Rawk Fist!

Saturday night I got to go see Thousand Foot Krutch (one of my favorite bands) in concert. I had planned on going, but when I went to order tickets, they were sold out...which is somewhat unheard of for this type of concert. Anyway, a friend from church called me Saturday morning and told me that she and her husband couldn't go to the concert anymore and would I like to buy their tickets? Uh...YES!!!! The concert was amazing! Decypher Down opened for Thousand Foot Krutch who opened for Skillet. Decypher Down is a bit too screamy for me to enjoy. And TFK is an amazing band so of course I loved their set!!! I didn't know many Skillet songs, but I really enjoyed them as well.



Decypher Down








Thousand Foot Krutch


























Skillet






Whoever says you can't worship at a rock concert (or to rock music)... this picture proves you dead wrong. I love this picture.

Life

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life has been so crazy! I had so much homework last night, I spent about 6 hours working on the computer doing homework and stuff!!! It was insane!

Heather and I are housesitting for the next week. There are 3 cats at the place we're at, so I thought I'd share some pictures with you.



This is Gabby. He's the king of the house...and he knows it!
























We went to Burger King the other day. Gabby was very curious about what was in the bag :) The cat in the background is Princess.










This is Gus










Gabby again. He's claimed me and Heather says that he's "my man" :)

Glorious Easter!!

Good Friday

I love getting mail!

When I got home today, this was sitting on the counter waiting for me. Immediately, I knew what it was...










I opened it up and pulled out such a nice looking carrying case. (Ignore the unmade bed in the background lol)












Here it is!!! I ordered a camera tripod on Monday. Well, actually Tuesday morning, considering that the auction ended at 12:20 and I just had to stay up and make sure I won!!!












It has a level to ensure that your pictures aren't crooked!











This is with the legs extended once. When the legs aren't extended, the tripod sits at about 15". Here it's probably about 24"











This is fully extended. When I stad up, it comes up to the bottom of my ribcage, so I suppose it's about 48" or so.
I can't wait to actually be able to use a tripod for my photography! I also ordered a mini tabletop tripod, which will be super handy for taking pictures when I'm cooking!

Martyr Monday

"EXTREME TIME

A man was walking late one night to a distant town when he stumbled upon something in the road. Reaching down, he picked up a small bag full of stones. He looked around and stared through the darkeness, attempting to see if anyone had dropped them. Seeing no one, he decided to take the bag along with him on his journey on a moonless night.
To pass the time, he started dropping the small stones in the river bordering the road. Plop...plop... the sounds was harmless amusement for the bored traveler. When he reached his destination, he had only two stones left in the bag. Entering the town, he drew close to a street lamp off the square. Cupping the two remaining stones in his palm, he looked at them under the yellow lamplight and saw an odd twinkle and luster to the stones. He peered closer. To his shock and dismay, the small, stones were actually diamonds!
A wise prison pastor who was able to lead many of his fellow prisoners to Christ related this small story on numerous occasions. He learned through suffering that every minute could be used to further God's kingdom, no matter what the circumstance. He often admonished others, "You can regain lost money, but not lost time. Use your time wisely in God's service."

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Thirty-two million seconds in each year, and each second we live is a precious gift from God to use for his purposes. If we waste them, the seconds return to God, but they will not return to us. They are gone forever, like the diamonds in the silt of the river bottom. Jesus, even while being crucified, spent his final breaths offering salvation to the robber and speaking words of comfort to his mother. He even ministered to his murderers by offering them forgiveness. Imagin how precious that time was to the thief who joined Jesus in Heaven that day. Are you filling your precious moments with purpose? Ask God to show you how to redeem your time, not waste it.

(White, Tom, comp. "Extreme Chains." Extreme Devotion. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001. 68.)

That's MY King!

I think I'm in Love!!!

I decided to try a new dessert recipe for dinner tonight. It turned out fabulous! It's so quick and easy to make and it tastes divine! You can check it out here.



