Getting to Know You :)

   Throughout the past few months, I have noticed that my blog has been attracting almost 1,600 viewers from all over the world. The overwhelming majority of pageviews are readers in America, but I also have pretty faithful readers from certain parts of Asia. I only have seven official followers, but I can adamantly declare that just seven readers did not rack up 1,600 hundred pageviews in only five-and-a-half months!

   I am really excited and greatly encouraged to be reaching so many people across the United States and to different parts of the planet. About a month ago, I began to pray that God would use my blog to reach and encourage someone that I did not know. Now that these pageview statistics have been rapidly rising each day, I am wondering if the Lord has caused some people I have not met to stumble across my blog.

   If you are one of these readers who are not official followers, I humbly request that you fill out this "Getting to Know You" questionnaire and submit it in comment form. However, if you feel uncomfortable with sharing this information, I completely understand :) I just thought that this would be a neat way to connect with more of my readers. Even if I only get one response back, I consider this endeavor a great success!

Getting to Know: Olivia (If you would rather not leave your name you can leave this blank :))

Some of my favorite pastimes are: Writing about political/spiritual topics, playing my fiddle, and traveling around the globe.

My favorite season is: Winter, because Thanksgiving and Christmas both take place during this season. Also, it is fun to cuddle up on the couch in front of a fire with a good book while hearing the rain pour down.

I am terrified of: Spiders! Large or small, I avoid them at all costs.
I am currently reading: "Rise to Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara. It is about the political and social events leading up to the Revolutionary War.
Favorite Thing to Study: History. I love learning about the past and drawing parallels to the present.
My favorite sport is: Tennis!
God is currently teaching me: His faithfulness. Lately, He has shown me time and time again that He will never give up on me, and that He is faithful and just to forgive me.

If you are a veteran reader, please feel free to comment as well :) I can't wait to hear from you!!

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:24-25

1 Timothy 6:11-16

"But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of Faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen." - Timothy 6:11-16

I thought that I would share my final thoughts of the day before I hit the sack :) In this beautiful passage, I love the picture that Paul accurately paints of Christ: "...the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power..." Do you realize that God is so Holy that no man can look upon Him and survive? It is wonderful to know that a God as powerful as He is, chooses to love us! The very voice that called Noah, speaks to us. The very hand that calmed the Red Sea, holds us. The same God who can completely devastate an entire army by merely speaking, is the exact God who zealously fights for us. We serve a glorious and majestic God!!

When We Fail

At times, we as people go through seasons in life where we feel greatly discouraged. We feel that whatever we put our hand to ultimately fails. When we speak, people are left offended and indifferent. Wherever we go, trouble, failure, and calamity faithfully follow. Maybe we're caught in sin, or received a bad grade on a test. Perhaps we unintentionally made a careless mistake that greatly complicated a situation. In some situations, it feels like we have failed so miserably, that it is impossible to be made new and forgiven. We desperately want to escape the world of constant failure, but we haven't the strength. How do we loose the iron chains that bind us to our despair? How can we break free from the feelings of guilt that ensnare us? How can everything be "just as it was" again?

   Cry out to Jesus. Only He, in His mighty power, can release us from such feelings. With just one word, He can destroy the shackles and break the iron bars that pin us to our sadness. We may feel that we have committed a sin that permanently separates us from God or dramatically weakens our walk with Him. However, know that although we sin, God's love is always abounding and His love never shortens.

   Truthfully, nobody is perfect. It is our nature as fallen human beings to sin against God every day, which is why we so desperately need a Savior. God's unending love for us is a tremendous gift, so be sure to never, ever take it for granted. Do not deliberately sin, knowing that Christ will forgive you anyway. God honors a repentant heart, and if you do something you know you shouldn't, knowing that God will forgive your actions, you are not truly sorry for your sin. Jesus Christ forgives those who are truly sorry for their sins and are moved to a degree of sadness because of what they so thoughtlessly did. If we are treating the mercy of God like a common vending machine, then we treading upon His grace. However, there is hope :)

   What if we are truly sorry for our sins, and feel hopelessly trapped in guilt? In the film Amazing Grace, I am always touched by the line, "My memory is fading, but there are two things I remember very clearly...I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior." No matter how many sins we have committed, no matter how many terrible things we have thought, said or done, and no matter how many mistakes we've made, we are never too far gone. If we have a truly repentant heart, Christ is always ready to receive us with open arms, remove our guilt, and make us new.

