"Know Who You Believe: The Magnificent Connection" - Saturdays

EDIT: I realized the whole chapter was way too big for one teeny blog post. :P No one would read it at a time. So I decided that instead of three months, this devotions thing will take six months, because the chapters will be split in TWO.

"Does your faith seem more like a routine than a relationship? Do you know in your heart that God cares about your day-to-day life? Do you want your prayer life to be personal and intimate rather than simply saying words? If you answered 'Yes' to any of these questions, you need to know... You can connect with God! Paul E. Little: During his ministry, Paul Little helped thousands of seekers-- young and old-- to find satisfying answers to the deepest longings of the heart and soul. This wealth of information is available to you now in this easy-to-understand book. If you've been searching, and have yet to be satisfied, maybe the question isn't whether you believe in God, but whether you know personally whom you believe!"

Best-selling author of Know Why You Believe | Know What You Believe

This devotions book is what I'll be posting about each and every Saturday. There are twelve chapters for twelve Saturdays (exactly three months) and I will be going through them all. Let's hope I can stick to that schedule! I'm excited about it actually. As I learn and read each chapter, you can learn with me-- just in a quicker form. *grins* My parents hand me books like these frequently and I actually read a while ago one of the top titles up there ^. It was good, I just never thought to blog about it. But now I'd love to seek God better, and I want to take you all (if you so desire to, as well) on my adventure of seeking Him better. This book is just the way! Of course, my posts might bore you or might be a little long. There is no reason to dedicate yourself to reading them. The only one who needs to give dedication to this is me. If you do read them all - God bless you. *laughs* I'll also be putting up polls about this just to see if anybody is interested really and if you click "awesome!" under this post... Then I'll be pretty sure you might be excited by that too. Comments are loved as always. :)

Little's books are very good and very thorough. My dad wouldn't have handed his books to me if he didn't think so. They are also easy to understand - especially if you're a Christian. I would recommend buying this book yourself. You would have a better experience with reading it on your own than learning through me.

Hope you're just as excited as I am!
God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

God IS Love, He can be your valentine, and so can another - Valentine's Day Special

Song of Solomon is basically like a book about and of love in the Bible. There are also poetic books of the Bible. I'm in the middle of reading the book of Psalms for my devotions, and it has plenty of praises to God and plenty of verses that show how loving God is.

God is Love.

My reading of the Psalms have showed me He is so merciful.
My sinning nature and the fact He sent His Son shows how powerful and loving He is.
David KNEW He wasn't going to forsake him. God is also trustworthy.
Adonai answers prayers as well (and in this post I have a story on my prayer this past week :D). God listens.

There are so many more things about Him. Those are just a few.
BUT Valentine's Day is what I'm focusing on today. I would've posted this on the 14th (the literal Valentine's Day), but I wasn't feeling very well. So here I am two days after.
V-Day is a day on love. And there are different ways people celebrate this day, especially if you're a Christian and single.

Many Christian single young ladies and ladies will take Jesus as their "valentine". But you can just say He is your love. There's a difference between Jesus being the One that holds your heart-- and your valentine.

The definition of Valentine: "val⋅en⋅tine / Spelled Pronunciation [val-uhn-tahyn]
–noun 1. a card or message, usually amatory or sentimental but sometimes satirical or comical, or a token or gift sent by one person to another on Valentine Day, sometimes anonymously.
2. a sweetheart chosen or greeted on this day.
3. a written or other artistic work, message, token, etc., expressing affection for something or someone."

It's a little bit more of a physical sweetheart (that term is used for both a boy and girl) than a spiritual one. But it is true that God holds everyone Christian's heart. :) Jesus saved us, so He has us. And He does show His love.
All the time.

The difference on Valentine's Day is one for physical, but its okay to say Jesus is too. He once was physical. Though not anymore. Which is pretty cool.
I prayed two weeks ago for a cold front on my birthday (last week), when it was pretty hot. Guess what? Almost our whole contry received snow and I got my cold front -- on my birthday and Valentine's Day. You can bet I was praising.

God shows His love many ways.

