Quotables from... What Else? AiO!

I love Adventures in Odyssey. If you're not familiar with them, they are Christian radio dramas produced by Focus on the Family. They are often funny, sometimes mysterious, and always thought-provoking. Here are a few great lines from Adventures in Odyssey, just to whet your appetite if you've never listened to them. I'm going to choose some of my top favorites (mostly) off the top of my head (I haven't gone through and listened to a bunch today or anything. :P) So, here's my not-so-complete list:

"This seems like one serious crush-- in a dangerously obsessive kind of way." ~Connie Kendell (Mystery of the Clock Tower)

"He sacrificed of himself each and every game. In giving us water, he became water." ~the baseball coach, speaking of Matthew Parker, the water boy. (Target of the Week)

"I even wrote you a poem!" ~Curt Stevens
"You don't write poems." ~Lucy Schultz
"Which makes it all the more sweet. Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?" ~Curt
"You stole that!" ~Lucy
"I only had like ten minutes I spent all my time looking for the sporks!" ~Curt (The Triangled Web)

"But I don't think that crime is a result of ignorance or misunderstanding. Crime is a result of sin!" ~Connie
"Oh, there you go being aggressive again!" ~Big Bear *or something like that* (Here Am I)

"Did being a foster child ever make you feel like you were less a part of the family?" ~Mr. Washington
"No. Because I always knew I was in a family that chose me; and it was very nice to be chosen. Perhaps that would make a difference in Kelly's life too-- to just be chosen." ~Eugene Meltsner (The Chosen One)

"We have our first gig!" ~Marvin Washington
"Really? Where?" ~Trent DeWhite
"Aubry Shephard's party." ~Marvin
"She really wants us to play?" ~Trent
"She practically begged me!" ~Marvin
"I think her exact words were 'Fine, Marvin, you can play at the party. Just get up off your knees.'" ~Wooten Bassett (The Coolest Dog)

"Goliath reminds me of myself in my prime when my record was 67 wins, no losses, 138 controversial decisions-- which everyone admits should have gone my way-- and one unfortunate break up with a beautiful woman named Ashley. And if you're listening, I still love ya baby!" ~Some random dude (The Power of One)

"But I'm so confused. How am I supposed to know what God's will is for my life?" ~Connie
"By knowing Him, Connie. You'll understand what His will is as you grow to know Him, and seek Him, and love Him." ~Whit (Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?)

"The girl is smart. She knows a good thing when she sees it. Who wouldn't want to date Mitch?" ~Connie
"Well, I wouldn't want to date Mitch." ~Nick Mulligen
"What GIRL? I mean he's funny, romantic, smart... he does the most thoughtful things!" ~Connie
"You were just having second thoughts a minute ago." ~Nick
"And he started a Bible study. He's a great leader, everyone likes him, kids love him!" ~Connie
"Sounds like my golden retriever. Except, Jake is an atheist." ~Nick
(Secrets)


"It fits! You had it sized!" ~Katrina Shanks-Meltsner (Wrapped around Your Finger)

"Just because things are tough doesn't mean it's not God's will. Giving is hard work, sweetie. But the more you are able to give your life to God, the more of His grace you'll receive." ~Mrs. Mulligen (Just Say Yes)

"I know, Mrs. Clidedale, I'm a terrible salesperson." ~Connie
"Well, you aren't necessarily terrible." ~Mrs. Clidedale
"It's because of the man and his bowling league wife, right?" ~Connie
"That was one incident, yes." ~Mrs. Clidedale
"And the woman with the pink hair?" ~Connie
"I understand she was a bit demanding and I understood why you got annoyed; however, I'm not sure you won any points by suggesting she stop placing cotton candy on hair hair." ~Mrs. Clidedale (What Are You Gonna Do with Your Life?)

"'And as I slept I dreamed a dream.' Well what else would ya dream?" ~Tom Riley

"So, how do you like my show?"~Chad Pearson
"Oh... well, I don't watch your show." ~Connie
"What? You mean you've... never seen it?" ~Chad
"Oh, yah, once. I saw it a few weeks ago, just to see who you were." ~Connie
"To see who I was?"
"I watch your show, Nick!" ~Erica Clarke
"Excuse me, but who are you?" ~Chad
"I'm Erica!" ~Erica
"Great, Erica. Now, would you mind going away and leaving Connie and I alone?" ~Chad
"What?" ~Erica
"Listen, you didn't win the contest, Connie did. Now, to be perfectly honest, I'd like you to leave." ~Chad Pearson
"She can stay if she wants. I told her she could come." ~Connie
"Fine. Stay. I really don't care. Just keep quiet. So... what'd you think of the show you saw?" ~Chad
"What?" ~Connie
"The SHOW." ~Chad
"Oh. Well, I thought it was kind of dumb, since we're being perfectly honest." ~Connie
"You mean you don't even like the show?" ~Chad
(This is Chad Pearson?)

"Does that mean I can count on your support?" ~Curt
"I don't think so, Curt. I'd rather vote for someone with integrity." ~Lucy
"I thought we did it with ballots." ~Curt
"No, Curt, integrity has to do with your character!" ~Whit
"Then I must be dripping with it! All my teachers say I'm the biggest character they know." ~Curt
"No, Curt. To have integrity you'd have to be sincere." ~Lucy
"I'm sincere." ~Curt
"And decent." ~Lucy
"I'm decent." ~Curt
"And honest." ~Lucy
"I'm... decent. Listen, Lucy, I think I have all those qualities." ~Curt
"Get serious!" ~Lucy

"Connie, Connie, call the police." ~Mrs. Kendall
"What, what's wrong Mom?" ~Connie
"We've been vandalized! Someone put bumper stickers all over our car. I mean, it's not like they're obscene, or anything like that. It would make sense if they were... if someone were trying to be rude. But these stickers say things like 'honk if you love Jesus' and 'I break for prayer meets....'" ~Mrs. Kendall
"...And 'Jesus is the real thing,' and 'Jesus saves'" ~Connie
"You know! Yes, why would someone do that to us?" ~Mrs. Kendall
"Well, Someone didn't. I did." ~Connie
"You? My daughter? Off, and not a gum mark to be seen." ~Mrs. Kendall
Connie relating this all to Whit
"Robert said my mom needed a spiritual revival, but I say Robert needs a brain transplant."
(Go Ye Therefore)

"What if you don't know what the right thing to do is?" ~Lucy
"If you pray and believe in your heart that something is wrong, you shouldn't do it. In fact, if you do do it, it's a sin. Even if everyone else thinks or says that it's okay. But, before you make any decision, you should always pray. In fact, that's where being 'in the world but not of it' really starts-- with prayer." ~Whit (Choices)

"Well, that's the way it works. You put in twice the effort to get half the result that you would've gotten, had you just put in half the effort to get twice the result that you ended up getting when you put in twice the effort..." ~Harlow Doyle
"Huh?" ~Connie, Rodney Rathbone, Lucy
"Um, uh.... CRIME DOESN'T PAY. ::whispers:: Phew, got out of that one." ~Harlow
(The Case of the Candid Camera)