   Although you may have failed God, He still loves you and desires to forgive you today :) Today, make your heart right before Him; remember, Jesus Christ willingly took all your sins, short-comings and failures to the cross. Come to Him with an honest, repentant heart and with a heart of joy, He will forgive you!! How exciting to know, that Jesus bore all of our mistakes and faults for us. With a heart abounding in love, awe-struck wonder, and adoration, I say "Thank you Lord!" 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

As Summer Closes...

   At last, after nearly three weeks, I am posting!! Thank you so much for bearing with me and my non-updated blog; life has been full of busy happenings as summer vacation comes to a rapid close. My family and I have taken a couple trips, as well as welcomed our cousins from Texas into our home for a week. With all the restless (yet wonderful) events taking place, it has been nearly impossible to steal away and dedicate a few precious moments to my blog. This long-awaited post is dedicated to my five favorite events that took place this summer: 1. Seeing my cousins from Texas 2. Going to Patrick Henry College 3. Camping 4. Competing in Tennis 5. Vacation Bible School

   My Uncle and Aunt have five children and the oldest is only six years old. Hearing the sound of high-pitched voices, seeing tiny shoes scattered throughout a room, and washing off small stubby fingers after each meal became very pleasing. Having small children around the house again was really enjoyable :) All five of the children are precious and have really sweet hearts. They stayed at our house for a few days, then we all packed up and went tent camping at my grandpa's large ranch. Having my mother's side of the family all staying together at once was really special. After sleeping under the stars for a few days, my cousins left California and flew home to Texas. I can't wait to see them again!

   About four days after getting home from the ranch, our immediate family re-loaded my Dad's truck, and headed to the hills for our second camping trip of the summer. Lake Alpine - where we camped - proved to be the perfect place to wind down before school and all its academic rigor begins again. We hiked, swam, played games, laughed, and greatly enjoyed each other's company. I truly have no greater friends than my parents and siblings! Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, so that camping trip will be remembered solely by the mental pictures we snapped :)

   Over the past couple days, I have been organizing my textbooks, school schedule, and my cluttered desk in preparation for this coming Monday. It is hard to believe that summer is already over; after all, didn't school just end yesterday? The classes I will be taking are: Algebra 2, Spanish 3, U.S. History, English, Violin, Tennis, World Music, and Piano. This semester, I will really be focusing on expanding my knowledge of music and (hopefully) dramatically enhance my skills as a violinist. Please post in a comment the courses that you will be taking this year; I would love to know!

   Every summer, my tennis team and I have the opportunity to compete for the state title. Our team placed second in our local league,  which earned us a spot in the semi-finals at Clovis. However, we were narrowly defeated by our opponents on the first day of the competition. Even though our team didn't win, I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to make it to the semi-finals and grow stronger together as a team. Next year, our goal is to win :)

   Our church stretched Vacation Bible School out across five weeks and held it every Thursday night during that time. I oversaw the "Bible Memory" station where I selected, then taught the children memory verses each week. The kids competed against one another in a venture to see who could memorize the most portions of scripture. I felt so blessed and privileged to be able to work with the children who had eager hearts to hide God's Word in their hearts :) To check out photos from this event, click here.

   As my beloved summer vacation comes to a close, I thank God for the many wonderful memories that these few months will forever hold :) Now it is time to confidently sharpen my pencil, complacently sit at my desk, and courageously begin my junior year. God bless you, my dear readers!!

