Truth and Trust

Something invaluable that I've learned lately is that truth is so key to life. Throughout my life I've been constantly finding that certain key attributes are inescapable...I mean they are all important. You just read through Scripture and you find that God commands so much of us. But one of the most important things that you need in order to live a healthy and happy life with functioning relationships is open and honest truth. Nothing held back or hidden. I mean, sometimes it's okay and even better if you do, but as a whole, truth is essential.

If you screw up and live a lie, it is not small or easy to overlook...soon it becomes everything you're involved in. It gets spun bigger and bigger and soon that lie is what guides and directs your life. Then it's not just one or two people who are involved but many different people, even families. And the truth always does come out. Everyone must face truth and reality sometime. When it does, relationships are severed and people are hurt. Trust has been breached and is not easily gained back. Even during the walk to regain trust, it is hard work. When the least little thing that comes up and is questioned and no one knows what happened or who did it, you are looked at and blamed for it since no one can believe your words since you have lied before and hid it.

Trust gained once and broken is hard to regain back. Once you have it back if it is ever broken again will probably not return. Don't ever take trust for granted. Trust is a beautiful and glorious thing...especially when it is from your parents or family. If you are ever in a situation where that trust is broken or severed, you must buckle down and commit yourself to always being honest, open, and trust-worthy. It will require much strength and determination because the path is not easy. But once you are on that path of recovery the worst thing you could ever possibly do is to screw it up again by lying or doing things that would cause your honesty or trust-worthiness to be called into question. You must consider every word out of your mouth. Is it beneficial...is it truthful...is it encouraging and honest? Will it help build up others? Or build up myself instead?

If you have the trust of anyone, don't take it for granted. Trust is precious and valuable beyond what I could describe. If you have that, you have someone's heart and mind. Don't just throw that away on an "easy" lie. Don't do anything that could call your integrity or honesty into question. One of the best ways you could ever love someone is by being open with them, telling them what you're feeling or struggling with...and when I say all this I am primarily talking about your parents, not just anyone. Love them, and show them you can be trusted. That you messed up and made a mistake, but you do want to be better and need help.

People mess up and make really really big mistakes...but everyone can be capable of doing a complete turn-about and deciding to live a better life. If you have ever been injured by someone, you know that it's hard to forgive them and trust in the future, but don't just give up on them. They may need you most then. Give them another chance and show them by your actions and words that you believe they can be better and stronger in the future.

Thank you all for reading.

Strength

We can find strength in the funniest/craziest things. For me, I've found that it's music. If I need to get off my butt and work hard till I feel like a success I listen to that type of music...I have certain "motivational songs" that just get me moving. Two of the many that goes in that list would be Fighter by Christina Aguilera and Survivor by Destiny's Child. I have songs that calm me down...pretty much anything by JJ Heller works for that. 

Basically, everyone is strong...strong enough to move mountains...it's just a matter of finding where we gather in that strength. Maybe it's running...or singing...or working on something. But we all have that hidden and secret strength which pushes us on each day. It moves us out of our beds each morning and causes us to go a little further when we run. Each of us will at some point in our life need more strength then ever before. Everyone has those challenges...some of us more then others. But no matter who you are you will need and do have that strength. 

So go out there and find it...find your source of strength and happiness. Do what it is that you love (providing it's Biblical)...and share it with others. Who knows? It could be their hidden strength that they didn't realize. Go out there and be strong.

Time Spent With You

I found this beautiful song and it is simply lovely...I'm not ususally into these types of songs, but found this particular one rather arresting. Hope you enjoy the lyrics!

Brian and Jenn Johnson: A Little Longer

What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
All of the words that I find... and I can't thank You enough.
No matter I try... I can't thank You enough.
Then I hear You sing to me

"you... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer"

I hear You say...
"You... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer
I'd love to be with you a little longer
'Cause I'm in love with you

Where is your Beauty?