"Bart, maybe we should get home too. We ain't done nothin' to protect our house!" ~Doris Rathbone
"There ain't no protecting our house as long as Rodney's around." ~Bart Rathbone
"Thanks pop." ~Rodney
(Tornados)


"Well hello Tamika Washington! Mr. Whitaker told me all about your report for school." ~Sydney Selika
"Well, we're supposed to interview our hero." ~Tamika Washington
"Oh, oh, I haven't been this honored since I one the Children's Choice award! Go ahead then, ask me anything." ~Sydney
"Okay... how have you changed people's lives?" ~Tamika
"Changed lives? Wow, are all your questions gonna be this deep? Um, oh, I'd have to say through my movies. People say that when they're having a bad day, they go see one of my movies and it cheers them up. Isn't that fabulous? I love that my movies appeal to everyone, even people who are poor or still wear tie dye." ~Sydney
"Okay, um. Next question. What do you stand for?" ~Tamika
"Stand for?" ~Sydney
"Yah. What's something that's important to you that you'd be willing to fight for?" ~Tamika
"Oh. Well, I stand against smoking. Never start smoking, Tamika. Smoking kills. And if you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life!" ~Sydney
"Okay... good advice." ~Tamika
(Stars in Our Eyes)

Ahhh! I know I'm missing a lot-- but that's already pretty long. Leave some comments with your favorites if you listen to the show. :D

Towards home,
Rachel

There is No More Fear

Tonight, we attended our church's Christmas Eve service.

The message was on fear. At first, it seems a strange connection. It seems that Christmas is more of a "peaceful" holiday. Even the birth of the Messiah is something we often picture as more quiet and lovely then it probably was.

The birth of this child was to set us free from fear. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy Him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." How I love these verses! Jesus Christ became a child so that He could set us free from fear. It's hard for me to imagine that the birth of a baby could set so many free from fear.

There is no more fear here.

Romans 8:15 says, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

There is no more fear here.

Luke 2:10-11 says, "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'"

There is no more fear here.

I love Christmas Eve, almost more then Christmas Day, because it's the perfect time to pause. Reflect on Christ's birth and remember-- there was a time in my life that I had fear. Everyone, even those who have grown up in Christian homes, have had periods of fear. However, I now have no more fear. Because of that little baby, whom the world did not recognize, my fear is gone.

I love this song we heard in church tonight.



I especially love

You're the Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts You will dwell...
You are in us
You are for us
You are with us
Emmanuel

If we were born before the Messiah, would we be praying that God would send Him? I'd like to think we would be. And so imagine the great joy, that He had finally come...

And there is no more fear.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

So so so so so so so so so... It's late fall! Yay!! I love late fall. LOVELOVELOVE. And I'm starting to work more and more on some of my favorite things (speech, VBS, among others). So you all get to look forward to posts about those sorts of favorite things.



{I'm positive you're all thrilled. :P I kid.}



Anyway, I've been praying about ways that we might be able to expand "Doane" Vacation Bible School. So I decided that I'd post this on my blog, and possibly on facebook too. I've been thinking lately... how many people that I know might want to have their own VBS {either in their backyard or a small church that currently or never has offered a VBS program} but simply would not know where to start?

Could there be people who are able and willing to teach God's Word, who love kids, and who want to spread the gospel in their communities but are somewhat intimidated by the task of starting a VBS?
Then I thought of myself several years ago, before we started our own Backyard Bible Club. It was my grandma's idea... I absolutely loved the idea, but if she hadn't suggested it I think I would have been too scared to take the first leap all by myself. I don't think I could have done it without my grandma's excitement, Haley's help, and my parent's encouragement.

So these are the things that made me think of others who might want to go in that direction, but are scared to take the first leap. And I want to help others take that first leap.

So, I am starting a blog (perhaps soon a website) that will chronicle my adventures as I set out to produce a free, interactive curriculum for VBS teacher wanna-be's (haha), as well as as schedule, a place for comments, a question/answer type section, among other things.

If you have ever seriously looked into starting a Vacation Bible School, then you probably know that even if you don't want over-the-top elaborate, curriculum can be pretty expensive. That's why I will be offering a free curriculum of my own (as I said above) that comes with lessons, skits, game ideas, snack planners, craft planners and instructions, and a mission moment. If you want something a little more elaborate, this blog will hopefully also offer (perhaps not right away, but eventually) suggestions for craft kits that may be purchased, as well as "professional" curriculum reviews.

If you would be interested in having a VBS this year, NEVER think that you're too young or too inexperienced. Haley and I started off as thirteen-year-old girls who were only helping at a church VBS for the first time that summer. We had never taught Sunday School, nor anything of that nature. I had never really planned anything like that-- I learned completely from experience. So I would urge you to follow this blog as I attempt to put what God has placed on my heart and what He's taught me so graciously these last few years to you. There are some things that you have to learn by experience-- but there are also some things that you can learn through hearing from the experience's of others! Praying that this blog will encourage YOU!
Here's the link: http://backyardvacationbibleschool.blogspot.com/

Grace,
Rachel

{P.S. Even if you don't follow this blog, please feel free to comment! This ministry is not at all intended to just be for those I know-- I want to be able to meet others who want to serve God through this. Thanks all!}

Pretty First Place

Recently, my friend Hannah wrote something on her blog (http://xian-na.blogspot.com/2010/10/pretty-ball-for-louis.html) in which she talked about "Pretty Things" in our lives that we often don't want to lose or give up to God. She says it so so well that you should probably go read her post before using your valuable time reading this. Anyway, lately, I've realized how many 'pretty' things appeal to me-- how many things I desire other then God. The song "Pretty Things" (which, the most observant of you will have noticed, was recently added to my play list) by Tenth Avenue North says it so well.
Look at all the pretty things
That steal my heart away.
Wow. Not a long section, but so so powerful! The things that I love the most besides God are the things that have the most power in pulling me away from God. The things that look the best on the outside can be the most harmful, because they steal my heart away from my best friend, God.
The strange thing about it is that the things I desire other then God are the things I expect Him to give me! If I'm distracted by other things (and I am), and He is the sovereign of the universe (and He is) then isn't it within His perfect rights and power to take away all those things that don't bring Him the glory He deserves?

Now, I can't even tell you how I've wrestled with this. How many times I've thought (in my wicked, sinful heart) "If I do this right, then God won't have to do this and that and then things can go back to the way they were! So I just need to trust Him in this and then *maybe* He'll reward my trust and make things easier later." Of course that isn't how it works at all! Do I actually think that God would ever, ever be tempted to change His amazing plan because I trusted Him? No, that's what He wanted in the first place. Only He doesn't want me to trust Him out of my selfish motives, but because I really, really do trust and love Him with my own heart.

Do I really, really trust Him?
Do I really, really love Him?
Do I really, really want Him to have everything?
yes.
yes.
yes.

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are be renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Oh, how I love these verses! Oh, how I wish that these verses might be exemplified in my life-- so that I wouldn't fix my eyes on either troubles nor pleasures of this life, but on Christ, Who is my Joy, my Life, my Love.

I think the best thing to sum it up is a story told by Leslie B. Flynn, one of my favorite illustrations of what the gospel is.

"An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck. Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue. The boy was convinced of his rescuer’s great love because of the great sacrifice he made."

