Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I'm not cool, but that's okay :)

Wow. I just thought I'd tell you all that I had an AMAZING weekend. Some friends of mine invited me to an event called Youth Ablaze, which I had never heard of before. It sounded pretty cool, and I thought it would be a spectacular opportunity since I had been wanting to see them again, anyway. When we got there, I was kind of intimidated. It was huge! I had never been to anything like it before. During the second sermon, I broke down crying and was extremely encouraged and challenged. Later on, at supper, I pretty much spilled my whole life story and told my friends everything I've been going struggling with. They were so supportive and welcoming - I loved it so much.

This weekend has taught me one basic thing: be different. I need to be unafraid of being totally and completely different from our culture - no matter what anyone says or thinks about me. It sounds like a scary concept, really - being brave enough to do things (or not do things) that may cause me to be despised or mocked. But in truth, it's freedom. While most people are stuck wearing, watching, saying, and doing only what the culture tells them is acceptable, I can choose ANYTHING that pleases God! If you think that God is a harsh taskmaster, you should try obeying trends and culture. Christ does have expectations about what we do, say, think, wear, etc. But His expectations are freeing, not confining. I can be a total freak to the world, and still please Christ! It's pretty cool when you think about it. :)

"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:30

Here's a link to an awesome song that goes along with this:


That's all for now, folks!


Monday, February 20, 2012

Purpose.

   I thought I'd share some inspiring photos I found online (on Pinterest, to be specific.) 

~ Family ~
 




 

~ Home ~






~ Purity ~




~ Uniqueness ~




~ Quotes, Thoughts, Scripture ~


 



~ Missions ~





 We can't live without dreams, goals, and purpose. We may not have all of our dreams come true, but we still have to dream. We may not accomplish all of our goals, but we still need to set them. But here's the thing...
We CAN fulfill our purpose.
 And what is our purpose? As it has been correctly summed up: 
"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
We can fulfill that purpose every day. 
Serve God.
Serve others.
Die to self.
Be diligent.
Love.
Forgive.
Be humble.
Strive for excellence.
Cherish God's Word.
Pray.

I have many dreams for my life. I pray that God would make me a useful, godly woman that is a warrior for His kingdom - wherever life takes me.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

A Tag from Katy :)

My wonderful friend Katy (Who I miss a LOT, by the way) tagged me in this! So, here goes. :)
First the rules:
1.) You must post these rules (Haha this rule makes me laugh!)
2.) Each person must post eleven things about them on their blog.
3.) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.



Okay, so 11 things about me. 

1. I have been saved by the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and now my life is hidden with Christ on high. Every day He makes me more like Him, but I am SO far away from what I should be. I am so thankful for His mercy and grace. And thankful to see growth in my life, though it is slow indeed.


2. I want to be a missionary to a foreign country someday. God has been burdening me for the parts of our world that have absolutely NO access to the gospel, and are constantly dying (without CHRIST!) because they don't even have their physical needs met. And, what's more, they are not glorifying God with their lives, and Christ deserves the reward of His sufferings!

3. Can't decide whether I like being called Christianna of Christy better. Almost everyone I know calls me Christy, and I think it sort of fits my personality better, but Christianna is definitely more beautiful. (as long as you pronounce it an AHN-na, not ANN-na) Which do you think is better - Christianna or Christy?

4. My favorite animal is a white Bengal tiger. They are incredibly beautiful! I love all the big cats - tigers, lions, leopards, etc. God was so creative with the cat kind.

5. One of my dreams is to go to visit Australia - especially the Sydney Opera House. It's such an incredible work of architecture! I would also love to see some of the beautiful country landscapes in the country, and get to see all the native animals  - kangaroos, koalas, etc. That would be spectacular :)

6. I'm very much a girly-girl. I love dresses, flowers, and pretty things. I hate gore/blood and guts, bugs, and the like. But, I do have a bit of an adventurous side - I love hiking, camping, 4-wheelers, snowboarding risks and other such things.

7. One of my biggest faults is being unteachable. I am too proud to be corrected or told what to do. God is working on me in this area; I'm better than I used to be, but boy, do I have a long ways to go.

8. My personality is mostly sanguine, with a decent amount of choleric and melancholy. If you don't know personality types I will enlighten you: Sanguine is playful and energetic, Choleric is ambitious and take-charge, Melancholy is thoughtful and deep, and the other one (which I have absolutely none of - lol!) is Phlegmatic - easy-going and calm. If you'd like to see what YOUR personality is, try this link - it's pretty fun!

