Things Im Loving

//Superman Ice Cream//Frosted Cupcake candles from Bath and Body//Rainbow Flower hair piece//White Citrus Fragrance//Colorful Fabrics//New Movies//Talking to people on the phone//Turkey Sandwiches//Colorful socks//My Yellow Coat//Mountain Scenery//Shopping//Christmas planning//Mountain Dew//Drawing Pictures//Memories//Pictures//Texting//Sewing//Snow//Special Bible Verses//

Happy Thanksgiving!

Are you thankful today? I mean, truly thankful?

I am thankful for:
Support//friends//family//church family//Unconditional love//Little ones//The Bible//Prayer//hymns//
Salvation//grace//food//clothing//money//my level 1 license//Michigan wolverines//ice cream// the safe arrival of my special second cousin Emmalin//computer//cellphone//Birthdays//Special food//
colorful socks//rainbows//yellow coat//highschool education//safety while driving//Black Friday sales//glasses//watch//Psalm 73:24-26+28//Mountain Dew//christmas movies//colored pencils//cotton candy//butterflies//HUGS//dreams//chocolate//potatoes//christmas songs//violin//special opportunities
//candles//the sun//flip flops//rollerblading//rollercoasters//snow//memories//fellowship with friends// gifts//beauty//gentlemen//laughter//smiles//flowers//creativity//

Thanksgiving

First of all, Forgive me for not posting in so long! I have been busy and just havent felt like it.... Lame excuses I know... ;P

This year I am especially looking forward to Thanksgiving! I will LORDwiliing be able to see and hold my 2 day old cousin, Emmalin Elisabeth. =)Also, Lordwilling, I will be able to see most of my family. Another thing i am REALLY looking forward to is black Friday shopping!!!!! =D This is soooo fun and will be even better this year! ;P Ive already started making a list of things to look for and it just keeps growing! I get the feeling that my bank account balance is going to go through at lease a significant drop.... =) Oh well! What is life if you cant truly live?

This past week has been wonderful for me! I absolutely LOVE little children!!! Well, those who know how to listen and be good. =) I had a lot of fun with my Sunday school this past Sunday! We started a Thanksgiving project and they are so cute to watch as they work on it! Sunday night, our church had a Thanksgiving fellowship so I was able to spend some extra time with my friends. Last night, we went to a friends house for dinner. They have two little girls and I was having a lot of fun playing with them! =P My four cousins spent the night last night over here at my aunt and uncles so we had a full house and LOTS of noise!!!!!! Last night I was roughousing with them and today I feel old... My knees are all bruised and rug burned. It was fun though! =) and worth the laughter!

I am going to close for now but i hope to post again soon! =)

There'll Be No Dark Valley

During the past few weeks, this song has become special to me.

There'll Be No Dark Valley


There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes,
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes;
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

To gather His loved ones home (safe home),
To gather His loved ones home (safe home);
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

There’ll be no more sorrow when Jesus comes,
There’ll be no more sorrow when Jesus comes;
But a glorious morrow when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

To gather His loved ones home (safe home),
To gather His loved ones home (safe home);
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

There’ll be no more weeping when Jesus comes,
There’ll be no more weeping when Jesus comes;
But a blessèd reaping when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

To gather His loved ones home (safe home),
To gather His loved ones home (safe home);
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

There’ll be songs of greeting when Jesus comes,
There’ll be songs of greeting when Jesus comes;
And a joyful meeting when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

To gather His loved ones home (safe home),
To gather His loved ones home (safe home);
There’ll be no dark valley when Jesus comes
To gather His loved ones home.

 

                                             ~William Cushing

Fall

Fall is here and winter is just around the corner! Normally, winter is not something everyone looks forward to... My personal favorite seasons are Spring and Fall. Mainly because of the colorful beauty that surrounds us in those times of the year! I have already started a leaf collection for this season.

