I was at camp this past week- Camp Forest Springs. So much happened that I'm pretty sure I would bore you all if I told you everything... even if all I told you was exciting. Of course, if you really do want to hear all about it, feel free to call or e-mail or something, but otherwise I'll just give you the one (or maybe two) biggest things I got out of camp.
The biggest thing is that as of Wednesday, I was REALLY convicted that I needed a more personal relationship with Jesus. As I was praying that night and many girls around me were crying (it was the girls' night when all the boys were on their camp-out), this random image came to my mind of me running up to Jesus and just giving Him a great, big hug. And I wanted so badly to tell Him that He had always been my very best friend. At this point in my life, if I were to be taken home right now, I'm not sure if I would be able to tell Him that. I want so badly for Him to be my best friend, and I've gone around saying that He was my best friend, but I haven't acctually had an extremely personal relationship with Him. I've prayed and read my Bible, but often times it just feels like going through the actions. And I definately know that I don't pray even a fraction of the amount that I should be praying (of course, I'm pretty sure you can never pray enough). So I've decided to give up my "thinking time" before I go to bed (which I'm pretty sure kept me up an unhealthily amount of time) and I pray before I go to bed and just keep talking to God until I fall asleep. It keeps me up a little while, sure, but there's something very calming about talking to God. I've also started my day praying, too, right when I wake up. It's been incredible and I love it! God is SO good!!
Another thing is that we talked a little bit about the universe this week and on Friday night, my cabin walked up to the recreation field and looked up at the stars and talked. I find it so amazing how in a universe so huge and awesome, God still cares about me and loves me personally. It makes me feel so small and insignificant, but even how small I am compared to all that, God still sees me as his daughter. His princess. Again, I think, wow. God is SO amazing!!
I guess I should probably get to bed because last week was full of late nights and it's been late nights since I've been home, too, and I am wiped!! Maybe I'll talk more about camp later, but I'll for sure keep you updated on everything else!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Picture Update!!
I figure, I haven't done a picture update in a while (come to think of it... have I ever??) so I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures out of the many from this past week or so!
Baseball Game
This is probably my favorite picture ever taken of my mom. :)
Andrew and I
I love this picture of Andrew, too!
Andrew, my Aunt Paula, and I
Grandma Joan
Zoo
Mr. Pelican
GIRAFFES!!!
Me with the giraffe-I held this smile for about 4 years before my mom took the picture because she was "waiting for the giraffe to cooperate."
The prarie dogs remind me of Flagstaff when we saw a ton of them on our way to church. I was going to try to get a picture of one standing up with it's "arms" in the air like on the cover of that book we used for youth group, but that didn't really work out... :)
Alligator
80's Workout outfit
Rachel came over and we were going to do an 80's dance video together to match my outfit, but ended up doing a Latin dance one, instead. That's okay, though, because I got to do a kickboxing video from the 80's today (which I LOVED) that matched my outfit, so everything worked out. :)
Baseball Game
This is probably my favorite picture ever taken of my mom. :)
Andrew and I
I love this picture of Andrew, too!
Andrew, my Aunt Paula, and I
Grandma Joan
Zoo
Mr. Pelican
GIRAFFES!!!
Me with the giraffe-I held this smile for about 4 years before my mom took the picture because she was "waiting for the giraffe to cooperate."
The prarie dogs remind me of Flagstaff when we saw a ton of them on our way to church. I was going to try to get a picture of one standing up with it's "arms" in the air like on the cover of that book we used for youth group, but that didn't really work out... :)
Alligator
80's Workout outfit
Rachel came over and we were going to do an 80's dance video together to match my outfit, but ended up doing a Latin dance one, instead. That's okay, though, because I got to do a kickboxing video from the 80's today (which I LOVED) that matched my outfit, so everything worked out. :)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Great Choruses
I've come across some really cool songs that have some pretty amazing choruses and I just thought that I would share!
Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear
But our hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged
Our Hope Endures, Natalie Grant
After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain
Beauty From Pain, Superchick
Meanwhile back at my heart
I'm desperate for all that You are
See through me and take me apart
Meanwhile back at my soul
Mend me, please make me whole
You know just where to start
Back at my heart, back at my heart
Back at my Heart, Natalie Grant
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Praise You in this Storm, Casting Crowns
Nothing but Jesus, nothing but Jesus for me -
His cross set before me so Jesus is all I can see.
Lord, seize my heart, assert Your right,
And put all other loves to flight:
Nothing but Jesus, nothing but Jesus for me.
