songs though, and I even have 3 words of a solo in one song! Haha. We have practices almost every day, and often I spend the evening with my best friend and her family afterward. It's so much fun!

I also am busy with schoolwork, church, youth group/youth events, and friends. Last Thursday and Friday I stayed at the home of a good friend who I hadn't seen in a long time, which was such a blessing! On Sunday I went to 2 youth group and 2 church services. It was very fun, very uplifting, and very tiring. ;)

Well, speaking of my busyness, I had better finish this post up because I've got a busy day today, too. Thanks for reading! :)

Eric Ludy - Depraved Indifference

"Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy." Psalm 82:3

The True Gospel!

I have so much I could say right now, but yet I'm at a total loss for words. I will try to tell you a glimpse of the wonders God has been showing me.

Oh, He is so good! I am absolutely nothing. I am the worst of sinners, deserving eternal punishment in Hell. Yes it's true. There is no such thing as a small sin. One sin is enough to send me to hell, because it is a sin committed against an infinitely perfect God. But yet, He is glorified by showing unconditional love to me. How is that possible? How is it that God is able to "let me off the hook" for my sin, and still be perfect and just? It is only because Jesus Christ, who is God and is perfect, was crushed for me. He was separated from His Father, whom He had been in perfect unity with for all of eternity past. He endured all of the righteous anger of God that I deserved. For me! And now, when God looks at me, He sees the spotless holiness of Jesus Christ. It's not a hardship, a burden, or a difficulty for Him to love and forgive me. He doesn't sit in heaven and say, "Well, you're a stinking, filthy mess, but I promised to forgive you, so I guess I will, even though you disgust me." No! He is delighted to love me! He tells me, "Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold you are fair! You have dove's eyes." (Song of Solomon 1:15) That is God, the perfect, infinite Creator, speaking to me!

This, my friends, is the gospel. The gospel is not a magical prayer that you repeat to get a ticket to heaven. The gospel is that I am eternally sinful, and God is eternally holy. In order to be a good God, He must punish my sin. But He chose to humble Himself and take the punishment for me - God the Father crushed God the Son, and now salvation is offered to me freely. God called me, and I cried out to Him, repenting of my sin. In that moment, He transformed my heart and made a covenant to love me forever, unconditionally. The fruit of that salvation, the evidence that it is real, is that He teaches me, day by day, to be more like Him, and to live righteously. And it is so wonderful!

Is He your Lord? Has He transformed you, and changed you into a new creation? I hope, I pray that He will, if He has not. And Christian friends, don't grow weary! Remember His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness. Rest in Him, and serve Him. He is worthy!