Update! :)

Hey everyone! I know it has been so long since I last posted anything. I have not had much internet access as of late. I have been working at a summer camp. It was such a great summer! I met a lot of awesome people and had many opportunities to share Gods word and love. It was really great! Sadly I had to leave that camp early due to a flare up of a back injury from years ago. But I know it's all in Gods plan! So I'm home now (and stuck in bed for a little while) getting ready for the fall ahead! :) This camp was located in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina! I even had the chance to hike 16 miles of the Appalachian Trail! Oh my goodness! It was beautiful! The views we saw from the balds we hiked were breathtaking! I hope I can do it again one day! It was an awesome hiking trip!

Zed also spent the summer at camp with me. I think he enjoyed it very much. It was cooler up in the mountains than where I live. Zed doesn't do well with the extreme heat, being from Canada and all. ;) haha! Zed also met his cousin Ted this summer. But that's a story for another time.

I am about to enter a very very busy fall. But I still plan to blog. I promise! I'm a little overwhelmed by all that is coming up this fall. And I'm not sure how I'm gonna make it all work. But I'm excited nonetheless!

I think that's enough for now! I'm glad I'm able to be back to my blogging world! :) haha!

CCT

Citadel, URL's, and Being honest with God (Job's Story)

First and foremost, I just read in my stats that 20 something of my blog hits have been from people googling "citadel girlfriend" or "knob girlfriend" That made me laugh! :) It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has no idea what to think of the whole Citadel thing and has no idea what I'm doing. Citadel girlfriends need a club. lol! Okay, okay! jk! :) But that still made me laugh to see! :) Citadel girlfriends UNITE!

Hehe! Moving on! One more base to cover before I get to my blogging. My url has changed from the crazy long counterculturalteen to an easier one to remember. CCT412. The 412 is for the verse that stared this whole blog! 1 Timothy 4:12. (The one on the banner up there ^)

Okay! I don't really have a post ready. But I have really been trying to clearly write my opinion of the story of Job. I don't have it finished. But I think I'll post some of it here. Let me know what you think.

Be Honest With God.

I’ve heard people tell me that a lot over the years. I mean I mostly grew up in the Church so I’ve heard many of these “Christian sayings” without ever truly understanding them. I’m afraid I came to truly understanding this one kicking a screaming. Well. Not literally kicking or screaming. That would just look quite childish. Plus the people around me would probably think I was crazy or demon possessed or something. I just don’t see that as being a good thing. Anyway, back to being honest with God. I learned that the hard way. I did (ha! did? okay, fine. still do! I might as well be honest with you guys too!) a lot of trying to figure things out on my own and make things work the way I want them to or the way I think they should. I still fall into that trap! “Yeah! Of course I trust you God! But don’t worry about this over here. I’ll handle that.” Even now as I type it I am reminded of how silly that is! I can’t even begin to describe how silly it is to keep things from God or to try to control them without him! And the Bible shows us that clearly! Have you heard the story of Job in the Bible?

Job was doing well in life! He had kids and a wife and lots of land and animals and servants. To me it sounds like he was a CEO of his time. He was well off in every area of life and loved God passionately. And God blessed Job.

    When the story of Job started off it said that Job would offer sacrifices on behalf of any sins his sons or daughters could have committed in their hearts. This brings up the first example of the difference of heart and actions. Job understood that people often sinned in their hearts without ever sinning with their words. This is a tough one. This goes for any other sins. The Bible is clearly saying that even if you do not sin outwardly and only keep it inward it is still sin. It is easy to sin without anyone knowing. But God still sees it. No matter how much you try to hide it, God will still know your heart and intentions. Psalms 44:19 says “For He knows the secrets of the heart.” How can you argue with that? Or hide anything from that? You can’t! God is all knowing! Omniscient! (oh yeah! I used a big word!) Job knew the difference between the two. I want to make sure that is clear before we go any further. This information will be helpful later on in the story of Jobs life.

