It’s that time again. Nana is babysitting us while mom and dad are out on a date. So, not only do we get to stay up till midnight, us kids also get to be filled with this really yummy Peanut Butter Snickers ice cream that I found at Braum’s.
What time is it? It’s time for the same-old New Year’s resolutions. We always want to start the year off being “better”, whatever that means. Stronger. Prettier. Nicer. Cleaner. Cooler. Fashionable…er. Closer to God. Here were some of mine from last year:
▪ Paint nails different color every week (I failed within the first week)
▪ Drink more water (my body is lucky if it gets a single sip)
▪ Eat healthier (hehe, yeah…)
▪ Get One Voice off the ground (hmm…)
▪ Read my bible cover to cover (sorry, Lord)
▪ Start a cosmetics company (kinda forgot that one)
▪ Get in a horse show (forgot that one too)
The list goes on. The terribly cliché American resolutions may consist of the following:
▪ Lose weight
▪ Exercise more
▪ Stop smoking
I’m sure you’ve noticed how resolutions always die – within a month, usually. You get so revved up and excited to do this – it’s natural. But then you decide to skip just one day, just one time. And then BANG. Resolution is dead. And next year you may try to revive it, but….
Hey, remember when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Only Jesus can raise things from the dead, whether they be people, animals, or…or resolutions.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Make this year’s resolutions count. Don’t let them die. But how are you going to do this?
Trust in God. Pray. Read your bible. These are resolutions in themselves, but they are definitely worth keeping up. With God, you can conquer anything. With God, last year’s resolutions CAN be accomplished! God wants you to be happy, and he wants you to be a “better” person, so of course he’ll help you, if your heart is in the right place.
PRAYER TIME:
Dear God,
Please help me to start the New Year off with a new me. Help me to desire to be with you. Help me to grow stronger in you. God, help me to reach my resolutions this year. I know I can only do them with you. Thanks for loving me and for giving me this New Year. 2009 is gonna be great!
Your child,
______________________________
JOURNAL JOTS:
Tonight, with me and millions of others, make a list of resolutions and promise you – and God – that you’re going to keep them. Then pray the prayer above.
31.12.08
30.12.08
All I Need is You
Congrats to my 7th follower! Thanks! I hope this blog inspires you to do something for God. :]
This is a poem Rachel and I found in her room when we were going through her old notebooks. It's really sweet and about her grandma dying which made me nearly cry so yeah.
All I Need is You
by Rachel V.
I see the rain falling outside my window.
I hear the hail hitting my window.
These dark black clouds keep me away from you.
It's like a shield parting me from you.
And this is the time that I must stand strong.
The time I must hold the tears back.
And I'll do it all for you because
I miss you, I love you, I'm trying to live my life without you.
So now take my hand and pull me along all I need is you.
During the day a tear will run down my face,
that's a sign that I'm thinking of you.
I know you are thinking of me, too.
I was wondering...what if we had this relationship with Jesus? He died...for you. And it was sad -- the worst death anyone could die...yet it was the one who would set the world free of sin, if they just believe. Think how Mary Magdalene and Mary and Joseph and Martha and the Twelve and all those people who loved Jesus so much...how did they feel?
And yet, Jesus didn't stay dead. Just like Rachel's grandma is not dead -- she's in heaven, with Jesus.
If we had that kind of sweet, loving, hold me relationship with Jesus, we'd be stronger, happier people. We'd be loved.
This is a poem Rachel and I found in her room when we were going through her old notebooks. It's really sweet and about her grandma dying which made me nearly cry so yeah.
All I Need is You
by Rachel V.
I see the rain falling outside my window.
I hear the hail hitting my window.
These dark black clouds keep me away from you.
It's like a shield parting me from you.
And this is the time that I must stand strong.
The time I must hold the tears back.
And I'll do it all for you because
I miss you, I love you, I'm trying to live my life without you.
So now take my hand and pull me along all I need is you.
During the day a tear will run down my face,
that's a sign that I'm thinking of you.
I know you are thinking of me, too.
I was wondering...what if we had this relationship with Jesus? He died...for you. And it was sad -- the worst death anyone could die...yet it was the one who would set the world free of sin, if they just believe. Think how Mary Magdalene and Mary and Joseph and Martha and the Twelve and all those people who loved Jesus so much...how did they feel?
