Debu Mag

Hello Everyone=),

I don't normally post twice in one evening, but this is sooooo important. Please read:

A dear friend of mine had a calling from the L-rd a few months ago after reading Do Hard Things. Please read the below, and subscribe. Her goal is to get 2,000 subscribers to this online magazine.  I know it will be a great blessing, so check it out if you haven't already.

Calling all teenage girls!

Debú Magazine is coming to your computer in September 2011!

Debú Magazine's mission is to inspire teenage girls to surrender their entire lives to Christ and encourage them to live actively and radically for Jesus. We hope by subscribing to Debú that you will be encouraged and uplifted.

Follow this link to check out our website and subscribe to receive Debú each month.
http://www.debumag.com/

So, we need your help! Forward this email to all your friends and let them know about Debú! We want to have as many girls subscribed as possible by our first issue comes out in
September, so tell everyone and keep this email going!

You are all in our prayers,
Debú Leadership Magazine

Now. I expect at least 50 of y'all to subscribe! Just kidding=D But please do look it up and get involved.

Thanks for reading!

The Golfing Escapade and G-d's Grace

This afternoon...

all was normal. We were on our way to play golf with the golf organization down here- we being my Marmee, my sister Alexandrea, who was sitting in the front seat, Grace-Hope in the backseat, and myself somewhere in the middle.

We were turning on the green light at a fairly busy cross-roads, when suddenly,  another car across the road   began going straight- landing in our car. Marmee and I happened to see it, and both of us screamed, "Dear Jesus, protect us!"

So there was a car accident. Right before this, I had just gotten into a disagreement over something- oh, so trivial- with Alexandrea. Seconds later, the car hit, and she'd landed in a sore spot being hit by the top of her seat-belt. "What if something worse had happened," I hate to imagine- leave it alone.

All I can say is Jesus was looking out for us. The guy hit right into my side of the car- literally, right there. Being in the middle row of seats was probably one of the scariest things ever- at first I thought Grace-Hope had gotten the worst of it, and then I thought perhaps Alexandrea did. I don't know what I thought.  I'm still shaken up about it. Our car door was smashed in, and you could see the outline of Alexandrea's seat through it.

My point is... what if? Where would I be right now if something worse had happened? If I had no time to apologize? I'm still shaken from the thought. I would be, for life, thinking of that. I would want to go back, fix my words.

Eye-opening. Eye-opening, eye-opening, eye-opening.

Marmee has lately been praying for something to happen for (her own personal reason). Her brother died when she was twelve in a car accident. Her sister, my Aunty Eunice was praying at the time for "something" to happen which would bring them closer together as a family. And it did. But G-d was so good to us.

There was a song I heard the other day- Live Like You're Dying. I don't know if anyone's heard it. But even the song title runs to my head right now. Wow. 

As soon as we were back in the car (about an hour and a half later), and on our way home, we prayed- Thank YOU, Jesus, for protecting us, for putting Your angels around us, for keeping us in the palm of Your hand. So many times has He protected us... always watching over us. 

Corrie Ten Boom is one of my favorite "living" mentors in "times like these." (Am I not overly-dramatic? This is a trivial thing going on. No one was hurt- though they may've been.)  And she offers so much wisdom.. 

There are no 'ifs' in G-d's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety- let us pray that we may always know it!  -Corrie Ten Boom

Did I mention how much I love Him? 

Ramblings and Sheave-Gathering

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves~

I love that hymn. Whenever I'm at a big piece of land with literally nothing but fields, sky, and perhaps a few trees, I always think of it.. even if there aren't necessarily any wheat sheaves to bring in...

=P *and a slight piece of nonsense settles in my brain for a moment, bringing on a hilarious mental picture, bringing on a laugh. Alexandrea: "What was that all about???" "Oh, nothing."*

 It's just when a field is so big... it brings so many thoughts. Most of them aren't my own.. just a mess of things. Like I Love Lucy. just kidding.