    As the story goes on the Devil comes to God and God points out how great Job is. I mean, after all, Job 1:1 says that Job was a perfect and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. He sounds like a pretty great guy! I’m totally paraphrasing here, but then the Devil basically says “Well duh Job loves and fears you! You have always taken care of him! You have been spoiling the pampered guy! I bet if you took away all of those blessings he would not love or fear you any more.”
Job 1:12 says “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord's presence.”
So Satan has permission the mess with Job’s family and property. He just can’t touch Job physically. So he takes this very seriously and goes on to kill all of his  servants, animals, crops, and his children. He grieved deeply. He tore his clothes and grieved while praising God. Job did not sin…. this time.

    So after seeing that Job still stayed strong in his faith in God, the Devil decided to make another visit to the Almighty God. The first thing that happens is God starts to brag on His son Job again. He says “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” (Job 2:3) Clearly God is proud of Job. He seems to kind of rubbing Jobs faith in Satan’s face. So the devil decided to ask to be able to mess with Jobs health. He thought that is Job thought his life was at risk surely he would give in and begin to curse and hate God. So God gives him permission to do this. 

    Job was infected with boils. Boils is a terrible infection. WebMD (yep. went all WebMD on you! Honestly, I just wanted to really know what a boil was.) says “A boil is a skin infection that starts in a hair follicle or oil gland. At first, the skin turns red in the area of the infection, and a tender lump develops. After four to seven days, the lump starts turning white as pus collects under the skin.” that doesn’t sound good, right? And they become painful and fill with puss and rotting flesh! Rotting flesh! Can you imagine how he smelled? And these can often get to be golf ball sized. Wow! And the Bible says his whole body was infected with this! I can only imagine the misery!

So Job is sitting around scrapping his skin with parts of broken pots to try and stop some of the pain. He’s in a bad place. And his wife comes to him and says “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9) I want to point out something about Job and his wife. Job seemed like a very smart and blessed man. Do you think he would have picked a foolish woman for a wife? I highly doubt it. I also know that since she was his wife she knew Job and his heart better than anyone on earth. After all, they raised ten kids together! They had been through a lot together! She knew her husband better than anyone. She was a good wife to stay through all of that. I think that she had wisdom in what she said. She knew that Job was sinning against God in his heart and holding on to being self-righteous by not saying it out loud. To further validate this point, in the very next verse Job says “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” He clearly thought his wife to be a wise woman otherwise he would not have found anything remarkable in her statement. But he did find this statement out of the norm He said that she was speaking like the foolish women! Not that she was a foolish woman. In fact in every version I can find it specifies that she was speaking like a foolish woman. She was not a woman who was known for being foolish. Maybe he should have followed her advice.

The next thing that the Bible says is that “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Remember how we learned that Job knew the difference between sinning with the heart and not words? Well this has come into play here! It sounds to me like Jobs wife was right. Otherwise, why would it specify that Job was not sinning with his lips? There would be no need to that to be added. If Job hadn’t sinned at all then they could have just said that Job didn’t sin! Just like they said after the first time the devil came around. He reacted differently this time. He truly was upset with God but did not want to express this. He was not only trying to look more righteous than he really was to the people around him, he was also trying to hide this from God.


That is all I have for now. Feel free to comment with your thoughts or opinions! I know this isn't a common view of Job or his wife. So I'd love to get some feedback!

Plus, any Citadel girlfriends, I'd love your comments on anything! lol! :)

Being A Real Activist

This video was recently put on youtube. :) I like it. I like most of the videos these guys make. They can be a little rough. But I still like them. And this is something I really want to address. So I will start my post with the video.

Thank you blimeycow.

Did you watch it? I hope so.
I generally consider myself an activist. I'm not the march on wall street kind of activist. But an activist nonetheless. Most people who have met me know this to be true. But, like the video stated, those that just know my facebook, just see me as someone who likes a lot of pages. hehe! And I do like a lot of facebook pages. But there are a few things that I really feel passionately about that I really do stuff for and want to do more.

Here is my list of things:
Adoption, hope, and care for orphans
Ending child and sex slavery
And making a difference in mine and future generations
Building community

These are my main things. The things that will start very heated conversations with me. Not fights. Just heated and passionate conversations. I am way too much of a pacifist personality to fight. (I'm not claiming to be a pacifist in the political sense. I'm not against ever having war. Although world peace does sound like a good idea, not an easily obtainable or realistic one.) Maybe that is why I am not the march on wall street type. They are too assertive. lol! Okay, I'm a type A, pacifist, activist. Who knew there was such a thing! lol!

