Fame

Celebrities are a big part of everyday life. Many people wish that they could be them. But some days I wonder, why are celebrities so important, and why do so many people want to be famous.

Daniel 12: 3 "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."  What this passage is saying is if you seek wisdom, and righteousness in God, then you will shine like the stars forever. Which is better then shining for a temporary amount of time that will fade away. This also reminds me of some lyrics to a song we sing at camp. "I'd rather have Jesus then men's applause. I'd rather have Jesus then worldwide fame." I believe that if you are famous, but you don't have God in your life, then you have nothing.

This is a poem I wrote for the school magazine. Please read and leave a comment to let me know what you think.
"Fame"
Fame is being know by millions
Adored by all,
Or hated by many.
Fame is being know for one act.
A rescue of a dog,
Or a murder of a friend.
Fame can change a person.
One who is out to change the world,
Or one who is out to take their life.

But what is fame depicted as?
Your name on a bumper sticker.
Tons of screaming fans at your door.
Death letters piling on the floor.

Is fame worth the
Drama? The struggle?
Your name on a sticker?
Isn't it better to do something
Without anyone knowing?
So why I ask you?
Why is fame such a big thing?

Source:

True Images Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Print

Comfort Zone

Have you ever had a feeling, where it feels like you are being pushed to do something and you don't know what it is. This feeling is God pushing you to do something. Most of the time he is forcing you out of your comfort zone. I have had this feeling recently. I was on my off period, and I needed to go make up an English test, to help raise my grade. For an hour I had an internal fight about if I should do it or not. That day was my only chance to take the test. The thing stopping me was my fears. I am afraid of walking in the hallways during class, because I don't want to get in trouble, even if I'm doing nothing wrong. I also don't like going up to people and asking them questions. After an hour, I got up and signed off of the computer. I started to walk out but then I stopped myself, and walked back to the computer. I just couldn't bring myself to walk in the halls alone. I could feel God saying that I needed to go but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I then turned on K-Love, my favorite radio station, and the first song I heard was "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. The title says it all. Then the next song was "The Motions" by Matthew West. The song is about getting out there and not just floating through life. To me it was God telling me to go make up my English test and not hide in the Library. I took my test and it raised my grade.
God will push us out of comfort zone for our own good. I had to walk the halls and talk to a teacher for the test, and it benefited me in the end. So next time God is asking you to step out of your comfort zone, I suggest that you give it a try.

Worship

Worship is an important part of a relationship with God. It is expressing your gratitude for what the Lord has done for you.  So if worship is about expressing gratitude, then why do I go in to worship service and everyone is acting like a robot, with a monotone voice, and whispering to their neighbor instead of actually worshiping?

At last year's Christmas service, my family sat with my brother's friend's family. Then when we started worship, the band played one of my favorite songs, The Stand. I started singing from the top of my lungs and I got into the song. Then my mom leaned over and whispered, "Hey you are not suppose to be singing louder then the person singing on stage." At first I was taken aback because she was telling me to quiet down. I knew that something was wrong with that but I didn't know what, so I quieted down.

Within the first few months of the New Year, I found the answer of why holding back during worship was wrong. The story we were talking about was 2 Samuel 6: 17-22:

"They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finish sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal, daughter of Saul, came out to meet him and said 'How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any fellow vulgar would!'
David said to Michal 'It will be before the Lord, who chose me rather then your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel--I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But those slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

The moral of the story, in my opinion, is no matter how stupid you look or what others think of you, it isn't as important as worshiping God. The king of Israel took off his king robe and danced in the streets before the Lord. He didn't care how he looked. Michal, on the other hand, was disgusted about how David was acting, and didn't care what the reason. I thought to myself, when you worship, are you David, becoming undignified before the Lord, or are you Michal, judging others for the way they look, missing the beauty of worship.

A song that really touches on this is Undignified by David Crowder Band. I find it to be a great worship song and I hope you will to. Please Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIGq9pXieUI..

Sources:
 "David Crowder Band - Undignified." Youtube. Keith Wilson, 4 Feb. 2011. Web.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIGq9pXieUI

True Images Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Print

Endurance

Endurance is a skill you must work to obtain.  Depending on what you strive for, you may have running endurance, or the endurance to play an hour and a half concert.  A kind of endurance we don't think about often is to stick up for what you want or believe in.  This might be harder because it might feel frightening.  You might be afraid you'll be attached physically, mentally and/or emotionally.  But whatever challenges you face, it will be worth it in the end.