Did I scare you a little with the title? haha :)

New Shoes :)

Remember this dress? My aunt surprised me with it when I was in Ohio over spring break. Well, you can't wear flip flops (my usual spring/summer footwear) with this kind of dress!











I had to get some other things yesterday, so I decided to go shopping after school.










It doesn't hurt to look, so I thought I'd just go to Target and see if they had any cute shoes. I found these!








They were on sale for a really good price. And they look good with my dress. And I can wear them with lots of my other clothes!!!








"Cinderella is living proof that a pair of shoes can change your life."
I always thought that quote was cute :)

A Great Quote

I just read this in my devotions and I have to share it with you.

" Love, just because it is love, exposes itself to all risks- even the risk of being isused by the wicked- in order to win all. We must not give up teaching love for one's enemies even though, for a time, God haters profit at our expense. We believe that the Word is God and in the end this Word will change the hearts of even those who hate God."
-Pastor Richard Wurmbrand

Martyr Monday

"EXTREME GRACE
Romania: Pastor Richard Wurmbrand

Pastor Wurmbrand worked his way through the other prisoners to where another pastor sat motionless on the floor. He had just been thrown into the cell. He was badly beaten. Wurmbrand did not kn ow if he would survive the night.
With loving compassion Pastor Wurmbrad knelt down beside the beaten pastor and asked, "My brother... can you say the prayer, 'Father forgive them'?"
The man winced with pain, touching his swollen, bruised face. It was difficult to speak. The words came out slowly, "I cannot."
Just as Pastor Wurmbrand began feeling sympathy for the man, the beaten pastor began to speak again. With tears in his eyes he said "My prayer is not 'forgive them.' My prayer is... 'Father, forgive them and forgive me.' If I had been a better pastor, perhaps there would have been more converted torturers."
This weary pastor expressed his concern for the missed opportunities to convert his enemies to Christ. Both pastors realized a young member of Romania's Communist Youth Organization was once arrested and unmercifully beaten by a supposedly Christian police officer. This incident hardened his heart toward Christa for the rest of his life. This missed opportunity for the gospel finally became the director of the former Communist nation of Romania. Nicolai ceausescu was responsible for the torture of countless Christians, including Pastor Wurmbrand and his fellow beaten pastor.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5

No regret is greater than that from a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, life often brings missed opportunities like the birth of a child, a Christmas morning, or even that last flight out going home. However, nothing compares to the missed opportunity to change another person's eternal destiny. We never know how the seemingly nominal person sitting next to us on the train one day might affect the world for Christ-- if only we said something. Equally true is the possibility that breaking our silence might detour a determined Christian opponent. You many count many missed opportunities for the gospel in your past. However, you can change your future by seizing the opportunities given to you each day to share your faith."

(White, Tom, comp. "Extreme Chains." Extreme Devotion. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001. 68.)

I don't usually add on to what I copy for Martyr Monday, but this story is kinda "special" to me. You see, I've been to Romania. I've seen firsthand the (aftermath of the) effects of communism in this country. The communist regime fell about 18 years ago, but the people of Romania are still affected so much by it. When I read this devotion, it really struck me. As Christians, we never know who we are influencing, or who our actions will make an impact on. I know that I don't want to be remembered as the guard who claimed to be a Christian but then beat someone so badly that the impact was felt on an entire country! I want to live my life so that people see there's something different about me, and they know that I'm a Christian. I want to impact other people by my actions and build them up, not tear them down. I want to make the most of every opportunity that is given to me.

8 in 2008

Well, today is March 8. Three months into 2008, and time to check in for the 8 in 2008 Intentional Living challenge.

1. Make devotions and prayer a priority- This is getting easier for me. I love the devotional that I'm using now, so I'm looking forward to doing devotions (this hasn't always been true)

2. Listen more, talk less- This is a work in progress, and probably will be for the rest of my life. I'm finding that it is getting easier to keep my mouth shut and concentrate on what the other person is saying before adding in my two cents.