Today, there are many things that may try to pull us away from God. But there is One whose nail-pierced hands remind us that He did not come to pull us away from God, but to draw us near to Him.

I want no other 'pretty thing' or 'substitute' then Jesus Christ: the One who doesn't steal my heart away, but deserves my whole heart-- and my everything.

Have You?

Have you read this? Do you know what's happening in North Korea?

Would you be willing to go back if you were her? Would you risk everything you had left-- when you had already lost so much-- to gain something for eternity?

Have you read this? Have you?

If not, do. You will be blessed. http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/weeping-for-north-korea

Average Teenagers: They Are, in a Way, Not Good

So on Wednesday when I went to take the PSAT, Matthew was asking me to remember and take note of all the kids who were texting, skateboarding, hanging out with their boyfriend/girlfriend, sitting on a bench with someone of the opposite gender, skating on their heelies, chewing bubblegum, or involved in similiar "unseemly" behavior. (Although I'm still not quite sure why chewing bubblegum is unseemly. Anyway) Finally, Mom said, "Matthew, I'm sure she'll let you know about any average teenagers she sees." But apparently that didn't satisfy him-- he wanted to walk in with us. And today, he wrote something on his blog about average teenagers. Actually, his friend Reid wrote it, but he gave Matthew permission to put it on his blog. You see about a year or so ago, Matthew was on quite the kick about what he as deemed "AVERAGE" teenagers. He wrote to parents, "If you think that you may have an average teenager don't let him hang around other teenagers who may influence him to become average." So now Matthew's friend, Reid, started his own book too. On average teenagers. He says, "Average teenager are in a way, not good." Yep. It's that profound. I love what they're written! So if you want to know what two getting-close-to-teenager boys think of average teenagers, go to: http://everyone-is-upsidedown.blogspot.com/2010/10/chapter-1-average-teenagers-who.html

Things I Learned Summer 2010-- That I Never Want to Forget

My friend Kalahan over at "Be Still" wrote a wonderful a week or two ago about what she learned this summer. In a way, she inspired me to write this post. I learned so much this summer... things that I truly needed to learn, and I never want to forget. God is so great and merciful to teach me now!



Here are three things I learned this summer:

1. "If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." ~C.T. Stubb.
Now, I'm not going to pretend that I made some extraordinary sacrifice for God this summer that changed my life forever and was really difficult. At this point in my life, God hasn't yet asked that I physically die for Him or that I give up my freedom, security, or leave my homeland in order that His gospel could be preached-- although He has told me to be willing to do all those things if He should some day ask! But, even though God isn't asking me to make the "big sacrifices" right now-- shouldn't I make those small ones every single day? You know, the things like holding my tongue when my siblings say something and I want to give a harsh reply, or giving up a few minutes of free time when one of my siblings wants to do something with me or needs to talk, or volunteering to do those 'thankless' jobs that would bless my parents by my doing them, and just serving the way that Christ did when He lived on earth! If these are the things He wants from me, and He was the God that died for me, then is there any sacrifice ever that could possibly be too great for Him?

2. God's plan is infinitely greater than my own. I was so stressed in June and July because I was still living in Nagoya, Japan, while I wanted to be back in Washington state. I was very, very worried that I wouldn't get back in time for our annual Vacation Bible School at my grandparent's house... however, the more I worried, I realized the less I was focusing on Jesus and what He did on the Christ. How ironic... the very reason that we do the VBS every single year-- to remind and teach the children about the cross-- was the very easiest thing for me to lose sight of in planning for it! Fortunately, we serve a God who, despite all my inefficiencies and mistakes, divinely orchestrated everything to work out so much better than I could have every imagined! We ended up having about 20-22 kids every day, the drama worked out well, the helpers were amazing, and I loved, loved, LOVED our curriculum. Also, I was able to get home almost a week early to shop and prepare for VBS. What a fool I was to worry so much! Everything seemed to go so well at VBS-- but the amazing thing about God is that He showed me that it went well in spite of me, NOT because of me.

3. I saved the most convicting, and the hardest, of this summer's lessons for last. It's simply this: I really needed to get over the "childish need" for friends. Now please hear me out. I love my friends! If you're reading this, then I want you to know that I deeply care about you and more than likely I have really enjoyed our conversations, learning from what God has done and taught you in your life, visiting with you, etc. In fact, many, many of the people I call my friends have been great spiritual influences in my life and have taught me a lot about God's blessings and how great He is! God has blessed me with great friends.
*Takes deep breath* That being said, I think that it's important to remember that that's all that friends are-- blessings. Friends are gifts from God, they are NOT meant in any way to "replace" God in our lives or be placed on par with God. Now, to be perfectly honest, I've never really been a girl who's 'obsessed' with her friends. I enjoy going to visit people, and having company over. I love talking with friends-- but I've never been a person who's constantly trying to spend every waking moment with her friends. Even so, I realized these past two or three months that I've found a lot of "SECURITY" in my friends. It's a false security, but it's one that I've been valuing for years now. I've had a "childish need," so to speak, for friends. I realized after I had spent several months in Japan that it was really hard to meet many new friends and to keep in touch with all the old ones. And I realized, to my dismay, that I was far too devastated about this. I was far too concerned over the fact that I wasn't surrounded by friends-- because I had found too much of my 'security' and 'identity' in who my friends are-- but wait, there's something wrong there. My security and identity should be found only in Christ!

Again, there's nothing wrong with having friends. God doesn't want us to hide in a closet our whole lives and never spend time with other people... but there is something very dangerous about placing too high of a priority on friendships-- because, after all, my best friend is always, ALWAYS with me! And He is the same forever and always! And His name is Jesus, and He IS awesome!

And those, my friends, are the things I learned this summer. And painful as it was to learn some of these things, I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. And I never want to forget them for the rest of my life...

Fun with the Kovachs at Soap Lake!

These past few days have been so much fun! On Friday, I left for Soap Lake with my "second family" the Kovachs. Adventures have abounded since! Some of the highlights are as follows:

Yesterday (Sunday), Haley, her cousin, and myself, were all talking about how babies should be kissed and cuddled a lot, because if they're not, they won't feel very loved. Babies need lots of attention. Anyway, as we were talking about that, Jackson (two years old) came right up to me and gave me two kisses-- one on my cheek and one on the lips. Since then, he's given me lots of kisses and hugs and cuddles. He is so adorable!

We've also been playing a card game called Nerts. It is super fun!! We played today for about two hours....

Haley and I went on a prayer walk today. There is simply nothing better than going on a walk with one's best friend and spending the whole time praying for different things in one's life... there is something so beautiful, serene, and tranquil about praying outside on a walk (especially when one is not in a rush :).

We also went paddleboating yesterday. It was really frustrating for a little while, because the thing would NOT TURN LEFT!!!! Anyway, one by one we all jumped into the lake to direct the boat the way that we wanted it to go. Only, the water was slightly cold. Oh well, we adjusted quickly.

Oh, a side note about the paddleboating: on the way back to shore, Haley lost her flip flop. Thankfully, there was someone there to find it. Yours truly. Haha, I'm just kidding. She completely repaid me and banished any debt she owed me today when she found my best gray sweatshirt. :) Please realize that these last few sentences were a joke.