In my own neighborhood concerning an issue my family was involved in, everyone endured a problem that had a big pay off in the end.  It started with a city pool in my neighborhood.  I literally can stand in my backyard and see the pool, it is so close to where we live.  I took swimming lessons there, and because my birthday is in December (and nothing is open) we always celebrated my birthday during the summer at the pool.  Then four years ago, our city closed the pool due to budget cuts.  My family was devastated because we spent so much time there and it was so close to our home.  My brother and I were getting old enough that we could go by ourselves.  The City of Aurora said that they might be able to open it the next year.  However, the next year came and we were told they would keep the pool closed and not open any time in the near future.  So for four years we had an empty pool collecting leaves and tennis balls (from the tennis court by it).  This year, they said that they would take the pool down and put in a splash ground.  A splash ground is basically water coming out of holes in the ground.

This is where my family and our neighborhood friends really got involved.  For the past four years they spoke at City council meetings with no real response.  Then this year, they started contacting a City councilman and started requesting meetings with them.  Our first meeting was at the elementary school in our neighborhood.  My family hung posters in the neighborhood to tell everyone about the meeting.  We had a big turn out!  After that, we attended meeting after meeting, making posters for the neighborhood each time.  But eventually, the number of people that showed up were fewer and fewer and the chance for success became more and more slim.  We were looking at giving up.  Just when we were beginning to give up hope, we were told that there is a chance the City might open the pool and asked us to attend a study session.  That night, November 19, 2012, the council agreed to open our pool in the summer of 2013!  We were all excited because our hard work and endurance had finally paid off!

Now our pool will be open and it will stay open as long as we keep our numbers up.  I hope this inspires you to keep enduring whatever you are going through, for the reward at the end of the tunnel might be exactly what you hoped for it to be.

Role Play

I believe that diversity is an important element in society.  God made everyone for a purpose in this world and to do that, He made each of us different with our own gifts and talents.  If we were all the same and we all did the same thing, nothing would get done and life would be pretty boring.  This is the reason that every person has a different ability, whether it be art, music, athletics.  Mother Teresa once said, "I can do something you can't do. You can do something I can't do.  Together, let's do something beautiful for God".   Together, with our own skills, we can create something beautiful for God.  For example, any big music artist -Casting Crowns, Justin Bieber, Jonas Brothers - needs fans to make a living.  But not everyone can be a talented singer.  We can be the fan that makes them successful, though!  Without fans, they wouldn't have jobs.

As a society, we shouldn't judge people on their appearance, religious beliefs, race or sexual orientation, but on their gifts and behaviors. If someone came up to me and asked, "If I could eat lunch with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?" I would say Martin Luther King Jr. for what he did to stand up for blacks. He was able to lead a peaceful march in Washington D.C. where he had his famous "I Have A Dream Speech" Mr. King had hope for the blacks and that they were all here for a reason. Mr. King stood up for all the blacks that couldn't and for that I admire him.

I feel that the Casting Crowns song, "Every Man", describes how even though every one is different and we each have a different road to take, that there is hope for everyone.  Click on the link and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCx5t-GamwY



I also drew a picture of my representation of the song to help provide a visual:


Source:  

"Every Man Lyrics." Youtube. AmyRosetheEchidna123, 8 Sept. 2008. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCx5t-GamwY>.



Testimony

Everyone has their own testimony.  A testimony is the story of ones life.  It can be as big or a small as you want it to be.  And each has equal value because they are someone special story.  For example, if someone overcame drugs or physical abuse, their testimony isn't more important or meaningful than someone who might have overcome a bad grade.

My favorite part of my testimony is about how one ring brought me closer to God.  Last Christmas I got a ring in my stocking.  It was silver and it had my name engraved in it.  I wore it all day but I had it on my pinkie finger because I didn't want to take my other ring off. My pinkie finger was really small so the ring kept falling off. My mom told me over and over again to put it on my ring finger. That night when I went to bed, I realized I lost my ring!  I started freaking out because I just lost a gift that I had just gotten that same day.  I started praying that I could find it and that my parents wouldn't find out.  I prayed for about five minutes and when I finished, I felt calm.  Just then, my brother walked into my room and he handed me my ring that he found under the Christmas tree.  I was so relieved!  From then on, I never forgot how God was there for me when I needed him.  What I'm trying to say is that our testimonies are all different but yours belongs to only you.  So what is YOUR testimony?