Today however- there were no huge fields. There was a (slighly) blue sky. And there were loads of trees. The glitch is that there were no huge fields. And... normally, I like huge fields, though we don't really get them much down here unless you go looking for them. And since I drive my family crazy with the spontenaity that I'm sure I get from the wonderful sense of joy of being in something so amazingly beautiful, I'm forbidden to looking for them. Not that I do, that is.

*this-post-isn't-going-very-well-now-is-it sigh*

I was out today. Trying my hand at golf. I am, to tell the truth, more of a tennis/swimming type of girl. But you know what, I loved it! Don't know if I'll be that good at it, but I do enjoy it. That's saying a lot=)

And I wasn't even in a huge field today...

Okay, now for part number two: Gathering the Harvest

This morning, while I was praying about my verse of the day (which I send out to several people each day-comment with your email if you'd like to receive it too), I came across Luke 10:2, which says, "He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

One of the great principles of harvesting is that the harvest needs to be gathered when it is ripe. The harvest has to be taken at the right time. If it is too early, the fruit is not ready to be taken and if it is too late, the fruit can be ruined. The disciples were admonished to look out for the harvest, and they were to pray that the lord of the harvest would send forth laborers into the harvest, because it was ready to be harvested.
First thoughts on this: isn't it an amazing feeling to be used by the L-rd? You know what's even more amazing is thinking, Wow. The Creator of the universe has chosen me to do a job! Think how honored we would be if a king (my head is way over in Europe =P), or okay- the president has presented you with a task at hand and asked you to fulfill it. Can you imagine how well we would do our best to do it? And yet, when G-d asks us to do something so simple as, let's say baking cookies for a neigbor, or being kind to a brother or sister when I feel like having an attitude towards them,  I am hesitant to do so? Ooooh... just struck a chord. *Conviction ensues*

Faithfulness in the small things proves faithfulness in the big things, my Marmee always says.

Our communities are the same way. You and I need to look out into the fields that are white unto harvest and we need to be willing to pray and ask the L-rd to send harvesters into the fields before it is too late. The real thrust of this verse is simple; L-rd Jesus, I pray that You will send forth laborers into the field; praying, as Isaiah did,"Here am I- send me."

Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Many are pretty, if not very, familiar with the lyrics of the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and have sung with great joy the heartfelt words:
                       
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
These words, I believe, truly come from the heart of Thomas Chisholm, who directs our thoughts to a portion of Scripture that meant much to him, Lamentations 3, which is where he received inspiration from.

                       
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;            
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
If we filled in the blank:  "His _______ are new every morning," most would say, "His mercies." But if we take a closer look at Lamentations 3, we find that it is God's compassions that fail not and are new every morning. This is a significant truth to bring with us into each new month, and even each new day as we are greeted by G-d's brand new day which He brings us into.

In the Hebrew language, the word "compassion" carries the idea of "tender love" or "to cherish." It is like "a mother's womb," where one is safe and protected. God, in His compassion, forgives and protects us daily. The hymn-writer understood this as he wrote the words to the final stanza:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
"No matter how strained a relationship {with Christ} might be, if it is approached with mercy and compassion, we will indeed find strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." -Mark Hamby

Fresh Joys Photography- The Sunset's Painting

Jesus Paid It ALL

One of my favorite hymns (and yes, I have many) is Jesus Paid it All.

Here’s a story about the song:

On New Year’s night, 1886, some mis­sion­ar­ies were hold­ing open-air serv­ic­es in or­der to att­ract pass­ers­-by to a near-by miss­ion, where meet­ings were to be held later. “All to Christ I owe” was sung, and af­ter a gen­tle­man had giv­en a short ad­dress he hast­ened away to the miss­ion. He soon heard foot­steps close be­hind him and a young wo­man caught up with him and said:

“I heard you ad­dress­ing the open-air meet­ing just now; do you think, sir, that Je­sus could save a sin­ner like me?”