God is always there for you. Even on days that aren't for a day of love. He IS love.

God bless,
MOE

Miracles happen even in the midst of disaster - HAITI

Most all of you should know there was a terrible earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Very tragic and very sad. Thousands of people died, and are still dying.

But something about Haiti was pretty clear-- most all Haitians were involved in voodoo and witchcraft-- which was/is even more tragic. Our church has some missionaries there that own churches and an orphanage. One couple created and runs the orphanage, and they basically take almost every child that Hatians bring that are abandoned. Along with the orphanage, they also have a clinic there. They take care of children that ned help-- and even adults who need help. They live in Pion, Haiti. So they felt some of the tremors in the earthquake, but not much.

There was one lady, not a missionary, but she had a nephew in the earthquake and he survived in a three-story school building that collapsed during the earthquake. Her e-mail was forwarded through my church and to me. This is what is said:

I have seen many people turning to prayer as their last and only option--it should be a first choice and best choice. It does change things. I'll give you an example. My family has been sharing about more and more of their experiences. You can't tell about all the trials in a disaster like this at one time. Things keep coming out as time goes by. That first night after the quake, it was supposed to rain. The forecasts all predicted it and the Haitians said that the temperature and sky all indicated that it should have rained. Can you imagine if that would have happened? There were so many buried but still alive, the dust everywhere, and even the ones saved were sleeping outside and still in shock. It is cold for Haiti right now and rain would have killed many more people. My family said that their whole neighborhood who was outside that night prayed and prayed for the clouds to go away--as I'm sure many, many others did. It started to sprinkle just a little and everyone lifted their hands and shouted praises and supplications--and it didn't rain at all in Port that night or any other night since then. My sister, lifting up her hands as she recounted this, said that the clouds opened up and the stars showed over the whole sky. Amazing! God is good.



My nephew Louine, that was buried under his school, still suffers from the shakes. He can't sleep through the night. But, his story is a story of grace. He was on the second story of a 3-story building. His class room faced the street. He was sitting in his desk when he felt the earthquake start. He stood up immediately. It didn't take long for the building to collapse. He fell onto his desk instead of being crushed in it like others of his classmates were. But, when the quake ended his head was resting on the folding chair and one arm was under his desk and the ceiling of the 3rd floor was less than a foot above his head. He couldn't even sit up or turn his body at all. For a long time, the students didn't even know that it was a earthquake, they thought that only their building had fallen. But, after a lot of time had passed and no one arrived to help, they believed it had to be a quake and the whole city was affected. They knew they had to help themselves. It was already dark by this time and they only had the light from their phones. They couldn't call anyone. The ones that were still living encouraged each other not to cry or loose hope. They touched hands or feet or any part of the body, if possible, and sang hymns to keep their courage up. At around 9:00 PM, their professor, who was talking up to that point, passed away. He was 'sitting' right behind Louine. Then the students nearest the door were able to move the broken chalkboard to clear a hole near the doorway. It took a lot of painstaking work with their bare hands to clear even a small space. As each person was freed, it opened a small route to reach the others. Louine was one of the last. He is a tall young man and the hole wasn't big enough for him. He had to take the rubble and make the hole larger. By this time, there were people that were helping from the outside. And he made it out. One of the things that struck me the most is when he talks about the period of time when he was waiting for the others to get out. The cement ceiling was less than a foot away but it kept descending. Louine says that he kept passing his hand over his head to see how close the ceiling was to him. When his turn came, the ceiling was resting on his forehead. When he got out, the first people he saw were his dad and our cousin. They had arrived at the same moment that Louine left the building. Praise the Lord! Louine attributes his class being saved because they prayed together. The class next to his had many who survived the initial collapse but they panicked. Louine said his class mates tried to help them to be calm and pray and not to scream but they couldn't seem to stop. After a couple of hours, these students succumbed to shock and their injuries. No one was able to leave. Louine also prays that his professor was able to turn to God in his last moments because he cursed and mocked his students efforts to pray. But, Louine emphasizes that God can change hearts, even at the last moment. When one of his fellow classmates broke down, the rest of the class was able to sing and pray for them. In this way, they were able to stay encouraged and united. Louine thinks that 12-13 students were able to walk out of the rubble and 8-9 had to carried out of the building. Three students died instantly and the professor died after several hours. In all the classes, Louine's had the most survivors. Again, he attributes it to God's grace. The earthquake was at 4:45PM and Louine left the building at 10:30PM. Others followed him until into the early morning hours. Louine didn't leave the scene right away. He knew how the shock left so many tremendously thirsty. He and others went to find water and lowered it to the trapped students below. He believes that saved many others.