Lesson from a Poem

   One of my dear friends from Church shared this poem with me yesterday. It served as a refreshing reminder that the things of this world are empty, and only Christ can satisfy your desires. People are often seeking for material things to fulfill the deepest longings of their hearts. We are born with a stinging void in our hearts that yearns to be fulfilled by something or someone. However, we usually turn away from the open arms of God and seek after the worldly things to satisfy us. The author of this passage (Bethany Spence) beautifully portrays the longing of a young girl's heart as she discovers the only One who can fulfill her.

Filled

by Bethany Spence

She sits and she wonders

Who will it be?

Who is the right one

Who truly loves me?

For years now she's searched

But was never satisfied

While searching she realized

She's empty inside

She found no one to fill her

No one like she's dreamed

Every one worth nothing

All shallow, it seemed

So she sits and she ponders

On a bench at the park

What will he look like

The boy who wins my heart?

Lovesick, she sighs

When out of the blue

Came a lonely old woman

"May I sit beside you?"

She nodded and made room

The the woman began to speak

She spoke of Jesus

And tears fell down her cheeks

"He love you", she said

And she gave her a smile

"He laid it on my heart today

To talk to you for a while."

The the woman got up

And left her alone

She was crying and shaking

How could she not have known?

It was Jesus who loved her

His name she repeated

And right then she knew

It was Him that she needed

So she bowed her head

Her heart ready to be spilled

And from that moment on

To the brim she was filled.

Newest Lego Creation

   My 11-year-old brother Robert is a builder. God gave him the most creative, mathematical, and detailed mind I have ever seen in someone his age. Every time he proudly presents one of his newest lego creations to the family, we are always amazed by his remarkable talent and skill for constructing things. One of my favorite designs of his is pictured above. Being a musician, I found a very unique appreciation for this piece. The intricate details on the violinist and cellist are truly amazing to examine. A couple weeks ago, he presented this to our violin instructor and she was completely awed by his work. I can't wait to see how God uses his incredible mind :)

From Drab to Delightful

"Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."   - Psalm 27: 11-13 (emphasis added)

   The portion I bolded in the above passage is primarily what I want to discuss :) In the Hebrew language, one of the literal meanings of the word "goodness" in this passage, is "beauty". The Psalmist here writes about his pursuit of the beauty of God. He desires the faultless refinement that only the Lord can give.

   As a newly-wed housewife does to a mis-matched bachelor pad, she rids the house of plain items and replaces them with pleasant ones. When she spends time making her dull house an attractive home, she is ushering in beauty and warmth. This is what happens when Christ comes into our lives; he takes our filthy rags and replaces them with His perfect righteousness. Before Christ, we are repulsive and distasteful, but once we are filled with His glory, we become new, fresh, and appealing.

   As a follower of Christ, we should continually be filling our minds with things that are good, pure, noble, and beautiful. When we meditate on the things of Christ, we are pursuing His holiness and His peerless beauty. It is important to break any habits you have or thought patterns that are unpleasing or unglorifying to God. Take those trashy areas of your life, lay them at the feet of Christ, and ask Him to fully replace them with His irreproachable beauty.  

   Find an unkempt corner of your home today and purpose to rid it of its shabbiness. Practice making the world around you delightful and appealing. Value the things that are lovely and always pursue the beauty of Christ.

Love 101

   What is love? This pending question has tried to be answered by Jane Austin writing her romantic novels, Beethoven composing his passionate music, and Thomas Cole painting his affectionate portraits. One of the greatest desires of mankind is to love and have their feelings reciprocated. How can we define this pleasurable, captivating, feeling?

   Today, people casually use the word "love" for almost everything;  we can love our parents and love onion rings. Although we feel for our parents much differently than we do food, we use the same phrase to define our affection toward both. The world's definition of love is a lifeless, bleak thing. According to our mislead culture, love can be understood as either sinful lust or just strong admiration for another person. God's concept of love is completely different than what our world thinks. Love is a powerful action, whereas it is usually misused to defining a mere feeling. If love is a verb, how exactly do we act?

