"A living sacrifice, no longer my own."

When I came back from my missions trip in Honduras my perspective on life and how to approach many things changed drastically. I wanted, and still want, to glorify God in all that I do. Yet, the Lord knew I was so stuck on a lot of my ways. I thought I had my whole school year figured out. I "knew for sure" I was going to do so many things. What's ironic is that even though I know I'm not in control, I get this idea that the Lord will give me all the things I desire and plan for, even if I know it's not to His utmost glorification.

And that's when He changes things up, isn't it? This month is completely different from what I had planned it to be, yet the Lord has blessed me greatly. I've found this month--dare I say it?-- quite "uncomfortable", which is good. The Lord is teaching me so many things and working on kinks that I've been struggling with, such as committing to deadlines, Human Anatomy, and getting out of my comfort zone by experiencing new things all by myself. I'm so grateful.

I also have gotten to experience some wonderful, comfortable things, such as watching the sunrise on mini road-trips with my dad every Thursday, developing better relationships with family at home and at church, and practicing my photo-editing.

There will be more days of rest, there will also be more days of business, but it's all for His glory. The sun comes up for His glory, and the moon reflects the sun for His glory.

My prayer is this, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1. (NASB)

"Take these hands
I know they're empty
But with You they can
Be used for beauty
In Your perfect plan
All I am is Yours

Take these feet
I know they stumble
But You use the weak
You use the humble
So please use me
All I am is Yours

I give You all my life
I'm letting it go
A living sacrifice
No longer my own
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

Take this heart
Set it on fire
Shining in the dark
I wanna tell the world of who You are
All I am is Yours

I give You all my life
I'm letting it go
A living sacrifice
No longer my own
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

I give You everything
To You I belong
Every beat of my heart
The breath in my lungs
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

I lift my hands up
God I surrender
All that I am for Your glory, Your honor, Your fame..."
~ All I Am, by Phil Wickham

Doxology, Praise God

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

This song and verse came into mind :).

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Who are You to Tell Me I'm Beautiful?

I apologize for not posting in so long. I've been really packed with school and also I spiritually I need prayer.

This was written by someone I know, and they were fine with their name being placed for credit, so if you'd like to every repost this, please give credit :).


Who are You to Tell Me I’m Beautiful?


By: Carolyn Diez




A few years ago before I really committed my life to Jesus, I was a jerk. Honestly, God has been very merciful and gracious to help turn my life around. I was rude, I lived on gossip, and I focused on what other people thought I should be. I was very insecure, so I tried to make other people insecure about themselves too, so I could feel better about myself. I knew people who were real about themselves, but I only strived for superficial.



I think what encouraged this horrible me, was the people I hung around. They weren’t awful, but they certainly brought me down spiritually. Everything they looked for was image. I grew up being mostly a tomboy, and with a lot of siblings, and with my dad being a pastor we’ve never had a lot of extra money to spend on trendy clothes or hair.



Well that’s what these kids were about. They were all about how you looked, how you dressed and who you hung out with. They were like the queen bees, and they would cast you out of their group if you did NOT fit in. Well no one was really sure that I fit in. I was good friends with a couple of them, I was nice to them, and I trash talked the people who weren’t a part of them, but did I really fit in?



The obvious answer (mostly to anyone who knew me from back then) is that I didn’t. At all. I was desperate for attention and admiration… and I wanted to feel good about myself. It didn’t click that God was the only One who could fill me up with joy and self-worth. These kids made me feel left out when I couldn’t shop at the same stores or wear the trendy clothes… They trash talked with me behind other peoples’ backs, and trash talked me with other people behind MY back. I never had the same bag as them, or my hair was never styled (--in fact, it was in a pony-tail most of the time), they told me I would be prettier with this and with that. I never wore makeup and my clothes were “too modest” at times. They indirectly stated that they were “beautiful” and I was not.



So a year later, after always coming home crying and never feeling pretty, God gave me a lot of amazing experiences; things and people who never judged me on how I looked. They took everything from my personality and faith and assumed it was who I was/am. That year I really started to commit my life to Jesus and I knew I need new friends. So I prayed to God that He would give me new friends that were striving to grow spiritually and wouldn’t be into all the junk the other ones were into…



But, of course, the newly Christ-committed person I was, wandered around looking for these friends on my own, instead of giving the search completely to God. The new friends I found were “nice”. They told me I was “SO PRETTY” and that I fit in with them. They made me feel good about how I looked and how I acted, but the gossip I had been a part of was even worse, and the trash talk seemed to be non-stop. But I seemed to be okay… No one really said anything bad about me… They had actually praised me and treated me like one of them. They had invited me to their parties and welcomed my participation. But only because it made THEM feel good about THEMselves, I realized. I looked just like them, and I acted just like them. Together we were ‘one’ for ourselves, and even though we spoke of Him, we were not FOR Him. As soon as I realized I didn’t want to be a part of something that was not FOR God, it was easy for them not to accept me, not to talk well of me, and to make me feel like a traitor.



Well that’s too bad for them, I told myself. While this process had been going on, God had started placing life-changing, life-valuable, and life-long friendships in my way. They weren’t strong at first… In fact, they were undesirable. But when I completely gave my friendships to God and He gave me noticeable changes of friends, you could tell their “worth.” You could see their love and their own starting passion for God.



They didn’t pull me down spiritually, and in their own ways supported me and helped me to become stronger in the Lord. They weren’t perfect, but neither was I. The only thing that mattered to them was your heart. How we lived our lives out for God and for each other was what mattered. These people were truly beautiful. In fact, I had never seen people as beautiful as the newly found friends I had. They seemed to glow for God and for each other. Weight wasn’t counted, specific eye/hair/skin color wasn’t specifically desired, and in fact, none of the closest of us looked the same. Our hearts matched though, and that’s what brought us together, and hopefully forever.

I was once of the world, and that’s where I found my only temporary happiness. Now, being completely of and FOR God, (of course still a sinful being), my happiness only resides in the continuing joy of the Lord, through friends and family.



The changes/differences are this:



In the dictionary, made by a worldly man, ‘beautiful’ is defined as –

— ‘having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind.’

— ‘excellent of its kind’

‘Beauty’ is defined as –

– ‘the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)’



Other than that TINY, little, bitty ending, how horrible are these definitions of beauty and being beautiful???



THIS is how GOD defines beautiful:



“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”—Proverbs 31:30.



This passage should be clear enough… But it’s not just for women, I see it in men too… Men who are looked up to for their looks and charm, who don’t seem to fear or display God in their lives are totally unattractive. I know that when I see a man, (young or old), that display God’s love, no matter what background or situation they’re in, I can’t HELP but look up to them and admire them. I know I’m not the only one.



”Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;

And confirm for us the work of our hands;

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”—Psalm 90:17



God doesn’t favor our outward beauty, but we want Him to be rejoiced with our actions. Actions that come from love, His love, which is the most pure and beautiful thing in the entire world.



