"In our busy society, it is a great fortune to breathe consciously for a moment."
-Emilie Cook (yoga instructor)
It's a simple quote, but it has a lot of meaning. We are so busy and our lives are in constant motion. So much so, that we forget to slow down and enjoy each moment and the little blessings that find us along the way.
For example: breathing. We all need to breathe. Without it, we wouldn't survive. But we are so busy that we don't take time to be thankful for the breath of life that is flowing through us. Pausing for a moment and *consciously* breathing, allows us to clear our mind and focus on the things that are most important. Use this moment to also thank the One who gave you breath, the Creator, Jesus Christ!
3.05.2010
3.04.2010
die Reise
In German, die Reise is translated as the Journey.
Journeys are very important. They are the act of travel or passage. Moving from one location to another. Some journeys last only a matter of minutes. While others last a lifetime. While the final destination of the journey is important, it is not the most important.
One important component of the a journey is the trip itself: What do I see along the way? Who is with me? Are they permanent members of the trip? Or are they just catching a ride? What am I learning? How am I being challenged? What have I lost? What have I gained? How is this journey shaping me? All of these are questions that are asked and should be answered as one take their Journey in life.
The most important questions to be answered is why you are taking the Journey. Is it for selfish gain? Is it to be recognized by those around me? Is it to prove something? Is it to find worth in who I am? The answer to these is: No. The reason for the Journey is found in Jesus Christ. He has to be the reason for the Journey. Without Him, it's all worthless. It is only in Him that we have gain, find recognition, and worth.
That. Is the reason for my Journey. To find my gain, recognition and worth in Christ.
What's your Reise?
Journeys are very important. They are the act of travel or passage. Moving from one location to another. Some journeys last only a matter of minutes. While others last a lifetime. While the final destination of the journey is important, it is not the most important.
One important component of the a journey is the trip itself: What do I see along the way? Who is with me? Are they permanent members of the trip? Or are they just catching a ride? What am I learning? How am I being challenged? What have I lost? What have I gained? How is this journey shaping me? All of these are questions that are asked and should be answered as one take their Journey in life.
The most important questions to be answered is why you are taking the Journey. Is it for selfish gain? Is it to be recognized by those around me? Is it to prove something? Is it to find worth in who I am? The answer to these is: No. The reason for the Journey is found in Jesus Christ. He has to be the reason for the Journey. Without Him, it's all worthless. It is only in Him that we have gain, find recognition, and worth.
That. Is the reason for my Journey. To find my gain, recognition and worth in Christ.
What's your Reise?
8.29.2009
Friday Night Lights
Football season has begun! That means it's time to pull out all my clothes that are red, white and black - Falcon's colors!
Adam and Noah are both playing for the Falcons this year and so far it's been an exciting season!
Last weekend was the first game. JV and Varsity played a team from Anderson, South Carolina. JV won their game and the Varsity won their game! Adam scored a safety in the first quarter, sacked the quarterback and made two really good tackles!
This weekend. On Friday night, the Varsity team was up against the Kings Ridge Tigers. They won 41-0! A shut out game! All the players played a great game! Tonight (Saturday night) it was a JV game against Horizon Christian Academy. Adam and Noah played a great game! The final score for this game was 23-0! Another shut out!
We are having a blast sitting in the stands and cheering and getting pumped about the game! It's even more awesome when friends from church come and support the boys! It's like they have their own fan club! It's so much fun!
Way to go Falcons! Awesome start to the season! So proud of you all!
8.19.2009
Start of a new school year...
So I am sure most of you are just starting school or are just about to. Or you are the lucky ones who have been in school for a little bit now! I started school yesterday and it was a long day! It usually takes about 45 minutes to drive to school, park and walk to class (parking at GSC is a nightmare!). Well yesterday it took 2 hours to get to school due to a bad wreck, therefore I missed my first class completely! Not a good way to start off the day!
But the rest of my classes were good! I like my professors so far, so hopefully that won't change!