Louine wants me to say this to you: I want to tell my story because I didn't know for a long time whether I would die or not. I checked the time on my phone often so as to know the time of my death. But, there came a moment when God spoke to me. He said, 'You will not die, I want to show you my greatness.' Louine says it is for this reason that he not only wants to tell his story, but is able. I can attest to that as he is sitting beside me shaking. I pray that remembering God's grace and love in the midst of all the horror will heal him as nothing else can. He pleads with you to never stop praying because God does not allow anything to happen for nothing. God gives VICTORY.



God bless you, Kristie

Miracles still happen today, and they prove He exists.
God should be praised and exalted, for He is everywhere, and everyone is in His ultimate plan. :)

God bless,
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)

Historically Modest

A friend of mine's sister has a blog called "Historically Modest", and it's a blog of her sewing pieces. She's made skirts and dresses that are all modest and perfect for girls. Though I'm not sure what she does with them, the blog is fun to read. :)
Today is the end of her give-away she was having, but the things she makes are really cute.

Check her blog out: Historically Modest

***POSTING MORE SOON!***

Blessings,
MOE

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

Are bees really this busy?

UPDATE: Guys, if you're very observant, you'll se that I have actually figured out how to put links under my profile picture!!

I'll be cleaning this blog up pretty soon. ;)

Anyway, for those of you who have been following my NaNo blog, sorry that I have not posted in a few days. NaNo, stomach, school, and... well yeah-- has actually gotten me stressed.
MOE? STRESSED? Nahhhhh. :P
Well, November has been pretty busy. But it's easing up-- and I'm getting my own laptop pretty soon. So school will be done faster and easier and yeah... Hahah. :D

I've been meaning to do an important post, but I've been so busy lately... I now know the literal meaning of "busy bee". :P

Anywho, I'll blog a little later. :)

VISIT MY PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG up there! It's just a click away, guys. :P
I'm not the best, but I'd love comments. :)

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

What in the "NaNoWriMo"?!

*breathes a heavy sigh of.... exasperation(?)* I don't even knowwhat that sigh was. :P I have officially decided that I'm going to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
WOOHOOO
And I'm solemnly serious with all of those O's. :P I just don't know if I'll be capable of doing it.
BUT, I will for surely give it a try!
(If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, here's a link of my old "about NaNo": "NaNoWriMo".)
My NaNo blog: Bookie's NaNoWriMo. YES, my NaNo blog is NOT updated from last year. It still has Bookworm4God as it's logo, so oh well... But yeah. :)

I already have a title and plot.
Title: The Petals of Rose
Plot: "A foster-girl named Roseis visited by a "counselor", from a certain organization consisting of scientists who want to analyze the student body. Apparently, the sixteen year old girl has a perfect personality to attend this picky school, for she's one of the few hundred chosen. While she's trying to get used to the fact she's not alone always anymore, she's trying to discover herself, but the only way to do that is to follow God and His purpose for her in life.
Pretty soon, she makes a couple new friends, one being her "guidance counselor", and the other being her counselor's nephew. She falls into a habit of journaling her thoughts every day, and expressing herself around her new friends-- but most definitely not around her abusive uncle, who's been hiding crates in her room from who-knows. This mystery has got her curious and she'll do anything to make sure that hatever she's become "involved" with, isn't illegal.
Rose's interesting life is turning upside-down one place, and right-side-up in another. But with the helping hand of God, it'll be perfect in the end.