”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able

to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”—Romans 12:2.



Once again, such a clear and commanding passage…



Our world seems to be living in this contest. Every person we meet has a ranking, and one of you is going to be higher than the other or just about the same. The rankings are categorized spiritually, mentally, popularity, kindness, etc; anything that makes you a somebody. The world always has a new trend and look, and every time we reach that lifestyle and/or look, no matter how we get there, the world throws a new look or lifestyle at us. This world is sin, and sin has standards, and every time we meet those standards, they rise higher. We’re expected to follow the expectations from sin, and LIVE it out.



People we’re intimidated by seem far higher than we are, but in reality, God’s just waiting for us to live our lives not for people but for Him. I know that this past year I’ve been intimidated by a few people because they seem SO much more prettier and stronger and everything to the more extreme than I am, and they’ve looked down on me as if it were true. Looks and lifestyles are HIS because He made US to worship Him.



I wish kids these days realized that as long as they live their lives out for God, they’ll have so much more admiration and encouragement. But it’s not to take away the fact that we are persecuted for our faith and how we walk in our faith.



“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to

the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:19.



“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

—Matthew 5:11.



But we have encouragement…



"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord

Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”—Acts 20:24.



“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is

undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be

the power forever and ever. Amen. “—1 Peter 5:8-11.

I hope you enjoyed :).
Posting soon.
Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

You can take the World

The title of this video/song is called Take the World. For Christmas, I received the album Holding Nothing Back by Tim Hughes. I recently posted a video of my favorite song by him and his songs are just great.

Anyway, when you listen to the song, think about the meaning. I was awed and wanted this attitude towards God.

"The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

is not enough for me

You could take the world just give me You! you coul take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You couls take the world just give me You! yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

you could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

You could take the world just give me You! you could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! yeah

All I want is You, all I need is You, yeah, All I want is you, all I need is You!

You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You!

All I want is You, Jesus I love You,

all I have is You, all I want is You"

MaidenOfEmmanuel

New Years 2010 - Life as we know it and DON'T know it

[[EDIT: I actually didn't realize that I have at least one or two other posts relating to this topic. Your Time]]

Well its the New Year (and a little bit after it). Finally 2010 and most people have been planning on making changes and keeping their New Year's Resolutions.
And then some people aren't.
This post isn't to depress anyone, but its definitely to make you all realize some something if you haven't.

Let me start of with a fact.

According to records of births and deaths (the average): Did you know that every twelve seconds someone dies? And every eight seconds someone is born.

That's a lot of people being born-- and that's a lot of people dying.

But here's something else.

I've already heard of TWO little boys who have died right around New Years.

The first I heard, was in a bad neighborhood New Years Eve, and by the time it was New Years, someone (drunk, assumingly, since people get a bit insane) shot him.
The second I heard, choked on food.

Both were their times, but I'm pretty sure neither of them knew they were going to die. And so far only ONE of them heard the gospel and it is unknown if he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
But when are any of us ready to die?
--When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, believe that He died for us, and repent of our sins (becoming a Christian), we're ready to go to heaven. Truth be told, that's when we're ready. But you don't know WHEN you will.

So becoming a Christian is not something you should delay.

There are a lot of people who don't realize how much God is in control of our lives. You can die in the next moment.

Think about it.
In ten seconds you could-- if God wants you to.

The rapture.
Every Christian could be gone from this world-- whenever He wants to come back for us.

What is everyone waiting for? Those times? Because they won't be able to accept Him the moment death hits them physically.

The poor little boys. One was probably exposed to a lot of junk. Who knew if he really listened to the Gospel. The other one, the same.
I bet you that the one who was eating during lunchtime at his school (in Brazil, I think), had NO idea that the next moment he bit into whatever he had on his utensil or plate, was going to suffer (by CHOKING) and die.
It kind of makes you realize that you don't know how much time you have left.

Since when did we all think about that?
~LIFE is about GLORIFYING the One who MADE YOU~

You know that He sees what you do, what you think, what you say, what you see, what you hear, what's in your heart.
But some people don't listen and don't care. So they spend an eternity in severe incomprehensible pain. Fire, ladies and gentleman.

Which would you rather choose? Glorious golden streets -- or a lake of fire?
Yes, I would like to pick the golden streets, thank you very much.

Life as we know it-- living in peace, knowing exactly where I'm going to go (which is Heaven)-- and as we don't know it.
How long will it take to glorify His name before you lose the opportunity? And how long will it take to realize you only have so much time?

New Year's resolution - Living more for Him.

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

P.S. Info I got from those two facts are from the site http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html .
Also, the kids I found out through my cousin, and through a missionary from my church (the one who choked was a student the missionary taught).

God - He loves and exists

I was driving to my grandma's house tonight. And I was listening to this Christian radio with my mom. It was this lady, who's a Christian author (Lisa Harp? the radio just said she wrote the book "A Perfect Mess" or something rather), and she was talking about the book of Psalms. How the book is almost like a diary of David.
Complaining to praising, he just let all of his emotions out. But what she was also stating was that God loves us no matter what. That was pretty cool to hear.
He wants to hear it all.

So what about being a goody-two shoes, or TRYING to be perfect? No one is perfect, but it's nice to be Christlike. No matter what, though, God still shows His love. He doesn't want you working on yourself and not being dependent on Him. He wants to HOLD you-- tightly, and He won't ever let go of you. That's awesome.
Without His love, you wouldn't have hope to live. <-- That's even more awesome knowing He's always loved you.

--Which brings me back to tonight. My mom, after the radio ended there, asked if we wanted to hear anything (my sibs were in the car too). She'll let us listen to our music during carrides, which is pretty nice of her. :) And I think she was happy when I suggested a Chris Tomlin CD (I'm a huge fan of Christian artists and I think I've gotten her hooked on the guy's CD :P). Anywho, as we got on the freeway, the music started and I noticed a ton of car were lined up at a streetlight. We passed them and sped up and more cars we passed, but this time, on the freeway with us. And each and every person's face was focused on something. Yeah, it was their driving, but I couldn't help but think "There is no possibilty that God doesn't exist."
THINK ABOUT IT FOR A JUST A MOMENT.
What if God didn't exist and there was no heaven or hell?
What if there was no God that didn't show us His amazing love? <--[Through Jesus Christ, our Savior, Creation, and the Bible.]

We would be dead. -- But I don't feel dead because I accepted Jesus as my Savior.
But looking at all those people... There's just no possible way that you can just die and stay dead. Never go anywhere. The realization has to hit everyone.
It's IMPOSSIBLE. You've worked so har for -what?- nothing, and then just die? I don't think so. Baseball players to ballerinas to preachers to people who don't do anything. We all will be equal someday. I'll be equal with everyone in heaven, but I'm GOING somewhere. God sent Jesus Christ, His son, to earth to save us all. That's in history.
And that's absolutely cool.