I am enjoying my time now taking walks in the crisp air with the sound of leaves crunching under my feet and the smell of pine trees all around! I enjoy my morning coffee that warms from the inside out! My very cheerfully colored socks that keep my feet warm against the chilly wood floor! Snuggling in my blankets listening to Jonathan Parks! Sewing colorful projects whle my brain is at work! Playing outdoor games despite the cold weather! Watching movies!

The list could go on and on... =) But for now, I must go.

Senior Picture trip



I am finally getting around to posting this! We went like a month or two ago... I found the picture I want but Mom and Hannah keep finding more places to go...

 

 



 

I saw this watertower on our way to the Lake and had dad turn around and go back so I could get a picture of it. =)

 

I really like this picture...

 

This one is my favorite! I was writing in the sand and wearing my absolute favorite outfit!

 

I really like this picture too! (2013 is our graduation year)

 

 

This is a small review of our day. There were probably like a couple hundred pictures taken.... 

Very Random!

Greetings to the few who care to read my blog!

Its been a while since i have posted and i decided to stop making excuses and get ambitious to let you know Im still here!

So! This is a random post so stop reading if you are an organized person!

 

Umm... well... Doodles... :)

 

Random picture i decided to take...

 

 

A watertower We saw on our way to the Lake.

What makes life wonderful?

Things that make life WONDERFULL!!!!!!
1. The cross- Jesus shed his blood so that we might be made free
2. Salvation- Christs great gift I have humbly accepted.
3. Family- Well, you live with them... they know you very well. =)
4. Friends- This is your Chosen Family. Choose carefully!
5. The Bible- Reading brings peace and answers to tough questions.
6. Prayer- God listens 24/7!
7. Dark Chocolate!!!! =D
8.  Reeses
9. Rollerblading
10. Being able to serve beside awesome people!
11. Bright colors!
12. Swedish fish... ;P
13. Hugs
14. Music
15. Quiet time
16. Little children. =)
17. Coffee
18. Ice cream!!!!!!!!!!
19. Love
20. Compliments
21. Flowers
22. Cupcakes
23. The sunrise and sunset
24. Butterflies
25. Colorful trees in the Fall.
26. Michigans Adventure!
27. Birds chirping in the morning
28. Fresh green beans out of the garden
29. Snow tubing and ice skating
30. Gatherings! =D

This list could go on and on and on and on.... ok, ok! Yeah... you get my meaning. ;P You should think about it too. =) Make a list for yourself and be thankful 4 each thing!

Do you really know what you believe?

“Do I really know what I believe or am I just parroting off what I have been taught?”

 

“Are these my convictions or something someone has shoved down my throat?”

 

“Am I voicing my opinions or am I saying what I know they want me to?”

 

These questions and more have gone through my mind lately and I have been challenged to find the answers. The first question is an easy yet complicated answer. Yes, I truly believe that God the Father gave his son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. All I had to do was realize that I am a terrible sinner, repent from my sins, and acknowledge that Jesus is the son of God and accept his gift of salvation. But what does that mean to me? That means that the Perfect Son of God was beaten and bruised and killed in my place. Do you really know how much that means? That means that now I don’t have to spend my eternity in the torments of Hell! Praise the Lord I am free from the chains of guilt and sin and the devil no more has control in my life! Because of Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf, I Will now live eternally in heaven worshipping God! What an exciting time that will be!

 

I have searched my heart and can fully testify that YES, I DO believe! And nobody can take that blessing of knowing the truth from me.

 

The second question above is more of a complicated matter. Every person has different convictions. We can only search out Gods word and find what we know is right. We cannot make anyone else believe what we believe, we can simply show them why and explain it but they still must make their own decision. If you try to continually nag someone about ‘they have to think the way you do or else...’that will only drive them away, cause them to not trust you, and cause them to lose respect for you. Also, this may cause them to not want anything to do with Christ.

