WHAT'S up...

Alright. Hey guys!! I just wanted to let you know real quick, that I started softball today, and here's pretty much how my days are going to be from now on: get to school at least by 8:20, end school at 3:30; then softball practice from 4 'til 6:30; then get home at around 7; then shower, eat, do homework, probably 'til 9? Plus, I have an important world history college class that I have to work hard in. That does not look like fun to me, but I will try my hardest to make it, with the help of God. So that means that it may take me a while to post things on here, but I'll still be around.

*sigh* Practice was so awesome today. I find it much easier to just love the people I dislike. Even if they pretend to be nice to you and talk about you behind your back, it's just much easier to do what's good because God knows what's going on (By this I do not mean that that was necessarily what the person was doing). I need start disliking the sin a lot more than the person, because God loves that person too and I have no right to judge that person. But, by the grace of God, I'll overcome my fears and hopefully be faithful to practices everyday even SATURDAYS ("!!" :/) and just be a good hand for the team; although I got hit right on my knee cap, on the head (almost breaking my glasses), in the chin, and also hurt my hip while practicing slidiiiiinnggg. But it'll all come together though. I'll be strong and survive this pain until april.

See ya'll soon! :)

Quotes & Sayings...

"To anyone in any kind of suffering, Jesus Christ has earned the right to say, "Come unto me...bring your pain here to me. Together we will find a way to make use of it. I am your Redeemer. We will not waste a single tear."

Eugenia Price

We need never refrain from asking anything of God simply on the ground that we think it impossible. God specializes in "impossible" things that are too good to be true.

Carroll E. Simcox

As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

C.S. Lewis

Some things have to be believed to be seen.

Ralph Hodgson

"Faith makes a Christian. Life proves a Christian. Trial confirms a Christian. Death crowns a Christian."

Anonymous

Stay tuned for a new post coming up soon!!

Snow!

SO, it finally snowed last night!!! It looks like just an inch or so of snow, because I can still see the grass. I'm going to go out and take a lot of random pictures. I'm excited!
Anyway. My schedule for this weekend is really tight. I have to go shopping to buy everything I need for softball. And I need to get my physical form done before monday otherwise I can't go to the tryouts. Last year I signed up for softball but then quit because I was too lazy to come to practice everyday after school; and I always considered homework first priority. But THIS YEAR, hopefully it'll be different. Then I have to study for a history text coming up after this week; and guess what? The history test is going to cover more than 5 chapters that are 20-or-so pages long. How fun is that? And I have a map and two journals due for that same class on monday. On top of that, I have to translate a scene from Willy Wonka in Spanish and turn it in monday. You know, I love being busy, but not this kind of busy because I hate studying. I haven't read half of the stuff that I'm supposed to know yet (bad role model!! :D). BUT I'll get it done! Just wait until I bring that F- home... I'm just kidding I have no idea what my grade is going to be. I'm not very smart when it comes to world history and I forget things I learn sometimes so I predict that my grade isn't going to be all that great. I'll do everything I can to at least get a C-. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!! Have a good day!!! Enjoy the snow and stay safe!!

Gossip: Is it really that big of a deal?

Why are people so strict and serious about gossiping? It’s a way for girls (mostly) to let their feelings out, or to say what they think about something. It’s not necessarily bad because we’re just sharing our true feelings with our friends. We need our opinions to be heard, and we need approval; after that, we feel a whole lot better. Here are some other reasons why girls like to gossip:

· To feel superior

· To feel like they’re part of a group

· To get attention

· For control or power

· Out of jealousy or need of revenge

· Out of boredom

Nothing on this list looks appealing to me. What do you think?