9. I love working with kids. I'm totally in my zone when I'm with kids about 6-11, and I love little ones too. I want to have an influence on the life of every child I meet, especially young girls. Mentors can make such a difference in a person's life, and having a child look up to you really makes you think about your actions. It's a win-win!

10. I LOVE music. I cannot imagine a world without music - ugh it would be awful! I play piano, and I wish I could play other instruments too. I love listening to music, playing music, singing, or whatever. Pretty much, I like every type of music that is God-glorifying.

11. I talk a lot! For all of you readers who know me in person you're probably smirking like, "You can say that again!" Haha. I love to laugh and talk, and talk and laugh.


Now to answer dear Katy's questions:
  1. Do you like salty or sweet better? Sweet, for sure... hehe
  2. What are three words you would use to describe yourself? Hmm... probably energetic, emotional, and determined.
  3. What is the neatest things that ever happened to you in your life? I'd say meeting some influential freinds - particularly the Cases, Tabea and Paul, the Butlers, and the Sardinas.
  4. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why. Wow, that's tough. I'd say my all time favorite is just this simple verse: "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." ~Psalm 61:2. So many times that is exactly how I feel - overwhelmed. It's such a comfort to remember that when I am, I can go to Jesus Christ who is a high Rock to lean on and learn from. His grace is sufficient.
  5. Would you rather read a good book or watch a movie to relax? Read a good book, for sure. I used to be *such* a movie person. But I realized that I was wasting way too much time watching movie, and so I sort of "swore off" movies for this entire year. (Although not totally) I don't miss it at all, and I find that I would way rather read a book, go for a walk, bake something, etc. I have time to do things that are truly refreshing now!
  6. What is your favorite color? Every color!! Haha :) My favorites are probably purple, pink and sky blue
  7. Who is the person who inspires you the most? Okay, this has to broken into categories. In the Bible: Peter, because he had my passionate personality, messed up a lot, yet did amazing things for God. In my life: My mom. She is such an amazing influence and godly example to me. In history: Gladys Aylward. She was a woman with some serious faith - she had "everything against her," but God on her side. She believed and lived out Romans 8:31-39. And God did amazing things through her!
  8. What is one thing about you that people don't usually know? I deal with a lot of loneliness. I struggle with missing my brothers, wanting to see friends more, and wanting a "special someone." I think God is bringing me through this difficult time to show me that He is enough for me.
  9. Would you rather be hot or cold? Probably hot. I always used to not mind being cold and get cranky when I was too hot, but now I am totally the other way.
  10. What is your favorite type of food? Seafood!! Mmm looove it!
  11. What is your favorite classic old movie? Probably Emma, the Jane Austen movie. As for animated movies: I totally love Lion King. :)
And here are 11 questions for those who I tag! 

1. What is something that you dream of doing someday?
2. Have you ever been on a missions trip? Where did you (or would you like to) go?
3. What is your favorite kind of pet?
4. How do you normally do your hair?
5. What is your favorite hobby?
6. What is your favorite article of clothing (hoodies, PJ pants, skirts, etc)?
7. Do you play any instruments? If so, how long have you played?
8. What are 5 words that you would like to describe you?
9. Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors?
10. What is/was your favorite topic in school?
11. Who do you talk to most on a daily basis?


And, last but not least, the people I am tagging:
1. Leah Albright at God's Daughter
2. Karissa Noelle at Set Apart Girl 4 Christ
3. Emily at Emily's Ponderings

And well, most of my friends have already done this, so anyone else who wants to do it can take it from me :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

1-0-0 !!

Happy corporate love-themed merchandising day everyone! Or should I say happy Singles Awareness Day? Anyway, happy Valentine's Day. :) I know everyone is going to post about love today, so I won't make this post just another one like everyone else. Besides - this is an important post. It's my 100th post! It sure took me long enough to get here. For my 100th post I decided to post a list of 100 things I like. I don't know if anyone will read it, but at least I will have fun writing it!