Nothing But Jesus
Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear
But our hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged
Our Hope Endures, Natalie Grant
After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain
Beauty From Pain, Superchick
Meanwhile back at my heart
I'm desperate for all that You are
See through me and take me apart
Meanwhile back at my soul
Mend me, please make me whole
You know just where to start
Back at my heart, back at my heart
Back at my Heart, Natalie Grant
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Praise You in this Storm, Casting Crowns
Nothing but Jesus, nothing but Jesus for me -
His cross set before me so Jesus is all I can see.
Lord, seize my heart, assert Your right,
And put all other loves to flight:
Nothing but Jesus, nothing but Jesus for me.
Nothing But Jesus
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Favorite Authors
I was tagged with this by Jenny and sorry it's taken me so long!! I was just catching up on my daily dose of Jenny today when I saw this!
Who is your favorite author and why?
After thinking for quite a while about this, I think I would have to say Jodi Picoult because there are few authors that I will read their books because they're the one who wrote them. I've only read two of her books (Nineteen Minutes and My Sister's Keeper), but I thoroughly enjoyed both and have put a couple of reserves on some of her books at the library. One of the reasons I like her books is because she deals with such different/interesting topics. Although there are a couple things in the books that I don't agree with, I really enjoyed them besides that.
Who was your first favorite author and why?
Probably Judy Bloom. I used to love reading her Fudge books. I don't really remember anything about them now (I can barely remember what the titles were!), but I do remember that when I was in third or fourth grade, I wrote a letter to her giving suggestions for what other topics she should write her books on. :)
Who is the newest addition to your favorite authors and why?
This goes back to Jodi Picoult again. I just started reading her books earlier this year and have really enjoyed them. I've also had fun reading Stephenie Meyer (who- for those of you who've heard me talking about this- wrote the vampire books :) ). The books are different, but strangely addicting...
I would tag some of you guys, but the only other person I know on Blogger is Jenny and she's obviously already done it! So I guess just e-mail them to me or some other way! I'd love to hear who some of your favorites are!!
Who is your favorite author and why?
After thinking for quite a while about this, I think I would have to say Jodi Picoult because there are few authors that I will read their books because they're the one who wrote them. I've only read two of her books (Nineteen Minutes and My Sister's Keeper), but I thoroughly enjoyed both and have put a couple of reserves on some of her books at the library. One of the reasons I like her books is because she deals with such different/interesting topics. Although there are a couple things in the books that I don't agree with, I really enjoyed them besides that.
Who was your first favorite author and why?
Probably Judy Bloom. I used to love reading her Fudge books. I don't really remember anything about them now (I can barely remember what the titles were!), but I do remember that when I was in third or fourth grade, I wrote a letter to her giving suggestions for what other topics she should write her books on. :)
Who is the newest addition to your favorite authors and why?
This goes back to Jodi Picoult again. I just started reading her books earlier this year and have really enjoyed them. I've also had fun reading Stephenie Meyer (who- for those of you who've heard me talking about this- wrote the vampire books :) ). The books are different, but strangely addicting...
I would tag some of you guys, but the only other person I know on Blogger is Jenny and she's obviously already done it! So I guess just e-mail them to me or some other way! I'd love to hear who some of your favorites are!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fireworks-less Fourth and Evangelism
This was my first year of my entire existence that I haven't watched fireworks on the fourth of July. It was acctually quite tragic. We went to a baseball game the day before and there were fireworks after that, so my family decided we already saw all the fireworks we needed to see. So although we did get to see fireworks, it wasn't on the Fourth. I may be scarred for life! Okay, not really, but maybe for the rest of this week... As some of you know, I have an immune system like none other. I heal fast. :)
This morning, instead of going to church with my grandparents like we usually do when we're in Chicago, we went to church with my aunt. She calls it "the loud church" because 1)the church is really big, 2)there's a big choir, 3)it's a gospel choir (which I LOVED, by the way), and 4)everyone-big congregation-gets really into it and claps a lot. I loved it!! I really want to be in a gospel choir sometime and talking to my dad about it, I just found out that we acctually have a gospel choir in Eau Claire that's open to the community!! Yet another thing to put on my list of things I want to do this fall... (including possibly trying out for My Fair Lady at the State Theatre because I LOVE that musical-although I have no idea what part I would be able to get-or Beauty and the Beast at the Children's Theatre, cross country, a possible job at The Living Room-my favorite cafe in Eau Claire, and a few other ambitions). So the worship was awesome and then there was the sermon. There was a guest speaker (sorry, I don't remember his name...) and he talked about evangelism today. He spoke from 1 Corinthians 3:4-9. How one person plants, another waters, but it's God who makes the growth happen. But what really got to me was the stories that he told. There's no