Just because you have differences does not mean that you cannot be friends. If that were the case, life would be “every man for himself”. I know firsthand because I can say that every member of my family does not always agree on anything. We must learn to work out our differences or avoid those issues or agree to disagree.

Don’t let conflicting opinions rob you of a good relationship with a family member or a friend! It is more difficult to repair bad relationships.

 

The third question above is something I really struggle with! I am a coward when it comes to speaking what I think not just what I know the person wants to hear. If we do that, it is the same as lying! When I think about it in this way, I am determined not to do that. Sometimes, I may just not say anything to avoid conflict, but if I am forced to voice, then I will not take the cowardly road!

 

Many more personal questions have been swimming through my mind and I have been working to sort out my brain. The Lord has blessed me with many who help me when I ask and are patient enough to endure my frustration, and do not condemn me for my faithlessness. Praise the Lord for such understanding souls! =) I love them all to death and don’t know what I would do without them!

Never Alone

Why do we get Down and discouraged?

Because we are looking down.... Instead of looking up and around us where we should be, our focus gets deflected downward on ourselves, what we dont have, what we missed out on, or even what we didnt do.
Instead of focusing on self, we should be looking around us at the blessings God has poured on our lives! You may deny that you are blessed but I know you are! If you are reading this post, God is allowing you life! He is giving the very breath you are breathing at this very moment! He has given you another chance to Praise him! He has given you a chance to be encouraged and move forward!

I have been trying to regain my focus. Instead of focusing on missing out on opportunities to spend extra time with Friends, I am trying to focus on the time i did have and how much i was blessed during those encounters! Instead of worrying about My future, focus on the here and now. Serve God with all you have now! Singles can do more without as many worries and distractions so serve God with your life now! Dont waste these precious years fretting about what may or may not happen in the future... Instead of getting down about past failures, Ask God for forgiveness, forgive yourself, and move on. If you hold on to self-pity, you will lose opportunities to serve God and others.

Most importantly, Look UP! God is an amazing Savior! He died to pay our sin debt so we could go to heaven and live eternally with him! Be thankful for that! He is a loving God who wants us to trust Him and look to him for guidance and instruction. He wants us to talk to Him and include Him in our lives. Why not talk to the one who knows everything? When you start to get discouraged, Pray! Tell God and he will be there for you! He will never leave us alone!

Psalms 73:24-26+28 

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

 

 

Hebrews 13:5 

... for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

 

God will never leave us! On this note, the following song is one that i have been thinking about a lot.

 

I’ve seen the lightning flashing

And heard the thunder roll,

I’ve felt sins breakers dashing,

Which tried to conquer my soul;

I’ve heard the voice of my Savior,

He bids me still fight on-

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone;

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone.

 

The world’s fierce winds are blowing-

Temptations sharp and keen;

I have a peace in knowing

My Savior stands between;

He stands to shield me from danger

When all my friends are gone-

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone;

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone.

 

When in afflictions valley

I tread the road of care,

My Savior helps me carry

The cross so heavy to bear;

Tho all around me is darkness

And earthly joys are flown,

My Savior wispers his promise-

Never to leave me alone.

 

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone;

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone.

 

He died on Calvary’s mountain,

For me they pierced his side,

For me He opened that fountain,

The crimson, cleansing tide;

For me He’s waiting in glory

Upon His heavenly throne-

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone

 

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone;

No, never alone, No, never alone-

He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone.

                                                                   ~Unknown



Random Photos.

I find it hard to refrain from posting pictures of people. This is just a random conglomeration of them i guess...

 

 

Sams Monitor.

 

A picture i really like! =D

 

Some freakezoid doll at my grandmas house....

 

A cup of hot chocolate. =)

 

Part of last Christmases candy... =) No, its not still around!

I

Hello September!