I love the fact that I'm going to live forever, and spend the rest of my life (after death on earth) with Him.

Blessings,
MOE

(BTW, the song by Chris Tomlin was "Sing, Sing, Sing"... Or something liek that. Anywho, it added great affect. :D)

An answer to prayers gives encouragement to my prayers.

It's been a really long time since I've posted some of my thoughts. And not that any of you would like to hear/read them, I think I'll still post this one. It's really important to me. :)

11:30 P.M--I'm still thankful, 12:00 A.M--Guess what? I'm still thankful!

So mof you have read that post of mine-- and that was last year, when I wrote terribly-- so some of you also beared with me there. I wrote more awful than I do now, it's kind of sad. But this isn't what that post OR this post is about.

The second part of that post, there's a story about a girl (Yali) and her boyfriend (whose name is Robert, actually). I was saying how Robert was not a Christian, and that it would be really nice if he became saved. But it's hard to have a reltionship when you're a Christian and someone else isn't. No I have never experienced that, but my parents have told me that. Some adults, who've experienced it, have told me that, too. So we did have a LITTLE hope. There was the fact that his girlfriend's family is a Christian, and that they would lead him to Christ.
But I also remember a remark from someone (I don't think I was dreaming, I think it was actually from my friend Prism) about how that would be really tough and most people don't recommend it. I respect that comment a lot. It's true. Just like I said up there, since it is hard, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.

But want to hear something really awesome?
Robert is now saved.
Oh yes, the young man is now walking with Jesus. And it's really exciting and encouraging to hear that. It happened about a few months ago, I believe, and he still hasn't gotten baptized-- but he's following God.

So prayer works most definitely.
No matter what, God listens.
And that encourages me a lot.

I told my friend, who will remain as Lu for now, about a guy that wheeled me down in a hospital the other day.
--> I got another endoscopy done for my stomach (some of you have kept up with my blog for over a year and know exactly what I'm talking about), and when it was finished and I was ready to go to my car, they told me that I needed to be wheeled down, because I wouldn't make it walking (which is such a lovely thought :P).
Now, if some of you remember, I posted about last year-- and the young man who wheeled me then.
Hospital Visit
All in all, the guy bascially didn't even give me a second thought of how I'd appreciate if he talked to me instead of texting a foot away directly across from me. :P And honestly, that's okay-- but this time the guy that wheeled me down really wanted to chat.

And I got a chance to talk to him a little about God and our religions. Now HIS fiance (yes, in a total of five to fiteen minutes, I can find out about when a person wants to get married, what's his religion, and what he wants to be without imposing :P) is a Catholic. And I was asking some questions, and in the end of our conversation he was like "We'll see how complicated it gets." (I did make a remark about that before).
Right now, even though I am most likely never ever going to meet him again, I'm praying for Felix. It'd be awesome if everything-- all of his plans he told me about for his future and stuff would work out, but it'd be even more awesome if he became saved. He's not anything. :P He just "respects [his] girlfriend's religion" but that's it.
For him to become a Christian would be awesome. And though I probably will never know, it doesn't hurt to pray for him.

Blessings,
~MOE

Your Time

Yesterday was very tragic.
Why?

A girl in a school somewhere here in my city (I believe), got stabbed to death.
&&&&
Someone got shot, thirteen rounds put in him, and was put to death.

This reminds me of a very old post of mine, when I wasn't very good at writing. It was called Me or You?

The person who stabbed that girl to death yesterday-- he or she hasn't been found out, I don't think.
I'm pretty sure, though, that whoever shot that boy, he was arrested.
--I'm not exact on these though, because I hate reading or wtchings the news, so I just listen to everyone else telling their stories--

The point about this, though, doesn't have to do with how they were killed. It's that they died. And by some of the stories, I'm doubting they were saved. I'm not completely sure, but there was a police officer I know that saw the boy who was shot to death, the night before, assuming he was robbing a house, but didn't have proof. He just lectured him.

This is sad. Really sad.
Do you realize that neither the boy or girl knew they were going to die?
That they didn't know they only had several hours to decide where to go (heaven or hell) left?

Because I think a lot during car rides, my car ride back home last night, when I was out, was spent thinking about this.
Everyone, no matter how much someone might supposedly "hate" life, have dreams and something they're hoping for. Whether its for the end of the week, the month after, a year later, a decade later, etc.

They didn't know that they only had so much time to decide a very important life choice.

A friend of mine and I had been discussing the new school year a few months ago. We were excited, and we had worries that are small compared to the new one we both have now.
Suddenly we find out her dad has a tumor in his head, probably placed in the worst spot. And it MUST be treated right away. Must.
Yes, they're all Christians, and that's absolutely AWESOME, and if her father DOES die, he'll be heading to spend forever with Jesus. YAY!! :D
But the less yay is, what if he wasn't? He is, but if he wasn't, he now only has so much time left.

I honestly don't know what's going to happen tomorrow to me. But I do know for a fact that I'll be in heaven if I die on the spot. I DO believe in Jesus, and I've repented, and I've made a commitment to spend an eternity with Him.
But what about you? Or the people around you? It's so sad to see people you know for a fact that haven't made that positive decision I've made.
I keep thinking about it, and the only thing I CAN do is pray.

Pray for the people around you to be saved.
It CAN make a difference, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

"I'm broken inside, And all I go through, it leads me to you..." I'm Not Alright - Part Two

The second part of "I'm Not Alright"! *cheers* Hahh, okay, you guys might not be cheering, but yeah. :D
I would've posted sooner, but I've been suffering from laryngitis and fevers. :P JOY.
Anywho, my last post was about the issue of giving in, giving up, and being "cool". This one's a little different.

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of
Then "cool" is just how far we have to fall
I am not immuned, I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall

Can I lose my need to impress?
If You want the truth I need to confess


I'm not alright, I'm broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to You

Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I'm open wide with nothing left to cling to
Only You are there to lead me on.

'Cause honestly, I'm not that strong.

I'm not alright, I'm broken inside
Broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to You
Leads me to You
Closer to You
Closer to You
Closer to You

I'm not alright I'm broken inside
Broken inside
I'm broken inside, Broken inside
And all I go through leads me to You
Leads me to You

I'm not alright, I'm not alright
I'm not alright ... that's why I need You.

Vs.(part of)2 and chorus:

(...If you want the truth I need to confess

I'm not alright, I'm broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you)

Have you ever had a problem with at least two family members or friends, and the more you talked to one of them aabout it, you actually become better friends/closer with that person? It's happened to me before. I'm trying to work out a problem, and I end up becoming better friends with a person involved.
--I think that can relate to "I'm broken inside, And all I go through, it leads me to You."
*FOR EXAMPLE* There's being "...broken inside...", and that can count as "one person", there's also "...You...", and we know that's the second person, then there's "...I...", and that's you, as the third person.
In the song, You, refers to God, and I'm referring it to God too. --As the second person.
~Everytime there's an issue that involves being broken, me, and God, I always end up "discussing" it with God, and I feel closer to Him.
Look at the first verse for a moment. The last line mentions a firewall.
"But I feel safe behind the firewall."

