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

Boggle!

Yes, the name of this game is called Boggle. You may or may not have heard of it, for I'm pretty sure it became popular, and then maybe unpopular. :P
BUT, I've been playing it lately. Especially with my dad. It's a word game.
It's almost like Scrabble, but it's not.
--[[You need to have a pen/pencil and paper in hand.]] You have a bunch of cubes with letters on it (like dice, though you just replace the numbers) in a box. You shake up the boxand they all scramble around until you stop mixing the cubes. They then fall into little squares that can hold them (there's sixteen in all to hold the sixteen cubes). Once that's over--while NO ONE is peeking, you have a sand-timer (or any timer, for that matter) that times three minutes. Flip it over the moment everybody is ready. You take off the lid of the box, then, and VOILA! In those three minutes you will have a bunch of jumbled letters to make words from!

But there's a trick!

All those letters that form words MUST connect. Either next to each other by being right across or diagnolly--they need to be connected.
Two or more players then write down each and every word they find. When the timer stops, signaling for the end of those three minutes, everyone needs to compare the words. If someone got the SAME word as you did, whether its a word with one letter even, you can't count it. It must be a word in the dictionary--it cannot be an abbreviation.
If you've crossed an E, and it's the only E out of all the cubes, and you need another E to fulfill that word--you can't cross over it again. No repetion.
Whoever has the most words in the end of that game wins. Obviously no one found that word and it's real.
My dad and I go on till who ever reaches 100 or beyond first, wins. It's a TON of fun, especially if you love spelling like I do or reading/writing. :)

Hope you guys try it!

God bless,
~Bookie

More Beautiful You

GUESS WHAT?! This is crazy! I had my Crazy Bookie-kins blog (my photography blog) comment settings on automatic! So all the comments were just set to publish automatically, and I didn't know people were commenting--telling me that the pictures weren't working! BUT, I gots the comment thing fixed AND I also gots the pictures fixed! There are several new ones, and the other ones are working now too. :D ENJOY!

That wasn't the point of this post though. :P

Okay, so Prism/AGoMC introduced me to Jonny Diaz--the guy she's posted about on her blog.... And I absolutely fell in love with his songs... So I decided to post about one in particular. Or post it, actually.

It's called:

More Beautiful You

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

Jonny Diaz

Here's the link to the video too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXSkd8apbWM
But I would recommend just LISTENING to it before you actually see it. That's how I did it, and read the words, but it worked. :D

Have a great week!
Posting moer soon, too.

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

Cured

GUESSSSSSSSS WHATTTTTTTTTT?!?!
I'm practically finished with my book Cured! I'm super excited. A few more scenes, and I'll be done. I see the ending coming near, and that has me extremely excited. =D
So far I have 116 pages. In book format, it'd probably be 210 pages. (I'm using Micrsoft, and I clicked the "Read" button)
I have, so far, 70,741 words. :) That's the FARTHEST I've eveer been, and it feels pretty great.

Anywho, I know, short post... but yeah. I'll post soon some more!

Later gators!

God bless,
~Bookie

"Creation's revealing Your majesty..."

I decided that I'd share a quick post on a picture I edited.

Remember that song I REALLY loved called Indescribable, by Chris Tomlin? WELL, I decided to touch up a picture I took some time I was in Honduras and added a quote from that song into it.

I hope you like it. Other than writing, photography and photo-editing is one of my hobbies. :) I love 'em all. =D

CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW. ;)

God bless,
~Bookie

Not ANOTHER stereotype-- just people. :)

Alright, I finally decided to write another serious(ish) blog post. :)
Yessiree, either stop reading now or continue with a warning. ;)
___________

Today we had a work day--with my church. Or at least some of my church. And everytime we have a work day, I find it SO much fun. Otherwise I'd just find a way to stay with my mom or something. But I love helping people. And if you [guys] have been reading my blog for a while, I'm sure you have noticed my Honduras posts. I love the whole fact that I'm not being lazy and I'm actually doing something worth while. =D
Anywhooooo, we were working at a Child Ministry building that an "elderly" (they honestly aren't that old...) couple owns. They do a Bible school during the summer and a ton other stuff. But they go to my church, and that's one of the reasons why we were helping. :)
--The building is pretty big, but we were just doing the front lawn (since there's really no other lawn), and it was on VERY busy street. There were not only adults, but kids and teenagers working! It was fun, and we no one is ever excluded from any type of work unless it's children with dangerous tools. :P
Some of the young-adults and kids were out on the sidewalk trimming and raking a hedge. I had a pair of clippers and I noticed there were people looking at us from the bus stop that we had to pass in order to get to the hedge on the outer side.
I wasn't proud of them staring, but I was happy.
Wanna know why?
After our work we had a devotion. And usually at every event/gathering (whatever) we have we have a devotion. It's really nice.
Well this one was about missionary work-- and how we seperate people, even if we're Christians. There are the missionaries. And what's so different about them? Well people just seperate them by saying they go out to a foreign country and start preaching the gospel. This might be missionary work--but... it's not about leaving the country. The work is about preaching/witnessing (because ladies should not be preachers, thats why I added the slash) EVERYWHERE we go.
Some of the greatest work of telling people about Jesus could be inside your neighbors house! It does NOT have to be somewhere special. It's already special enough that you witnessed.
The people watching us... Some us were asked what we thought about the devotion. And everyone's answers were great. I also found that we were doing missionary work ourselves. See, what I saw was people standing by a building that ministers to children about the gospel--with a huge sign saying "Children Evangelistic Ministries", which was INCREDIBLY obvious to others-- looking at Christian kids to adults working and helping another person.
It was a great feeling. And I loved it. And I learned that we don't need to do something extremely important in order to tell people about Christ. :)
_____

God bless!
~Bookie

(P.S. I saw on the poll that most people wanted a new layout--and I couldn't agree more. It wasn't the best, even if I did like it some. So I hope you guys like this one better!! :))

It's MOTHER'S DAY! *nudges a reminder*

It's Mother's Day today!! And guess what? I almost forgot. *smacks forehead* My mistake. :P BUT, we did do stuff with my mom and it was fun. Church was great, we handed out small journal-type notebooks to all the mothers we have. It's been nice. =]

AND HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers out there reading this blog, too. :) I hope it's been a God-blessed day, and will continue to last.