August has flown and September is here... Pretty much every Saturday is filled with something from now for a long time. Today we are headed across the state to visit my dads family for a surprise 80^th birthday party for my uncle. Tomorrow is Samuels 1^st birthday so next Saturday, we are having a birthday party for him. The 22^nd is The youth hunt and also a bike race... I am torn between which to do! The 29^th we have a youth group activity. October 6^th is our final parade for the year and we usually have a fellowship and “hayride” afterwards. We will probably have a fellowship sometime in the first half of October because that’s when Pastors birthday is. After that starts dads basketball game schedule and since I work, ill be busy a lot of Saturday mornings with that. Not to mention school.... We have devised a plan to get working faster to get the year go faster. We are all eager to graduate! We have several projects in school as well. We are working on a vocation project and I chose Housewife as my vocation. We are also working on a patriotic project in Government. We have to pick a founding father and write a composition on their Biblical beliefs. Also, we are in the middle of a book report for English... I am throwing myself at everything just trying to get over the mountain that looms before me. But when I reach the top of that mountain, I am thrilled to see what is next! NO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D Yes, I am very excited! I am still praying about guidance for what to do after that but I know God will guide my footsteps! =) And with awesome people supporting me every step of the way, I feel at peace. =) A big thank you to all my friends who pick me up, set me on my feet, and help me keep on going!

Do you value time?

What would you do today if you knew you would die tomorrow? Or if you knew someone you loved was going to die tomorrow? What if you were told you had a week to live? A month? A year?

But we don’t know. We could die in an hour, we could die tomorrow. Someone we love could die. Are you at odds with someone? How long has it been since you said “I Love You” to someone you love? When was the last time you had a heart to heart talk with your friend?

Life is precious and time is priceless. Spend your time wisely! Don’t wait to make things right with someone! Don’t wait to say “I Love You”! Don’t wait to talk to someone! Do it today!

James 4:14-15

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

 

Proverbs 27:1

 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

 

1 Peter 1:24

 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Life...

This morning, I completed my last first week of highschool!!!! I am excited about this and as we look at the schedule of what is going on this year(like when first semester ends etc...) the road does not seem as long and scary. 5 lessons down and 80 to go till Christmas break and 85 lessons after that so we are 1/34th of the way done! The first week was not too bad except for English... We have my favorite teacher again this year. My schedule is as follows:

7:00-English (taught by Mr. Calbart)
7:30-Violin
8:00-Genesis:First things(Dr. Denis McBride, AWESOME teacher!)
9:00-Plane Geometry(Mr. Collins)
10:00- American Government(Again, Dr. Denis McBride)
11:00-Physics(Dr. Troy Shoemaker)
12:00-Lunch
12:30-P.E.
1:00-Personal Devotions
1:30-Spanish 3
2:30-Homework time

I was a bit overwhelmed when i found out I was taking Physics, Geometry, and Spanish 3 but it doesnt seem so terrible awfull. =)

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me because our church has a float in a parade and a fellowship afterwards-YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!! =D

In memory of my yellow culottes:

In memory of my yellow culottes whose life as everyday culottes has ended abruptly. They lived a noble life and served their purpose well. They had a bright and sunny disposition and were a perfect fit. They have ended their everyday life and are now into the next life of service as work clothes. 

They have endured many miles of bikeriding, hours canoeing, many volleyball games at gym, many base-hide-and-go-seek games, and a lot of running around. The picture does not do the life-scars justice.

WAIT

Recently, Through someone, God has impressed one word upon me...

Wait...

I may not fully understand what I am waiting for but I need patience, strength, and courage to rely totally on Him for His perfect will and timing. Are we willing to wait for His Perfect will and timing? not just His will, but His PERFECT will and PERFECT timing! Not ours, HIS!!!

Psalms 27:14 

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31 

 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Psalms 37:7 

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.



News, news, news!

Greetings from Shipshewanna, Indiana. Amish country!