I did however, stand in line at the bookstore four times to buy all my books! I stood in line twice to get in the bookstore and twice to purchase my books! Fun stuff ;)
"A Speaker's Guidebook" - Communications (5:30-6:45)
$73.50
"Aventuras - Primer curso de lengua espanola" - Spanish II (3:30-4:45)
Free - Same book as Spanish I
"Biology - Concepts & Connections" - Biology (2-3:15)
Free - Borrowing from a friend :)
"Essentials of American Government" - Political Science (12:30-1:45)
$92.15
"Georgia Government" - Political Science (12:30-1:45)
$15.95
"The Norton Anthology of World Literature" - Honors World Literature (11-12:15)
$49.75
"How To Read Superhero Comics And Why" - Honors World Literature (11-12:15)
$35.95
"Symbiosis" - Biology Lab (Wed. 3:15-5:05)
$48.05
Which brings me to a grand total (tax included) of: $337.42
I wish I had thought of and was smart enough to write text books and make lots of money! Oh well, I'll just have to find another way to make millions :)
6.08.2009
B.E.A.C.H.
Hilton Head!
We are taking a family vacation in Hilton Head! It's been great so far! The "We" included my family (mom, dad, me, adam, noah and riley), my nana, the Allens, the Enos family (aunty cindee, uncle shawn, maya, hunter and madison) and Ariana. So 14 people in all! It sounds like a lot, but I think, the more, the merrier!
We are staying in a beach house and it is a 30 second walk to the beach. When I stand outside the house, I can hear the waves crashing on the beach. It's great! I love that sound.
Today was wonderful. Miss Kim and I had our devotions on the beach this morning (a-mazing!). Then we all had breakfast. Everyone changed and we went down to the beach to look for sea shells and sand dollars. We were unsuccessful, but we still had fun playing in the sand.
After lunch, we went back and had a great success in finding sand dollars! We found 103 of them! Everyone was so excited. We also found 7 starfishes. They were all named. We had Stella, Ruffy, Mary, Tom, Jerry, Elijah, Seven and Pizza. We also caught 2 hermit crab and they were named Jolly Old Saint Nicolas and Mary the 2nd. It was so much fun!
I am looking forward to lots more sun, sand and family time tomorrow!
We are taking a family vacation in Hilton Head! It's been great so far! The "We" included my family (mom, dad, me, adam, noah and riley), my nana, the Allens, the Enos family (aunty cindee, uncle shawn, maya, hunter and madison) and Ariana. So 14 people in all! It sounds like a lot, but I think, the more, the merrier!
We are staying in a beach house and it is a 30 second walk to the beach. When I stand outside the house, I can hear the waves crashing on the beach. It's great! I love that sound.
Today was wonderful. Miss Kim and I had our devotions on the beach this morning (a-mazing!). Then we all had breakfast. Everyone changed and we went down to the beach to look for sea shells and sand dollars. We were unsuccessful, but we still had fun playing in the sand.
After lunch, we went back and had a great success in finding sand dollars! We found 103 of them! Everyone was so excited. We also found 7 starfishes. They were all named. We had Stella, Ruffy, Mary, Tom, Jerry, Elijah, Seven and Pizza. We also caught 2 hermit crab and they were named Jolly Old Saint Nicolas and Mary the 2nd. It was so much fun!
I am looking forward to lots more sun, sand and family time tomorrow!
5.09.2009
Me and God
Sometimes my relationship with God is:
One of the things I need to work on is being quick to listen and slow to respond. I can easily get frustrated or assume the worse when I do that in reverse: when I am quick to speak and slow to listen. It's easier said than done. Being quick to listen means I have to listen not only to the words that are being spoken, but also put into the equation what else is going on in the situation.