The gen­tle­man re­plied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anx­ious to be saved. She told him that she was a serv­ant girl, and had left her place that morn­ing after a dis­a­gree­ment with her mis­tress. As she had been wan­der­ing about the streets in the dark, won­der­ing where she was to spend the night, the sweet mel­o­dies of this hymn had at­tract­ed her, and she drew near and listened at­tent­ive­ly. As the dif­fer­ent vers­es were be­ing sung, she felt that the words sure­ly had some­thing to do with her. Through the whole serv­ice she seemed to hear what met her op­pressed soul’s need at that mo­ment. God’s Spir­it had showed her what a poor, sin­ful and wretch­ed crea­ture she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hear­ing her ex­per­i­ence, the gen­tle­man took her back to the mis­sion and left her with the la­dies in charge.

The young, way­ward woman was brought to Christ that night. A si­tu­a­tion was se­cured for her in a min­is­ter’s fam­i­ly. There she be­came ill and had to be tak­en to a hos­pi­tal. She ra­pid­ly failed and it became ev­i­dent that she would not be long on earth. One day the gen­tle­man whom she had met on New Year’s night was vis­it­ing her in the ward. Af­ter quot­ing a few suit­a­ble vers­es of Script­ure, he re­peat­ed her fa­vo­rite hymn, “All to Christ I owe”…and she seemed over­whelmed with the thought of com­ing to glo­ry…Two hours af­ter­ward she passed away.

It certainly gives a new meaning to that old song, doesn't it?



I hear the Savior say,“Thy strength indeed is small;*
Child of weakness, watch and pray,Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

 Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne

I stand in Him complete,

I’ll lay my trophies down

All down at Jesus’ feet.

*I un-italicized (haha) my favorite phrases.

Who is Strong Enough?

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength..." -Philippians 4:13

This Week's Song-of-The-Week is Strong Enough by Matthew West. One thing thatI realize a lot of people need to hear today in our culture is that needs to be reminded about is that G-d will never give us anything that He doesn't think we can't handle. It is to (ultimately) strengthen us, for ust to know that we really do need Him.

If anything's bothering you in your life right now, surrender to Him- He is strong enough.

Running- and Finishing- the Race

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

-Hebrews 12:1 &2

 A mentor of mine loves car-racing, etcetera, and one of his favorite things is the saying, "Gentlemen... start your engines!" All the time, he finds paralells of prayer, the Word, Jesus, the church in cars.

*ahem*

That's another post.

Hebrews chapters 11 and 12 are one of my favorite chapters in that book of the Bible. All of the apostle's encouragement in keeping the faith, Christ's strong example, the unshaken kingdom of G-d. Okay, so Hebrews is probably one of my favorite books of the Bible=P  Just now though I'd like to focus on chapters 11-12. In chapter 11, we are encouraged by the outcome of Biblical triumps of faith in G-d. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Consider the heroes of the faith, the witnesses; what paralell do you see in all of them? I see that they trusted. They got in the race, stayed in the race, and finished well. Noah, Moses, David and Samuel, Abraham and Sarah... faith means we cannot see the outcome.

According to Wikipedia, "Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true, belief in and assent to the truth of what is declared by another, based on his or her supposed authority and truthfulness."
Now, Wikipedia is referring to a person. G-d is G-d! Oh! if only my heart would forever naturally put its trust in Him! And He is so faithful to me all the time!

I wonder sometime if the message, if the cry of my heart to unreached souls will ever be heard.. how I want to be used by the L-rd! TRUST! This comes with being still.

I've (well, the TBC group) has been reading Francis Chan's Forgotten G-d. One of my favorite points is his telling us to throw off the extra baggage. As we run G-d's race- throw it off, let Him remove all of it for you (hope you get the drift=D). As we run G-d's race, we need to run with focus and purpose, fixing our eyes on Jesus. He's the author and finisher of our faith, and the One who will change us and give us an eternal perspective, instead of our earthly one. As we run G-d's race, we need to encourage oen another. Our "power" source is Jesus, and other people of faith help us to spur that on, that's what the body of Christ is designed to do, to bring glory to G-d. Imagine running a race without taking time to warm up beforehand? Your muscles would be tense, and not as functional. Without taking the time to let G-d  fill us up with the Holy Spirit, we are disfuncional- useless.

Endurance is the drive to suceed no matter what the cost. And when I finish this race here on earth, I want to obtain the prize; I want to have kept the faith; I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

 "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14

The Great May Giveaway: Winner~!