   In 1 John, its says that "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." It is impossible to love without personally knowing and serving God. Those outside of Christ cannot truly love one another. In essence, God is love, and those who do not follow Christ cannot truly love.

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." - John 14:5

   Obedience and love are completely inseparable. One of the ways we express our love is through our obedience. We love our parents by obeying them, just like we love God by keeping his Holy commandments laid out in Scripture.

   "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up..." - 1 Corinthians 13:4

   Love willingly endures trials and hardships. Long suffering can be better defined as patience. True love holds fast and abides for a long period of time. Our love must be lasting and permanent. Since God Himself is love, we should always be looking to Him to see how this action portrayed. God shows patience by still accepting us after we have failed. We are to love others by forgiving them even when they have wronged us.
   Love is kind. We love others by showing them mercy and grace. Jesus flawlessly demonstrated this by helping those in need and not slandering them. He sacrificially loved the people by spending His time with them, gently teaching them, and miraculously healing them.
   Love does not envy. Jealousy usually leads to covetousness and - when it gets out of hand - hatred. We love other people by rejoicing for them when they are happy, and mourning with them when they are hurting. If we observe someone who has triumphed in a certain situation, we must love them by being genuinely glad for them and not putting on a hidden attitude of jealously.
   Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, In order to truly love, we have to destroy our pride. As you may have seen countless times from history, pride destroys rulers, countries, and the lives of ordinary people. Love is accomplished by the complete humbling of oneself. When Jesus came to Earth, He did not come as a "big-wig" or "Mr.-goody-two-shoes". In fact, Jesus was born in a stable and executed his earthly ministry as a regular man (note that Jesus was fully God and fully man) even though He had access to complete power. We have no room to be puffed up and love and the same time. If we want to be great in God's Kingdom, we must humble ourselves and learn to be the servant's of all. Love is humble!
   If we lack any of these above qualities, and I exhort myself above anyone, we do not truly love. Ask God to examine your heart and give you a spirit of true love for others :) Have a blessed day, my dear readers!

To expand upon this subject, please visit this link.

God's Existence

   Do you ever ask the questions: Does God hide Himself? Why doesn't He make Himself known to the ignorant beings who reject Him? Or, why doesn't He just paint "I am the true and living God" across the sky for the whole world to see? Truthfully, I used to be struggling with these tormenting thoughts and constantly asked these same questions to myself. More specifically, my mind usually wandered to the world-renowned Oxford professor: Richard Dawkins.

   Richard Dawkins is a brilliant scholar to whom God gave an incredible mind. I highly respect him for his level of intelligence and proficient eloquence. Although this knowledgeable man has a remarkable intellect and a superior position in the world of education, he is a pronounced and zealous athiest. In 2006, Richard Dawkins wrote a book called The God Delusion where he forcefully argues the non-existence of Almighty God. In short, he completely denies the mere possiblility of the existence of a Higher Power who created the universe.

   Observing the sucess and fame of someone like this man caused me to ask God, "Why don't You reveal Yourself to men like Richard Dawkins who are fighting so hard against You?" Then, in His soverign, gentle, yet powerful way, God answered me. God didn't audibly speak to me, but with a still, small voice He removed the walls of confusion that enclosed my flustered mind.

   Friends, whether you realize it or not, God is openly revealing Himself and proclaiming His existence and majesty every moment of our lives. God's handiwork and proof of His existence is made manifest in every object He created. Take something simple, like the tree. A tree has roots which absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil which allows is to live. It then uses those nutrients to aid in the growing and strengthening of its trunk, the complicated process of photosynthesis, reproducing seeds that fall to the ground and begin to form into their own trees. My question is: How do they know how to do that? How does a tree just "know" how to grow roots, use sunlight and water for energy, make seeds that grow into trees that repeat the same life cycle?