3. Don't choose favorites-pay attention to everyone- Working on this one...

4. JOY. Jesus, Others, Yourself -Having devotions that I enjoy, and that are good, is really helping me with this one.

5. Be able to run 5 miles by December- HAHA!!! :) Does dancing count? I could dance for 5

miles...does that even work? Anyway, it's too cold out for me to run, so this hasn't been a priority...

6. Keep my room clean -I just cleaned it, and I must say, it's looking pretty good.

7. Live with Kaylyn and Libby for a week this summer (preferably July 21-25) -Self explanatory :)

8. Teach the Hill girls how to cook a full course meal for their parent's anniversary (July 14) -We're working on it!!! We had our first lesson last month, and it was great!!!

The English Language

I saw this on another blog and it made me laugh...it's so true!!!

Asylum for the Verbally Insane

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England .
We take English for granted, but if we explore its
paradoxes, we find that
quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but
not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of
all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking
English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people
recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the
same, while a wise man and
a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a
language in which your house
can burn up as it burns down,
in which you fill in a form by filling it out,
and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop,
how come Mother's not Mop?

The Beach

I really wanted to go out to the beach to see all the ice and stuff. The weather was absolutely beautiful...clear skies and sunny today, so my friend and I went out to the state park in Holland.

You make my day!!!/Free to fly!

Heather gave me this award... Thanks Heather!
I just saw that Brenda and Tammy passed it on to me too! Thanks Brenda and Tammy!











The rules of this award are to give it to 10 other people whose blogs give you happiness, inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know that you have given them this award via e-mail or by posting a comment on their blog. This way they can continue to pass this award along! You should know that you may get this award many times, but this just means that you are very, very loved! Just keep passing the award on "keep the love going!"

I would like to pass award along to:

Heather (right back at ya!)
Alecia
Julie
Jennifer
Mari
Cheryl
Cheri
Brenda
Jennifer
Tori

****Updated at 12:00****

I just saw that Brenda also passed this award on to me...

It reads like this:I have wanted to be able to make an award that I could share with some of those blogs that consistently make me laugh, make me think,and inspire me to grow and to reach.The types of blogs that do this for me have a few things in common.Like a butterfly becomes beautiful,by living a quiet life, hidden for a season,while beauty develops on the inside.That same butterfly has to go through a season of struggle before it is Free to Fly!Once it IS Free to Fly,that butterfly NOW has a beauty we all are blessed to see.Everywhere the butterfly goes,it spreads pollen and makes it possible for flowers to bloom and fruit to be developed.You could say it leaves a trail of life in its wake!What a beautiful thought!Butterflies don't go around trying to be beautiful.They don't say "hey, look at me".They just ARE, they just DO, they just LIVE.All that time spent hidden in a cocoon,was not wasted.The time and effort spent struggling to get out of the cocoon made the butterfly strong and ABLE to fly!I have been blessed to find many women through blogging,who have allowed the struggles of a hidden life,serving in ways that are often unseen and seemingly inconsequential(judging from their lack of entourage, paparazzi, and assistants!That IS what our culture uses as the standard for recognizing importance, right?)to make them strong, make them able to find the humor,able to see the big picture and to find the purpose in the everyday matters of investing in the lives around us.Their ability to focus on the things that REALLY matter,and to allow the struggles of life to strengthen them,leaves everyone they come in contact with a deposit of "pollen".A little dose of the grace that is unique to them,which adds wisdom, humor, truth and just a little whiff of the fragrance of Christ that is unique to them!They are some wives or mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and nieces.They fulfill all sorts of roles in and outside the home.In their church and outside their church.The world is a more beautiful and abundant place because of the daily choices they make.There are two scriptures for this - they work together:"He has made everything beautiful in its time.He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds[a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy],yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."Ecclesiastes 3:11&John 10:10"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.I came that they may have and enjoy life,and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

I want to pass this award on to the same people that I gave the first award to!!!