As most girls know, we like to talk about practically anything: brief conversations with acquaintances and deep conversations with best friends. But when a tempting subject comes up, it can be very hard for some girls to resist the urge to gossip. For example, say three girls are talking together in a backyard, drinking tea, and the ‘loser’ living next door comes out in his/her backyard. From there, one person might say something about that person, and the sparks that could have been stopped even without water turn into wild fire; meaning that they all could’ve decided to not talk about the person and change the subject, but decided to go on and talk about the person anyway. But what exactly do we get out of that gossip? We may not think that gossip is something serious, but it is. Why? Because it makes us look ugly in the eyes of God. We may think it makes us look good in the eyes of our friends, but what about God? And even if it makes us look good in the eyes of our friends, then there’s something very wrong there because real friends don’t encourage that; friends shouldn’t sin together but rather hold each other accountable and stay away from sin and temptation like the Bible says: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you may also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1. We can NOT pretend that God is not listening to anything we say. We can’t ignore him because He is ubiquitous (omnipresent). And then, at the end of life, we will have to give account for every word that we said— Matthew 12:36-37 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." That verse should put us on guard. Do we really want to wait until it’s too late to realize that life was meant to be lived for God alone? Gossiping may sound fun and entertaining, but it is one very ugly sin that is especially hard for us girls to get rid of. Gossip does not bring any benefit to anyone; it only worsens the relationship between the gossiper and the person who is being gossiped about. We have to make the right choice and not listen to any negative words about anybody. Even if the story is plausible (which is very rare because each person adds their own ideas to it), we aren’t the ones to judge others. We are to love our neighbors like we love ourselves, love our enemies, and stay away from temptation by the help of the Holy Spirit. Our tongues are small yet venomous weapons that can hurt the heart deeply. We have to watch every word we say; if there’s temptation to gossip, we should keep it to ourselves because it seriously is not going to benefit anyone. It doesn’t teach any valuable lessons. Who is going to remember all the gossip by the time we are 80 (God willing)? We need to understand that we are sinners, and gossiping obviously doesn’t make us any better. If we’re living a life for God, then we should be trying to make our lives better with his help; this is where prayer comes in as a powerful tool. But we have no excuse to gossip because God isn’t responsible for our sin, we are.

I also got this from a website:

“Type of information shared during gossip: Gossipers speak of the faults and failings of others, or reveal potentially embarrassing details regarding the lives of others without their knowledge or approval. Even if they mean no harm, it is still gossip.” (http://www.gotquestions.org/gossip-Bible.html) How would you feel if someone went out and told everyone that you had let’s say fungus on your toes? We talk about other people’s negativities as we didn’t have any—Mathew 7: 3 says: “"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”—But without realizing, we are showing off one of our own negativities by gossiping. Nobody is perfect, and talking about other people’s imperfectness does not make us any better in anyway but rather worse in the eyes of God. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Take a look at this:

Things to Remember about Gossip

· Gossip is as sinful as murder and will suffer the same consequences unless there is repentance (Rom. 1:32).

· God holds you accountable to your words (Matt. 12:36-37).

· The person who gossips to you about others, also gossips to others about you.

· Gossip & slander disqualifies persons for spiritual leadership (1 Tim. 3:11, Jas. 3:2).

· Gossip often masks as pretentious concerns for others.

· Gossip often thrives upon secrecy. Where secrecy is removed, gossip is hampered.

· Gossip always contributes to a problem and never to a solution.

· Gossip always distorts and exaggerates, and is never a reliable source of truth.

· Those who gossip & slander are not in right fellowship with God (Rom. 1:28-32).

· Those who gossip rarely get answers to prayer, and often face persistent, unexplainable problems (Psalms 66:18, Prov. 21:23, Prov. 6:12-15).

What to do about Gossip

· If you have been a gossiper, confess this as sin and ask Christ to forgive you. “Repent” by turning in a new direction and surrendering your tongue to Christ, not to gossip or bad-mouth again (1 John 1:9, 1 Cor. 7:10).

· Keep your nose out of other people’s business.

· If you can’t say something good or encouraging about others, then keep your mouth shut (Eph. 4:29).