There is no definition of beauty, but when you can see someone’s spirit coming through, something unexplainable, that’s beautiful to me.
- Liv Tyler


A person's spirit and true personality/character is a beautiful thing ...well it *can* be if it is the right kind. If it is one that is wholly focused and made up of nothing but God and His word then you have begun in a beautiful direction. If you set anything else up as what makes you to be you then you can't help but go down into destruction. So set yourself up strong...build yourself up with educational things: parents, God's Word, prayer, solid and drama-free friends, good books/music and a continual and primary development of a Christian life. This would include time spent in the Word and time spent on your knees. But it also includes time spent just soaking in our Father's words to *us*...just listening to Him, not just hogging all our time talking to Him and not seeking any answers or advice. Simple time spent selflessly seeking His will in our lives. Without that we aren't really looking to put Him first...we want to dictate and lead our lives according to whatever we want ultimately. Something I've learned recently is that even though we think ourselves wise and smart...we really don't know what is good for us. I've come to slowly realize that my parents really *do* love me and they know sooo much better then I do what is really *good* for me. Now we need to define "good". Good is not what appears to be good...nothing that appears to be good is good. Rather, that which "doesn't" look fun or exciting is good. That is what our parents seek for us and we push it away without seeing that it really is the very best for us. It's hard...but taking time to step back and see the reasons why we are asked to do or not do specific things that we don't think are good can open our eyes to see the truth and help us realize continually more and more how much those who are older and wiser are just trying their very best to guide us to the straight and narrow pathway. 

To the survivors:

Now that you're out of my life 

I'm so much better 

You thought that I'd be weak without you 

But I'm stronger 

You thought that I'd be broke without you 

But I'm richer 

You thought that I'd be sad without you 

I laugh harder 

You thought I wouldn't grow without you 

Now I'm wiser 

Though that I'd be helpless without you 

But I'm smarter 

You thought that I'd be stressed without you 

But I'm chillin' 

You thought I wouldn't sell without you 

Sold 9 million 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm not goin' give up (What?) 

I'm not goin' stop (What?) 

I'm goin' work harder (What?) 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm goin'na make it (What?) 

I will survive (What?) 

Keep on survivin' (What?) 

Thought I couldn't breathe without you

I'm inhaling 

You thought I couldn't see without you 

Perfect vision 

You thought I couldn't last without you 

But I'm lastin' 

You thought that I would die without you 

But I'm livin' 

Thought that I would fail without you 

But I'm on top 

Thought it would be over by now 

But it won't stop 

Thought that I would self destruct 

But I'm still here 

Even in my years to come 

I'm still goin' be here 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm not goin' give up (What?) 

I'm not goin' stop (What?) 

I'm goin' work harder (What?) 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm goin'na make it (What?) 

I will survive (What?) 

Keep on survivin' (What?) 

I'm wishin' you the best 

Pray that you are blessed 

Bring much success, no stress, and lots of happiness 

(I'm better than that) 

I'm not goin' blast you on the radio 

(I'm better than that) 

I'm not goin' lie on you and your family 

(I'm better than that) 

I'm not goin' hate on you in the magazines 

('m better than that) 

I'm not goin' compromise my Christianity 

(I'm better than that) 

You know I'm not goin' diss you on the internet 

'Cause my mama taught me better than that 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm not goin' give up (What?) 

I'm not goin' stop (What?) 

I'm goin' work harder (What?) 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm goin'na make it (What?) 

I will survive (What?) 

Keep on survivin' (What?) 

After of all of the darkness and sadness 

Soon comes happiness 

If I surround my self with positive things 

I'll gain prosperity 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm not goin' give up (What?) 

I'm not goin' stop (What?) 

I'm goin' work harder (What?) 

I'm a survivor (What?) 

I'm goin' make it (What?) 

I will survive (What?) 

Keep on survivin' (What?)

4 months

I got to thinking yesterday...yesterday was July 25, 2012...in exactly 4 months from that date we will be unspeakably busy. That is my sister's wedding date. She's been engaged for about 2 1/2 months now and it feels like it's been ages...probably because we've been so incredibly busy with wedding plans!

My dad and I were the first two people outside of his family to know what was going to happen on May 9th (her birthday). She wasn't expecting it, I knew that. But propose he did, and she said yes. Now a little over 2 months later there is rarely a day that goes by without us talking or actively doing something that revolves around the wedding itself. Yesterday, Libby (bridesmaid), Rachel, Becca, and myself all worked on sparklers, which will be what sends the blissful couple off on their honey moon.

It's just so weird/hard to think that within just a few months she will be gone and married and we won't get to see each other every day or hang out and stuff. If any of you have gone through something like this you know what I'm talking about. Anyways...those are more thoughts for the day. I'm going to try and be writing more often..not only on my blog, but also poetry and story-writing. I used to a lot, but as time went on I slowed down until it crawled to a stop. Now I'm trying to be more time-efficient and so I'll have more of a chance to be reading and/or writing more often.