Anyway, I don't have t shirts for any of these things the people around me know I care about them. I'm sure I could do a much better job than I do. And I'm sure the real humanitarianism types have a much longer list of noble passions. Mine stops there for now.

I do have a t shirt for TWLOHA. And that to me has been an awesome conversation started and way to make a difference in mine and future generations in a big way! A way that totally opens up doors to share what they are doing to save teens lives. Even the lives of people I know and care about. How they are giving hope through Jesus and giving teens a reason to live! :) So I guess that activist t shirt of mine goes back to my passion for making a difference in my generation.

My point in all this is that I do see a lot of things that  need to change in the world. But I can't be a part of everyone one of them! No one can! So find the things that you are passionate about and go for it! Put your heart into it! Get the word out about it! Although using the internet is an awesome way to get the word out about what you feel passionately about, it is not always the best way.

I know you are probably reading that thinking "does she know she is using a blog to get this message across?" And yes, I do. But this is also something that I am active about. I am involved in my community in many ways. Because I feel passionately about that! I also do what I can to get the word out about groups that are doing great things for orphans! My newest mission is to help the Red Bus get to my state! They are doing some amazing things further south! They are a group with Show Hope. I have volunteered with Show Hope before and love them!

I do what I can to act upon the things I believe. But that first and foremost comes from what I believe. The reason that people have the desire to feel passionately and share what they believe comes from God's design for us to love Him and love others. This is my belief.

Paul says "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good." (Romans 12:9) He also repeats this belief that without loving others he has accomplished nothing in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."


Clearly this was something Paul felt passionate about. Something he cared about and wanted to share. God loves us with so much more love than we can ever understand. And we are called to share that love no matter what. Doing this brings glory to God and that is what we are called to do as Christians.


The term "Relationship with God" is heard all the time. And the church universal has built an image of what to expect that to look like. The church has this image of a relationship with God being very self disciplined. Very intense. Most people think of someone who gets up early to read their Bible and who spends hours praying everyday and only listens to the kind of Christian music that hasn't changed over the past three decades.


Now don't get me wrong, those are all GREAT things! You should read your Bible, pray, and even sing praise! But following that tight schedule isn't what makes a relationship!


Imagine if you and your friend scheduled to talk on the phone at the same time every day. And you were going to talk about the same things for the same amount of time. And you believed the things your friend and you talked about. But you never went and did anything together. You would seem like a strange set of friends right? But that is exactly what you are doing when you aren't walking with Jesus in a personal and passion filled way! (I can be totally guilty of this. In fact, for get "can be", I am guilty of this!)

Once again I am going to clarify my point. I am not saying that you need to be the kind of person that walks around talking about Jesus all the time. 

Those people get on everyone's nerves. 

Even on Christians nerves. 

They are just annoying. 
(Hey! Paul said it first! Have you ever heard a noisy gong or clanging symbol that wan't annoying? I didn't think so. He called us annoying.)

But I am saying that when you have a passion for Jesus it will show in your love for those around you. It will give you passions that Jesus has called you too! And it will help you to live out a love for those passions and the people around you! That, I believe is what every Christian is called to do. I believe a relationship with God is never to be bound by a schedule and it should be viewed by others as someone who really cares about the God they serve and serving that God on earth! Not as the person who is never late for Bible study.


I think got created all of us to be activists. In Ephesians 4 we are called to be the body of Christ. When Christ was on earth he cared for people and taught and loved and lived the life God called him too. He was active. I would certainly consider Jesus to be passion filled about the mission God gave Him.

Zed: On Questions and the zombie apocalypse

So! I will start this post by answering some very intriguing questions asked by my loyal readers.

The first question was, "What is your favorite holiday?"

Well, let me remind you, I am Canadian. Many Canadians would say Canada day. But really, very unoriginal. Many in my field of profession (maple syrup harvesting) would say National Maple Syrup Day. (It's a real thing. December 17th.) But personally, mine has to do a lot with my heritage. 