Well, we still have three days left at the lake! Well, nearly anyway.

Signing off with adventures ahead,
Rachel

Sold out for Jesus

A few months ago, I was thinking about Vacation Bible School. That's not so strange. You think to yourself. She's ALWAYS talking about VBS. Why shouldn't she think about it? But bear with me a moment. This was one of the rare times that I was thinking of VBS in a non-positive way. In fact, you might almost call it a negative way. Why? Well, because, I bought into this lie that you and I both have heard everywhere. I was thinking that the lie was truth. I was thinking one day, that if only someone else would lead this VBS, he or she could do such a better job than I could. For instance, if someone who was really musically talented led the VBS, the kids could sound like a professional choir! Or if someone who was really talented at crafts led the VBS, she could help us save a ton of money on crafts and they would look great! Or if someone who knew his neighbors well led the VBS, we could have more neighbor children join in. These thoughts went on in my mind, and as you can probably imagine, I thought of more and more scenarios in which people who had talents that I don't have led the VBS, which would help it be better.

This, my friends, is not only ridiculous considering I can't really help the fact that I don't live around here and know neighbors here or that I'm not very great with crafts, but it's also one of the worst lies that Christians could ever believe! Think about it. If we believe that God can only use us when we have certain talents or abilities, we'll think twice about volunteering both in the community and in the church body. You'll stop telling people about God if you don't think you're a great evangelist. You'll stop teaching Sunday School if you don't think you're a natural-born teacher. If you're not incredible with toddlers, you'll stop volunteering in the nursery. If you don't have a "passion" for cooking, you might stop setting up snacks after church or for Bible Study. You don't think you're great at traveling, so you stop going on mission trips. Imagine, even, if everyone who didn't think that he was a great listener stopped attending the Sabbath day service!

These may sound like extreme cases, but it's the truth. What if we waited for God to give us the full dose of talent that we would like before serving Him? Listen to the wise words of the apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:26, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thing-- and the things that were not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." God has chosen those who are FOOLISH (me) and WEAK (me again) so that He can show His perfect power clearly, if I am only willing to be used by Him. As 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

If God can delight in using my insufficiency to show His aptitude and sovereignty-- then the least I could ever do is be willing to serve Him.

I don't just want to serve God-- I want to be sold out for Him. I want to be so sold out for the Lord that, no matter what else, my talent doesn't matter, my resources don't matter, my strength doesn't matter-- but that all these things pale in comparison to how great and awesome my God is!

I suppose I made it sound above as if I don't think it's important to have gifts. That's not it at all! God is the giver of all good gifts. He gives us all talents and abilities to SERVE HIM. But. If we're always concerned with waiting for someone with more talent to step up to the plate, we'll stop serving God where He wants us. One of my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

I don't think the author is saying that being able to speak well is bad, but rather that it's not where our faith should be. Our faith shouldn't rest on the fact that someone says or does things well, or in our abilities, or even how well we think some ministry opportunity will go.

Where, then, shall we put our faith?

In Christ Alone.

Special Acknowledgments

Hello friends! Well, today marks the third day of non-VBS-- meaning it's the third day since VBS has ended. Since VBS started exactly one week ago, I guess there is no time like the present to thank the people that helped me with this so much. :) Without you all, VBS would have been significantly different (in a bad way. :)

~I guess I'll start off with someone who is dear to my heart-- someone who helped me start the VBS, who has been there every step of the way, who has encouraged me so much in my walk with the LORD and who has helped me every single year with VBS. The kids might know her as "Mackenzie" or the "Song leader" or the "Assistant teacher," because those are just a few of her jobs at VBS. This person, of course, is Miss Haley Kovach. Thank you for teaching about missionaries too! Thank you so much dearie!! And we'll have many good laughs yet over things that happened at VBS!!

~Okay, moving on. Thanks so much to Grandma Bonnie. Thank you for coming up with the pyramid and for everything else you did. Thank you for suggesting VBS all that time ago-- I love doing it and I'm always blessed.

~ Grandpa Ken. Thank you for actually constructing the pyramid!! It was awesome!! Thank you for making that camp site too, I don't know what we'd have done without it.

~ Mom and Dad-- thank you for giving me this opportunity to come back so this VBS could happen. Thank you for the money for snacks, and for your prayers. I love you both!

~"Miss" Anne Rendle. Thank you so, SO, SOOOOOOOO much for being Percy in the skit (you are hilarious and amazing) thank you for helping me with everything I needed help with, and thank you for praying with me and encouraging me! You're a blessing!

~ "Miss" Keely Rendle, thank you for all your help. Thank you for being great with the kids (Remember last year, before you were even a 'helper' Sam wrote on his craft "Sam and Keely".... need I say more?) ;) And thank you for playing Joe Johnson. You are a great "sorta villain" haha.

~ Raymond Dokupil. Thank you for all of your work playing Albert. I think you were the favorite character among the kids!! And thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to stay for the full time many days!

~ Hannah Dokupil-- I'm so sorry you got sick. How are you feeling now? Anyway, thank you for coming at first despite being sick. You are a trooper! And thank you for being Carson. :)

~Grace DeBusschere, I'm so glad you could come, even for a short time!! You are a blessing to me and to everyone.

~Sophia DeBusschere. Thank you for all your great help and for being a lot of fun. :) I had a great time with you and I was blessed to see you with the children.

~Curtis Kovach, you deserve one of the biggest thanks of all, for stepping up to the plate of Carson with only a few hours notice. You're amazing.

~But first and FOREMOST, this whole post really belongs to God. Because He is my very greatest friend, the ONLY source of true peace, and it's only by His will that this VBS ever happened. And as long as "Doane Vacation Bible School" continues, it will be only because of Him and all for Him. I love you, dear Lord, most of all!!


Thanks everyone!!!

VBS: the dramas, the lessons, the snacks, and more!

Haley and I with Bailey, the doll/puppet
Listening to the lesson

And questions

Me teaching the lesson!

Awww... Christina, Abby, and Anne :)

Praise and Worship

Silly Songs

Walking... it's the natural pose :P

Book time!

Me, teaching the children about a missionary named Joyce who works at God's Littlest Angels Orphanage in Haiti-- the kids were amazing. We raised nearly $200 for GLA!!

Working on the books!

Miss Sophia's review team!

Miss Grace's review team!

More book work. I love the expressions on Keely and my faces. We look like we're engaged in a very passionate conversation.

The drama cast! AHHH! The play was one of my favorite parts! From left to right: Albert (Raymond), Carson (Hannah), Claire (me, Rachel), Joe (Keely), Mackenzie (Haley), and Percy (Anne)! I had a great cast!

Silly Song!

VBS came and went-- already?