    God does write His name across the sky. The very fact that the sky is, means He is! In fact, He leaves His signature on every leaf, feather, human body, and insect. Please don't confuse this; God is not the sky, but the sky is an object of His very creation. Don't worship the creation, worship the Creator. We may not literally see the sentence "Made by God", but hasn't God proved His existence already? God did not choose to etch His name using letters in the atmosphere, because all of creation bears His mark. Look out across the ocean, observe the stars above you, and marvel at your own hand. Do not all of these things bear the mark of the Almighty?

"Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors..'" - Job 38:3-10

My Trip to Virginia - Part 2

   One of the most impacting lessons I took away from Patrick Henry College was learning the characteristics a godly leader. A leader is not merely someone with a booming voice, commanding presence, and an eloquent tongue. Although these attributes would definitely come in handy as a leader, those are not the key elements required.

   You need to have a humble spirit. No one is going to want to follow someone who is arrogant and haughty. Those who shun the opinions of anyone else because they think that they have all the correct answers, will never be esteemed. Proverbs 11:2 states: "When pride comes, them comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." God deeply loathes and despises pride, which means that we should stay far away from it. Don't take all the credit for the things you accomplish, make sure that you are continually giving the glory to God. 

   Secondly, be a servant! Jesus was the perfect example of leadership and He, the King of Kings, lived His life in full humility. His lowly birth in a stable and His entrance into Jerusalem on a mere donkey demonstrate that his heart was bursting with humility. In Matthew 23, Jesus says "...he who is greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Those who exercise a life of servanthood will often make choices for the betterment of others. Would we not want to follow someone who had our best interests in mind?

   Finally, exercise prudence and discretion on a daily basis. These two traits are essential for a godly leader. When one leads (and everyone does in one capacity or another) and is faced with certain decisions, they will need to have sound judgement, wisdom, and understanding. Proverbs 2:11-12 says, "Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things..."

My Wing

   My week spent at Patrick Henry College was full of convicting yet inspiring lectures. I hope to strive to grow in all of these areas and faithfully execute the vocation that God has called me to. However, our days at Patrick Henry were not full of speeches alone; we had plenty of recreational activities which balanced out seriousness and fun :) 

  At the very start of camp, we were assigned to different dorms and within those dorms, specific wings. There were six gentleman wings and six lady wings. Each wing had a team name; we were the "Southern Belles". One gentleman wing and one lady wing would combine together to form one team, making six teams altogether. Our opposite guy team were the "Arabian Knights". Consequently, we combined our team names and became "The Southern Knights". 

   Throughout the week, the co-ed guy and girl teams would compete with other guy and girl teams to win the envied Party in a Bag. We earned points by arriving to meals on time, participating in games, and making a skit at the end of the week. Long story short, our team ended up winning the Party in a Bag which contained all sorts of delicious junk food, a variety of sodas, and a movie :) It was so much fun!! The way we won it though, was not due to our teamwork talent or our incredible acting skills. In fact, our team was a little dysfunctional at first. As God worked on our hearts, we slowly began to put our knowledge of leadership into praxis.

   Each activity we did involved working together as a team. Although it may sound simple, it took a great deal of time before we actually understood how to a) choose a main leader and b) respect each other as we functioned as a team. During the first couple recreational activities, each one of us all had our own ideas about how to best complete our challenges. That often caused slight frustration because we weren't working together as a unit. However, when we truly understood the Biblical principles of leadership and applied them to our common actions, we began to function like a true team. Once we decided to regard the opinions of others above our own, we began to get along almost perfectly. As previously stated, at the end of the week, our team won 1st place and we throughly enjoyed our Party in a Bag :)
    There were so many valuable lessons I learned during my time at Patrick Henry. I hope to holdfast to what I learned and commit myself to the Lord by constantly applying these principles to my life. I encourage and exhort all of you to be godly leaders with humble countenances, displaying the heart of Christ through your servanthood. God bless you, my dear readers!