Hello There=) Last night I thought about the giveaway around 9 o' clock-ish. "Wow!" I thought, "Does time fly so fast?" So this morning, I went to random.org, which has a random number generator (I always use that to select giveaway winners).

At the last minute I thought oh-so-hard about clicking that generator button... I didn't want it to end=) I'm a little funny like that... anywho.

So, I'm glad to announce the giveaway winner is...................

Comment #13: Melanie:

I tried cropping this, but my computer had its own ideas =P

Congratulations, Melanie! Get in touch with me right away regarding your choice of stationary, and it will be shipped out soon! Xo

And thank you to everyone who participated! This giveaway was so fun, I know I'm going to be having another one soon=) =) =)

Have a wonderful day!

The Test

Here's an excerpt from the book, When God Writes Your Love Story, by Eric and Leslie Ludy. Though I've never read the book, though I've heard of it multiple times, but came across this tale: It had me smiling by the end. You never know what friends you'll find in books;)

Lt. John Blanchard was in New York City at Grand Central Station, and he looked up at the big clock.  It said five till six.  His heart was racing.  At exactly six o'clock, he was going to meet the girl whom he thought he was in love with but had never met.  This is what had happened... 

    He had been in Florida for pilot training during WWII, and while he was there, he happened to go to the library and check out a book.  As he flipped through the pages, he noticed that someone had made notes in the margins.  Reading the insightful observations in beautiful handwriting, he said to himself: 'I would love to meet whoever wrote these notes; they seem so kind, gentle and wise.'

    He looked in the front of the book and saw a name: Hollis Maynell, New York City.  He decided to try to find her.  With the help of a New York City phone book, he found her address and wrote her a letter.  The day after he wrote her, he was shipped back overseas to fight in the war.

    Surprisingly, Hollis answered John's letter.  They soon began to correspond back and forth throughout the war.  "Her letters were just like the marvelous notes she had written in that book," John recalled.  "She was so comforting and so helping."

    One time, John had confessed in a letter that he had been scared to death when they flew over Germany.  Hollis had encouraged him, "All brave men are afraid at times.  Next time you are afraid, just say, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me'."

    As they continued to write, John began to realized that he was having romantic feelings toward Hollis.  He wrote, "Send me a picture," and she replied, "No, I won't.  Relationships are not built on what people look like."

    Still, he was intrigued by her and longed to meet her in person.  Finally, the day came when he was to return to the States on leave.  He mentioned in one of his letters that he was coming home and would like to take her to dinner.  She had arranged to meet him in New York City's Grand Central Station at 6 PM under the big clock.  "You'll know who I am because I'll be wearing a red rose," she told him.

    At last the day had come.  John waited nervously to finally meet the girl he thought he loved.  Here is how John described his first meeting with Hollis Maynell:

    "A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim.  She had blonde hair that lay back in curls from her delicate ears.  Her eyes were as blue as flowers.  Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in a pale green suit she looked like springtime come alive!

    Excitedly, I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a red rose.  As I moved her way, she noticed me.  A small, provocative smile curled her lips.

    "Going my way, soldier?" she asked coyly.

    I took another step closer to her.  It was then that I saw...Hollis Maynell with the red rose in her coat, directly behind the girl in green.  My heart sank.  She was a woman well past forty.  She was plump.  She had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.  Her thick ankles were thrust into low shoes.  The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away.  I had to make a choice.  Should I follow after the beauty who had just spoken to me?  Or stay and face poor Hollis Maynell?

    I made my decision, and I did not hesitate.  Turning toward the woman, I smiled.  Even as I began to speak, I felt choked by bitter disappointment.  "You must be Miss Maynell," I said, extending my hand.  "I'm so glad you could meet me.  Will you join me for dinner?"

    The older woman's face then broadened into a smile.  "I don't know what this is all about, son," she replied.  "but you know that young woman in the green suit who just went by?  I met her on the train.  She begged me to wear this rose in my coat.  She said that if you should ask me to dinner, to tell you she's waiting for you in that big restaurant across the street.  She said it was some kind of a test."

