While I love the snapshots I've been including I don't want to feel compled to have to post one everyday, since not everyday will have a sharable moment. Snapshots will probably end up in most posts from now on, but I also want to add a quotes section and a reading list to the side of my blog. So I will no longer include the books I am currently reading but rather leave some of the best on the sidebar. The Vowel Poetry has lost interest and the ideas section is coming back into focus. SO, the revamp is going to look like this:
In blog posts: Ideas, snapshots if possible and quotes
On sidebar: my blog list which is getting longer and longer, my book list, and pictures if I can get them
Now, since we've finished logistical stuff, on to the real intersting part.
I think all of the 3200 people who were at the conference went away with something different, as can be seen by several different blogs all posting about it. But, how many of us are going to keep the flame burning longer than a month? I think Perseverance is very hard to follow through with. For example, two summers ago I made a list of books that I wanted to read by the time I turned 16. well now I'm sixteen and I've read less than half of the books because I can't perservere. I've been reading 2 peter with Jenna and in the first chapter Peter lists the steps to ensuring your faith and building your character. (I'm trying to memorize it). It goes something like 'add to your faith goodness and to good ness knowledge and to knowledge self control and to self control perserverance and to perserverance brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love.' (2 peter 1:4-7, not exactly quoted). Anyway, while it's really hard to have any of those qualities, perserverance in today's society (like I said I like that word better than culture) is not expected and is often not found. Or how about Galatians 5, where the fruits of the spirit are listed? (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) How many of us can say we have those? Today I'm taking Ernest Shackleton for my model, who perservered and crossed the antarctic to save a crew of 27 men. and you should too.
Snapshot:
Yesterday I helped my dad and his friend Mr paul take carpet out of Mr. Paul's house. I think I shocked all of Mr. Paul's neighbor's because I am a 16 year old girl and I was dragging dirty carpet out of his house. But it's so much fun to rip carpet out! you just yank it off the floor and haul it out! very easy. the hard part is removing the nails and stables that were holding it down. So that's what I did yesterday.
Qoute: "Something is wrong when our lives make sense to non-believers" (from the book Crazy Love, compliments of megan brown)
quick snapshot story thing that goes with the quote: at camp our life gaurd indie was telling me how her fellow life gaurds think she's crazy for volenteering to be the only life guard at camp for a week and not get paid. makes no sense to non-believers, but to us, Indie's enjoying the chance to fellowship with other christians and effect little campers lives. Cool isn't it?
*I'm in a hurry so I didn't correct my spelling mistakes and such. sorry!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
An Awesome and Amazing God
Snapshot: His hands at work
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Do Hard Things Conference at Covenant Life Church. If I could, I’d write down everything Alex and Brett said for you to read and love, but I can’t. So what I will do is tell you to read their book, Do Hard Things (I promise they’re not paying me for this pitch). It is a wonderful motivator for teens in today’s society. (I like that word better than culture). I will also tell you the key moments for me personally. There are 3.
A) Brett’s session on the seven steps to doing hard things, particularly the trap of complacency
Personally, I think of myself as a pretty smart kid. Sure, there are some kids smarter than me, but I’m nearer the top in my estimation. Being the president of the debate club and taking 4 AP classes next year sounds good to most people. But there are certain things I don’t do that I should. Saturday was a real eye opener for me as I listened to a warning against feeling to good about yourself and where you are in life. So I have resolved to do better, harder things, and do better jobs at them. That was moment number one.
B) My sister Jessica
This is not really a moment but an ongoing thing. Throughout the conference I enjoyed, my little sister was there with me the whole time, and I am very excited that she and I can work on doing hard things together. I was washed over with a feeling of sisterly love and remembered her salvation, which I had privy to be a part of. That was moment/feeling number two.