I hope it sounded interesting. You guys tell me what you think. :) i already started it about a month ago, but the reason I do NaNo is for motivation. I haven't gotten past eight pages. I kind of need a goal for this month to actually work through it. I was capable of finished Cured, I can be capable of finishing this book too.

On another note, I've added a couple more pictures to my photography blog, so check it out, por favor. :)
MaidenOfEmmanuel's Photography: Capturing Creation (URL addres: http://maidenofemmanuel.wordpress.com/)

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

MaidenOfEmmanuel's Photography

I HAVE REDONE MY PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG. REPEAT. I HAVE REDONE MY PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG.

Hehhehh.

Okay, yes, I had one called "Crazy Bookiekins" but let's ditch that one. I will be deleting that one.
My new and improved on is called MaidenOfEmmanuel's Photograhy, and the link is:
http://maidenofemmanuel.wordpress.com/ .
The shortcut:
MaidenOfEmmanuel's Photography

I'd love it if you visited. :)
And yes, you'll figure something about me that I haven't posted absolutely publicly around here.
;)

Posting more soon and God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

My Comfort Zone

OVER a month guys. Can you believe that? It's been a little over a month since I've last posted.
I know most of you are fine with tha-- but I'm sure not.
Sooooo... I'm sorry. Hah, I will make sure you update WAY more than I have lately.
I haven't even been on the forums at all, for those of you who are a part of it
School has gotten in the way, and I spend a lot of my free time doing something else.... Or yeah. I haven't spent as much time on the computer in the past month as I used to. But I'll make sure you keep in touch here again often like I used to. :)
Anyway, I've officially decided I don't need to do another "I'm Not Alright" post. There's not much more to talk about.
Buuuuuuut, I do have some little things I'd like to say.

So lately I've been a little more.... sensitive about things. And, in a certain sense, it's helping a lot. I've been convicted about some stuff, and I sooo want to be closer to God than what I am now. I want to follow Him better.
Something I realized, though, was that in order to get closer to Him, I needed to figure out some stuff and get rid of some other stuff.
Well, it just so happens that a very close friend of mine sent me a package RIGHT when I needed it about a few weeks to a month ago.

I had received this package earlier on in the day and it had letters, pictures, Christian CDs (T.A.N & other worship), and this humongous card. I was extremely happy about it, and then after went on to do other stuff. But later I wasn't having such a hot day, and I wasn't in a very good mood... I had frustrated and feeling entirely out of it with myself. So I decided I needed to do something about it. It was later on in the evening and I most definitely did not want to go to sleep feeling this way.
I went over to my bed, sat down for a moment and realized what I was really craving was a worship time. Well wait-- maybe craving isn't such a right word. I NEEDED something that would help me. Who or what could help me at such a time when I really just didn't know what I was searching for? Certainly a friend or family member wouldn't understand the inside feelings I didn't even know HOW to explain.
Who? Who?? WHO?
Oh yeah. God. That's Who. ;)
I sat down, remembered that in the package, on that very large card, were verses my friend found. She said that they were verses on peace. She also claimed that they made her feel really good, so they'd make me feel good.
A lot of verses could make me feel good.
But whatever. I decided to get a CD and look up the verses.
Crying and highlighting, I looked every single one up. And I've decided to share some with you. (By the way, I'm feeling way better. Just for everyone's curiosity sake)

[[From the NIV]]
"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:40
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;"
Psalm 91:11
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
2 Thessalonians 3:3
"And again, 'Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.'"
Romans 15:11
"Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Micah 4:2
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."
Jeremiah 17:7
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."
2 Thessalonians 3:16
"The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion."
Psalm 116:5
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
"Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked."
Jeremiah 20:13
"A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."
Proverbs 28:20
""
John 14:6
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Psalm 144:2
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. (23) They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4)Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
(5)Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(6)Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
(7)Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
(8)Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
(9)Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
(10)Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3-10
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
1 Corinthians 9:24
"O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."
Isaiah 25:1
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3
"(2)He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
(3)and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
(4)who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
(5)who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
"
Psalm 15:2-5

They may not have the same effect on you guys, but I'm sure you'll enjoy reading them. :)

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

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 still alive!!