My favorite holiday is Boxing Day.

You see, all Canadian fish are known for being extremely helpful. So many of my ancestors worked as servants. Generations of Canadian fish have done so. (I was a bit of a wild child and let that for my love of maple syrup) Boxing day is a holiday for people to give gifts to their servants. It showed the care and appreciation they had for the helpfulness they displayed all year long. It really was something special. Ah! The memories of childhood Boxing Days!

My next question was, "Since fish is obviously not an appropriate food choice (forgive me for mentioning this atrocity once more), what is your favorite meal?"

First I want to thank this reader for their understanding about the fact that I am quite sensitive to the whole sushi situation. It means a lot to me.

My favorite meal. Is McDonalds french fries. Thankfully my human also has a love for them and about once a week or so she will go through the McDonalds drive through on the way to class and split a large fries with me. We bond through our greasy potato eating. It has greatly strengthened our friendship.

And the last question of the day! "How does it feel to be a 'fish out of water'?"

Well, it is actually quite freeing! I can feel the breeze between my fins and eat french fries! :) Once I tried eating french fries once underwater. I wouldn't recommend it. And I get to travel! How do you think I got to America? I didn't swim here! It is great!

But it is very difficult to do a lot of things. I have little tiny fins. And it takes me forever to type these posts! I mean look at that! The size of this keyboard and the size of my little tiny fins! It it just crazy!

So there you have it! Feel free to comment with your questions for me! :)

And here is a question from me to you! What is your ultimate zombie apocalypse plan?

Thanks guys!

Zed

I've gone and done it. I got a tumblr.

So! As if I didn't have enough online outlets to write my many opinions, thoughts (both pointless ones and ones with some direction), and pictures. All of which no one really cares or needs to know. But! Here I am anyway, right? Oh well! I have given in and got a tumblr! I have managed to stay off of twitter for now. But I'm afraid that come next. Oh well! For now! Check out my new tumblr!
http://cct94.tumblr.com/

Grace, Hope, Love, and Faith

Did you know that the word grace is written 170 times in the Bible?

Or that the word love is written 281 times?

And that the word hope is written 130 times?

What about the fact that the word faith is written 245 times?

Clearly these are very important words to be repeated oh so many times! Just four simple words. With very powerful meanings. These definitions came from dictionary.com

Grace- the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

Love- the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.

Hope- to look forward to with desire and confidence.

Faith- the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

I thought I was going to write a post about these things. But rather, I think I will post some verses on them and let them speak for themselves.

Romans 5:2 Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us to see that you abound in this grace also.

1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.












(I know, a Zed post is long overdue! He will be back and writing again soon. I promise!)

TWLOHA

TWLOHA- To Write Love On Her Arms

So that's not a very descriptive name is it? Well, what this group does is really amazing! And it's something I want to put out here on my blog as a resource. This group is a huge asset to teens and young adults that struggle with depression, self injury, addiction, and thoughts or attempts of suicide. As a teen you have either struggled with one of these or know someone who does. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 15-24. And two out of every three people who struggle with depression don't seek help.

TWLOHA has been an amazing resource for me. Most teenagers at least know someone who needs this kind of help. It is so important to let people know about amazing resources like this.

Knowing people who have committed suicide is one of the hardest things to live with. I will never fully be able to understand it. It just can't be done. I will never understand what gave them that final push to end it all. People who had so much going for them. People who should have been here much long. People who's life had so much to offer. People that will always be remembered and missed. When someone you care about has committed suicide there is always regrets of what could have been done. I don't know what I could have done. But what I can do is try to stop it from happening to others. Supporting TWLOHA is my way of doing so. I'm not going to be able to stop every death. But I can help lower statistics. This is why TWLOHA is so important to me. 

www.twloha.com

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

~ Philippians 4:13

Zed: On Sushi

What is this sick and twisted thing? What is wrong with you people?

Really!? I had no understanding that you humans ate fish. And you don't even have enough care to cook it! Have you no respect for us fish? Do you not care about our dignity? And to eat fish! That was the worst! My own human ate this stuff! She just ate it! (Yes, Canadian fish are very much like cats. We pick our humans. She is mine.) Hang on! I need a moment. :'(

...