Recipies for Success in School: Good Grades Stew

Good Grades Stew
1 pound of completed homework
2 cups of questions for the teacher
1 spiral notebook
2 sharped pencils
1 can of studying
pinch of positive attitude

Step 1:  Complete each homework assignment the day it's given and place in a safe place until it is ready to be turned in. While you are completing your homework, write down questions for the teacher on the side to give it flavor.  It shows you really want to learn.

Step 2:  Jot down notes the teacher gives you so you will be able to put them in your stew at the end of the day.  Do this with your sharpened pencils. Throw it in the pot with the completed homework and questions.  Cook for a couple of days at 350 degrees.

Step 3:  Before the stew is done, dump in a can of studying.  Mix well.  Then add a pinch of positive attitude for the last kick.  Serve and enjoy and watch your grades change for the better!

United States Shootings

Mass shootings seem to be happening all over the country; from the Century 16 movie theater shooting in Aurora to the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The theater shooting, on July 20, 2012 affected me because it is my State. Most people think that a shooting won't happen where you are but as the Aurora shooting showed me, it can. I have shopped at that mall before, and I have passed the Century 16 movie theater many times.  To know that 12 people died there is sad. Then we have the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting where nearly thirty lives were lost and most of those were children on December 14, 2012. They didn't even have a chance to live their lives yet, because they were so young. And even worse, it was right before Christmas, which for most people is a time of joy, and time spent with family. I hope that many people, like me, will continue to pray for these families through their times of sorrow. I also hope that most people would be willing to pray for the shooters that God will just touch their hearts and show them what is right.

Over the past few years, there have been several shootings; in Pennsylvania among the Amish community, which also took the lives of a number of children, the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado among just a few.  In 2000, two students were killed while leaving a school dance, by a 19 year old, in Savannah, Georgia. A 41 year old nursing school student killed three female professors in 2002, in Tucson Arizona. In Blacksburg, Virginia, a Virginia tech student killed 33 people and wounded 15 more in 2007. School shootings are not a new phenomenon. One of the first school shootings was in New York in 1867 when a 13 year old boy shot and injured many of his classmates.

Many of these school shootings could have been prevented, in my opinion. With more awareness about mental illnesses, these shooting wouldn't have happened. Many of the shooters were mentally ill, including the one in Sandy Hook. With more awareness, we could provide the help that these people needed. Mental illness isn't bad or shameful; it is just a chemical imbalance in the brain that can almost always be treated with medication and/or therapy.  My friend's family have a history of mental illnesses, but with the help of medication and therapy, they live normal lives and you would never know anything was wrong.  Also, another way that could help is by spending more time as a family. Many kids these days live with one parent in a broken home. If these kids could spend more time with their parents, have an opportunity to talk to them and their parents had a chance to get to know them well, they would be less likely to kill people when things feel like they are falling apart.  

"Cry Out to Jesus" by Third Day, I feel fits with whats going on, especially with the opening line "To everyone who's lost someone they love long before it's their time. You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye." I'm praying for all of their families. Please Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVxRl5bc4Y

Sources:
"Aurora Theater Shooting." - The Denver Post. The Denver Post, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

 

Candiotti, Susan, Meredith Artley, and David Ariosto. "Connecticut School Shooting Claims Nearly 30 Lives, Source Says." CNN. Cable News Network, 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

"Third Day-Cry Out To Jesus." Youtube. ThirdDayVevo, 24 Oct. 2009. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVxRl5bc4Y.

 "Time Line of Worldwide School and Mass Shootings." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2013.
"List of School Shootings in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Jan. 2013.

Birthdays

Once a year, we all celebrate our birthday.  Some of us might throw a party, or just hang out with close friends or family.  My birthday is December 3rd which, of course, usually falls on a school day.  This year I'm turning 16 and I will celebrate it with my family and close friends (and all of school!).  I'm grateful to be able to do this because some people aren't as lucky as I am.  They might be missing a family member this year or they just might not have any family to celebrate with them.  There is a song by Casting Crowns called "Just Another Birthday".  It is about how a girl who grew up without seeing her dad much.  When I hear that song, I think how lucky I am that I am not alone and someone always loves me.  I hope you have someone who always loves you, too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tu6NQ4L01w

Source:
 "Just Another Birthday." Youtube. CastingCrowns, 7 Nov. 2011. Web. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tu6NQ4L01w>.