Enough said, I think.

~Sierra

Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

 Scripture never shys away from reminding us that seeking God often requires stillness, silence, waiting, listening. But -our culture is fast forgetting what it means to be still, waiting for Him. Actually, to simply be still. It's easy to forget this truth truth. Mark Hamby says (on this topic, "As I tried to convince my wife of a certain position I held, I found myself verbose and unwilling to accept her view since it restricted my forward motion on an important decision." Isn't it what we do so much to G-d, the One who has had a plan from the start?

Reading the following words of Francois Fenelon:
 "I think . . . that you should try hard now to practice silence . . .  Silence promotes the presence of God, prevents many harsh and proud words, and suppresses many dangers in the way of ridiculing or harshly judging our neighbor. Silence humbles the mind, and gradually weans it from the world; it will supply all that you need . . . ."

This week's Song-of-the Week is You Make Everything Beautiful by Rebecca St. James. It was just released from her new album, I Will Praise You. This song has literally by the song of my soul lately... asking, then leaving it all in G-d's hands. As you listen, remember Ecclesiastes 3:11-12: He has made everything beautiful in His time...

 At TBC the other night, we all had the most amazing, heart-felt experience while praying. After watching the Francis Chan video that went along with his book we're discussing, Forgotten God, we took his challenge: to pray, to surrender- asking G-d, what would you rather us be doing right now instead of discussing this chapter? Praying in a circle as the Spirit leads... is amazing. You feel so bonded, and I'm sure we were truly visited by Him that night. You can feel His presence. Just like Samuel, can you hear Him saying right now, "Wait for Me?" He is. Taking time to stop, rest, and surrender in Him is hard, but when once done, is one of the most peace-bringing decisions ever made.

"Surrender to Me." "Abide in Me." "Rest in Me." "Trust Me. I am here." 
 Yes, L-rd, give me Your grace; I will rest in You...

Following in Truth

 I was reading in John 16 the other day, and verses 7-15 really popped out:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

For me, that was kind of odd to think about- it is to our advantage that Jesus "go away?" Absolute tragedy is more like it! How strange that seemed when I first read it. Jesus had to go (and went willingly) for our good. There was no accident, mistake, or any such thing, but it was an intended plan.  Why? Because G-d's Spirit- the Holy Spirit- needed to come. Truth in bodily form was leaving the disciples, but the reality is Truth was coming in spiritual form- G-d's Spirit will rest on those who seek Him. Three quick things about the Holy Spirit- He is holy (Revelation 4:8), He is G-d (you're not to ultimately rely on your conscience) and He is our Helper- Devine help to counsel, to convict, and to guide.

It's all about moving forward well in Christ, for every believer all the time. Only G-d can satisfy. As it says in John 17:17, His Word is truth, His Spirit is truth. Three quick things that I've been learning the past few months about the Holy Spirit's purpose:

To Teach Us

We're all misguided without the Spirit in us, working through our lives as believers in Christ. He reveals the truth to us- so our job is to listen and learn, not to quench Him. He is the One who "connects the dots" if you will of our spiritual truth and applies it to our lives. As a mentor of mine says, "There's nothing to compare to being tutored by G-d."

To Convict Us

Godly conviction through the Holy Spirit. By grace, He challenges our state and urges our submission. So our job is to submit and obey (Proverbs 29:1).

To Lead Us

Psalm 23:3- G-d will guide all who are His. There are three voices: my voice, the accuser's voice, and the voice of the Holy Spirit. He's already there... so am I hearing Him? G-d didn't give me a part of Him- He gave me all of Him! Right now I'm working on giving back as much to G-d as He gave of Himself to me- all of me, not just a part of me. In her book, Passion and Purity, Elizabeth Elliot writes, "The disciples could find only five loaves of bread and two fishes. "Let Me have them," said Jesus. He asked for all. He took them, said the blessing, and broke them before He gave them out. I remembered what a chapel speaker, Ruth Stull of Peru, had said: "If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad."  I want to follow Jesus in truth applied personally. 