...

...

...

Okay, I think I can continue. I just don't understand this horrific thing you do! You take a fish that has passed. God rest his soul. and then slice him up. And to make matters worse! Once you dismember the body you roll it in rice and seaweed? I tried to and wanted to take this to the police! My human would not allow this. But she did allow me to have photographic evidence to document this crime. (see above photo) Although I believe she did this simply to humor me. She ate the sushi. The raw fish that could have been a relative of mine! I just couldn't take this! I hid in her purse for the rest of the meal. My human did not take this cause seriously. I hope this message falls on more caring people and fish through this blog.

I am sharing all of this in hopes that you will join my cause.

Fight For the Fishes! Or FFF. Please! If you a fish out there reading this post, please act and help stop this cruelty!

We fish need to unite!

Thank you all for reading this post. Together, we can make a difference!

~Zed

P.S. I will now be answering your questions on this blog. If you comment here with your question I will do my best to give you an answer. All answers will come from a very fishy perspective. But you may have questions that only a fish could answer!

Quotes

So! This is a little bit of a different type of post. I haven't had time to really pull together a good post recently. But I do have a love for quotes! This may be a bit silly. But I like words (hence, I blog.) and I love to reread words others have spoken or written. So I figured I would make a post of a few of my favorite quotes and a few Bible verses that I love. Those that say "~unknown" really honestly mean "It's late at night and I don't want to search for who really said that." So if you really must know the origin of a quote shoot me and email or leave a comment and I will actually look for it. hehe! :) Well! Enjoy the quotes!


(Yeah, some are cliche. But I think that is part of the beauty of them)


Darkness can not drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate can not drive out hate; only love can do that.
~Martin Luther King Jr.



She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.
Proverbs 31:25



I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
~Albert Einstein


Knowing that we are fulfilling God's purpose is the only thing that really gives rest to a restless human heart.~Charles Colson


"Fill your life with passion. And you will never have regrets. It’s through our hearts that we truly learn to live. It’s one thing to do and to be, but you must feel. From the core of your body to the tips of your toes. It’s about riding the bike for the first time. Heart is racing, eyelids peeled back, taking in every second. Trusting yourself. And a smile you can’t hold back. It’s through these moments that we grow. The moments when your mind is so absorbed by that instant and your heart has complete fulfillment. " - Rebecca Salisbury


"The only thing I'm afraid of is living an insignificant life." -Louie Giglio


“My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus' words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to Him. ” -David Platt


"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot


Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Matthew 1:23


Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson


You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it. ~It's a wonderful life. (classic movie)


Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it's inspiring. ~unknown


Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry. ~unknown. I have no idea where it came from but it just makes me smile!


Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures. ~Lovelle Drachman


Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12


You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way. ~Dr. Seuss


If you're a dreamer come in,
if you're a wisher, a liar,
a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender come sit by my fire.
For we have great tales to spin. Come in.
~Shel Silverstein


Be the change you want to see in the world. ~Gandhi (Yeah, everyone says that one. But I still love it!)

Success isn't about what you accomplish in life. It's about what you inspire others to do. ~unknown

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone who's weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Dr. Seuss

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. ~Mark Twain

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Speak the truth even if your voice shakes. ~unknown

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

What is your favorite quote or verse? Please share! I would love to add some more to my collection! ;) Or if you know the authors of some of these "unknowns" I would love to know that too!

Thank you my dear readers!

:)

CCT

A Good Christian

I have been meaning to get this post written for a while now. But I haven't done it. Or blogged at all for that matter! Oh how life can kill a persons love of writing! 

I want to bring up this phrase, "good Christian."

Have you ever heard this label? I have heard this from people within the church (as in the body of Christians as a whole. Not just the building I attend. Although I have heard this label at my church too.) and within the secular culture. And the label brings the same expectations no matter if the person using the term is Christian or not. If you ask anyone what a good Christian is their answer would be something like...

A good Christian acts nice and smiles a lot and helps to take care of people.

I can't even begin to describe how much that goes against the Bible about what a Christian should be. And people in the church strive to be labeled a good Christian by these standards! WikiHow even has a page on how to be a good Christian. According to that site, there are 19 steps to becoming a good Christian.