ALRIGHT, so it's been like... forever since I've posted, and even longer, a post of my thoughts lately.
I've just been so busy with school and such!

------But, a friend *coughs and winks*, asked me to at least inform you guys that you haven't gotten rid of me yet. I know, I know, I can hear all the groans. *sighs* But nah, I'm just busy with school and the baby and church--that's all. ;)

This is NOT an "I'm Not Alirhgt" post, but my next one will be!!

Some of you actually offered nicknames for me. I think that'll be my next poll!! :D

I just decided to tell you guys that I'm still alive!! Muhahahahaha.

~MaidenOfEmmanuel

IMPORTANT: MUST READ ~MaidenOfEmmanuel

WHY THIS POST IS SO IMPORTANT? I realized that I've been using the name "Bookie" for a while, and though it's been fun and all using it... I've decided to change "bookworm4god".
Guys, my new name is now MaidenOfEmmanuel.
The fun part about this? I know it's so confusing, but to lessen that up, I'm letting you guys pick nicknames. I've already thought of a couple, but I'd love to see how creative you guys are with that.
I know I've had old blogger friends (such as Prism, Ian, Araken, Sapphirra, Paris, Camden, Bryce, etc...), so this'll be a little confusing, but unless you've read this post, you'll understand. :)

Sorry for the confusion.

The baby is gettng cuter every day, and I LOVE holding her. She's so sweet!
Also, school's starting up, and I'm wondering how frequent my blog posts will be, but if you guys need prayer for that, I most definitely will pray for you! Or any other specific or non-specific prayer requests, I'd LOVE to help. :) Some of you have already asked, and I so appreciate the honor of praying for you. :)

Please do pray for me in school wise. I'd appreciate that.

I can't believe this summer is leaving already!! It's like flown by... Insane. :P

Which brings me to...........*sound effects "dun-dun-dunnnnn"*:

I FINISHED MY BOOK!!!! *happy-dances* It's called Cured, and it was for my NaNoWriMo. It took me FOREVER to write (almost a year), but I did it! And it shouldn't have taken me so long, but I got kinda lazy. *blinks*
Anywho, it's 138 pages long, and 83 or 84 thousand words long. :D I'm thrilled about it, and I've already started another book called "The Petals of Rose".
I think it'll be better than Cured actually... :P

Well, later gators! (And I'm serious about the prayer guys. :P :))

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

The other day I officially became the oldest of six...

GUESS WHAT?!
My mom had her baby, and I now have another little sister. She's SO cute.
And for the nickname that I will be referring to her as, it will be AJ (that's an official nickname around here so far...). :)
One of the reasons why I haven't posted for a little while is because of her. I'll continue the "I'm Not Alright" posts soon, but I have to get underway with helping taking care of AJ.

Want to see a picture of me and AJ?



She's ADORABLE. Like... The cutest baby I've ever seen. :D And I can't wait till she comes home (tomorrow)! *squeals*

But yeah. Just thought I'd let you guys know what's been going on a little 'round here. ;)

Have a great week(end)!
God bless,
~Bookie

"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

A hot Independence Day...

I hope everyone had an awesome fourth of July!! It's usually always fun for us. Parade, chill, then fireworks. =) I LOVE the fireworks, and I actually got a ton of pictures and a video of the grand finale! I think I shall post it sometime later... for I'm not feeling very great.
Which brings me to the title of this post. Yeah, where I live it gets really hot, but this time it was hotter than usual. Yesterday my sister and I started up on a cold, and then we got a fever. I hardly had any sleep last night (only like, three hours), and then I thought I was all better this morning.
So I went to church. :P My sister stayed home because she still had a major fever, but I didn't have it that bad. Well when I got to church I was REALLY sore (I think from the fever), I felt EXTREMELY weak, and I looked pale. I stayed like that (in pain) for the whole time and finally got home. My twin was still feeling bad, and I was just ridiculously tired.
--Resting like a bum, I wake up and my fever is 102.-something-. JOY.
I'd really like some prayer for my family. This isn't fun at all. I DO think I'm getting better, but I sitll have to go through this process of fighting it. *sighs*

So yesss. :)

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