Another thing God is showing me, is how to respond through Him and not through myself. When I respond to things through my own will, I base that response on what is happening around me. If it's good, then my response is good. If there is tension, my response is short. God is showing me that I need to respond through Him. For me that means basing all my responses (verbal and nonverbal) on the Fruit of the Spirit. Responding out of love and joy. Having peace and patience in everything I do. Showing kindness in my actions. Letting my motives and actions be good. Being faithful and following through. Speaking with gentleness. And having self control on my thoughts, my tongue and my actions.
I've noticed that there are times when I'm really happy and then 5 minutes later, I'm not. And I keep asking myself: Why am I not always happy? Well first off, that is the wrong question to ask. The better question is: How can I have joy through it all? The reason happiness can't last forever is because happiness is circumstantial. Where as Joy is a heart decision that does not change with the weather. It is a transformation of the heart to choose joy always! God always talks about Joy and it is always accompanied with the Lord, never circumstances.
The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart.He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalms 28:7
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;it is fitting for the pure to praise him. Psalms 33:1
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,who delights in blessing his servant with peace!” Psalms 35:27
What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Psalms 84:5
You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!I sing for joy because of what you have done. Psalms 92:4
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philipians 4:4
So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. I Thessalonians 1:6
God, I'm a piece of clay. Please do not allow me to be molded by the world. I pray I am molded into the vessel You want me to be.
- Exciting
- An Adventure
- Learning New Things about Him
- Memorable
- Wonderful
- Amazing
- Full of Changes
- Intense
- Learning Lessons
- Painful
One of the things I need to work on is being quick to listen and slow to respond. I can easily get frustrated or assume the worse when I do that in reverse: when I am quick to speak and slow to listen. It's easier said than done. Being quick to listen means I have to listen not only to the words that are being spoken, but also put into the equation what else is going on in the situation.
Another thing God is showing me, is how to respond through Him and not through myself. When I respond to things through my own will, I base that response on what is happening around me. If it's good, then my response is good. If there is tension, my response is short. God is showing me that I need to respond through Him. For me that means basing all my responses (verbal and nonverbal) on the Fruit of the Spirit. Responding out of love and joy. Having peace and patience in everything I do. Showing kindness in my actions. Letting my motives and actions be good. Being faithful and following through. Speaking with gentleness. And having self control on my thoughts, my tongue and my actions.
I've noticed that there are times when I'm really happy and then 5 minutes later, I'm not. And I keep asking myself: Why am I not always happy? Well first off, that is the wrong question to ask. The better question is: How can I have joy through it all? The reason happiness can't last forever is because happiness is circumstantial. Where as Joy is a heart decision that does not change with the weather. It is a transformation of the heart to choose joy always! God always talks about Joy and it is always accompanied with the Lord, never circumstances.
The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart.He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalms 28:7
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;it is fitting for the pure to praise him. Psalms 33:1
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,who delights in blessing his servant with peace!” Psalms 35:27
What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Psalms 84:5
You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!I sing for joy because of what you have done. Psalms 92:4
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philipians 4:4
So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. I Thessalonians 1:6
God, I'm a piece of clay. Please do not allow me to be molded by the world. I pray I am molded into the vessel You want me to be.
5.07.2009
Reflections
Yesterday was a long day, mentally. I was in finals from 8am til 2:30. I had finals in 3 of my most challenging classes: Spanish (8am), History (10:30-12:30), and Psychology (1-3). But now it's over! First year of college is complete! It is a cool thing to look back over the past two semesters and all the things I have learned. I feel a sense of accomplishment for sticking with it and finishing! Only 3 more years to go!
Now I'm on to maymester. Theater appreciation will be on my plate for 15 days. As well as working on getting things ready for Highland Day Camp to begin! I'm looking forward to both. May is going to be quite busy. I do have a bright spot in the midst of this! In the second week of June my family is going to the beach for a week! Family, sun, sand and fun!
Now I'm on to maymester. Theater appreciation will be on my plate for 15 days. As well as working on getting things ready for Highland Day Camp to begin! I'm looking forward to both. May is going to be quite busy. I do have a bright spot in the midst of this! In the second week of June my family is going to the beach for a week! Family, sun, sand and fun!
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