· Never criticize another person, except to their own face with an intent to help. Criticism can never be “constructive” if expressed to anyone else.

· If your “friends” start bad-mouthing others to you, stop them in their tracks -- refuse to be a partaker of their sins (1 Tim 5:22).

· Avoid association with persons who gossip (Prov. 20:19).

· Expose works of darkness by reporting gossip to the pastor that he may confront and offer correction. Gossip should be treated as any other vile sin (Eph. 5:11).

(http://www.victorious.org/gossip.htm)

For more awareness on why to stay away from gossip, read the following verses:

Leviticus 19:16 – “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”

Proverbs 11:13 – “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”

Romans 1:29 – “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.”

1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.”

Matthew 7:1-2 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”

Photography

Hey guys. I just wanted to share some of my photography with you. I use a sony cyber-shot camera; it's kind of old, but it can take some nice pictures sometimes. It's a rechargeable camera so every time I recharge it and then use it, it dies two hours later. So that's the downside of it. But, this summer, if I get an awesome job, I will save up and buy myself a nice little digital canon camera before I can buy one of the 800-dollars canon cameras that professionals use. I love photography, but I'm not super amazing at it. I try though. I hope you like these photos! :) Stay tuned for a new post coming up soon!

'To Save A Life'

Hello everyone! How is it going? I haven't posted anything in a while. But, here's something really interesting I wanted to share with you. I've subscribed to New Christian Music or newreleasetuesday.com, and every tuesday I receive news about the latest music and so on. So this morning I checked my email and had one of their messages, and in there was a new movie that looked really interesting to me. The name of the movie is 'To Save A Life." Now these are just some ideas that I got after watching the trailer: It's about a popular kid who has everything he wants, but then something from his past comes back into his life and transforms it forever. Then he leaves the popular crowd to hang out with the kids who aren't 'cool' enough, and he gives his life to Jesus. You can watch the preview here and learn a little about how the movie came about. I would like to see this movie when it comes out.

You might also recognize some of the songs they have in there. (I get very excited when I hear songs I like in movies.)

Here's also the link to the website: click. You can check the music they have in the movie if you'd like to.

I also made a picture with the name of the movie. The picture is one I took at the beach.

Mirror Mirror, please tell me...

…am I beautiful? Am I attractive? Do I have a good body? Is my face flawless? Am I an important person? Am I fun to be around? Am I like this person or that person? Who am I?

What you get for an answer is simply what you asked for. The mirror doesn’t talk, it just reflects exactly the same image. But what kind of person do you see in that mirror?

Here are little pieces of my story:

-When I was younger there was a classmate who asked me: “How come your sister is so pretty and you’re so ugly?” This question wasn’t from a four year old or a five year old, it was from a teen. My heart was broken that day and I didn’t know how to answer so I just looked away. Even though that was many years ago, it still hurts when I think about it. Even after I came here to America, people I thought I was friends with said I was ugly. It seemed like only the elderly people thought I was beautiful, while the teenagers said the complete opposite.

-On facebook, with all the weird questions that it can ask someone, there was one question that asked a ‘friend’ whether I was overweight or not. And the person answered ‘yes,’ even though I’m not. I mean, what’s wrong with not having a supermodel body?

-My sister had a soccer tournament once and we went to the game; so while she was on the side of the field with her teammates and I was seating far away on the bleachers, one asked her if she was prettier than me. My sister told me after the game was over that she had replied “yes,” but she was just kidding. And I have no doubt that she was kidding at all; I’m not being sarcastic.

Thanks to all those opinions, ‘til this day I don’t like to look into mirrors very much. I can’t look at myself and think I’m pretty; and often times I end up comparing myself to other person who may also be seen as ugly, just to make myself feel better. Even though I know I should accept and love myself for who I am, I’m not able to do that. Some days I feel pretty confident, other days I’m just like I don’t want to deal with people. This has even caused me to avoid going to youth groups at my church, avoid approaching guys (because beauty is probably one of the first things they look at), not socializing with people, not wanting to wake up to go to school in the morning, or even wear clothes which clearly represented how I felt: what would people care if I dressed like a fashionista when I don’t even look like one?