And yet, Jesus didn't stay dead. Just like Rachel's grandma is not dead -- she's in heaven, with Jesus.
If we had that kind of sweet, loving, hold me relationship with Jesus, we'd be stronger, happier people. We'd be loved.
Edward Cullen's Hair
So I'm at my friend Rachel's house and she is totally obsessed with Twilight...I knew it would happen someday. She is now calling me mean. Shut up, Rachel! Stop laughing at me! Shut up! (She told me to spell shuishuishui...?)
Anyway, I wanted to know what you guys thought about Twilight...the movie, the books, Edward's hair....everything.
Are you allowed to see the movie/read the books? Why or why not? Do you think it is um...anti-Christian or whatever to read them?
Anyway, I wanted to know what you guys thought about Twilight...the movie, the books, Edward's hair....everything.
Are you allowed to see the movie/read the books? Why or why not? Do you think it is um...anti-Christian or whatever to read them?
20.12.08
The Gift that Lasts Forever
When you think of Christmas, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Is it a tree? Ornaments? Tinsel? Peppermint bark? Mistletoe? Holly? Hot chocolate? A fireplace? Santa? Stockings? Snowflakes? Snow? (Shoveling your neighbor’s driveway?) There’s a good chance you immediately think of the presents you’ll get.
I know, the presents are really cool, right? I mean gift cards are awesome, presents are a surprise, and I even know a girl from play practice who would be thrilled to get socks for Christmas. Presents are awesome, there’s no doubt about it. And when people give you presents, it’s one way of saying they care about you.
But, I have to break it to you. Stuff doesn’t last forever. Those cool jeans that Nana gave you will eventually become too tight. The CD your best friend got you won’t be so hot twenty years from now. Those cute notebooks that your great Aunt May gave you will soon be filled with scribbles, doodles, and ideas. The gift cards will be spent before you can say, “Merry Christmas”, and the candy may last ON you, but if you’re anything like me, it won’t live to see the morning.
In today’s secular culture, Christmas (or, as a group of scrooges call it, “the Holidays”), is about getting together with family, about giving, and about some dude named Santa. So, let’s look into that. Yeah, presents are fun, but what about family?
God loves it when you get together with your family and have a good time simply being together. God loves it when you love others. Sadly, family won’t last forever, either – your big sis gets married, you go to college, your great grandma passes away. So what really lasts?
I know! Giving! God absolutely LOVES it when you give to others. It’s not your money, it’s not your stuff – it’s God’s money and God’s stuff that he’s letting you use. He loves you so much that he’d give you all that – why not show other people (and animals!) his love? God has given you money so you may use it wisely. Often, it’s more fun to give than to get. Unfortunately, the stuff you give (like presents, money, or candy) will go away. Is there nothing in this world that lasts?
Ooh, what about mistletoe? Did you know mistletoe is made by a bird called the Mistletoe Bird? It eats the mistletoe seeds, swallowing them whole, then flies to another tree and – um, excretes the seed. The seed it still whole and as if it had never been eaten. The bird then rubs its bottom on the branch, making the plant stick. It will grow to be mistletoe. But, mistletoe is a living thing. It will die. And, though it makes me uber sad, the mistletoe bird will die, too, and fly away into that big birdbath in the sky.
Ho, ho, ho! I’ve got it! SANTA lasts forever! The big guy is a LEGEND, I tell you! Everyone knows who he is! Even Martha Stewart believes in Santa! So old Claus here MUST last forever. Or does he…? Warning: this is not for the young at heart. We know that Santa, well, is just…. Aw, I hate to break it to you, but, he’s not real! There, I said it. It’s a great story, really. And maybe there was some fat guy in a tacky red suit who gave presents to kids. And maybe their was a Rudolph, and his nose just got scraped so it turned bright red and thus he became a legend as well. But all living bodies must come to an end.
This is really discouraging, isn’t it? Well, I guess I’m done writing now; my search for the meaning of Christmas has ended. Nothing lasts in this world. Gotta go muck the barn.
Whoa, hold on. Barn. Stable. Angel. Virgin. Carpenter. Manger. Baby. Savior.