G-d, it's not a novel, it's not a mystery, it's more than a simple love story- it's You. Let me lean forever on Your wills and way and plan for my life. Let me follow You in Truth.

Little Tidbits From my Crazy Little World

So in case y'all haven't noticed lately- I've been busy. Like not even have time to take the dogs out walking in the morning because of the business. But G-d is good.

Hop On for the Ride~!

First of all- two weeks ago was the first week of Julius Ceasar Shakespeare Intensive. Since that's up in Upland (approximately 1 hour 45 minutes), you can imagine us getting out of the house in the mornings to get there by ten for the first three days and nine for the last two. 'Twas... interesting. But it was certainly worth it, as always. We read-through, blocked scenes, and ran the show a few times.  It was a lot of fun, a lot of work; however, no matter what, there's always that beautiful bit of inspiration that Angela gives you. End of the week session of "This Week I Learned..." was led by Angela. It contained answers such as the parents saying they learned how much they needed their sons (many of which who spent the night), and my Shakespeare friends learning how to block, how to say 'Cicero', how to get into character, and how to make an actor's journal. This particular week I learned something- crazy how it finally clicked when applying to something I love so much- that we should learn about our character so much that he/she becomes an inner part of us, because when we get on stage, we should be really in that time period, that place. I don't want to be the Christian who gets on "stage" and totally plays the part, but when getting off it, slips back into normal character only to lose it without His grace.
Oh, and the funniest point of this week: the cheer of the murderers for Julius Ceasar: "Two, four, six, eight, who do we hate? Ceasar!" ;)  Oh goodness...

Secondly, my senior graduation is coming up on June 11th. Since each of the seniors get their own slideshow with pictures, I've been busy selecting pictures for this special upcoming day. It's *sooooooooooo* hard to pick 30 pictures for fifteen years of my life!!! Don't say, "Oh, that's not too hard."  I'd be too upset with you. Think about it- have YOU ever tried to select thirty pictures of you to show at your graduation???  So after that rather *ahem* strenuous event because there are simply too many pictures that I love of me and of other people and of my family and of my dogs and of... (you get my drift), I had to select a song. That was even harder. I drifted from Nichole Nordeman's Legacy and Brave to Meredith Andrews As Long as It Takes to Matthew West's My Own Little World and The Motions to Rebecca St. James' You Make Everything Beautiful to Steven Curtis Chapman (multiple) and back again to Nichole Nordeman and Rebecca St. James. Ergh! Have you ever realized how wonderful all those Christian praise artists are out there??? Oh, and for those of you wondering if I ever made my decision, let me assure you, I did. I had to=) And you'll have to live with that answer until I post about the graduation sometime after June 11th, as I don't want to be revealing the song I picked yet.

Thirdly, while on the topic of music. I'm attending a TJYC class, mentored by Mrs. Deena Ortiz. Last Thursday, we had a colloquium for The Jungle Book and Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens. TJED for Teens is kind of like a Do Hard Things, which gives you a picture of the low expectations for teenagers and just exactly how to "rebel" against the low standards set for teenagers. One of my most enjoyable chatpers in the books follows along the lines of George Washington having to lead a country either for liberty or tyranny, and we're expected to return our blankets and pillows to the top of the bed. At this point, someone added, "But making your bed is hard!" He was then rejoined by ejaculations, "Yeah! What's the point of making your bed if you're going to mess it up again?!?!?!"  We soon had the ladies arguing strongly for a made bed making the room look "so much nicer!" than a messy one. Who won the debate, I really don't know. Care to take a side?

Anywho. Back to TJYC... TJED for Teens had some strong areas. One of my absolute favorite sections was titled Who Are Your Mentors?  One of the conclusions drawn: "When we read Einstein or Aristotle or Shakespeare, they mentor us with their ideas, wisdom, stories, and thoughts. Great books even mentor us by their flaws or weaknesses.

"Some of our greatest mentoring can also come from the characters in books. For example, you may have been mentored by Elizabeth Bennett or Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, by Anne of Green Gables, or by Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings... Think of your favorite book or movie and then ponder which of the characters mentored you most. Yoda? Jo? Laura Ingalls? Captain Picard? Most of the movies and books we see/read can mentor us if we ponder and learn the lessons they offer."