We got here around dinner time and got all settled in as much as possible minus lifes comforts... We are using our new tent for the first time and this one is a lot bigger and should be more comfortable for all 6 of us. =) I am very content to be the only one of us not using an air matress(why do people get surprised when i tell them i sleep better on the floor or ground than in my bed???) but sleeping on top of a sleeping bag. Already today I have been rollerblading, Swimming, and biking. And I have started accumulating my "vacation injuries"... I have a few scratches and a bruise. Tomorrow, we plan to LORDwilling go to the flea market and some stores in town including my favorite one-A big candy store! =D I will have to keep my eyes open because my little 'sister' announced that she would be mad at me if i did not bring her something back... =) That same little sister lent me one of my sources of amusement on the car ride here...

My other 'siblings' seem to find all the good books befare me then i am stuck last in line waiting for them all to finish first! =I

I also kept amused by eating these thingies... =) Every time I eat them i always laugh because of invert sugar... Maybe someday i will have time to explain... Its an inside joke.

That is all for now... hopefully I can keep updating! =)

Time to sing the Hallelujah corus!

Hallelujah! Detasselling is over forevermore!!!!

Well.... at least for this year...

Anyways.... =) I did not go today because I got a terrible angry rash yesterday all on my legs and it hurt really bad.... I stayed home and did some profitable things. I caught up on some sleep, made a pair of swimming culottes, baked cookies, did a bunch of laundry, And kept mom company. =) I also succeded in running into the kitchen counter... It was as everyone was getting home too....

I am glad i stayed home though... Now i am looking forward to Friday when we LORDwilling get together and go to Michigans Adventure! =D Most of our detasselling group will be going.

There is a down side to detasselling being over... I've gotten spoiled seeing all of my close friends almost every day for the past three weeks... Im going to really miss that... =.( I guess i will just have to look forward to next year when LORDwilling our number will increase! =)

Give me strength, LORD!

Isaiah 40:28-31 

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Verse 29 of these verses has been one I have been remembering this past week during detasselling. It has been very long and i think we are all going crazy. Or have been going crazy for a while... as one of us says "I think we lost it a while ago..." It is going as well as can be expected... Yesterday, we had a long, tiring, muddy, 9 hour day. We even started singing every song that came to mind. We sang so many that we started singing christmas songs because we couldnt think of any others! Of course the guys were exasperated and had to make fun of and pick on us....(i guess thats their job...) We even made up words to "count your blessings" to go along with detasselling. I might post the words sometime later. =)

Goodbye for now!

Things Im loving

My Awesomely fantastic friend-lings(friends/"siblings")//My yellow watch//My Michigan tee-shirt//Reeses fast-breaks//Jolly ranchers//Our awesome detasselling"group"//My curly hair//"Teaching" nursery sunday school//Adorable little people//My new wallet//My fabric to make new cullottes//Mountain Dew(i drank over half a 2 liter today.... Yeah, IM HYPER!!!!!!)//watching movies//Having a whole weekend off from detasselling(i feel bad for those who do still have to work....)//My camera//My bank account balance//Reading books//Ultimate Frisbee(I NEED to play sometime soon....)//Fruit

And the list could go on and on and on and on and on......

OK... ill stop.... LOL! =D

To the work!

To the work! To the work! We are servants of God,

Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.
 
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on;
Let us hope, and trust, let us watch, and pray,
And labor till the Master comes.
 
To the work! To the work! Let the hungry be fed,
To the fountain of life let the weary be led;
In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”
 
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on;
Let us hope, and trust, let us watch, and pray,
And labor till the Master comes.
 
To the work! To the work! There is labor for all,
For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;
And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be
In the loud swelling chorus, “Salvation is free!”
 
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on;
Let us hope, and trust, let us watch, and pray,
And labor till the Master comes.
 
To the work! To the work! In the strength of the Lord,
And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward
When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be
And we shout with the ransomed “Salvation is free!”
 
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on;
Let us hope, and trust, let us watch, and pray,
And labor till the Master comes.