Thanks for reading.

Challenge for the day 7/26

Live in the moment: don't worry about anything else. Stop what you're doing right now and think about it. Think about it. Right now I'm laying in bed...curled up and cuddling with my favorite cat, Dudley. He is so precious and whenever I move too much he sighs at me and shifts. It's so adorable. I don't even quite know what it is that makes me love it so much. It reminds me of one of the last time I remember Tigger...our last cat. We got Tigger when he was just a wee kitten...very young. We raised him and if anyone says they had the best cat they are a liar...Tigger was the best. You could do anything to/with him and he would fall down and worship you. Anyways...one of the last memories I have of him before he was killed was one night when he slept on me...right up my middle..his tail on my tummy and his tiny cold nose straight up on my neck. It made me tear up then and it still does. So that's what's going through my mind...I'm grateful for my Dudley right now...he has truly replaced my Tigger and taken up the empty hole that was left after he died. So that is my "livin in the moment" moment for the day.

Have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!

Song for the day!

Ok, so I am a huge fan of cover artists! I just found a few today and this is one song that I stumbled upon and loved by them! Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-_MyJV37E&feature=relmfu

An article I found on the Batman shooting

"Two days ago I asked the commonsense question, "Why didn't anyone fight back against James Holmes, the shooter who shot so many people in the Batman movie theater?" See that article here: http://www.naturalnews.com/036537_James_Holmes_Batman_shooting.html

Now the answer has become clear: Because Aurora, Colorado already has strict gun control laws on the books that make it:

• Illegal to carry a concealed weapon, even if you're a law-abiding citizen.

• Illegal to discharge a firearm in public unless you are a peace officer.

Thus, any person who would have shot James Holmes and stopped the massacre would, themselves, have been arrested as a criminal!

In Aurora, Colorado, it is illegal to stop a massacre

"I cannot help but think, if one person in that audience was carrying a gun with them, that person could have saved lives. Unfortunately - despite what some of the Left have said - this tragedy is an example of the importance of our Second Amendment Rights," reports Ron Meyer at CNS News (http://cnsnews.com/blog/ron-meyer/auroras-strict-gun-laws-didnt-preve...).

"Crime rates alone of cities such as Chicago and Washington D.C. prove that gun bans only increase crime. The D.C. police response rate is eight minutes; most crimes are done in less than one. Gun bans create a trouble-free world for criminals considering no one can defend themselves."

As a lawful, FBI-background-checked individual with a concealed carry permit, if I had been present in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater during this shooting, I would have been arrested and charged as a felon for discharging my own firearm aimed at James Holmes. It is apparently a "crime" to defend innocent lives, protect children, stop a shooting and end a massacre in Aurora Colorado. It is a crime to protect your own children from violence.

Violent criminals now know to target Aurora, Boulder, Broomfield, Longmont and other "gun ban" cities in Colorado

According to current Colorado law (http://www.coloradoceasefire.org/munilaws.htm), it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon in all the following cities:

Aurora, Boulder, Broomfield, Colorado Springs, Denver, Englewood, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Northglenn, Pueblo, Thornton, Westminster, Wheat Ridge.

It is illegal to even OWN a large number of firearms in Thornton and Lafayette. In Aurora, it is illegal to carry a firearm in a vehicle! Thus, even driving to a movie theater with a firearm in your own car makes you a criminal.

These laws did not stop James Holmes from driving with a loaded gun in his car, along with explosives that were also found in his car. Once again, this demonstrates that gun control laws only disarm the public while allowing criminals to have "free reign" over a completely helpless public.

Here are some of the other gun control laws that already exist in Aurora: (http://www.coloradoceasefire.org/munilaws.htm)

1. "Dangerous weapon" includes firearm
2. Revocation of license for furnishing a firearm to a minor or someone under the influence.
3. Window displays cannot include firearms with barrels less than 12 inches long.
4. Unlawful to carry concealed "dangerous weapon"
5. Unlawful to discharge firearms, unless by law enforcement on duty or on shooting range.
6. Unlawful to possess firearm while under the influence of intoxicant
7. Unlawful to have loaded firearm in motor vehicle.
8. Unlawful for a juvenile to possess a firearm.