+++Christians feel safe behind our/the Firewall. And there is absolutely no turning back.+++

When you become closer with Him, He becomes your Firewall, your Shelter, etc. Who wants to run out in the middle of a thunderstorm instead of being safe? Some crazy person.
>Well, even when it becomes stupid stuff, or just being broken inside... God will help in so many ways.<
___________

This post wasn't very long, but I didn't intend it to be. I hope you guys liked it though. :)

God bless,
~Bookie

"Can I lose my need to impress? ...I'm not alright..." I'm Not Alright - Part One

Part One: The Issue of Giving In, Giving Up, and Being "Cool".

I wonder if you guys have heard the song "I'm Not Alright" by Sanctus Real. I know there's at least a couple of you that have listened to Sanctus Real. They're a reallllly good Christian band-- but that's not the point.

Read the title, por favor.

The actual song goes like this:

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of
Then "cool" is just how far we have to fall
I am not immuned, I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall

Can I lose my need to impress?
If you want the truth I need to confess


I'm not alright, I'm broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you

Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I'm open wide with nothing left to cling to
Only you are there to lead me on.

'Cause honestly, I'm not that strong.

I'm not alright, I'm broken inside
Broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you
Leads me to you
Closer to you
Closer to you
Closer to you

I'm not alright I'm broken inside
Broken inside
I'm broken inside, Broken inside
And all I go through leads me to you
Leads me to you

I'm not alright, I'm not alright
I'm not alright ... that's why I need you.

The first verse really kinda... well made me think. I mean, that sounds normal compared to usual, because we all think deeply a lot. But I'm referring to the fact that most kids/teens(/even adults) we're all wounded with a weakness. And it DOES have to do with being "cool".
--I did a bunch of blog posts on creating ourselves (1, 2, && 3). They weren't written very well, but they got my point out.--
There's a lot of things haveing to do with peer pressure. And you may not think you're dealing with it a lot, and you might not, but usually in the back of your mind there's always the little "What will ____ think of me then?" or "Maybe I SHOULD do this...".
The issue is whether it's the right thing to do or not.
Yeah, I deal with that a lot. Of course, I can't think of any THING that would give someone pressure, but I know people do.

~Sometimes those people don't even realize what they're doing to you.
~Andthen, unfortunately, sometimes they do.

But it doesn't really matter if they do or not, does it? It only matters about what your decision is...
I'm not going to give some huge lecture about what you should and shouldn't do, no worries. I know you guys already have the sense of "wrong and right". It's your choice; but I am going to tell you my feelings for it.

Vs.1: It's sad to see a lot of people having their weakness like that, and "cool" IS where they fall. They DO feel safe not being criticized, and the only reason why they feel safe like that is because feeling loved is what we want most.
I know for a fact that if I don't feel loved I feel awful. It makes me want to cry that I'm not good enough for some people--that I'm NOT behind the firewall. But then, when you think about it... Well, I'm still loved by the One who's MOST important:
God
...In the end, everything will be fine. We all need encouragement sometime rather. We all face tests, whether its pressure or something else. Please, it's a lot of things.
But I finally figured out WHY there are so many tests in life.
I thought it was just how far we'd be able to get... And it is, in a sense. But it's also preperation. If I can't even last very long in one trial, I won't be able to last in the future with whatever had to do with that.
That made me realllly determined.
God won't ever give you something you can't handle-- but people give up sometimes. They think they can't make it or aren't strong enough handling something, when that's not the truth. But the only way you CAN get past whatever pressure it is or trial (or whatever you'd like to call it), you must seek God.
"Cool", I've figured out, is just a way of saying that people think you're...well, neat or fascinating. At least that's what I've noticed so far.
**But I've also noticed that not giving in to a lot of things, or not giving up, has made me still "cool"--especially to God.

And it's a pretty great feeling.

End of part one.
God bless,
~Bookie

P.S. Sorry it was ended abruptly! Gotta run. :)

"...Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, at the sound of Your name. I sing for joy..."

I'm sure at least some of you guys recognize that song. I would have used ten billion others, but I already have in other posts, and this one seemed to work.

...Well, what's the main point of that title? Specifically those lines that are part of the lyrics to "Shout to the Lord".

~"Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, at the sound of Your name." --WHOA. Hey, I don't know what you think, but that's kinda intense. Even creation praises God! That's awesome.

Yesterday I went ice-skating with my youth group... And there's always been a reason why I like staying home more than going out to places. I always thought it was because, at least where I live, people can be really rude. I also don't like being in huge public places where there are TONS of people. But why? That makes almost no sense. It sounds like I'm crazy. I'm acting like a hermit... for no apparent reason.
I got off the ice pretty soon (compared to everyone else who stayed on) after, and I found my cousin and asked for money to get something to drink. She hands me some cash and I stand in line by myself. --But there was this weird looking dude in front of me. I mean, his mohawk only added to the odd look. He was just strange.
--I was trying to be polite and look around, even though I knew exactly what I was going to say to the lady when she was done with him, but he started mumbling and stuff! There was obviously something wrong with him... And though I wouldn't wanna be in a back alley with him, it was... really sad to see. His wife didn't look much better than he did. And I didn't know if those were his kids or not. All I could automatically tell was
this guy needed Jesus.
So did his "wife".
So did his "children".
It was awful. And ofcourse... as a girl and as a "teen who knows nothing", I couldn't say anything about God or Jesus, or how much his life could be so much better.

Same goes for the next guy I saw. And the other people that were there... My heart was suddenly burdened. How come mountains show more glory and praise to God than we do?!
I'm looking at these people, and though I'm not fully sure they're saved or not... I can hear cursing, and I see people doing wrong stuff, and it's just... absolutely not right.

"Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing. Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have-- in You."

I'm so burdened with the knowledge of this suddenly--that I would rather stay home and be "safe" than out there. Though we should ALL go out there. We're here to spread the Word, not keep it locked up.

I hope you guys liked this post. It wasn't the happiest, but it had really knocked me around last night...