Really?

The first step was "Act like a Christian no matter what."

Please tell me they were just kidding. Please.

You do realize anyone can act like a Christian and not really be a Christian, right?

 I am involved in community theater. I love to act!

And I am semi good at it, if I do say so myself! ;) haha!

But I can act like a lot of things that are not really me. And acting like any character has never made that character a part of me. So how is acting like a Christian making that "Christian" act a part of them? It isn't. It is an act. Why would a Christians number 1 goal be to act like a Christian?

Jesus sent his disciples to go out and make disciples! Not to go act like good people! Anyone can do that! He sent them to tell about Jesus and to build relationships with others and to cast out demons and pray and heal! He never said, "Hey guys. I think if you guys went out and acted like a bunch of stuck up, goody two shoes, theologians, people would want to follow me. Don't you think? Let's give this a shot!" I MEAN REALLY! And Jesus taught of faith, grace, and love! He taught about living to follow God's will for your life and to seek the least. And guess what! Jesus hung out with people that were not Christians. I'm not even kidding. Jesus hung out with the woman at the well (John 4), and even Matthew, one of his disciples was a tax collector! (Matthew 9) Tax collectors were known thieves! And so many others that the culture would not see as the type of people one should associate themselves with. But they too came to live by Gods leading and living in His faith, grace, and love!

(As a little side note, the Bible says God is Love. It says so in 1 John 4:8 just to name one location. This is not the only occurrence of this phrase. But the word that was used for love here means everlasting, never ending, love. God is never ending love. And this love is not like the English word we have for love. It implies so much more. It was used for a strong love that could never be broken no matter the circumstances. So not only is his love everlasting, it is strong. It wasn't just a never ending little crush like you had in kindergarten. It was a strong, powerful, passionate, never ending, everlasting, love. Wow!)

Basically I believe that the Bible sends us as Christians to follow what God has called for each individual person. My walk with God and the plans he has for me, are nothing like the ones he has for you. We are called to live the life God has called us individually to, and this is to bring glory to Him! Our God!

Now please don't think I'm saying that "oh everyone just do what God says and life will always be happy!" that would be this "Good Christian" label that I am trying to eliminate! Or at least change the definition of!

Because Jesus followed what God called him to do, it wasn't always so pleasant. Dying on the cross for sins He had never committed wasn't an easy task God had planned for him. He went through hard times and He dealt with hard stuff! I can't imagine he ever "acted" like those were easy things. He knew it was hard and He knew it was His calling. His time in the garden to pray before His death showed us that. (Luke 22) Sometimes we face massive trials in our lives. Now, in today's culture you probably will not be hung on a cross. But you might deal with tasks that seem more than you can handle, or difficult family, work, or school situations. Maybe sins that you don't know what to do with. Or maybe you have abuse or trauma in your past, or even in your life now. God didn't say it would be easy.

John Piper said, "The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won't enlist you in his service unless you are healthy and Jesus won't enlist you unless you are sick." (Thanks for this quote Stephanie!)

This isn't saying that God isn't going to be present in you life unless your have the flu. It is saying that God can work in even the worst brokenness in person, and He takes that and turns it into strengths and not just strengths that we can boast in but a strength that can only come from God! (Judges 7:2)

So truly the Biblical definition of a good Christian should be someone that is following what God has called them to and living out Jesus and bringing glory to God. But that is such a personal thing between one person and God that you can't judge or label someone else with "good Christian."

My baby brother is officially a big boy!

:'( That's right. My youngest brother is all grown up. 

He is my little buddy. He can't say my name so he calls me "Dayin" and it is by far the most adorable thing ever! He is the youngest in the family and I am the oldest. I believe that creates a special bond. A very different bond because of age difference. But special nonetheless. He is 15 years younger than I. (I will be 33 at his high school graduation! Crazy huh?)

We have done so much together! Lightsabor wars are our favorite thing to do! We also watch a lot of Word World and Bible Man together. And play Just Dance on the wii. (That little guy has moves! haha!) He reads to me. Well, he says stuff while looking at a page. He tells me all about his day. And sometimes, while I'm blogging at the computer, he climbs in my lap and tells me he needs to check his email. 