By definition criminals do not abide by such laws

Notice, again, that none of these laws stopped James Holmes. By definition criminals do not follow these laws. Thus, the only real impact of gun disarmament of the public is to create yet more victims by making sure the honest, law-abiding citizenry is completely defenseless against criminals.

So this answers my previous question of why nobody shot back. The answer is that all law-abiding citizens left their guns at home in order to "comply" with Aurora gun control laws!

This is precisely what allowed the massacre to produce such a high body count. Had just one person been in that audience with a concealed carry permit and a loaded firearm, they could have shot back and ended the massacre. The number of dead could have been sharply reduced. Lives could have been saved.

"Mass shootings can be stopped. People need to arm themselves with the facts (and with weapons). If one law-abiding person in the theater had been carrying a gun, lives could have been saved," writes Hillary Cherry at CNS News (http://cnsnews.com/blog/ron-meyer/auroras-strict-gun-laws-didnt-preve...).

And she's right.

Gun disarmament really means gun concentration in the hands of government

A disarmed public is helpless against crazed shooters. But the government wants you to believe that the answer to all this is yet more gun confiscation from law-abiding citizens.

This makes about as much sense as trying to fight a fire by throwing gasoline on it. If the reality is that police can't protect you and that honest, law-abiding citizens are forced to leave all their guns at home, then how are violent criminals (who ignore laws, of course) supposed to be stopped by forcing even more restrictive gun control laws onto the victims themselves?

The Aurora, Colorado shooting victims died in their seats because they could not shoot back. Now, Obama, Bloomberg and others want to actually promote those same victim conditions across the entire nation, practically ensuring more violent crime takes place against a disarmed and helpless public.

Washington D.C., it seems, will not be satisfied until we are all placed in the same seats under which the victims of Aurora, Colorado helplessly died. We are all to be made powerless, defenseless and totally dependent on government employees with guns (i.e. police) instead of having the right to defend our own families against random acts of sudden violence.

Now it all makes sense: Aurora, Denver and Boulder will be the perfect targets for future massacres because violent criminals who want to kill as many people as possible are smart enough to understand their odds are better when nobody can shoot back.

This is why Hitler disarmed the Jews, of course, before sending them to the gas chambers. It's so much easier to load people onto railroad cars at gunpoint if they can't shoot back. Disarmament has always been the aim of every government that sought total power over the People. Historically, this has almost always led to mass murder or genocide at the hands of corrupt, criminal government.

Self defense is a DIVINE right

The right to protect your person, your children and your family is a divine right, granted in alignment with the principles of our Creator. We see self defense reflected throughout nature, from the spines on a cactus plant to the ability of nearly every plant or animal to fight back against predators that would cause it harm.

The United Nations, which is an evil, destructive force of global domination, does not recognize the fundamental human right of self defense. Instead, it pursues a philosophy of a "monopoly of violence" in the hands of world governments.

The United Nations, in other words, is not truly "anti-gun," it simply wants all the guns in the hands of government workers and none of the guns in the hands of the people.

Remember this about gun control: No government seeks to eliminate ALL guns. It only seeks to monopolize the guns in the hands of government and thereby create a so-called "monopoly of violence" to be used against the People.

You don't hear governments, for example, say they're going to disarm all their police, disarm the FBI, disarm the ATF and disarm the military. That would be "disarmament" if really true. No, what they propose is selectively disarming only the public while concentrating the "monopoly of violence" in the hands of the government.

This creates a dangerous imbalance of power, especially given that cities and states are sharply cutting back on law enforcement budgets due to increasing debt. The police simply can't protect private citizens from violence, and the recent shooting in Aurora, Colorado absolutely proves it. Let there be no doubt that dialing 911 and screaming for help does about as much good as crossing your fingers and wishing for a magical genie to appear and take out the bad guy.

But we don't need magical genies to do that job. We already have millions of law-abiding citizens all across the country who responsibly carry concealed weapons, acting as a powerful deterrent to outbreaks of violence. Those citizens pass background checks, they get fingerprinted, they must pass training courses to show competency in handling firearms. But citizens who can stop crime are not welcomed in Aurora, Colorado!

Because stopping a massacre in Aurora is a crime!

Aurora, the city of surrender to violent crime

Aurora, Colorado should rename itself "the city of surrender" to violent crime. Welcome to Aurora! Disarm yourself and prepare to be shot, because even though you're not allowed to protect yourself, our police force is so thin and spread out that we can't protect you either. Good luck!