This week marks one of the greatest weeks of my entire life. Yes, I mean that literally and seriously. It was better than any vacation on the beach, any trip to somewhere fun, or almost any other period of 'relaxation.' This week I got to teach twenty children about the value of their lives to God. My best friend, Haley, and I spent the last twelve months planning for, praying for, practicing for, preparing for, ordering materials for, shopping for, and inviting people to Vacation Bible School. I honestly don't think you would believe just HOW MUCH God has provided for this VBS. First off, with the curriculum. I love the theme-- it was an Egyptian Mystery theme: Decoding the mystery of life. Every day there was a different lesson about life. Day 1: God made life. Day 2: God made life wonderfully! Day 3: God offers eternal life through Jesus. Day 4: We should value and protect life. And Day 5: God uses our lives. Each day we also memorized a verse that went with the theme, worked in some workbooks, had a snack and watched Veggie Tales, learned about a missionary, played a fun active game, played a review game, sang, did a craft, and one of my favorites-- had a drama! Before I say anything else about the drama, I have to thank my amazing cast: Keely Rendle (as Joe Johnson), Haley Kovach (as Mackenzie Ross), Raymond Dokupil (as Albert Peacock), Anne Rendle (as Percy Sedgwick), and Hannah Dokupil and Curtis Kovach (both as Carson Hughes). I played Claire Sedgwick, owner of the Sedgwick museum. It was a mystery set in a museum in Egypt. I. LOVED. the. drama. It was absolutely amazing-- an absolute must for next year! I also enjoyed the lesson time. Some kids might think learning the main lesson would be slow-paced or boring, but really the curriculum is super interactive! Some of the children even mentioned that was there favorite part!
Another amazing way God provided was through the families. He really, REALLY encouraged me through some people who came. How so? Well, most of the families said that they would only make it for two, maybe three days-- but by the end of the week they told me that they were so pleased with the VBS and their kids were learning so much and having such a good time that they rearranged their schedule to fit VBS in. And every single family came every day after the first. :) I was so happy! All right, I think that what I just wrote sounds like I'm bragging, like somehow MY VBS was so wonderful that people really wanted to come. This is NOT how I meant it, I meant rather that God was SO GOOD in encouraging me through these families. :)
The final way God provided for me, that I'll discuss here, is through the helpers. Every single one of the staff encouraged me and helped me, and the kids adored all the helpers. I could see God's light and love shining through the leaders! What an awesome God we serve!
I also have to thank one VERY special person, besides the LORD, for this VBS. Haley Kovach, my amazing Song leader, Mackenzie Ross in the skit, and assistant teacher. Thank you luv!

Here's one song we sang, in case you're interested. I think it's my favorite.

There Aren't Any Monkeys in Our Family Tree

If you're in the monkey business then you know you're gonna find 'em
Goin' rope to rope, swingin' vine to vine.
You'll find 'em in the jungle, You'll find 'em in the zoo,
You'll find 'em on safari goin' "ooh ooh ooh!"
But there's one place they'll never be--
There aren't any monkeys in our family tree!

We were created by the Lord above
We were created in His image of love.
We're not mutated from a chimpanzee!
There aren't any monkeys in our family tree.

If you're looking at the evidence, the truth is really plain
In the microscope, in the DNA.
Every kind is different, every one unique,
and none are linked together by the "missing link."
We're made by a Designer so it's clear to see--
There aren't any monkeys in our family tree!

Hey, hey, we're not the monkeys!
No no, ooh ooh, uh uh uh!
Hey, hey, we're not the monkeys!
They can't make a monkey out of me!

You can study every ology from A to Z,
But there aren't any monkeys in our family tree!!

All right, I can't put pictures or videos on this computer, but as soon as I can use my own computer again, I will post the videos of the drama (I have all but the first day on tape) and a BUNCH of pictures. So, instead of videos and pictures at the moment, I'll post funny/ cute quotes from the last week.

"Are you coming back next year?" ~Me
"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH yeah." ~Sam


"VBS is canceled this year." (Two parents were saying this to each other a couple months ago)
"What?!? The forest VBS IS CANCELED?" ~Sam and Annie, the twins.
"No, the VBS at first EPC." ~their parents
"Oh good, we want to go to the forest VBS." ~Annie

"Joe is a man of few words. I used to think he didn't like me!" ~Anne (playing Percy)
"I don't like you." ~Keely (playing Joe)

"I apologize for his lack of manners." ~Me, speaking of Percy, playing Claire
"Oh, that's all right. I'm sure he's a nice person." ~Haley, playing Mackenzie
"No comment." ~Me

"We want to be on YOUR team!" ~The twins, Mia and Abby
"Should one of you go on another team?" ~Me
"NO! We want to be on YOUR team!" ~Mia and Abby

"She's (Anne) like my new best friend!" ~Mariah

One day, all of the boys were being naughty. We use fake dollars as a motivation for them to behave, and at the end of the week, if they've memorized their verses and been good and participated, they can spend their dollars at a little "store." Haley said, "Okay, you're all about to lose a dollar!" Instant silence.

Oh, this week was amazinggggggggggggg. :) God is awesome!

This Summer...

In a few weeks, I am flying back to the States from Japan. I will not be coming back to Japan again, I'm going home for good. Anyway, I've been working on memorizing my script for the drama at the Vacation Bible School I'm organizing at my grandma's house.

And guess what?!?

I'm the agnostic. HA. In all the previous skits for VBS I've been the wise, godly one that gives good advice-- so this is kind of new territory for me. We'll see how it goes.

In past skits Haley's been the troublemaker and I've always, should we say, helped her get out of trouble ... what happened to that? I'm in jest, of course.

Can't wait for VBS! Please pray for the kids, for the helpers, that we can memorize our scripts, that we'd have great weather, and that we'd be abounding in children with tender hearts!

And come if you can! E-mail me or leave a comment and I'll let you know the address/ place. :)

The Gospel According to YOU

If none but you in the world today
Had tried to live in a Christ like way,
Could the rest of the world look close at you
And find the path that is straight and true?

If none but you in the world so wide
Had found the Christ for his daily guide,
Would the things you do and the things you say
Lead others to live in this blessed way?

Ah friends of Christ, in this world today
Are the many who watch you upon your way,
And look to the things you say and do
To measure the Christian standard true.

Men read and admire the Gospel of Christ
With its love so unfailing and true,
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the Gospel according to you?

You are writing each day a letter by men-
Take care that the writing is true;
Tis the only Gospel that some men will read,
The Gospel according to you.

The Last Four Years...

I remember when it started. I remember it was just over four years ago, and I was sitting on the big rock across the street from what was our home in Marysville. I remember looking at what was potentially going to be our new house. I remember thinking that finally, we had found the place that we were going to live. Finally, we had found our home.

We left Renton, Washington when I was about eight years old. I had lived there almost my entire life, except for one year that we lived in New York. I didn't want to leave, but I don't remember hating the idea so much because I thought that we would come back. We left for Georgia, but after six months there, my dad was transferred to California. So we moved there. After a while in an apartment in Ranchos Palos Verdes, we moved to our new house in Valencia. And we all loved it there. After we found our church, Placerita Baptist, I remember thinking that I hadn't felt so at home since we had left Washington, which by that time had been more than year ago. However, my dad still talked about going back to Washington some day so we could grow up knowing our grandparents well, and so he wouldn't have such a long commute. Besides those things, both my parents grew up in Washington and we already had so many good friends there. So a move would serve three fold.