God bless,
~Bookie

Praise in our prayer

It's been a LONG time since I've posted my "Important Thoughts", so I decided to do so. I was going through my comments on my first few ones, and you guys were amazing enough to take in my posts! :D Such nice things said, I'm shocked now. But anywhooo, here's another one you can choose to endure or not. ;)

Praise in our prayer
--What a topic! :P

I pray ALL the time. Do you? Or... Maybe it's one of those "every time I eat, I ask God to bless the food" or a "Lord, let me sleep well. Thanks." Is it?
I just finished a conversation with a friend today about prayer... And how you sometimes just forget about God. You may not mean to... And He may be in the back of your mind, too..... BUT, prayer is extremely important.
And if it's just repeated prayer, it suddenly becomes unimportant. Not only do you ask for the blessing of your food or a goodnight's rest, but also requests about other things, asking for forgiveness of your sins--and PRAISE.
Praise?
Oh yesssss. A very important thing. Why do you believe in God anyway? Why do you trust in Him? Hmmm?
I know, for a fact, that God is almighty and powerful. I've been taught that forever, and I completely believe it.
-I also believe that He's awesome. In everything He does, it's for better not worse.
--So... Wouldn't you want to PRAISE Him? Your joyful for even having Him in your heart! He makes you happy and different from all the others that don't believe in the One.
Another thing I mentioned already about was asking for forgiveness. We're all still sinners. No matter who we are, no matter what we do, no matter where or what time it is, we're still sinners. On this earth, we're just here to witness. Jesus' dying on the cross for us... yeah, that was amazing. Tell Him that! He sent Jesus to DIE for all of us. PRAISE.
I don't do enough of it. It's sad how a lot of us just take it for advantage.
There are way more things we could praise Him for... This could be way longer.

*What are the other things you can think of?
*I'm pretty sure we can praise Him in more ways than prayer-- so suggest! :)

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thanks for reading!

God bless,
Bookie

I appreciate living a little more...

Okay, well... WOW. I wonder if my title brought curious visitors to those who have me in there blogroll/update thingy. ;) Hahh.
YESTERDAY was just full of excitement--and pain. I really do mean that I appreciate living a little more.
June 06, 2009, I was going to a baby-shower and I was in bascially my church clothes (except for my jeans), and all happy-go-lucky. It had just finished POURING and my mom parked the car across the house from where the part was being held, and along the street (parallel, on the grass). I hopped out of the car with my twin and while my mom started crossing the street, we were faced with a pretty long-- and kind of wide-- puddle right on the street. We basically couldn't go around it, and I didn't want to get wet, but I didn't have my sneakers on. But my sister did. She held my hand and we were about to jump, but then I hesitated and didn't. She made it across, but I was still standing on the street before this puddle.

Alright, news-fact for the people who didn't know: I'm not only scared of heights, but I'm scared of jumping things. Those kids that jump off those high stairs, making it to the ground all excited and not hurt--oh man, I could never do that. BACK to my story...

-----So then, my sister looked back at me and started laughing. And I was not happy with that, it made me look like I was just really scared or delicate--so I jumped. Here's where everyone rolls their eyes and calls me stupid, idiotic, etc.
The moment my church shoes (which DO have line 1-inch heels) hit the ground, they went flying up in the air.

[[Okay, remember in those cartoons how when a character would fall, their feet would REALLY fly up from underneath them, just making it look even more fake? Yeah, IT CAN BE REAL. Because it literally happened to me.]]

Nahh, my back didn't hit the street first. --My head did. Oh man, oh man, was it painful. All I remember is jumping and then my head exploding on me. My sister came running over to me, because while she and mom were walking away, my collision with the ground made a pretty great sound.
The first thought that came to my head was
"Oh, Lord, I love you."
-I was so thankful. Why? Not only did it not SO MUCH sense INTO me, but I hadn't died. Just a little worse and I probably would have lost consciousness.-
I had a SEVERE headache for two hours. None of the two "*starts quoting in commercial voice* Extra-Strength Tylenol" worked. I was at the baby-shower for an hourand a half, starting to feel nauscious-- I ended up at our Children's hospital, and FOUR HOURS of being there, the CAT Scan said I was clear, all I have is a mild-concussion.
Guess what I FEEL LIKE doing (because I'm not permitted to doing so) right now?
Happy-dancing. =D
I cried at how many times people called to check up on me. My sister left her Facebook status that I was in the ER, and so many people responded to it. Everyone that said they were praying/hoping I felt better and asking for updates either called or e-mailed. --And it made me feel so much better. I didn't realize that even adults cared about whether I was feeling alright or not. I also realized that life was a little more precious to me than I thought.
You know how there are some people that say they really couldn't care whether they were alive or not. How they absolutely hate life? Most people call them emo or something, but there are people that aren't even stereo-typed and they act like they couldn't care what life is. I started JOKING around with people who were like that, I would always pretend that maybe it wasn't so important as I thought--as some people would say it was.
I probably wasn't close to dying, but my head got hit pretty ridiculously hard. When I had left I had rushed out the door, but this morning I just sat with my youngest sister because I was making up for the time I hadn't said goodbye to her yesterday.

God IS awesome, amazing, powerful, merciful, great, all-mighty, and everything else great you could ask for. He's BIG and He can carry you anywhere, anytime.

*~*~*~*~*~*
So there's my story. :P It's okay if you didn't even read the whole thing, it was pretty long... I'm stuck here at home while everyone's at church, so I had the time. ;)
Though if you did, I hope you got my meaning in the whole thing. It's pretty clear. I used to love life. I just love it even more now.

God bless,
~Bookie

Material Possession Addiction - M.P.A

I know I haven't posted in a while since my 100 post/100 facts-about-me entry--BUT I wanted people to actually know that I wrote something like that. I know people who scim through, and it's fine... But my own mother is shocked I got to 100, just because I was having trouble at number 20. :P

ANYWAY, I've finally come up with something to post! And what is that?? WELL, I recently started thinking about how people are....obsessed, addicted, so involved, ETC--in material things.

So yeah-- the other day I was noticing how easily people get offended. And I was really wondering why. And the answer that came to me was: We try so hard to be liked. AND HOW do we try? We try dressing super nice, [for a female] most of us tend to fix up ourselves with make-up, we show people we have money, we try to act like the people we want to please--you get the point.
If someone that I was trying to please said "I hate you" to me, yeah, I think I'd be pretty upset. WHY? Because I worked pretty hard to make that person like me, and here my "friend" is telling me that they don't like me.

Last night I went out with my uncle, and little did we know that there was a carnival going on RIGHT where we went to. And that was fine--it was busy, but fine. And we looked at some art pieces and such, and we noticed that there were more than a few paintings (by different people), that had someone smoking a cigar. And then MORE THAN A FEW TIMES, in that crowded place, someone blew a puff of smoke from their cigar, and ungaurded, we walked right through the smoke. Yes, it was gross. And that brought up the discussion of a couple reasons why people smoked those stupid things.

Have you ever noticed that in some movie, when someone's having a problem, they pull out a packet of cigar(ette)s and they start smoking--and then they offer the packet to their friend? And etc. The whole point. They had a problem (and it's mostly men who do this in the movies), they start smoking. The world's a better place.
Or is it?
Are they really problem free?
Did they just FIX the problem by smoking?
Haha NO.
They just caused an extra problem called LUNG CANCER. --BUT, they think it's fine and that it looks manly and whatever.
Some material object they love for no reason. NICE.