                                       ~Fanny J. Crosby

This song is one of the many that have been going through my head this past week during detasselling. This year i have tried to keep a positive attitude and i hope I am.... I was told today that is eemed in a pretty good mood so I hope he wasnt lying.... =)

I seem to always be short on time when we are at the internet....

Corn....Corn.....corn.....sky.....clouds......corn......trees.....pivot.....corn.....corn....

corn....

This is pretty much what I saw from 7:10 to 12:45 this morning.... I can tell you this- it was NOT my ideal morning activity!!! I spent most of my time talking to myself, making up conversations with ”other people”(which happened to turn out to be cornstalks...), singing, praying, and(im ashamed to say) feeling miserable....

Detasselling is an interesting job. You walk through a cornfield and pull off tassels and throw them on the ground. The difficulty is identifying the tassels and this is hard to teach new-bees because there is such a wide variety. Once you know what a tassel is, you are all set! Another difficulty is the “afflictions” the corn causes... #1. Scratches and corn rash, you could prevent this by wearing a long sleeve shirt but that makes you hotter. And the scratches don’t really hurt too much... #2. Sunburn. This also can be prevented by wearing a long sleeve shirt but once again, it makes you twice as hot. And I don’t bother to wear sunscreen because it only works for a short time and it washes off. #3. Wet corn which makes you soaked to the skin and beyond. This, in my opinion, cannot be helped. Some would say “use rain gear” but in my experience, rain gear just doesn’t work....

My detasselling outfit includes a short sleeve shirt, culottes, old shoes(mine are on their third detasselling season), socks, sometimes a sweatshirt if it is cold in the morning, a hat with a face shield screen thingy, and gloves. All of the clothes are old ones and I will throw them out after detasselling is over.(except MAYBE the shoes.... they might need to retire...)

Anyways... enough about stinky corn detasselling.....

Last Saturday, we had a gathering at church and i had a blast!!! A lot of my really close friends and "familty" were there. We had an awesome group and an awesome time! I love all of you guys so much! =D Whoever reads this..... ;P

I gotta go so ill post more l;ater.

The Flag Goes By

The Flag Goes By

Hats off!

Along the streets there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
          Hats off!
The flag is passing by.
 
Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.

            Hats off!

The colors before us fly;
But more than the flag is passing by.
 
Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and save the state:
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips;
 
Days of plenty and years of peace;
March of a small land’s swift increase;
Equal justice, right, and law,
Stately honor and reverend awe;
 
Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong:
Pride and glory and honor,-all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off!

Along the streets there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
            Hats off!
The flag is passing by.

                        - Henry Halcomb Bennett

Just a poem i found and liked....

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword-
His truth is marching on.

Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps-
His day is marching on.

Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat,
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!-
Our God is marching on.

Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died top make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
Glory! glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
                               ~Julia Ward Howe



This is one of my favorite songs to play on my violin. It is a challenge and I love the tune and the key it is in. While playin an instrument, you dont pay attention to the words. Sometimes while singing we dont even pay attention but we should.

Verses 3+4 Bring more meaning to me. The second part of verse 3 says, "O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!" Do we rejoice when we can do Gods will? Are we happy to serve Him?

Verse 4 says, "As he died top make men holy, let us die to make men free." I dont believe this is just talking about physically free. Would we be willing to die to bring the gospel to people? Would we die so they could spiritually be free from the bondage of sin? ARE WE WILLING TO DIE TO OUR SELFISH DESIRES? Would we give the gospel to people even when we are laughed at or ridiculed or cussed at?

Yesterday was the fourth of July. Many people saw this as a reason to "celebrate" with their liquor and cigarettes and filthy language. Why are people celebrating independence day when they are slaves to their sin? They are in bondage and they dont even care!

Yesterday was a sobering experience for me. Every year, someone from our church goes to GR to pass out tracts and watch fireworks and this year my family went too. This year was the most eyeoppening and scary for me so far. We have a reputation for giving the truth and people know who we are when they see us coming most of the time. This year, I went to give a lady a gospel tract and she started swearing at me and saying nasty things. She knows our reputation because she exclaimed something to the effect that, "cant we have a nice 4th without people trying to condemn us?" After that, I got laughed at by an atheist and then a man walked by screaming some nasty things.