way that I could be able to tell the full stories-accurately or short enough-but I'll try to kind of sum one of them up. The first one was about a girl named Maria who lived in Brazil. She had been a Christian for three days and while in church that Sunday, heard the pastor talking about evangelizing. Maria made a promise that she would share what God had done in her life and planned on sharing on at least one of her bus rides home. Both rides, she sat next to an old, grouchy, elderly person and didn't share with either one of them. So when she was about to go to bed that night, she remembered that she promised God that she would share what He had done in her life with at least one person. So she got this idea to get out the phone book and she closed her eyes and pointed at a name in the phone book and then called the house. Maria started freaking out again when the guy who answered the phone sounded angry and said, "Who is this??" a couple times, so she just sang this song that was sung at church that morning when people were called down if they wanted to recieve Christ. It turns out that the man and his wife were both saved that night after talking with Maria. Later, she found out that the man had slipped into depression and no longer wanted to live. His wife didn't want to live if he wasn't living, so she was going to commit suicide with him. The guy went out and bought a bottle of insect killer and mixed it into 2 glasses of an alcoholic beverage and the couple was lifting the glasses to their mouths when the phone rang. Hearing that, I got goosebumps (or as a friend of ours calls them, glory pimples). Shivers were going up and down my spine and I was so close to crying. After hearing the message, I really feel like there's one friend in particular that I need to talk to (Alyssa, for those of you who have heard about her before and I've felt like I need to talk with her about my faith before). So I e-mailed her hoping to get together at the end of this week when we're home, and before I go to camp. So please be praying for Alyssa and that her eyes would be opened and that when I get the chance to talk to her, that it wouldn't be me speaking to her, but God speaking through me!! Because we all know that there's nothing that I could do or say by myself that would make anything as awesome as that happen!!
This morning, instead of going to church with my grandparents like we usually do when we're in Chicago, we went to church with my aunt. She calls it "the loud church" because 1)the church is really big, 2)there's a big choir, 3)it's a gospel choir (which I LOVED, by the way), and 4)everyone-big congregation-gets really into it and claps a lot. I loved it!! I really want to be in a gospel choir sometime and talking to my dad about it, I just found out that we acctually have a gospel choir in Eau Claire that's open to the community!! Yet another thing to put on my list of things I want to do this fall... (including possibly trying out for My Fair Lady at the State Theatre because I LOVE that musical-although I have no idea what part I would be able to get-or Beauty and the Beast at the Children's Theatre, cross country, a possible job at The Living Room-my favorite cafe in Eau Claire, and a few other ambitions). So the worship was awesome and then there was the sermon. There was a guest speaker (sorry, I don't remember his name...) and he talked about evangelism today. He spoke from 1 Corinthians 3:4-9. How one person plants, another waters, but it's God who makes the growth happen. But what really got to me was the stories that he told. There's no way that I could be able to tell the full stories-accurately or short enough-but I'll try to kind of sum one of them up. The first one was about a girl named Maria who lived in Brazil. She had been a Christian for three days and while in church that Sunday, heard the pastor talking about evangelizing. Maria made a promise that she would share what God had done in her life and planned on sharing on at least one of her bus rides home. Both rides, she sat next to an old, grouchy, elderly person and didn't share with either one of them. So when she was about to go to bed that night, she remembered that she promised God that she would share what He had done in her life with at least one person. So she got this idea to get out the phone book and she closed her eyes and pointed at a name in the phone book and then called the house. Maria started freaking out again when the guy who answered the phone sounded angry and said, "Who is this??" a couple times, so she just sang this song that was sung at church that morning when people were called down if they wanted to recieve Christ. It turns out that the man and his wife were both saved that night after talking with Maria. Later, she found out that the man had slipped into depression and no longer wanted to live. His wife didn't want to live if he wasn't living, so she was going to commit suicide with him. The guy went out and bought a bottle of insect killer and mixed it into 2 glasses of an alcoholic beverage and the couple was lifting the glasses to their mouths when the phone rang. Hearing that, I got goosebumps (or as a friend of ours calls them, glory pimples). Shivers were going up and down my spine and I was so close to crying. After hearing the message, I really feel like there's one friend in particular that I need to talk to (Alyssa, for those of you who have heard about her before and I've felt like I need to talk with her about my faith before). So I e-mailed her hoping to get together at the end of this week when we're home, and before I go to camp. So please be praying for Alyssa and that her eyes would be opened and that when I get the chance to talk to her, that it wouldn't be me speaking to her, but God speaking through me!! Because we all know that there's nothing that I could do or say by myself that would make anything as awesome as that happen!!
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