Remember that cathedral I visited? The one really nice, and I had a post all about it? That there was a man kissing these pictures of whatever those people/saints were? POINT AGAIN. It's SOME other MATERIAL possession. --NO WAIT, some IDOL. It's one thing to like whatever object--the other is to WORSHIP it.

Girls and clothing/hair/jewelry/etc.
Boys and video games/movies/hair-product(oh yes)/etc.
You get the point.
In the Bible (somewhere, though I forget right at this moment), it says not to make objects idols.
What people have done these days. It's SO easy to hurt someone's feelings now these days because we spend all of our time working on ourselves for other people, but never for God.
Most people wouldn't care if God told us in person whether he liked this or not about us.
But as Christians we should. If He told me, "Bookie, I hate what you're doing and how you look." I think I'd be on my knees sobbing and repenting.
--Though some people wouldn't care. I hate how the world's turning. It's sick and wrong. Material possesions addiction is only the beginning of it.

*sighs*
Oh well.

Anyway, since I have a little sister begging to use the computer, I'll leave it like that!
:D lol

STAY IN SCHOOL KIDS!
~Bookie

P.S. SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO POST THIS ONE! (For some reason, I didn't realize that I hadn't pressed PUBLISH. *smacks forehead*)

My experience....At a Greek festival and a cathedral. :P

TODAY is Sunday. And not only did I go to church--but I was also taken to a Greek festival.... :D And it was interesting--but different.

The moment I get inside the building/church/cathedral, still in my church attire, I find that it's CROWDED with people. I was starving, but there were so many people, and so this lady, my sister, and I looked some jewelry (while my cousin did some other stuff). And I'm not going to go on about how unigue and pretty some of the rings, necklaces, and bracelets were...But Im going to tell you something EXTREMELY interesting (and I guess not good to Chirstians, like me--but I was just learning. *HOMESCHOOL MOMENT*):
There was SO much jewelry, but most of them had a specific design like each other. And that design was a solid color, and then a dot in the middle of it.
And so this lady (my friend), P, asked about it with some lady there at the table, and the lady said "Oh, that's an eye! If you wear a bracelet with that, it just shows that it's protecting you."
WHA?!?!
WELL, then everywhere I went besides that, I kept seeing tons of beautiful jewelry, and then amidst the many bracelets and necklaces, I would see some specifically with that design, just in different colors. A while later it started freaking me out. :P The superstition people used to have and have now....

The second thing I noticed was how colorful everything was! It was beautiful... I'd love to visit there Greece someday, but I don't think I'll ever get that chance. Oh well!

THIRD thing, that was also itneresting/not good...Was I went inside the cathedral next to it (that was also part of the festival), and this was my first time.
I was pretty stunned.
It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I had never been in one before, and I was like "WHOA".
So we sat in there for a while, just looking at the colors and whatever. The ceiling was so high, there were pillars everwhere. It was COOL. And then I noticed tons of candles...I mean TONS. And when we finally started leaving, I asked why there were candles, because I didn't know what they were all about. I've seen them in movies, but I neevr thought to ask about them. No one explained it to me. But P did. She told me that they were for worshipping idols and such....I was like, "Oh?" And then she told me to walk with her to the foyer to leave, but when we were, she walked slowly and deliberately and told me to watch the man.
I had seen all the picture of people/angels/saints/whatever, and I was like why are those in here?? But when P told me to watch the man, I finally realized what was going on. They'd light a candle, set it down in some sandy part, and then he'd go up to this picture that was angraved or just there on some little stand/set and he'd do that cross motion Catholics do, and then kids the picture.
I just stood there.
I hadn't ever realized....I mean, I knew idolotry was still going on--I just never....thought I'd SEE it.

Ex 20:3-4 (NIV) "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."

Goodness gracious...I mean, I couldn't do anything about it, but I was like "WHA?"
The first time I saw him do it, it shocked me. Second time, right before I left, I wanted to smack him. The church was beautiful, but what went ON in that church... Stupid stuff.
God is the only one you should worship. Period. There's nothing more to say.

But other than that, I had a great day. :) Just thought I'd share with you my experience. :D

ACK. Tomorrow's MONDAY! *grimaces* Have a great week--do well in school kids! (*looks at self*)
~Bookie

When? How? I'll never know... But that doesn't matter.

WOW. I never thought I'd be posting this much on one topic. Everyday I keep thinking back about my "Creating Yourself" posts, and I've already put the links into my "Important Thoughts" section, but this, my friends, is part THREE of the whole thing.
I'm now asking questions, and I'm almost sure I won't keep going after this--but I'm not fully positive. Every day I have new questions. (*sighs*--lol).

If you haven't read my other posts on this, it's fine. And you'll probably still be able to understand everything--for I pretty much try not to go back a lot onto other posts when I blog, but if you'd LIKE to read them, here's PART ONE and PART TWO.
______________________________________________

Oki-dokes, just like my title of this one I've been thinking. Is there going to be a time when I actually know I've fulfilled WHATEVER it was I was supposed to fulfill? How WILL I ever know? I mean... Here we go about our business, doing the things God wants us to do (or at least we all try, right?)--and as a young lady/man (lol) we can only do SO MUCH, right??
*Whistles and looks away* And since we, for now, can't be the President or can't be a famous person, how do we know we've done something useful? When will we find out we've done something useful?
The other day I was asking myself, "I wonder what it'd be like if 'POOF' I just didn't exist. I was never born." I still wonder that. "How would so-and-so have done this, if I hadn't helped that person?" And then I think, "Nah, she/he would've survived. It wasn't THAT big of a deal." And there I go--the world can move along without me.
But then somewhere around my existence, I will do something. And if my death is the only thing that will effect someone, then so be it--but I'm still trying to figure that out.
Have you ever thought that?? . . .
What if I never started this blog? I wouldn't have the friends I have today.
What if I decided that you weren't worth my friendship? So, nah, we never became the best of pals. (lol)
What if God decided that I didn't need to be born? So therefore--it was just my twin sister, who would be the oldest of everybody.
Would you be able to cope if your best friend was never alive? Would you say, "It's fine, Bookie didn't make much of a difference."? Ha, maybe you would, but there are tons of other people, besides me you could think about--if they never existed. There is you, y'know. :P
POOF! You're gone. What now?
You might figure it out--I'm sure all of you are very smart people, with great noggins.
Or you could still be Einstein/Eisteinette and never figure it out. It's all according to God's plan, just make sure He's proud of you.
--If you decide to get back at someone, you're not showing mercy. They could've done without you for that one time.
--If you decide not to be strong about someone that's bugging you, you're not showing honor. That person could've done without you for that one time.
--If you decide to leave a friend in a time of need, you're not showing love. That person could've done without you for that one time.
There's more, but the point is, even if somebody could've done without you for that one time--I'd feel awful. One time's enough for me. It's the fact that I wasn't acting like a maiden of God, I wasn't making Him proud of me.