Mass shootings CAN be stopped. They can be stopped by private citizens working with the same aims as peace officers: to stop the violence immediately, thereby saving lives.

It is astonishing that cities like Aurora, Colorado do not allow citizens to protect themselves against violence. The deaths of those 12 victims rest squarely on the officials of the city of Aurora who deliberately created an environment of total helplessness that directly led to the unnecessary deaths of innocent people, including young women and children.

City and state officials of Colorado are, in my view, negligent in these deaths and should be sued by the families of the survivors for criminalizing self defense. Shame on these officials! Shame of those who demand that we all become victims of violent crime. Shame on those who call for yet more disarmament of the public which will inevitably lead to yet more violent crime that can't be stopped.

Think about these FACTS for a second

• The massacre in Aurora took only two minutes to carry out.
• The average response time of police is, at minimum, six minutes (and getting worse).
• A typical concealed carry holder can draw, aim and shoot back in less than five seconds.
Do the math."



Just another situation where the government is always seeking to take over and be as God to the people. 

How To Pop A Balloon 101

This morning I woke up and my days have begun to look different. I'm a different person. My life has been altered...I have been changed. There has been some kind of rebirth and due to it my personality and character has changed. I've become harder...more solid and tough. I can take anything now...it's like when you see someone go to hell and back. Once they get back they have all these awful stories, but they are so embittered and hard that they don't even speak them. There simply are no words to say. But they are different. They have a different view of life and of the people around them. They no longer care to be "here" in the world...but rather above it. To know and see things that are beyond them. To fly in the sky. It's like how a duck sits in a pond as it rains...they don't even care about the raindrops...their feathers are designed to be so the rain just rolls off their back. That is how I've become...my feathers have been built up so I can take anything...rain...hail...snow. It makes absolutely no difference. It even affects how you feel. Your face..your body...your words have a certain "hardness" to them. A weightiness that shows the experience and situations you've had to face. And you've had to face them alone. God was there, but in order to grow you up He has to take a step back and watch as you fight the demons and devils and even Satan himself. After you've faced the lions you come out with a certain swagger you don't even notice. But others do. They sense your fearlessness and your certain attitude that said "leave me alone or else". They give you a wide berth and that suits you just fine because you don't want them...you don't want anyone. You've given up on the thing you want most on this earth because that thing has been a rose in your heart, but they killed that rose and you were left with the thorns, which you had to rip out without a choice, cutting yourself in the process. They had no thought of it...and if they did they didn't care. If they did care then they wouldn't have done it. Sometimes pain causes the best happiness in the end. But pain without happiness is hell. I don't even want the happiness. Not now. Not ever. We all have those situations where it is downright hopeless...and there is not even one way that it could turn to good even if God interceded and provided a miracle. Even faced with those situations the human brain always thinks up some secret little thought...a daydream of some kind of miracle of how the situation might not be as hopeless as you would think. I've had that plague my mind for years now. Every time I ever thought the situation was hopeless my stupid brain would dream up some bizarre situation that would make it all okay...and it even made me feel better. But this time...there is no dream...I don't want the dream. I want this nightmare to last. I want to feel the pain and torture. I want to keep those thorns in my hand...constantly piercing my skin and causing extreme pain. The more pain I inflict and receive the tougher and stronger I'll be. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Stronger, faster, harder, tougher, better. I am a big girl...and adult. I will be 17 in exactly a week. What a happy birthday this is for me. If you have ever sat somewhere and just dreamed up the dream of all dreams...and I'm talking about the best and most impossible things imaginable...just think of that dream coming true...being able to be a reality. But then...in the matter of a simple week (end) it being over...that dream of dreams that has been a balloon blown up bigger and better each moment has suddenly and quickly been popped. And the person with the needle who popped it then turns around and says "oops, sorry" and promises to blow it up again for you. All you can do is just sit there and laugh at them. Because what they promise is absolutely ridiculous. There is no way on heaven or earth that what they want to come true is true. No, I take that back, there is a way...but they refuse to see it. They firmly believe that their way is the right way and they are doing it right. But you stand with everyone else...shaking your head and wondering how on earth they could possibly think they have it right. You turn to them and you find that you are even hardened at them...hardened because they think they can possibly make it right...but don't care to actually do it. No one can truly fix that balloon...there will be no more usage of it. So you need to just throw the balloon of a dream away...bury it in the garbage because if you keep it to look at you might actually miss that balloon...you might try to imagine it...somehow dream up that dream all over again...find some small tiny way that it could be a huge magnificent balloon all over again. But even then, deep down inside you know it will never be what it once was. It will always be that dead limp empty balloon that is a reminder of anything good, true, or beautiful at one point. If you keep that reminder you might just break down and cry at your weakest moments...and you can't have that...so out the reminders go. You fill the spot with toughness...almost an angry, bitter feeling. Without that you wouldn't have the strength to throw that balloon in the trash...to wake up every morning and feel human. But you don't feel human even then. You feel like some alien trying to make it through the day while pretending to fit in with the real people here. Real humans. You feel like some kind of a monster because someone actually cared for you at some point but then it turned out to be a mirage...a trick of your mind because it was a fraud. So you're back to that monster you were before...full of demons and crazy voices never letting you go. Never ceasing to bug you day and night that you are not what you could be with that dream in your back pocket. People tell you to dream and dream big...but I say that nightmares are more fun. Maybe that sounds sick, but nightmares make you tough...tough enough so you can look reality in the face and say "yes, you suck, but I am stronger then you and don't care if my dreams don't come true". That dream will become nothing but a distant memory soon. I have done it before...forcing it out of my mind. I have gotten over dreams before...I can do it again. And when they decide to come back and try to blow up that balloon they will find that I threw it away, it became buried in the trash and then someone came and took the trash out. What a reality crash that will be then. So in light of all of this...I am strong. I am a strong, independent young woman who has God and others on my side. Who can be against me? I have many behind me who fully support my toughness...my attitude about how to face life when it's nothing but crap...about how I can be a hardened independent and single woman doing everything for God and others but never for those who leave me behind during the most important times. My theme song for this post (since I'm trying to get more music incorporated into this blog) is Kelly Clarkson's song "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)":