C) My friend Hannah’s and my friend Kevin’s salvation
At the conference they had what I call a ‘revival moment’. Greg Harris, the twin’s dad, gave an incredibly compelling lecture on wolves in sheep’s clothing. (I’m really looking forward to listening to his sermon). After that we had a few questions, which revealed my own short comings, but I never expected any of the youth from my church to rise on the last question of who had just become a new Christian. When I saw my friend Hannah make her way to the front I was just awed. God is so powerful and good and I am so happy that I have a new little sister in Christ, especially since she switches to a public high school this coming year after a life of home schooling. We’ve been praying for her for a while and it was just so cool to see God do that. Like even more than cool, it was amazing in the fullest sense of the word. But, after that, on the way home from the conference in the car, my friend Emma told me that her brother Kevin had been reborn at that moment as well. Kevin is one of the sweetest guys you will ever meet and I was so happy for him! So now he’s going to start the ball rolling to become a member of our church. And think, around a hundred fifty people were saved at this conference! Think of all the other stories like this that there must be, the other friends that are also rejoicing! HALLELUIA and AMEN! What else can one say when God works this way. That was moment number three.
Reading:
Do Hard Things (again) Real Christianity(by William Wilberforce) Mere Christianity(by C.S. Lewis)The second and third books are some that I am challenging myself to read based on a challenge (to read great books) from the twins.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Do Hard Things Conference at Covenant Life Church. If I could, I’d write down everything Alex and Brett said for you to read and love, but I can’t. So what I will do is tell you to read their book, Do Hard Things (I promise they’re not paying me for this pitch). It is a wonderful motivator for teens in today’s society. (I like that word better than culture). I will also tell you the key moments for me personally. There are 3.
A) Brett’s session on the seven steps to doing hard things, particularly the trap of complacency
Personally, I think of myself as a pretty smart kid. Sure, there are some kids smarter than me, but I’m nearer the top in my estimation. Being the president of the debate club and taking 4 AP classes next year sounds good to most people. But there are certain things I don’t do that I should. Saturday was a real eye opener for me as I listened to a warning against feeling to good about yourself and where you are in life. So I have resolved to do better, harder things, and do better jobs at them. That was moment number one.
B) My sister Jessica
This is not really a moment but an ongoing thing. Throughout the conference I enjoyed, my little sister was there with me the whole time, and I am very excited that she and I can work on doing hard things together. I was washed over with a feeling of sisterly love and remembered her salvation, which I had privy to be a part of. That was moment/feeling number two.
C) My friend Hannah’s and my friend Kevin’s salvation
At the conference they had what I call a ‘revival moment’. Greg Harris, the twin’s dad, gave an incredibly compelling lecture on wolves in sheep’s clothing. (I’m really looking forward to listening to his sermon). After that we had a few questions, which revealed my own short comings, but I never expected any of the youth from my church to rise on the last question of who had just become a new Christian. When I saw my friend Hannah make her way to the front I was just awed. God is so powerful and good and I am so happy that I have a new little sister in Christ, especially since she switches to a public high school this coming year after a life of home schooling. We’ve been praying for her for a while and it was just so cool to see God do that. Like even more than cool, it was amazing in the fullest sense of the word. But, after that, on the way home from the conference in the car, my friend Emma told me that her brother Kevin had been reborn at that moment as well. Kevin is one of the sweetest guys you will ever meet and I was so happy for him! So now he’s going to start the ball rolling to become a member of our church. And think, around a hundred fifty people were saved at this conference! Think of all the other stories like this that there must be, the other friends that are also rejoicing! HALLELUIA and AMEN! What else can one say when God works this way. That was moment number three.
Reading:
Do Hard Things (again) Real Christianity(by William Wilberforce) Mere Christianity(by C.S. Lewis)The second and third books are some that I am challenging myself to read based on a challenge (to read great books) from the twins.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Birthday Girl
Snapshots:
1) yesterday was my little sister's birthday. she turned nine years old. I think all the birthday fun stressed her out, but she enjoyed it all the same.