So all this reveals to me how very important physical beauty is in this world. The media is strongly influencing teenagers with certain looks to wear, talking a certain way, acting a certain way, faking it all, and finding a place to fit in. Everyone is trying nowadays to be seen as someone important, and some have even given up because of failure after failure. I have tried to be someone other than myself; but then I figured, I can’t keep up with being a fake; I’m not a very talkative person, and I’m kind of shy; I don’t have a great fashion sense; I have a dry sense of humor, and I’m not very good at talking with boys. So I slowly chose to return to being myself, and slowly those friends drifted away. But the real friends I had stuck with me all the way. And I am very thankful for that. I may not be the most beautiful person, I may not be cool enough to have tons of friends, I may not know the latest news about whatever, I may not have a good sense of humor, I may be kind of slow sometimes, I may ask the stupidest questions in the world, I may not have a great eye for fashion, but on top of my friends who love me for the real me, God himself loves me for the real me. And those friends I have encourage me and ignore the negative things about me, just like God loves me even though I’m a sinner.

So I not only do I hate looking into mirrors, but I hate being in pictures. I always say to myself I wish I didn’t have these pimples, I wish I had braces, I want to lose a little bit of weight, I wish my nose was smaller, I want to be taller, people don’t think I’m great. There was even one time in my life when I was really thinking about becoming a loner, to let my friends go and not bother them with my problems anymore, and that I didn’t have anything to fit in this world, and that people were right to say bad things about me; I thought I deserved it all. But then I found comfort in bringing it all to God, and I slept alright that night. It’s simply a part of learning to be comfortable with being myself. One time I tried to think only positive things about myself, and it actually worked; but it didn’t stick for a long time. It still happens to me to not believe even my family when they tell me I’m pretty. As I write this article, I just now see how much not being physically perfect can ruin a life. But it shouldn’t! Here are some reasons why:

1. Physical beauty is temporary; looking at all the old people that are out there, we will one day be like them if we get to live long enough!

2. You learn more about life than you learn about physical beauty.

3. God loves me careless of what I look like.

4. My friends and family love me careless of what I look like.

5. Proverbs 31:30- Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

7. My actions and personality count more than what I look like.

8. God’s acceptance is far better than negative comments.

9. Genesis 1: 27- So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

10. Being positive will give me a new outlook on old things; pretty soon after I finally realize I can accept myself the way I am in God’s image, others will too.

11. Physical beauty is not the rule of life-- God made everyone is his image, and HE should be the center of my life; if physical beauty is what makes my life good, then it won’t be that way for long until I give it up and put God first.

12. The world has always been a sinful, imperfect place and will always be; therefore I have to rely on God’s Word and His plans for me.

13. To truly enjoy life, I have to be myself and live out who I am meant to be.

If you’re a person like me who has this kind of trouble, here’s what I’m suggesting you do:

-Be seriously thankful for the true friends you have, even if it’s just one friend. Nobody in the entire world has no friends at all; I mean God is a friend for everyone, even if you’re not a believer; He’s your friend.

-Write a list of positive things about yourself; there has got to be something we’re all good at, it’s not what people say that makes us who we are.

-Read that list every day.

-Read the Bible every day.

-Learn to love yourself.

-Occupy your time with some sort of activity like joining a sports club, volunteering, learning an instrument, going to the movies, doing whatever you like to do, outside of the house. Go beyond your comfort zone and expand your horizons.

-Now I’m not going to tell you to completely change your wardrobe, but get clothes that you feel comfortable wearing and that you think reflects who you are; if you like to wear just t-shirts most of the time like me get some that are orange, pink, yellow, blue, red, or white; just bright and new colors. Try jeans of different colors. If weight is a problem, please don’t go on crash diets. Talk to your parents; get help before you decide to get into any sort of diets. Most importantly, pray.