Do these words mean anything to you? Well, barns certainly don’t last forever. Angels – hmm. Probably. Virgins? No. Carpenters? No. Mangers? No. Babies? (Those things turn into adults, who don’t live forever, btw.) But a Savior? Maybe…just maybe….
Jesus came to earth to save you and me and everyone who has ever lived and anyone who ever will be. He had a body, just like me (well, I’m guessing he didn’t look quite like me…). He was human.
So, bodies don’t last forever – we’ve figured that out by now. But Jesus wasn’t just human. Jesus is also God’s son – yes, an eternal, forever, everlasting being. Eternal. Savior. Cool, huh? Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas, because Christmastime is a symbol of his birthday. And nobody’s birthday has ever been more celebrated than his.
This year, though, I’m celebrating something else, too. Can you guess what it is? I’m celebrating ME. I’m celebrating YOU. Not because we’re destined to save the world. I’m celebrating US because WE are also God’s children! Jesus is God’s son, I’m God’s daughter, and you may be a son or daughter of God, too. WE are AWESOME! WE are created in God’s image. WE have a reason to celebrate because WE are special. Why are we so special? If you’re a Christian, you are my family. You are either my brother or sister in Christ. (I always thought I had an evil twin – JK!) And we are Christ’s family – HIS family! Nothing could be cooler!
At Christmas, though you may have never thought of it before, we are celebrating Jesus and each other. Because Christmas is a symbol not only of Jesus’ birth but of our own birth – our second birth, our real birth, when we entered God’s family. We’re celebrating the gift that God gave us – a SAVIOR!
So, there you have it. A gift. The gift of life. Of salvation. Of eternal, forever, everlasting, never-fading, new, wonderful life. A gift that won’t ever go away. Perfectly wrapped. It’s in your hands right now, because God has given it to you.
Well, what are you going to do with it? What do you do with a gift?
Open it.
Is it a tree? Ornaments? Tinsel? Peppermint bark? Mistletoe? Holly? Hot chocolate? A fireplace? Santa? Stockings? Snowflakes? Snow? (Shoveling your neighbor’s driveway?) There’s a good chance you immediately think of the presents you’ll get.
I know, the presents are really cool, right? I mean gift cards are awesome, presents are a surprise, and I even know a girl from play practice who would be thrilled to get socks for Christmas. Presents are awesome, there’s no doubt about it. And when people give you presents, it’s one way of saying they care about you.
But, I have to break it to you. Stuff doesn’t last forever. Those cool jeans that Nana gave you will eventually become too tight. The CD your best friend got you won’t be so hot twenty years from now. Those cute notebooks that your great Aunt May gave you will soon be filled with scribbles, doodles, and ideas. The gift cards will be spent before you can say, “Merry Christmas”, and the candy may last ON you, but if you’re anything like me, it won’t live to see the morning.
In today’s secular culture, Christmas (or, as a group of scrooges call it, “the Holidays”), is about getting together with family, about giving, and about some dude named Santa. So, let’s look into that. Yeah, presents are fun, but what about family?
God loves it when you get together with your family and have a good time simply being together. God loves it when you love others. Sadly, family won’t last forever, either – your big sis gets married, you go to college, your great grandma passes away. So what really lasts?
I know! Giving! God absolutely LOVES it when you give to others. It’s not your money, it’s not your stuff – it’s God’s money and God’s stuff that he’s letting you use. He loves you so much that he’d give you all that – why not show other people (and animals!) his love? God has given you money so you may use it wisely. Often, it’s more fun to give than to get. Unfortunately, the stuff you give (like presents, money, or candy) will go away. Is there nothing in this world that lasts?
Ooh, what about mistletoe? Did you know mistletoe is made by a bird called the Mistletoe Bird? It eats the mistletoe seeds, swallowing them whole, then flies to another tree and – um, excretes the seed. The seed it still whole and as if it had never been eaten. The bird then rubs its bottom on the branch, making the plant stick. It will grow to be mistletoe. But, mistletoe is a living thing. It will die. And, though it makes me uber sad, the mistletoe bird will die, too, and fly away into that big birdbath in the sky.