One of the presents I gave her was a toy cell phone. This will be the third she's had, the sixth or seventh in our household. They run out of batteries, get broken, get taken by younger or older siblings, get lost, etc. But overall there's always a set of play keys and a play cell phone for those who want to use them. At one point, I think we even had a toy ipod in our house! It's only fault was that it could only play the American Idol theme, and none of us watch American Idol.
The presents that I think she liked best were the scooter from my parents and the Barbie dolls from my Bestemor (That's norwegian for grandma).
I also witnessed a cute little scene yesterday. My youngest sister is just two years old, and came up to the birthday girl to ask if she could "please hold that one(Barbie)?". She got the Barbie and in return for the favor went over to my dad and said "we go get candles for nini." (nini is what she calls our sister.) Dad had alreasy been out and didn't really want to go pick up birthday candles, but went in order to appease little big eyes aka my two year old sister.
Reading:
The Three Musketeers(again! trying to get through it!) The Thomas the Tank engine Collection (The Thomas stories are well worth reading, plus it's quality time with mio hermano.)
Surfing:
http://www.therebelution.com/ I get to go to thier conference saturday! lucky me!! yeah!
Vowel Poem:
yesterday I was reading my old compositions from about eight or nine years old. I was a very imaginative little girl, I wrote stories about turkeys and weddings and all sorts of crazy stuff. here's a poem about little me.
"Memory Lane"
A lways had a strong imagination
E veryone said I was such a charming kid
I never recognized how silly it was
O r was it?
U sually kids can't imagine
A nd now I know that
E ven though I was a goofball
I wouldn't have changed a thing
O nly I remember all these details
U sually those notes are lost
Yet I have them all.
A ll my old notebooks, for school, and my journals
E very last one is right there.
I maginative stories
O ld poems, Old songs.
U ntil I read them, I didn't realize the treasure
Yes, I remember now.
(nobody else would have as much fun with those books as I do.)
1) yesterday was my little sister's birthday. she turned nine years old. I think all the birthday fun stressed her out, but she enjoyed it all the same.
One of the presents I gave her was a toy cell phone. This will be the third she's had, the sixth or seventh in our household. They run out of batteries, get broken, get taken by younger or older siblings, get lost, etc. But overall there's always a set of play keys and a play cell phone for those who want to use them. At one point, I think we even had a toy ipod in our house! It's only fault was that it could only play the American Idol theme, and none of us watch American Idol.
The presents that I think she liked best were the scooter from my parents and the Barbie dolls from my Bestemor (That's norwegian for grandma).
I also witnessed a cute little scene yesterday. My youngest sister is just two years old, and came up to the birthday girl to ask if she could "please hold that one(Barbie)?". She got the Barbie and in return for the favor went over to my dad and said "we go get candles for nini." (nini is what she calls our sister.) Dad had alreasy been out and didn't really want to go pick up birthday candles, but went in order to appease little big eyes aka my two year old sister.
Reading:
The Three Musketeers(again! trying to get through it!) The Thomas the Tank engine Collection (The Thomas stories are well worth reading, plus it's quality time with mio hermano.)
Surfing:
http://www.therebelution.com/ I get to go to thier conference saturday! lucky me!! yeah!
Vowel Poem:
yesterday I was reading my old compositions from about eight or nine years old. I was a very imaginative little girl, I wrote stories about turkeys and weddings and all sorts of crazy stuff. here's a poem about little me.
"Memory Lane"
A lways had a strong imagination
E veryone said I was such a charming kid
I never recognized how silly it was
O r was it?
U sually kids can't imagine
A nd now I know that
E ven though I was a goofball
I wouldn't have changed a thing
O nly I remember all these details
U sually those notes are lost
Yet I have them all.
A ll my old notebooks, for school, and my journals
E very last one is right there.
I maginative stories
O ld poems, Old songs.
U ntil I read them, I didn't realize the treasure
Yes, I remember now.
(nobody else would have as much fun with those books as I do.)
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