Things I Like

1. JESUS CHRIST!
2. The Bible
3. Sparkly stuff
4. Flowers
5. Music, music, music!!
6. Friends
7. Laughing
8. Animals - especially babies!
9. Pretty dresses
10. Talking
11. My family
12. Windmills
13. Pictures
14. Kids
15. Chemistry
16. Accents
17. Tangled! I love Rapunzel :)
18. Zoos
19. Julian Smith's Grandma
20. Courageous - best movie ever!
21. Watching football
22. Kohl's
23. Dirt roads
24. Being outdoors
25. Big fluffy snowflakes
26. Journals
27. Playing piano
28. Meeting new people
29. Fire
30. Stars
31. Lace
32. Snowboarding
33. Fireworks
34. Picking apples
35. Bright colors
36. Narnia  :)
37. Christmas
38. Candles
39. Weddings
40. Dill pickles
41. Reading inspiring Christian books
42. Reading books that make me cry
43. Memories
44. Quoting movies
45. Wrist corsages
46. Seafood
47. Casting Crowns
48. Shane and Shane
49. Acting in plays or musicals (especially musicals!)
50. Jane Austen movies (the old, really long ones)
51. Going on a crazy zealous cleaning spree and cleaning the whole house
52. Taking walks
53. Eyes
54. Listening to sermons while doing chores
55. Cotton candy
56. Museums
57. Owl City
58. Baking
59. Berries
60. Flower gardens
61. Traveling
62. Pouring out my heart to God on a prayer walk
63. Peanut butter
64. Chocolate
65. Peanut butter and chocolate together!
66. Garage sales
67. Watching volleyball games that my friend are playing in
68. Nail polish
69. Zip lines
70. Hugs
71. Looking for shapes in the clouds
72. Middle names
73. Thinking and pondering
74. Rainbow sprinkles
75. Singing
76. Clothes
77. Sunrises and sunsets
78. Picnics
79. My cat and dog
80. Being able to encourage other believers and share Christ with those who don't know him
81. Letters
82. Roller-blading
83. Riding on, but not driving, 4-wheelers
84. Sun rays coming through the clouds!
85. Brownies
86. Styling hair
87. Sleepovers
88. Sue Thomas F.B.Eye
89. Blonde jokes
90. Spiritual victories
91. Coffee with lots of French vanilla creamer
92. Cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip pancakes on a Saturday morning... mmm :)
93. Smiles
94. M&M's
95. Blowing bubbles
96. Planning
97. Trying new things
98. Long, bonding conversations
99. Gummy worms
100. Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!


Hope you enjoyed my list!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Facing another week

Sometimes, you just need a break. A chance to forget about the pressure of everyday life. As the winter has dragged on, that's exactly what I have needed. And thankfully, I got it this past weekend. My best friend, Emily, came over on Saturday night and we had SO much fun. Staying up until after midnight, we painted our nails crazy ways and watched movies, which is what we always do when she comes over. And of course, we talked and talked and talked. That's the best part!

It's been a lonely week without Cody here. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with such good friends and  loving family, because I don't know what I'd do without them. :) Happy Monday everyone; let's face another week with the joy of the Lord!


"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~~Hebrews 12:1-2~~

Saturday, February 4, 2012

New Hair!

 I have been trying to decide whether or not to get my hair cut differently for quite a while. Everyone told me, "No! It looks good like it is! Don't cut it!" But they only saw it when I had spent aloot of time styling it - not the way it is if I don't do anything to it. Every day I had to face a hug mop of thick, impossible hair! So, I decided to change it. I went to my favorite hairdresser EVER, and she worked miracles! Here are the before and after pictures:

 BEFORE

 Not so bad in the front, right?

Well, the back is a different story. Try straightening that - yikes!


 And...

AFTER


 Ta-da! So much easier and healthier. And not so heavy!

 Back view

 Wavy... I don't like the way it looks it the front.

 But, the back looks good, so I'll have to figure out how to make the front work. 


Ah, it is so much easier to style now. What's your opinion? Does it looks better now? Do you like it better wavy or straight?

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Guess what! Today I taught a piano lesson for the first time ever! :) :) It was exciting. I'm teaching an adorable little girl in our church who is very musically talented. After so many years, it was really fun to go back and look at my old primer books.

Cody is leaving for Kentucky tomorrow to spend 3 weeks with Erik, volunteering at the Creation Museum. Without him round, my life is going to be extremely boring! I am sure it will be wonderful for them, though, because they don't get to see each other much anymore. Having my brothers growing up and moving away while I'm just a junior in high school is strange.


I'm going to go bake some chocolate chip cookies to send for the guys tomorrow. Mmm :) Have a great night all!