Ho, ho, ho! I’ve got it! SANTA lasts forever! The big guy is a LEGEND, I tell you! Everyone knows who he is! Even Martha Stewart believes in Santa! So old Claus here MUST last forever. Or does he…? Warning: this is not for the young at heart. We know that Santa, well, is just…. Aw, I hate to break it to you, but, he’s not real! There, I said it. It’s a great story, really. And maybe there was some fat guy in a tacky red suit who gave presents to kids. And maybe their was a Rudolph, and his nose just got scraped so it turned bright red and thus he became a legend as well. But all living bodies must come to an end.
This is really discouraging, isn’t it? Well, I guess I’m done writing now; my search for the meaning of Christmas has ended. Nothing lasts in this world. Gotta go muck the barn.
Whoa, hold on. Barn. Stable. Angel. Virgin. Carpenter. Manger. Baby. Savior.
Do these words mean anything to you? Well, barns certainly don’t last forever. Angels – hmm. Probably. Virgins? No. Carpenters? No. Mangers? No. Babies? (Those things turn into adults, who don’t live forever, btw.) But a Savior? Maybe…just maybe….
Jesus came to earth to save you and me and everyone who has ever lived and anyone who ever will be. He had a body, just like me (well, I’m guessing he didn’t look quite like me…). He was human.
So, bodies don’t last forever – we’ve figured that out by now. But Jesus wasn’t just human. Jesus is also God’s son – yes, an eternal, forever, everlasting being. Eternal. Savior. Cool, huh? Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas, because Christmastime is a symbol of his birthday. And nobody’s birthday has ever been more celebrated than his.
This year, though, I’m celebrating something else, too. Can you guess what it is? I’m celebrating ME. I’m celebrating YOU. Not because we’re destined to save the world. I’m celebrating US because WE are also God’s children! Jesus is God’s son, I’m God’s daughter, and you may be a son or daughter of God, too. WE are AWESOME! WE are created in God’s image. WE have a reason to celebrate because WE are special. Why are we so special? If you’re a Christian, you are my family. You are either my brother or sister in Christ. (I always thought I had an evil twin – JK!) And we are Christ’s family – HIS family! Nothing could be cooler!
At Christmas, though you may have never thought of it before, we are celebrating Jesus and each other. Because Christmas is a symbol not only of Jesus’ birth but of our own birth – our second birth, our real birth, when we entered God’s family. We’re celebrating the gift that God gave us – a SAVIOR!
So, there you have it. A gift. The gift of life. Of salvation. Of eternal, forever, everlasting, never-fading, new, wonderful life. A gift that won’t ever go away. Perfectly wrapped. It’s in your hands right now, because God has given it to you.
Well, what are you going to do with it? What do you do with a gift?
Open it.
18.12.08
The Trinity
At Sonlight Student Forums, we were discussing the Trinity with each other and two unbelievers. Those two didn’t understand how one being could be three, all at the same time. Really, it’s HARD to understand the Trinity, and I think it is more important to ACCEPT it than to understand it, because we are required to accept God for life, but not to fully understand him, because he is beyond human understanding. To them, the whole Trinity thing must have sounded crazy!
I mean, can you imagine? You’re on a internet chat room, surrounded by Christian teens that are – gulp – homeschooled! YIKES!
I described the Trinity something like this (except for the fact that my interests have changed, so I have replaced them with the following). I am Melissa. I’m a fashion guru, but I’m also a writer, tree-hugger, animal-rights activist, Narnia geek. I’m a semi-vegetarian but I can’t resist BBQ ribs. Am I no longer Melissa? No. I’m Melissa, with different personalities. They liked that example.
But the other day, when I was supposed to be absorbed in algebra, my mind started wandering from fractions and x’s and o’s to one of those several hundred rabbit trails I tour every once in a while. Couldn’t I come up with a better example? IS there a better example? Or, if not better, at least another, to make it really clear? And why does Maddy refuse to accept that I hate hot dogs? All these things I smelled along the trail, and then I finally found the bunny.
I’m Melissa. Like you (hopefully!), I have eyes, a right arm, and a nose (a very talented one at that – but that’s another story). I use my eyes for seeing. That is their purpose. I use my right arm for drawing and lifting things and for pressing the semi-colon on the keyboard. That is my right arm’s purpose. I use my nose for smelling – the roses, burnt toast, the barn, my brother’s bathroom, my dog who will get a desperately needed bath for Christmas. My eyes, right arm, and nose – these are all parts of me. They are not separate – there is only one me. These are just different parts of me used for different purposes.