No matter what, glorify Him. :)

Have a great Sunday (and week :D)
~Bookie

P.S. BY THE WAY, TODAY IS TWIN4GOD'S BIRTHDAY! WISH HER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Even if you've never commented on her blog before, you don't know who she is--I'll bet anything she knows you read my blog. Just say hello and happy birthday!
*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D*

What Am I Going To Create Myself?

This is a slight continuation of my last post. Meaning it's got part of what I said in it from my last one.


FAVORITE QUOTES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS (in a sense) :
1)"Happy moments, Praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God."
2)"Be a fruitloop in a world full of cheerios."
3)"No Jesus, No peace.--Know Jesus, Know peace."
4)"I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)

My last post was talking about how first, instead of FINDING yourself, you need to do more of creating--and I think I got the fact straight out when I mentioned we shouldn't be committing any suicide, murder, other crimes. It's a fact--EVERYONE knows that.
But it's not just those three things... I mean, come on...That's pretty easy. I pretty much have fully created "myself", because I haven't done any of those.
Nuh-uh. Don't even go there. You haven't even gone to do anything. So you know some right from wrong things. WHOOPEE.
BUT, how DO I know that I'm... you know... Bringing about a person that is unique? I, personally, haven't even fully done that. I'm just a teen who happens to be realizing that.
(Numbers are referring to the numbered-quotes up there)
Starting with 1), I think that has to do with everyone--but not everyone knows that. I know tons of non-Believers who would want nothing to do with something like that quote, and they've already created themselves (in a sense). It's the thing that you ARE creating.
WHAT is it?
WHO are you now?
Seek God all the time, sure--but does that help? Heck, yes. No duh, you're reading scripture, talking to God, listening to Him--OF COURSE it's creating who you are.
What's 2)? Oneof my favorites. Everyone wants to be different from everybody else. It's something that's always inside. You want to be so unique, people will always remember you.
I'm sure you've found that a smidge hard.
*winks* Just a tad, eh?
I'll tell you guys something I never really told anyone. It's something EVERYONE want(ed/s), and not just me. It's kind of selfish too--at least my version of wanting it.
Have you ever wanted to be President? (If so--) WHY? Was it the power?
Have you ever wanted to be a singer/actor/actress/musician? (If so--) WHY? Was it the money?
Have you ever wanted to be known for something (ANYTHING) important? WHY? Was it both the power AND the money? I've always wanted to be the second. Doesn't it kinda look cool to be up on a stage? Uh YEAH--it kinda does!
My reason wasn't really the money (I could be a doctor if I wanted the cha-chings), it was the fact that all these options meant you'd be famous. Known for whatever. I'd create myself to be someone IMPORTANT. But it doesn't come easily. Being a fruitloop in a world full of cheerios is extremely hard.
I've wanted to fit in with groups that I might not have wanted to fit in. But they were the popular ones. (I never did--only maybe for just a little while...but then I said no...END of that) I wanted people to know me for whatever. But everytime--it was me becoming just another cheerio. Does that make you or me feel good? Sometimes... I mean, if you think about it--is it really so bad?
Uh, yeah. Sorry to break it to you, honey, but it is sometimes. I wanted to be President. I wanted people to remember me for doing things right, for making that stuff happen, and then when I died, EVERYONE would be sad. (WELL, at least the country. ;) Then Hillary Clinton crushed my dreams...JKJK. ----> But you can still be a fruitloop even if you don't make it that high.
Wasn't 3) cool?! Haha, I saw it on an icon, but I decided to save space in this entry. :D
If there was absolutely no Jesus in you--there would absolutely be NO peace. If you KNOW Jesus, you do, absolutely-positutely have peace. PERIOD.
And I think that 4) is really neat/cool/whatever-positive. I mean, I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!
Oh yeah, that's pretty awesome. And since you can do ALL things (except for the fact that it's in CHRIST--you can't do wrong things), you can CREATE yourself to be more involved with him. I mean, you can be a GOOD fruitloop, you can do ALL things, you can HAVE peace, and all that good stuff when you're with God. Be known for the great things.
:D

God bless,
~Bookie

Life Isn't About Finding Yourself, It's About Creating Yourself

I saw this icon on some site, and I don't know... I just loved it. I'm always hearing about everyone say they don't know who they are, they don't know what to do in life, they want to find themselves, etc. You really get into it after a while. I used to think things like that--and, honestly, sometimes I do. I don't know what God has in store for me in the future. I could die tomorrow, or I could live till I'm a hundred years old. You never know... But what I do know is that I'm here for a reason. Obviously you may not be sure of it right now, but you could be sure soon or never. I started thinking the other day, of how random I'm placed. Of just how perfectly I fit in with my family, friends, everyone.

The way I was created--I'm a girl, not a guy.

The family I was born into--most everyone's Christian.

The friends I have-- enough to be able to be myself.

Sure, there are problems everywhere. Does no ever not go through trials? We do! All the time. Dude, read the Bible and figure out that God tests you. He won't NOT test you. He'll never give you anything you're not capable of handling. Never. He's better than that. Some people commit murder, some people commit suicide, some people just commit crimes, and a lot say "Sorry, God just made me this way."

EXCUSE ME?!

OR, they say, "I found what my purpose was in life."

I don't think it was to destruct.

WHAT, so you think that since you don't know what to do in life now, there's never going to be a purpose, mine as well live it out doing what your sinful nature wants?

Ha, yeah, "(*mockingly, of course*) I don't know what to do with myself, so I mine as well die, kill, or do something wrong. There's no point in living anyway."

Uh, no.

I don't think so. I actually remember this one specific conversation with my mom when we were in her room. I was younger then, but I was thoughtful. I asked her the time when you finally find out what you're here for.

And I forget the answer right now, but I can tell you this moment, that you've already done what you're called to do, you're already DOING what you've been called to do. There are probably more than a hundred reasons why you were born, why you're family with so-and-so, and why you're friends with whomever. You've probably established more than what you thought you COULD do. I just started realizing that my past friendships with a couple people, that didn't make it until now--only a few years, still had an effect on both me and the person involved.

Everything you do, everything you read, everything you think about, whatever it is, you're CREATING yourself. You may be finding yoursef too... The talents inside you never knew about, but they HAD to be created first.

Never would I have thought I'd do NaNoWriMo and be writing an over-55k-story when I was younger.

Never would I have thought I'd be playing the violin.

Never would I have thought I'd know people I didn't know before, today.

It's crazy to think about, but every moment you're just more and more involved. There may be one MAIN reason why you're here, but I'm sure there are several others that haven't caught your attention yet.