I don't know how that last one was relative to this at all. And I'm not sure he even knows what email is. But it is extremely cute!

My point was. My little baby brother now has a big boy bed. A big boy bed! No more crib for him!

This is monumental for him. Tragic for me. Time goes by way too fast! Ugh!

That is all. 

I will write again soon!

My Thoughts on Proverbs 31

Women in the church often look towards Proverbs 31 for an example of living a Godly life as a woman and more specifically as a wife but this text certainly applies to single women and young women as well. Verses 10-31 describe a woman who fears the Lord. To be honest the woman in these verses sounds like superwoman to me! But I will get more into that in a moment. Lets start with the beginning.

The first verse in Proverbs 31 states that this was and oracle that King Lemuel's mother taught him. Many believe that Lemuel was King Solomon. Lemuel means belonging to God and is considered a symbolic name of Solomon. So there is just a little background for you. Now the word oracle is not one you hear everyday. In fact I'm pretty sure I have never heard anyone say that. 

Except maybe in a sermon... 

But out of a Biblical context? no.

According to dictionary.com the word oracle means "a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements."

So this really starts out with a little shout of "HEY! what she has to say is important!" Right? Also we should take into consideration that King Solomon's mother was Bathsheba.

Remember Bathsheba?

She was the woman who was bathing on the roof of her house (sounds crazy, I know. But that was normal, practical, and culturally acceptable.) when King David, who was supposed to be at war, saw her. He was struck by her beauty that he had her brought to him and he seduced her. (I'm thinking I may need to do a David blog post soon!) Well, then he finds out that she becomes pregnant with him! Woops! Right? Well Bathsheba's husband was a soldier in King David's army. To make a long story short, King David eventually had that man killed.

So the woman who teaches her son this oracle has been through a lot, wouldn't you say? I am sure she learned much through her life and gained much wisdom from her experiences. So this isn't just coming from anyone. It is coming from a woman who has seen a lot.

In the first nine verses she gives her son some wise words about what to do and what not to do. Understandably. But here is the part I am really trying to get to, verses 10-31, the woman who fears the Lord.

Bathsheba is explaining the kind of wife Solomon should find. 

"She is far more precious than jewels.(verse 10)" 

once again. I think she wants him to find superwoman. But I nonetheless, it goes on to describe a woman her husband can trust, she is a helper to him, she is a hard worker, and she is wise and educated. She provides for her household, and not just as in she does the grocery shopping and gets the kinds ready for school in the morning. She is also going out and selling the things she has made and investing in a field! (Most women today probably wouldn't invest in a field. But hey! If it works, go for it! haha!) My point is she is not simply a woman who stays at home. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a stay at home mom! I consider it the single most difficult job ever! But I have seen churches that believe that all women should stay at home and solely depend upon their husband for finances. I don't think that is what God calls every woman to. If that is what God has called you to then I think that is wonderful! And maybe one day that will be my role. I honestly have no idea! But I think women should be able to work if the need arises. Proverbs 31 does not depict a woman who is unable to step up when a need arises or is only able to live through her husband. 

Of course, I am still in high school so I understand that my writing about marriage may put me on shaky ground with some of my readers. I understand that I have no first hand experience on this subject! So feel free to correct me! :)

I think that a woman should be able to work just as the man. The Bible clearly states that the man should be the head of the household. I concur. Men and women were created so differently! But not one better than the other. I believe the differences complement one another. That is why they are made to be side by side. But God calls men to be the leaders and protectors. But a wife at her mans side should be able to help him!

I do come at this from the perspective of a very independent person. So I personally find it very hard to imagine myself one day not working. I got my first "job" at nine. I was a mothers helper for a family friend. I would clean, cook, help her kids with homework, or whatever needed to be done. I wouldn't know what to do with myself without some sort of work! Even if is simply volunteer! 

I need something to do with my self! haha! :) 

I also want to point out that these verses are written to her son to find this woman. This woman had to already have these virtues before she got married. He was to seek this woman out! Then she could be a wife with those virtues. But he wasn't to just find some lady he thought was pretty and when they got married she would somehow magically become this woman who fears the Lord! No! She needed to be seeking these virtues and seeking her Lord long before Solomon ever came along! 