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in color
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new
They told you I was moving on, over you

You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You try to break me, but you see

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me
You know in the end the day you left was just my beginning
In the end...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

When I'm alone

New band = new music

During my time spent at Blue Lake I made one particularly close friend...her name is Savannah and she is so amazing! She is truly under appreciated so I wanted to write this blog post for her...she has this favorite band of hers. At first, I was a little apprehensive about listening to them...it was a new, strange band that I'd never heard of before (which is pretty rare). But after listening to them I discovered I really did like their stuff! So here is a link to one of my favorite songs by them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GJ0z1LH6RJc

Thank you, Savannah! :)

Blue Lake!!

Hey everyone! I am headed off to Blue Lake for a week and a half...July 11-22...and I get super homesick and the BEST part of being there is all the letters I receive! Seriously...I run to my bed and there's a pile of letters from my amazing friends! So if you have time to write to me at all, I'd super love it! Please allow about 4 days for mail to arrive.


Sarah Bacon
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Central Camp - Siena - Lazzell
300 East Crystal Lake Road
Twin Lake, MI 49457

A Call To Remember (repost from an email I received)

The only thing more difficult than finding the truth is not losing it. What starts out as new and precious becomes plain and old.  What begins a thrilling discovery becomes a rote exercise.  What provokes one generation to sacrifice and passion becomes in the next generation a cause for rebellion and apathy.  Why is it that denominations and church movements almost always drift from their theological moorings?  Why is it that people who grow up in the church are often less articulate about their faith than the new Christian who converted at forty-five?  Why is it that those who grow up with creeds and confessions are usually the ones who hate them most?

Perhaps it’s because truth is like the tip of your nose-it’s hardest to see when it’s right in front of you?

No doubt, the church in the West has many new things to learn.  But for the most part, everything we need to learn is what we’ve already forgotten.  The chief theological task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or to be relevant, but to remember.  We must remember the old, old story.  We must remember the faith once delivered to the saints.  We must remember the truths that spark reformation, revival, and regeneration.

The Scriptures are fully true. Jesus is fully God. The Father appoints. The Son accomplishes. The Spirit applies. God created the world from nothing. God oversees everything. God can do whatever he wants, and he wants you to work hard. We are forgiven at the cross. We are justified by faith. We must show our faith with good deeds and holy lives. Jesus is our substitute. Jesus is the only way. Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Hell is terrible and forever. Heaven is eternal and better than we can imagine. Come to Christ. Come to the cross. Come and die, and behold, we live. Keep on saying these things over and over. And don’t ever forget.