Interesting, no? "So," I thought, "who do I want to mentor me?"  I think, as being myself a voracious reader, that those who read always look up to the hero and/or heroine of the novel, and try to become more like them. That may be an under or over statement for many. That's just what I find. When I read Pollyanna, I go around saying I"m so glad about such and such a thing that someone asks if I've read that recently. If I've read Pride and Prejudice recently, I go around talking in English accents and saying something along the lines of, "That shirt is tolerably I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me."  But what would happen if I read books that much of the world implys or acclaims as "popular," "great story," or is "on the New York Times bestseller list," such as the Harry Potter series or the twilight novels?  Please don't get me wrong- nothing against those who read/have read them. But I see the impact those mentors make around me in the world. For example, when I was about six or seven years old, I listened to a dramatized version of The Secret Garden over and over and over. You might be surprised how much attitude can rub off just from listening to a spoiled little girl complaining about breakfast porridge night after night after night=) My Marmee had me leave off for a while- which felt like hard punishment. But you know what, Mary Lennox was- and still is- someone I looked up to as a book heroine. The Secret Garden is a beautiful story, but I was too young to realize the impression the whining about breakfast porridge could make on me, even if it was just a voice on a tape.

Connection- music is just the same thing. One thing I've been learning lately is you are what you listen to. My parents have always allowed only Christian music in our home. And there is so much difference! When I go out to a store, and I hear music that spreads a feeling of gloom (for instance) through me, it gives me a gloomy outlook. The whole point- you are what you internalize.

'With all the different styles of music in the world today, the question will arise concerning what types of styles of music are appropriate in the local New Testament Church for the Christian today. We realize that this subject is a sensitive one in which people indeed have different styles and tastes in music they prefer. The Christian must therefore look to the Word of God for principles for music used to praise and worship the Lord, especially the music and performers we place before our people and set as role models for our children.’  -Guidelines for Christian Music

Again, please do not mistake my intentions in my beliefs. These are just the personal conclusions I have drawn.

Fourthly, while still on the topic of music- the piano recital is coming up. Guess what the date is? Also June 11th. Ach! This is supercalifragilistically nuts (for all you spellers of that word out there)! I'm learning a ten-page song called Waterfall by Jon Schmidt. I have it memorized... now just to get it up to speed! Onward! This is one of my favorite assigned songs of all time, and I can't wait to postt and share it with you.

It's a chilly night... strange for usual hundred-degree summers. I'm going to go jump in my neatly-made bed for a good book.

Just so I can practice rebelling against teen expectations and make it again tomorrow=)

Song of the Week- The Motions

This week's Song of the Week is The Motions by Matthew West. This is one of the most inspirational, convicting songs. I haven't watched the music video yet, but the song is one of my absolute favorite songs.

Remember to enter the Great May Giveaway! =)

The Great May Giveaway =)

Thanks to the wonderful sponsorship of Farmgirl Treasures on Etsy, there's a giveaway happening... here! *Happy Dance*  This is *so* exciting =D  I'm finally hosting a giveaway on this blog!  The lucky (yes, lucky) winner will receive their choice of some truly beautiful, hand-designed stationary.

~To enter~

Mandatory:

-Tell Me About Some of Absolute Favorite Smells... and Why You Love Them-

-Follow ~His Handmaiden~-

=)

And for Extra Entries:

-Spread the Word about this Giveaway in Whatever Way You Prefer (please leave link) (+2)-

-Head Over to Farmgirl Treasures and Comment about Your Favorite Things in Their Shop (+1 per favorite, maximum of 3)-

-Share Something You're Looking Forward To (+2)-

Please make sure that your entries are in separate comments, otherwise they won't be counted.

Have fun! The Giveaway will end May 17th, which gives you almost two weeks. Get busy!

Isaiah 43:1-7,

Sierra

Taking Care of the Ladies

When I was at Vision-Forum's Father-Daughter Reteat when I was nine, Doug Phillips (President) showed this video. I love this little gentleman-- too cute!