If you are a woman who thinks that the fact that you are not married means that this passage does not apply to you then I am sorry to say you are sooooo mistaken. The fact that you and I are unmarried means it applies to us more than anything! We should be striving to be this woman! We should be hard workers and women that people can trust and work to grow in all of her virtues and most of all grow in our God! Because here's the deal, 93% of people end up married. Yes, there is that 7%. God didn't call everyone to marriage. Goodness, Jesus, God's own son never married! And Paul! He was single his whole life too! (But really! With the life Paul lived I don't know a woman who could put up with that! A wreck of the nerves Paul would be as a husband! Always going off preaching, getting persecuted, stranded on islands, put in prison! My word! That would turn any wife into a nervous wreck! haha!)

So my point is there is much to gain from this passage. No matter who you are or what stage of life you are in and that it is not against the Bible for a woman to work outside of the home.

New Year! New Dare!

Oh yeah! I double dog dare you to... well I will get to the dare in a minute.

(hehe! Double dog dare! I haven't said that in ages!)

So it has come to my attention that I have a lot of teenagers that read my blog. Some I know, many I don't. I think that is awesome! But I also have a lot of adult readers! That surprised me a little. But that is really cool! So I have a dare for all of my readers! I have a dare for the adults and for the teens! And please! If you chose to follow through with this dare tell me about your results! I would love to hear!

It is a new year and everyone is making new years resolutions but there is something I would love to see my readers make their resolution this year. And I plan to do the same thing! So we can all see how this works together! :) (Wow! I kind of sound like a hippie. "Everyone together in, like, togetherness" lol!)

I have a lot of friends who have told me that they feel like adults don't see where they are coming from and they just don't understand. I have heard a lot of adults say that they don't understand where these teens are coming from and can't grasp their perspective! But I have an idea. Now, you may totally think I'm crazy. But stick with me for a minute, okay?

Teen readers: What would happen if you really got to know an adult and let them into your teenage world and gave them a grasp of your perspective. I don't mean find someone to pour your heart out to and let them know every intimate detail of your life and trust them with every thought. Although I guess that isn't such a bad thing. Just doesn't generally work for my personality. lol! But hey! If that is what you need, go for it! All I am really asking is for you to find an adult that you can really get real with. If we are totally being honest here, non of us act totally like ourselves around adults. Right? Just find an adult that you can really be honest with. Even if it is just meeting up for coffee once in a while to catch up. (Any event with coffee is an event for me. lol!) Just small talk! It doesn't have to be really deep or super important! If it turns into a lifelong friendship that is awesome! If not, then you tried! I think if more adults could understand teenagers we would have a lot less stupid books for teenagers. (Refer to Youth Resources) So this is a way of helping you! And this adult does not have to be your parent! Just someone who is willing to get to know you.

Adult readers: Find a teenager and get to know them. Get to know their perspective on stuff. Just kind of be there. I absolutely understand that may be way out of your comfort zone! For some readers it has been a very long time since you were 12, 16, even 19! But you might really be blessed by the friendships you build! I mean us teenagers aren't really all that different. We are young and inexperienced at life. haha! But we are still people who have opinions and beliefs just like you adults! lol! We aren't the aliens you adults seem to see! And I am not asking you to pour your heart out to some 14 year old! Just kind of be there for them and maybe share some of your experiences. It really isn't as scary as it sounds.

Now the hard part for both the teens and adults will be finding someone to do this with! And that is not an easy task for either side. And guess what. The first person you start chatting with may not be like "Hey! We should hang out sometime!" It just doesn't always work that way! So just try someone else until you find someone you click with!

And an extra note for parents of young kids; one day your young kids will be teenagers. Spending time with a teen now might help you down the road.

So there you have it! That is my dare to my readers! :) If you chose to follow through with this please let me know! I would love to hear if this works out for anyone! I plan to do the same thing! And I am absolutely pumped for this year ahead! I hope you all are too! Enjoy 2012 and I hope you come back and check out CCT every once in a while! :)