Needless to say, after two and a half years living in California, when I found out that we were moving again, I was upset. I'm pretty sure I cried. I don't remember the day that we came back to Washington, but I remember the days following. We were constantly looking for a house, a church, and probably tons of other stuff too. Finally, we found our home, and as I was saying a minute ago, I was sure we would never move again. I was sure that was home. Shortly after we found our home, or maybe it was not so shortly, I don't remember, we found our church, Coram Deo Fellowship. I cannot even begin to tell you how many incredible people I met at that church. Coram Deo was probably the greatest church family that I have ever been in, and I've probably met more incredible people there than at just about any other church (and believe me, I've been to my fair share of churches.) God just used that church to bless me and my family so much!

I was so sad six months ago when I had to leave Washington for Japan, however, I looked forward to what I thought would be six months later, when we would move back to Washington. But I don't think any other sadness of moving even compares to the sadness that I felt about three months ago when I found out that we are not moving back to Washington, but to South Carolina instead. I guess it's because I just don't want to leave all the wonderful things that God has taught me these past four years behind. Maybe it's because I don't want to forget any of the memories, or lose friendships with people who I met in Washington. But looking back, I see how incredibly blessed these past four years have been. And even if I do have to leave everything in Washington behind, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. I've spent some incredible time with my best friend, Haley, who has been the greatest and even puts up with all my excessive moving :), I have spent some great time with my grandparents, met other amazing people, been challenged in different ways, and most importantly, I have grown closer to my amazing God then I think I would have anywhere else. He truly did have the perfect timing and the perfect plan.

Also, a special shout out to everyone at Coram Deo Fellowship and to the Frye family and everyone at Lynnwood Apologetics group, as those things have been two great blessings during this time. I think God has taught me more these four years than just about any other time of my life.

It's funny to me now that I thought when I was sitting on that rock, that I had finally found my home. Because no matter how 'comfortable' the world is, it will NEVER be my home. I have a home waiting, but it's in Heaven. One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:13-16, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

And so now, as I sit in my bedroom in Japan and look out the window into the city, I realize that I'm only about a month away from closing this chapter of my life, too, and only about two and a half months away from moving to South Carolina. And as I think about all this, I can't help but be excited to see what God has planned for these next four years.

The Mathematician

Yes-- I succumbed to the pressure. This post was spreading from blog to blog to blog several months ago, and I decided it deserved it's own special place on my blog. Oh the joys of math-- especially Geometry. Please realize that I mean that in a very sarcastic way. :) Please enjoy...

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are taking a trip across a desert by hot-air balloon. There are not many landmarks; so eventually, they become lost. Luckily, while flying quite low, they see a man.

Holmes shouts, "Sir, could you please tell me where we are?"

The man looks up, ponders for a moment, and then answers, "Gentlemen, you are in a hot-air balloon!"

At this moment, a burst of wind picks up the balloon and carries it away.Holmes turns to Watson and asks:

"My friend, do you know who that man is?"

"No, Holmes, of course not!"

"He's a mathematician!""How do you know?"

"It's very simple, Watson. First of all, the man thought before giving us an answer. Secondly, his answer was absolutely correct. And thirdly, the answer he gave us was of no practical use, whatsoever!"

*Copied from Haley's and Sierra's blogs*

Oh, and there's also another ending to it.

The man below decides that Sherlock is a politician, since he didn't do anything and hasn't changed anything, but the situation is now someone else's fault.

Of course, Holmes is not a politician, so it doesn't fit quite as well-- but it's still extremely funny!

Godly Femininity

My friend Haley, over at Singin' in the Rain, recently wrote a post on godly femininity vs. feminism. In a way, it inspired me to write this post. I hope that you'll enjoy and that you'll leave a comment with your thoughts. I'd give you a penny for your thoughts, but, that might be a little hard over blogger. :)



No matter where you are, if you are a young, teen aged lady-- in particular, a Christian one, then you are probably surrounded by many different expectations. On one end of the spectrum, you're probably bombarded with the world's standards of true 'beauty' (You know, you have to look like all of the actresses in Hollywood), and the idea that if you don't have a boyfriend when you're sixteen that you're missing out on all the 'fun' of your teenage years. Even if you're not in public school, you can hear these things from neighbors, movies, just about anywhere. Sadly, these ideas are everywhere. On the other end of the spectrum, you may be from a conservative Christian home (as am I) but are sometimes overwhelmed because it seems that many Christians deem it 'ungodly' if you wear pants or don't know how to sew or that you need to marry or you're not obeying God's commands.


Is there something wrong with both of these pictures? Yes. Do they need to be addressed? Certainly. I want to talk a little bit about our world's feminist movement that is growing alarmingly quickly; and I'd also like to look at how some Christians view femininity and what the problems are with that view.

Now, first off, I would like to tell you a story. This took place about four years ago, shortly after my twelfth birthday. I was with my dear friend Haley lying on her bunk bed and thinking carefully. We were having one of our long, serious discussions about life, God, things we would do when we grew up, etc. and I told her that I wasn't sure if I would ever get married. At the time, I couldn't really see myself in a wedding dress and saying "I do" mostly because I was so sure that I would be a missionary (something I still feel called to, and will do, if God leads) and being a missionary who was--single. I had thought about this before, but I don't think I had ever voiced it in so many words.

"Oh, don't worry, dear." She said (or something to that extent.) "I'm sure you will."

I looked at her. "Why?"

"Well..." she reasoned, "because I think most girls do."

I nodded contemplatively.

Now, I have changed my mind quite a bit since that time, and now I can definitely see myself getting married. I want a family, I want to be a homeschooling mom who teaches her children to love the Lord, as my mom has done.

But I share this story because I want to write this not just as someone who wants women to have a husband and children, but also as someone who wants young ladies and women of all ages to serve the Lord first and remember what He says about marriage, femininity, and the distinctions between men and women. If you think you'll never get married, I understand where you are coming from. I'm not a girl who thinks that if you do not get married you're not following God's plan for your life (yes, I really HAVE heard things like that before). So, with that in mind, please read on.

I think one of the main problems with the modern feminism movement is that women are always saying they want "equality" with men. The problem is, we were made to be different.

Ephesians 5:22-33 "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church — for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."[This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. "

And Colossians 3:18 "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord"

Notice that God never gives the command for husbands to submit to their wives. No, that was not His plan in marriage. His plan was, and is, for women to submit to their husbands. Women have different and distinct roles from what men do. At the same time, we are all equal in our value to God.

Galatians 3:8 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

In Christ Jesus, in God's love and forgiveness, we are equal in worth. So I guess that you could say the main problem with the feminist movement is that feminists want women to have their value expressed in the same way as men's value. The main point that they're missing is that we can be of equal value without doing all the same things. A quick example. In 1 Timothy 2, women are forbidden from being Pastors, spiritual leaders and teachers, etc. over men. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” However, I do not believe that this means women should never evangelize or minister to others, rather, she should leave the spiritual teaching and training of the church to men. Here is a paragraph from http://www.gotquestions.org/women-pastors.html if you have time, I would encourage you to read the whole article. But I will only quote the second-to last paragraph.

"God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching men or having spiritual authority over them. This logically would preclude women from serving as pastors/preachers. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s plan and His gifting of them."