God has 3 different parts. God the Father, used for creating and commanding and sorting things out. The Holy Spirit, giving people peace and such. Jesus the Son, the earthly part of God – how he appears on earth, with a human body that went through real exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, and immense pain. Each part is part of God, but each part has a different purpose.
I hope that made it a little easier for you to understand. Remember that God does not require you to understand him completely, but to simply believe.
I mean, can you imagine? You’re on a internet chat room, surrounded by Christian teens that are – gulp – homeschooled! YIKES!
I described the Trinity something like this (except for the fact that my interests have changed, so I have replaced them with the following). I am Melissa. I’m a fashion guru, but I’m also a writer, tree-hugger, animal-rights activist, Narnia geek. I’m a semi-vegetarian but I can’t resist BBQ ribs. Am I no longer Melissa? No. I’m Melissa, with different personalities. They liked that example.
But the other day, when I was supposed to be absorbed in algebra, my mind started wandering from fractions and x’s and o’s to one of those several hundred rabbit trails I tour every once in a while. Couldn’t I come up with a better example? IS there a better example? Or, if not better, at least another, to make it really clear? And why does Maddy refuse to accept that I hate hot dogs? All these things I smelled along the trail, and then I finally found the bunny.
I’m Melissa. Like you (hopefully!), I have eyes, a right arm, and a nose (a very talented one at that – but that’s another story). I use my eyes for seeing. That is their purpose. I use my right arm for drawing and lifting things and for pressing the semi-colon on the keyboard. That is my right arm’s purpose. I use my nose for smelling – the roses, burnt toast, the barn, my brother’s bathroom, my dog who will get a desperately needed bath for Christmas. My eyes, right arm, and nose – these are all parts of me. They are not separate – there is only one me. These are just different parts of me used for different purposes.
God has 3 different parts. God the Father, used for creating and commanding and sorting things out. The Holy Spirit, giving people peace and such. Jesus the Son, the earthly part of God – how he appears on earth, with a human body that went through real exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, and immense pain. Each part is part of God, but each part has a different purpose.
I hope that made it a little easier for you to understand. Remember that God does not require you to understand him completely, but to simply believe.
14.12.08
Gingerbread Houses
Today my youth leader brought 2 gingerbread houses to church. (I'm not one for the stale walls -- I prefer the sugar-coated gumdrops).
I wonder, what would happen to a gingerbread house if no one ate it? Now, let's say this gingerbread house was a perfectly good house, all sweet and sugary and good. No one was unhappy when sheltered by it.
But Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread left their house to explore new things, dangerous things and dangerous places. Within time, their perfectly good house fell into disrepair. The gum-drops grew hard, the walls crumbled, the icing melted and the lemon-drops dissolved into a puddle of yellow coconut snow. (Sometimes it's ok to eat yellow snow.)
What had happened to the house? It was perfectly good, and then, when no one tended it, the house became useless and unwanted.
Isn't that gingerbread house kind of like our hearts? When we abondon our hearts and don't use them and continue to make repairs to improve them, they become useless. Purposeless. Nothing. Like the Grinch's heart. 3 sizes too small.
So what are we to do?
Use your heart! Show love to people! Continue to make yourself stronger in Christ. Those two things are your purposes. Living out God's plan for you. What could be better?
I wonder, what would happen to a gingerbread house if no one ate it? Now, let's say this gingerbread house was a perfectly good house, all sweet and sugary and good. No one was unhappy when sheltered by it.
But Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread left their house to explore new things, dangerous things and dangerous places. Within time, their perfectly good house fell into disrepair. The gum-drops grew hard, the walls crumbled, the icing melted and the lemon-drops dissolved into a puddle of yellow coconut snow. (Sometimes it's ok to eat yellow snow.)
What had happened to the house? It was perfectly good, and then, when no one tended it, the house became useless and unwanted.
Isn't that gingerbread house kind of like our hearts? When we abondon our hearts and don't use them and continue to make repairs to improve them, they become useless. Purposeless. Nothing. Like the Grinch's heart. 3 sizes too small.