I have to remind myself- Truth convicts! They are blaspheming God! I need to do my job as a Christian and stand for what is right- NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Glory! glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on!

Life=Busy

My goodness how time flies! It seems like just yesterday i was looking into the future, months ahead, thinking Drivers training would never be here! And now i am one third of the way done already... WOW! Yesterday, two very exciting things happened- I got to drive on the road for the first time and I began renting-to-own a violin! =D I am very excited about it though i think it will take a little getting used to. Since summer reading has started, i have been reading a lot more and I am impatiently and eagerly awaiting the growth of our garden! =) This past week has been a fun one for me. Drivers training started on Monday, Tuesday I picked strawberries with some of my "siblings" and later their whole family came over, Wednesday was church, Yesterday was driving, drivers training, getting my Violin, and church, LORDwilling, today we will play softball as a church with ice cream afterwards and tomorrow I dont exactly know what is going on... =) Well, I have limited internet time so ill post more later.

Young Womans duty #5

Titus 2:4-5

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

What is a young womans duty?

1. Be sober

2. Love my authority(parents)

3. Love children/younger siblings

4. Be discreet

5. Be chaste

6. Learn to be a good housekeeper

7. Be good

8. Obey my authority(parents right now)

#9. Obey GODs word, the Bible

John 15:10

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Gods love is something we should want and pray for. By obeying his commands, we show our love and others see it too.

Exodus 19:5

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

This promise was given to the children of Israel. Do we want God to delight in us and choose us and call us his peculiar treasures?

1 Peter 1:13-16

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We should strive to follow Gods commands so we can be like him. He is perfect! We are not going to be perfect but we should get as close as possible to perfection. By following Gods commands, we show our love and respect and admiration. A young womans duty is to strive to have character like Jesus!

Through this study, I have been forced to closely examine my own life and found it sorely lacking in some of these areas. I have purposed to strive to, with Gods help, learn and grow in these areas. I pray this has benefited others as well.

Young Womans duty #4

1. Be sober

2. Love my authority(parents)

3. Love children/younger siblings

4. Be discreet

5. Be chaste

6. Learn to be a good housekeeper

#7. Be Good

Yes, this may sound funny. Who tells young women to be good, right? Well, my mother does... and I need those reminders! God told Abraham when he was ninety years old to “be good.”

Genesis 17:1

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Good- Having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vitious, wicked, evil.

Matthew 12:34b-37

...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Our words and actions will show what is in our hearts. If our hearts are good, our words and actions will follow. If our heart is right with God, our life will be a testimony to that so others will see and know. Are we GOOD examples?

1. Be sober

2. Love my authority(parents)

3. Love children/younger siblings

4. Be discreet

5. Be chaste

6. Learn to be a good housekeeper

7. Be good

#8. Obey my authority(parents right now)

Obey- To comply with the commands, orders or instructions of a superior, or with the requirements of law, moral, political or municipal; to do that which is commanded or required, or to forbear doing that which is prohibited. To submit to the direction or control of.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Right now as a single teenager and daughter, my authority is my parents. Someday LORDwilling, as a wife I will be under the authority of my “Prince charming” (husband). As a churchmember, I am under the authority of my pastor. As a Employee, I am under the authority of my boss. As a younger sister, I am under the authority of my elder siblings. As a young woman and child of God, I am under the ultimate authority, my Savior Jesus Christ!

My first and greatest authority is God my father who placed my parents over me as my earthly authority.

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

The first commandment with a promise attatched is to obey my parents. How important that is! Without the Godly leadership of authority, we would be left in a wicked and sinful world trying to figure out what was right. How difficult that would be! We should daily thank the Lord for our authority and their wisdom.