On the other hand, some Christians are combating the feminist movement by having many rules that are not necessarily Biblical. Sometimes this can feel discouraging as well, because young ladies in Christian homes that read Christian books will come across these somewhat legalistic rules at some point or another, and even if they love the Lord and serve Him and try to obey Him, they might feel discouraged by their lifestyle from the words of legalists. This is not healthy, either, and I have one comment about it before I wrap up. I think that as Christians, we need to be careful that the rules we have come from God and that we are not being 'old-fashioned' simply for the sake of being old-fashioned, and calling it godliness. What do I mean? Well, just because it's old-fashioned does not make it godly. Some things that are godly will be labeled 'old-fashioned' by the world, i.e., Christians who wait to have a relationship with the opposite sex until they are older so that they can protect their hearts will often be called 'old-fashioned' or things to that extent-- but it's important that we are determining what our convictions are and not just doing things because they seem old-fashioned and therefore we assume they are Biblical. In the simplest terms, godly things may be called old-fashioned, but old-fashioned things are not necessarily godly. I hope that makes sense.

In closing, I would like to encourage all the young ladies that read this blog to keep aspiring after godliness and biblical femininity. God is so awesome, and He loves you so much. I appreciate all the wonderful, godly young ladies that I know who are aspiring to do His will for their lives. I'll close with a Bible verse,

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." ~ Titus 2:3-5

Eclipse. Twilight. Magic. Fantasy. DANGER.

Hello, dear friends. I realize that it has been a long time since I've written on this blog, and I've just been posting videos and the like lately. So sorry! But, I'm sorry to say, this post will not be too much different. I want to post a link to a post at another blog of a very godly young lady, named Jasmine Baucham (no, I do not know her personally). Anyway, this is an article written by her on her blog about-- what else?-- the new fantasy teenage craze over movies and books known as the Twilight Series. Now, I don't think that I have ever expressed my opinion about such books on this blog. Horrors!! I'm not going to do this right here, right now, because I will end up rambling. But I'm going to do a post about *my* opinion on such things in the very near future. Yes. Quite. As for Miss Baucham, she deals with both the fantasy and the romantic side in Twilight-- and the dangers of both. She deals kindly, gently, and purely with the dangers in how the 'heroine' (Belle, I think her name is? I surprise myself sometimes.) Anyway, Belle's 'fickleness' of character and her 'love' for both men at the end. I'm sorry, but um, that's not LOVE. That's SELFISHNESS. Anyway-- I'll stop my rambling and let you read this. Please take the time, whether or not you've seen/ read the Twilight books or movies. I think you'll be blessed.

Eclipse. The Perfect Romance?
http://http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnetworkedblogs.com%2F5rLgw&h=96f38Gh7MVVnjhs-shbnKNVAqwQ

1922? Churchill? I Have No Clue! Greece?

Oh my-- don't forget to study history, folks! It IS important! How can we fully appreciate our freedom if we don't know the basic facts about what has brought America to this point?

Freedom Isn't Free

With the fourth of July soon approaching, I wanted to post this poem which probably many of you have heard before. It's a good reminder of the true cost of freedom. To God be the glory that in America, we are still free to worship Him. And may He bless our troops.

I watched the flag
Pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine Saluted it,
And then he stood at ease..

I looked at
Him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square
And eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men
Like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign
Soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes
Shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers'
Graves ?
No, freedom isn't free

I heard the sound of Taps
One night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the
Bugler
Play And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant 'Amen,'
When a flag had draped a
Coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the Children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and
Husbands
With interrupted lives.

I Thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington .
No, freedom isn't free.

Your First Love

I wrote this post a while ago, but it still rings true. Let my love burn with passion for you, Lord!

Billy Graham said this prayer for our nation:

“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your word says, ‘Woe to those Who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that. ...
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;
...We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism;
...We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
...We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
...We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation;
...We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
...We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
...We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
...We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self- esteem;
...We have abused power and called it political savvy;
...We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;
...We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; ...We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will, to open ask it in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Is our society really one that is ambitious, pluralistic, and enlightened? Or is it simply one that does not properly fear God? My heart is saddened by the words of Matthew 24:12 “Because of the increase of wickedness the love of many will grow cold.” Sometimes I wonder if our love as Christians is growing colder. Oh, I’m not saying that we’ve deliberately or completely stopped loving the Lord. As Christians, that is our greatest command! But I do think we have stopped loving Him completely in different ways that may seem to us very small, but indeed are not. Think about it. Whenever sin seems "normal" to us, our love has grown cold. Whenever we are not bothered by things strictly forbidden in God's holy Word, our love has grown cold.

In my devotions a few days ago I was reading Revelations, and I was struck by this verse (2:4), "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Have we, too, left our first love, Jesus Christ, by letting our love grow cold? This sincere cry of my heart: Let not my love grow cold, oh Lord!

Why Not Gold?

Today I was reading Gracie, Titus, and Matthew a Bible story about Joseph and his brothers-- how he was sold into slavery for pieces of silver, forced to leave his home, punished for something he didn't do, yet in the end God used all of this for something good: so that Joseph could forgive his brothers and give them food. At the end, we started talking about how another King was similar. He had to leave His Father and home, He was sold for pieces of silver, people wished Him dead, He was punished for something He didn't do-- yet in the end, God used it for good: so that He could forgive the sins of anyone who asked Him to. I explained that this King was Jesus. Then I asked Grace and Titus, "Do you remember that Jesus was sold for pieces of silver?" They shook their heads as I explained, "One of Jesus' disciples, Judas, decided to sell Jesus to some very bad people so that they would give him silver."

Titus then piped up, "Why not gold?"

Um... I think we're kind of missing the point here...

Play List

Hi all! I was wondering if everyone could do me a favor and leave a comment telling me what songs on my playlist you like/ don't like. Thanks! :)

Something Even Greater Than Worship

"No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so devoutly loved."

--John Knox

In Ancient times, and even still today, many people worship(ed) false gods whose whims 'demanded' human sacrifice. When Jesus came to earth, He proved, through humbling Himself, that He not only wants to show His power and glory to gain our worship-- He also desires our love. You can worship, like the pagans, out of fear. But you can only love out of love.

Is It Love or a Corset?

There is a book that I read about a year ago called, A Proper Pursuit. It's basically about a shallow but naive twenty-year-old girl whose mother ran away when she was a child and whose father is about to be remarried. She decides to go stay with her grandmother and three great aunts for a while to search for her mother-- the catch? They each have their own idea of what they want Violet to do with her life. Her grandmother just wants her to marry a pastor. One great aunt just wants her to marry well (read: someone rich). Another great aunt just doesn't want her to marry AT ALL. And the last great aunt-- well, she just encourages Violet to marry someone she loves. By the end of the story, Violet has completely changed and becomes a Christian.

Now, Violet is quite the humorous young lady. The only knowledge she has of the world at large comes from reading romance and mystery and adventure novels. *Ahem* dime novels. Below is a section of her thoughts during a lecture that one of her great aunts took her to. I hope you find it as amusing as I did. By the way, this story is set at the end of the 19th century and is written in the first person.