_______

OKAY, so guess what? My blogoversary came and went! THREE DAYS AGO. I've been so buys with my school, I just totally did NOT notice.
Anywhoo-IT"S BEEN A YEAR!! A very great year! I've created new friends, just by posting on a dinky little blog I have. I'm happy that the friends I have on here, penpals or not, you guys have stuck with me. :P And the new ones.... Let's just hope you have just as much of ednurance as they do--'cause you're gonna need it with me. ;)

I need some prayer, I'm going back tot he doctor's for a chek-up with my stomach. I just ran out of my medicine that I've been taking for about I-forget-how-many months now. But yeah.. I can tell my gastritis is better, but I'm not fully sure it's gone away. I went with it for quite a WHILE not knowing and not treating it... so yeah.
I had my test, thanks for the prayers about that! I truly appreciate that. :) I think I did pretty well, but I'll have to get my resuts before I get my hopes up WAY to high. :P
My mother is due in July with another SISTER. I'm going to be the oldest of six, and part of five girls plus a boy. What FUN! :D

OH, I reached the 65,000 word mark of my book! I'm so happy!!!! =D

Thanks for reading.
God bless,
~bookworm4god [AKA: Bookie]

Test TOMORROW!

This is going to be a short post. Sorry, guys...

I'm asking for prayer for tomorrow. I'll be taking my final test, and as a homeschooler I'm taking the IOWA test, but it's just like the FCAT.

Please pray I do well. :)

I'll post some more sometime soon!

Thanks guys.
--God bless,
~Bookie

Some AWESOME posts by fellow YCFers &&&&&&& A question asked by YOURS truly. ;)

So there have been some really great posts from some fellow YCFers! And I've enjoyed reading them lots, because mine could never get that good, I'm linking to the ones I've especially liked. ^_^

One that helped me think a lot was Ian's post, Challenged Faith I've actually had that same phase, even though my dad's a pastor. It's just a super sudden thought that comes, and the thing is, I STILL believe, I just want to find more proof that way I can witness better. Gracias, Ian! :)

Another one I really enjoyed reading was Sapphira's post, Loneliness The verse is COMPLETELY true (there's probably more in the Bible like that), and it shows that there will always be Someone there for you, no matter the circumstances. *grins* Thanks, Sapphira!

And part of a little series he's been doing, Camden (who was originally Elliot Reed) has been posting about love. :)

Love: Part 1: What Is Love?
Love: Part 2: Kinds of Love
Love: Part 3: When Love Fails .

Thankies, Camden! ^_^

Check 'em out! AND I picked the blog posts concerning faith in Jesus and love. The other recent blog posts that others have been doing, it's not to offend, I'm just picking a certain theme. =] I'm moved by a couple of them!

God always loves us.
He'll never forsake us.
And He is there.

________________

On another note:
I have a test this next Friday. The 8th. I'd love prayers. It's the final test of the school year for me, whether I pass this grade or not. I REALLLLLY need to. :P

I've finished the WHOLE entire O'Malley Chronicles(by Dee Henderson)!(WELL, I'm in the prequel right now...) If you don't get this, then read The O'Malley Chronicles .

I've been keeping up with the polls, and I noticed that there are votes on changing my layout. Prism/aGoMC has asked me to change the font color because she had a hard time reading it--which I did! BUT, if that's not the only thing you feel like my changing, then TELL me. I'd love to know exactly what. There's always room for more improvements, no need to be shy. I love HONESTY. *grins and winks*

I'll be doing more important posts. Lately it's just been lyrics or about me, and I liked doing my "Important Thoughts" that are there in the sidebar.

My blogoversary is COMIN' UP! 6 more days, thanks to a reminder! (I hadn't been keeping up with it, but WOW. I can't wait!) :D

Again, tell me if you want something different going on for the blog. Especially the kind of stuff I should do to express my Christian faith and things. This blog is to honor Jesus.

God bless,
~Bookie

Even When =]

Hey!! So I had some time to post right now, and I decided to post about this song I have come to love by a band called Seven Places. The lyrics are great, and it's the 4th song on my playlist. :)

"Even When"

This week, I prayed, one time
My phone, it rang, I put You on the other line
And now my thoughts they drift around
My knees remain unacquainted with the ground
Unless my faith is put to the test and I am forced to bow
Although I'm in this flesh it doesn't mean You shouldn't have the best
from me, from me

[Chorus:]
Even when my eyes are dry
even when my soul is tired
even when my hands are heavy, I will lift them up to Yu
It's not about how I feel, oh Lord I am here for Yu
I exist for you

I close my eyes but all I see
Is a background of black, bouncy squiggly lines
And this week's mistakes coming back to mind but
I will lift my voice and make a joyful sound
Forget about me, I only get me down
Although I cannot see it doesn't mean I shouldn't sing to You, to You

[Chorus]

You've given me Your life and have held mine together yet I find
Excuses to slouch in my pew
But when glory divine
Is sitting in my very presence, the least that I can do
Is give my all to You, give my all to You

[Chorus]

ANYWAY, hope you enjoy!
~Bookie