Stay creating,

~Bookie

Just 'cause I'm different doesn't mean it's bad--I'm still cool.

Oh, goodness, so I haven't done....An "Important Thoughts" post in FOREVER!!! Time to get a started, which also mens that I need to update my poll again. Because it's been months, and I haven't changed it. --But back to the point.

Have you ever noticed that everything about everyone speaks all about them? How whatever you do--everyone assumes something about? And then, suddenly there's judgement?
I've noticed a lot, how there are people that, right when you do something they may not appreciate, they judge you, right then and there.
It's happened to me.
It's happened to everybody.
You'll do something crazy or silly, and maybe a serious person doesn't find that amusing, so instead of jsut telling you, you already get the feeling they dislike you instantly.
Yep.
But I've also gotten that, where, since I'm a Christian, I don't say things non-Christians do.
But does that mean I'm "out of it"? Nope. It does NOT. And it doesn't mean you're out of it either.
The other day someone made this point, in front of everybody, over the internet with a bad word. One, that most peopel use,that for sure God doesn't appreciate, and neither do I.
This kid was extremely upset, and he said it such a way, that you could tell he was upset. But did that mean it was right to use that in ront of EVERYBODY?! Nope. It was NOT.
And guess what I said? Blunt ole me. *rolls eyes* I said to him, "Oh that's nice. Great choice of words." Of course, it was said sarcastically. :P And he said something like "What? ___ word? I think it's an amazing word!"
Psh. Stupid kid. Stupid word. Stupid moment.
And I told him that it wasn't. And that he shouldn't have said it infront of everybody, and that I didn't think it was an "amazing" word, and that it wasn't very Christlike. He said he wasn't happy with the world, and I understood he was frustrated, and I understood that I was probably "out of it" right now. At least to him.
WELL, I said I would pray for him, and he said thank you. I said I hoped everything went better, and he thanked me again.
We haven't spoken since, but what I know for sure, that he never felt and I did: Was the sense that I did right. It didn't matter if that kid didn't like God or didn't care in the world what was supposed to be said and done, like I did. I knew I had done right. And that made me feel good, unlike something he was feeling.
Just because at that moment you spoke up for what you believe in, doesn't mean you're some loser--and if someone tells you that, don't trust their word upon it.
You're wayyyy cooler than they'll ever be.

I'm cool, 'cause I have Christ,
~Bookie

11:30 P.M--I'm still thankful, 12:00 A.M--Guess what? I'm still thankful!

Well, I would've postedyesterday, but it was Thanksgiving. Typing up some of these posts turn out to be long and tedious and sometimes they turn out long....and yeah. =D lOl, I'm sure you guys are stunned, just like me, when you see posts longer than your hand--'cause I sure am. I'm constantly typing what I want to say, and then it turns out I'm either rambling, didn't get my point across, or I did, but it's SUPER long, and maybe needs editing?
But I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for the opportunity of sharing my thoughts and belief(s) with other people. I'm thankful that I get to have fun with people that have become such great friends--just through bloggin. I may not know you guys in person, but every comment on my blog, I'm really thankful for. I feel like the more you post your thoughts and the more you talk to me, I am getting to know you, and we are becoming friends. And I'm extremely thanful for that. :)

Did you notice how many thankful's I put?
*Just wondering*

You know, yesterday was Thanksgiving (well, duh, you guys know that!), and the day before we had this pre-Thanksgiving Day with my church.
That was a lot of fun!
But that's not what I'm really going to talk about.

The day before yesterday, Wednesday, at our gathering, we were all talking about what we were thankful for. Well, at last some who were wanting to talk about what they were thankful for.
I felt that my thoughts were not needed, as I was a kid, and I would have said something if it was Double-Edge, my youth group, but I decided to give all the adults a try. ;)
ANYWAY, this young lady, Yali (Yaw-lee), who's in her twenties I think, started to speak up. SHe started to say how thankful she was for prayer. And for her aunt actually having terminal cancer.
Yes. Her aunt's going to die and she was thankful for the disease?!
Her aunt wasn't a Christian for a very long time, and Yali wasn't thankful for the pain and suffering her aunt was going through. NO, she was thankfu that through all of this, her aunt became a Christian! Saved, and when asked again if she believed, she said it again. She was a Christian. They asked twice, because when they had witnessed to her, she was going through lots of stuff, and they wanted to know if she meant it. BUT SHE DID. :D Isn't that great?!
Yali had her boyfriend behind her. And though her parents are usually at these meetings, they were with her aunt, and I know they would have been proud.
See, Yali's boyfriend isn't a Christian, and Yali was thanking God for so many things that day, that he actually listened. And that's really awesome.
We hope that Yali will be able to help him become saved too.
NEXT, Yali said she was thankful for prayer. She was telling all of us that usually everyone uses prayer as a last resort, or tells someone in the end that they'll pray for that person.
And you know what?
I think she's right.
Have you ever noticed that when someone says that he or she will pray for you, isn't it at the end of their sentence?
Jeez, when she said that I was like, "WHOA!" She was so right. That everyone tries even their own best, by themselves, hoping that God would give them strength, when usually they just want to be able to tell someone "I did it!"
Does God want that?
Nope.
Guys, it's more like, "God did through me!", "With God's help, I can do it!", etc.
Now that I've got that point across, I'm going onto a new subject. (Wow, I already went into three, and TRUST ME, I had the hardest time resisting to actually just break this post into three of them. I could talk about them forever.
But no, it's the day after Thanksgiving. I think i'll give you guys a break.
~~~ --Topic 3 (my title, too)
Have you ever noticed that on Thanksgiving, EVERYONE is aways like "I'm so thankful for..." But on other days, everyone's mostly saying, "Oh I wish I had that!" or "Yeah, I love _____."
Isn't it sad that no one really says "I'm thankful" EVERY DAY? It shouldn't be just one day out of the year! It should be 365 days out of each year!
It's so disappointing to know lots of people who just take advantage of everything they have.
They aren't fully realizing how precious their life is.
I mean, even kids or adults or teens just say "I'm thankful" on Thanksgiving Day to everyone really quickly, just to get it over with so they can eat or relax.
Um, no.
I don't think so.
I'm sure God isn't very happy with you, but does that matter in your heart?
I sure hope so!
I'm thankful for Jesus.
I'm thankful for salvation.
I'm thankful for my family.
I'm thankful for my friends.
I'm thankful for food I get to eat.
I'm thankful for life.
Yeah, no one really realizes that GOd made each and every one of us.
We don't even need to be here.
God could snap his fingers and we're gone.
How would you like that?
Be thankful for life, and be thankful for EVERY SINGLE THING OUT THERE. Because you actually are a person. You're real, you have fingers and toes, eyes and ears, a nose, a mouth. Yeah, you're for real.

Thankful all the time,
~Bookie