"'Ladies,' she began, 'I'm well aware that the majority of you are, at this very moment, trapped in the confines of a whalebone corset. But you might be shocked to learn that, according to my research, your tightly laced corsets are responsible for more than fifty female ailments.' She proceeded to enumerate them, one by one, but my mind began to wander after 'heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, and lightheadedness.' The symptoms sounded suspiciously like a romance novel's description of love. Could it be that thousands of women had married their husbands in the mistaken belief that they were in love, when all along their corsets had been too tight? How disappointing to watch their love mysteriously vanish once their corsets were unlaced. I made up my mind that if I ever felt love's symptoms, I would loosen my corset immediately before accepting a proposal of marriage."

Pure in Heart-- a Prestigious Award

Hello one and all! Okay, so I was awarded with this 'Pure in Heart Award' by a couple of friends this last week. Partake in the observation of the award, if you please:

Yep. It's just that cool.

If you are tagged:
1. Post about the tag.
2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award.
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded.
4. Answer the questions along with your post.

I've already posted about the tag. I'll do the questions next.

Ready- set- go!

1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? I would have to say oranges. Since moving to Japan, they have become my #1 staple as far as food goes.
2: How many siblings do you have? Two comedic brothers, Matthew (11) and Titus (5) and one adorable sister, Grace (5)
3: How old are you? I'm fifteen. I'll be sixteen this month. Kind of funny-- this year has flown by!
4: Do you live on a prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other? City, dahlin.

5: Scissors or glue? Scissors are always winners with me! I used to LOVE cutting things out.

6: Describe your dream house. I seriously do not have a dream house whatsoever. I don't really care what my house is like. However, I do want to live in an orphanage one day, for some amount of time -- maybe in China or Mexico or Haiti, or wherever God would have me.

7: Is your room clean? Clean is a relative term.

8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Definitely Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite movie!!!

9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? England, of course. I'd love to go there! Although any of those would be fun, none of them are the main places that I truly want to go to.

10: What denomination are you? 1 Corinthians 3:4-6, "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men? What after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

And 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment... Is Christ divided?

"Ephesians 4:3-6"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

As you can see, I'm not really into the whole 'denomination' thing. I believe in what the God of the Bible says. In America, and currently in Nagoya, I go to non-denominational churches (ironic, no? :) but I've also gone to Baptist and Presbyterian churches in the past.

11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!)? No.


12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Hum.... depends on the chocolate. If it has nuts and caramel or toffee then I'm in. But if it's just plain chocolate or has fruity stuff then there is nothing to tempt me.

13: What is your favorite book? Oh, dear. I knew this one was coming. I have so many! I love historical fiction. Some of my favorite books in the past are Elsie Dinsmore and Millie Keith and Violet Travilla books--they're so good. And I love the somewhat comical A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin, and Candle in the Darkness and Fire by Night. I also love A Case for Christmas and A Case for Easter by Lee Strobel when I'm in an investigating mood. I love Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I like Yellow Rose Bride. I enjoy Silas Marner which we read for Lit. 10 this year. And... hum. I still haven't finished Pride and Prejudice (Sorry Haley!!) but I really want to as soon as I get back to America (I don't have access here in Japan...) because I forgot to pack it and like I said, it's my favorite movie. Ever. But anyway, although I love all these books, none of them can really compare to my very favorite book. Hands down, the winner is the Bible. No other book or writing can ever touch my heart like it has. So it wins. Definitely.

14: Favorite ice cream flavor? Cookie dough and Mint Chocolate Chip.

15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Mexican. Right now, you could say for the next year and I wouldn't mind if it were Mexican food. We don't have much in Japan, so bring it on!! :)

16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? Hum-- ice skating, maybe. Or gymnastics. But I don't really watch the olympics (Except I watched some this year-- long story.)

17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do? Heaven forbid.

18: Describe yourself in three words. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, tall order! A sister, a friend, a Daughter of God

19: What chore do you hate? Maybe weeding? I don't know, my favorite is probably doing the dishes. But I don't know what my least favorite is.

20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? Gotta love THAT! haha-- I don't know. maybe call Gracie and Titus in to practice their karate on him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH. So now I choose my victims. I mean *ahem* friends.

(I'm gonna award some of you who I know have already done this, just because I feel like it. )

Kals over at "Adventures in the Life of a Daughter of Christ"

Haley over at "Singing in the Rain"

Problematic over at "It's Raining"

Hannah over at "My Book of Days"

Hannah over at "These Little Wonders"

Heidi over at "Heidi's Musings"

Hosanna over at "Hosanna's Messings"

Gray over at "The Locket"

Whoever happens to be reading this write now. If you are reading this blog post, you are tagged. It's official.

And, sorry that's only nine. Too bad. :'(

A Revival

For Easter I received a book called Though Waters Roar. All in all it was interesting, but far too sad for my taste. Anyway, that's not the point of this post. In fact, I only bring this up because the last few pages of the book are more than worth reading. Basically, this book is about a girl during prohibition helping her poor friend who was tricked into transporting alcohol from Canada to a saloon in the States. However, the friends have two young children and they cannot risk getting thrown in jail because the husband will never get a job and they are broke already. Long story short, that's where the heroine-- Harriet-- comes in. Harriet volunteers to deliver the alcohol herself under the condition that they agree to never, EVER, do anything like that again. Gratefully, her friends accept her offer, but in an unfortunate turn of events, Harriet is caught with the alcohol on her way to the saloon and thrown in jail. After she proves that she is not in to make money for herself by helping the police capture the still, she is freed and she goes to her grandma to tell her about what has happened. The problem? Her grandmother has fought for prohibition and against alcohol almost her entire life because her husband was an alcoholic.


All right, sorry that took so long. Now we have finally arrived to the part that really matters. At almost the end of the book, Harriet's grandmother tells her, "Jesus' harshest words were for the moral guardians of His day-- the Pharisees. They wanted to dictate morality, too, but Jesus called them hypocrites and whitewashed tombs. It isn't our calling as Christians to write laws that force people to live moral lives. As much as our communities might need it, and as bad as things are, imposing our morality on others isn't the answer. It doesn't work. People may be forced to give up alcohol, but they are still going to hell. That's our calling-- to bring people to Christ-- not to force them to behave the way we want them to or to solve all their external problems." She goes on to tell Harriet about different laws in the past that couldn't make people's hearts change. The Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free, but it couldn't make people treat the former slaves as their equals. Prohibition could make drinking illegal, but if people's hearts were evil then it wouldn't really make a difference. They would still be wicked.

Now, please don't get me wrong, I do not say this or repeat this because I believe we should never have laws. God has laws, and I believe that our country should hold laws that uphold the laws that God gave. I believe this sincerely. What I am saying, however, is that laws do not change people's hearts. If one made all the laws in the world, it would not change the hearts of the people whose responsibility it was to uphold these laws. Only God can change hearts, and we must be willing to share the incredible news of the gospel with others, through evangelism and discipleship. Do you think that it's possible that sometimes Satan might distract us by getting us so involved in other causes, whether noble or not, that distract us from our ultimate goal-- to tell people about Christ and become like Christ?

I used to pray sometimes that God would change some laws in America. That He would change American's standards-- because it's always nice to live in a more moral society, right? But you know what I'm praying for now?

A revival.