So what are we to do?
Use your heart! Show love to people! Continue to make yourself stronger in Christ. Those two things are your purposes. Living out God's plan for you. What could be better?
12.12.08
This is Part of God's Plan
I’m reading a book called Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper, so I’ll probably be sharing a lot about that with you.
Anyway, in the book, John Piper (a preacher and Christian writer), says in the Preface, "You wouldn’t have picked up this book if God had not been at work in your life."
It was a pretty simple sentence where you would usually nod and say "OK", but it was more than that for me.
I was in a thrift store on Saturday, having only purchased a big pink ring, and then there was this book that had caught my eye. It was sitting in a sort of slumped position as all the books were – piled atop each other, on the ground, scattered across the top shelf. This book’s binder read, "don’t waste your life" in black letters. I picked it up. John Piper…John Piper…that name sounded familiar. I flipped through the pages, eyeing the chapters, catching glimpses of text here and there, then flipped to the back cover and began reading.
Why had that book caught my eye? I’m not exactly sure, but I know it wasn’t just out of boredom. God has a plan for me, and apparently that plan involves that book. Maybe that book is going to open up my mind about a whole world of things and change my life course forever. Or, maybe, that book’s purpose in my life was simply for that little sentence. I wouldn’t have picked that book up if God was not at work in my life, if this was not part of his great plan for me.
Ya know what? The same goes for you. God is your tour guide in life. He’s given you a manual to answer questions you might have. But he also talks to you and leads you. God will use anything to talk to you – billboards, commercials, web sites, prayer, dreams, books – anything that will get your attention. We just have to look around.
And who knows? Maybe God uses blogs like mine and The Next Generation is Us, Romans 12:2, The Christian’s Journey and the King we Follow, and ChildsPlay to get his message to you.
Just think about it. It’s pretty cool.
This – right here, right now – is one little bit of God’s plan for you.
You wouldn’t be reading this if God wasn’t at work in your life. There is something here that he wants you to read, something you can learn, whether it be huge or little. Are you willing to receive God’s message to you?
That’s my goal for One Voice: to give you God’s message, whatever it may be. Sure, I’m the one typing, but it’s God who’s filling me head with thoughts, dreams, and ideas for me and for YOU.
Anyway, in the book, John Piper (a preacher and Christian writer), says in the Preface, "You wouldn’t have picked up this book if God had not been at work in your life."
It was a pretty simple sentence where you would usually nod and say "OK", but it was more than that for me.
I was in a thrift store on Saturday, having only purchased a big pink ring, and then there was this book that had caught my eye. It was sitting in a sort of slumped position as all the books were – piled atop each other, on the ground, scattered across the top shelf. This book’s binder read, "don’t waste your life" in black letters. I picked it up. John Piper…John Piper…that name sounded familiar. I flipped through the pages, eyeing the chapters, catching glimpses of text here and there, then flipped to the back cover and began reading.
Why had that book caught my eye? I’m not exactly sure, but I know it wasn’t just out of boredom. God has a plan for me, and apparently that plan involves that book. Maybe that book is going to open up my mind about a whole world of things and change my life course forever. Or, maybe, that book’s purpose in my life was simply for that little sentence. I wouldn’t have picked that book up if God was not at work in my life, if this was not part of his great plan for me.
Ya know what? The same goes for you. God is your tour guide in life. He’s given you a manual to answer questions you might have. But he also talks to you and leads you. God will use anything to talk to you – billboards, commercials, web sites, prayer, dreams, books – anything that will get your attention. We just have to look around.
And who knows? Maybe God uses blogs like mine and The Next Generation is Us, Romans 12:2, The Christian’s Journey and the King we Follow, and ChildsPlay to get his message to you.
Just think about it. It’s pretty cool.
This – right here, right now – is one little bit of God’s plan for you.
You wouldn’t be reading this if God wasn’t at work in your life. There is something here that he wants you to read, something you can learn, whether it be huge or little. Are you willing to receive God’s message to you?
That’s my goal for One Voice: to give you God’s message, whatever it may be. Sure, I’m the one typing, but it’s God who’s filling me head with thoughts, dreams, and ideas for me and for YOU.
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