One thing we have to learn is that this is only the world; there are always going to be people who dislike us for one reason or another, and we can’t do anything about that. People can say whatever they like; we practically have opinions about everything. But God expects us to live a joyful life, not a sad one; he expects us to live a life full of Him, instead of ourselves.

Check out this website:

http://www.openbible.info/topics/physical_beauty

Update and Results

Alrighty. So on the 'Can you guess when my birthday' poll, two people voted. But, they were both wrong. Hehe. Actually they were right. They must've been people who know me very well. Anyway, everybody wins so yes, my birthday is on march 17; and it's my favorite day of the year!

Coming up, is a post which will talking about how much physical appearance matters. In this post I talk about some of my personal struggles and how I'm (still) overcoming them. So, stick around!

Here's a picture that I also found online; I thought it was pretty funny. Click on the image to read it more clearly.

Oh You Bring

This is an amazing song by Hillsong United. It is one of my very favorite bands because their songs are SO powerful. Every time I listen to one of their songs I never want to get off the computer because I can't get tired of worshiping God. It's so amazing how God touches hearts through music like this. One of my goals later in life, God willing, is to travel down to Sydney Australia to visit this church. Their music is the perfect way for me to see how really great God is; and I love that feeling. I hope you enjoy the song! Really try to listen to the lyrics and feel them, and think of God at the same time.

Oh You bring hope to the hopeless
And light to those in the darkness
And death to life
Now Im alive
Oh You give peace to the restless
And joy to homes that are broken
I see You now
In You Im found

And You opened the door for me
And You laid down
Your life to set me free
All that I am will serve You Lord
And You opened my eyes to see
All the wonder and awe of Christ in me
Jesus Youre everything I need

Oh You fill those who are empty
And rescue those in the valley
And through it all You calm my soul
Oh You find me in my weakness
And heal the wounds of my heartache
I worship You in spirit and truth

All honour
All glory

All praise to You

'You say goodbye, and I say hello."

The year 2009 was a lot of fun for me. There were ups and downs as usual, but most of my days were good. God has carried me through another year of life, helping me through everything. I did a lot of new things this year that I'd never done before like going to the beach for the first time ever(!), receiving a guitar from some really nice families from my church, going to concerts with some awesome friends, writing some new stories, going to 'The World of Coca Cola,' and many other things I can't remember right now (I'm too excited for New Year). The two most important things that I'm thankful for are: Getting to know God a lot more, understanding His love for me, and surviving another year of teenage life. I've gone through a lot this year, but God was with me all the time. And one thing I've learned is that pain doesn't last forever when you trust God. Being a teenager nowadays isn't easy, and when I fail to trust and obey Him, I see the consequences very clearly: I fall back with the world and do things that are wrong. But every time I go back and read Proverbs or Psalms or Ephesians or Colossians, I see all the commandments that warn me to stay away from the world, and the forgiveness He unstoppably gives me. My relationship with Him has grown very deep, and I hope that this year it grows even deeper. I don't want to fall into the pressures of the world, I don't want to be somebody I want to be, I want to be who God wants me to. I want to stop feeling weird around people when talking about God, because I don't want Him to be ashamed of me.
This year was fantastic, I love my family very much, they've always been there for me. God has allowed me to experience fifteen wonderful years of life, and this other year is just starting. I can't wait to see what surprises He has for me, and I can't wait for my birthday!
I hope 2010 is a year for me to become more dependent on Christ, and accomplish some of the goals I've set like getting a summer job, save money to buy my own camera, publish a book, do well in school, get some sort of opportunity to serve my community, make my blog helpful for teenagers out there, and keep being happy and thankful.
I hope 2010 is also a great year for you, remember God loves you very much not matter what you've done or will do, He knows everything that's going to happen to you this year.