About a week ago, I watched a Louie Giglio video called "Symphony". If you've seen this video, you know that it is a very passionate and skillful representation on how we are all (including the stars and the whales and all of creation) joining together in a beautiful symphony of praise to the Lord. It has impacted me since the first time I saw an excerpt, but has been popping up in my mind more than usual this past week.
In the video, Louie does a mash-up of some incredible sounds from space and the voices of whales, and puts them under the song "How Great is Our God". That song is one of my favorites, and hearing them all together, is astounding. In my youth group band, we are singing that song, and since Youth Sunday is coming up, we have been practicing it more than usual. Every time I sing that song it leaves me in awe, we really all are contributing to this amazing song of praise. Louie states in the video, and I concur, that it's interesting to imagine how it must sound to Him, everything all at once, and that too, leaves me in awe. Something he points out as he is teaching, is that God does not need our voices, He doesn't need our praise. Being the D.R.F.S.S.S. that we are, He could have easily just flicked us out of the picture, and started over with something new. But He didn't, and that's what is incredible.
It also helps to think with more of an eternal perspective, if you are picturing how things might sound to the God of the universe, then it's likely that your viewpoint will change. When your viewpoint changes, everything is different, and priorities take a turn as well. I have experienced that firsthand, and it is incredible how God can begin to show you that the little things, little problems, and little hassles in life, they really aren't that big of a deal. In 150 years, if it will not matter, then we should rethink our priorities. Even thinking about it more detailed these past days, has brought conviction, and I will be working on that. It amazes me how God works and designs, from majestic mountains, to conviction in my own heat, He truly is great :)
So here's the some links...and I would highly recommend you watch it! :)
Click here for the whole video :)
Click here for the shorter version :)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Screwtape Letters...(Complete 2/2)
I've been having difficulties deciding what to blog about this week, but I decided I'll just share with you what I'm reading! If you've heard of the book before, you've already caught on because of my title, if not- I am reading a book by C.S. Lewis titled "The Screwtape Letters".
I am a little over half-way through the book, but in a very under-detailed and condensed summary, (as far as I have read) this book is from the perspective of a "professional devil" who is writing letters to his nephew, a "junior tempter", describing how to spiritually attack his "patient". He shows him different techniques, plots, and devices to assault him/her in different ways. Before I describe some of the ways he (Screwtape) has taught Wormwood (the nephew), I will state some of the truths that C.S. Lewis does before starting the book.
1. What is the opposite of God? It is in fact, not satan. Satan is not an equal of God, nor is he able to counteract God as an opposite. Satan is the opposite of Michael (an angel), because the he himself was an angel once, (*Isaiah 14:12-15). 2. Angels do not look like sweet little sunshiney creatures with halos and little wings, because they are warriors! God literally has an angel army! Every time an angel is seen in the bible, they have to begin their statements with "Fear not"... because they are frightening and intimidating! And 3, the last of the main statements...He reminds the reader that the book is written by a human! This is a work of fiction, with theological truth. Screwtape is not a real devil (though how ironic if one had that name) and he has no nephew named Wormwood, this is just an insightful (and witty) book to help us correctly picture these creatures. He reminds the reader as well, that this book is not written perfectly, and to caution any unbalanced ideas one may get about devils being in more control over your life than God. They are not. God is the ultimate authority and power, nothing that isn't supposed to will get past Him. This is just written showing one side of the warfare.
With that said, and a clearer picture of angels and devils depicted, I'll get into some profound statements made by C.S. from the perspective of Screwtape.(Note: any mention of the "Enemy" especially capitalized, is referencing God, and Screwtape may not necessarily be telling the truth, he is a cunning devil after all...) Here's a few of my favorites:
Part Two
As I finished "Screwtape Letters" I continued to be shocked at the way of thinking that it ensues. You really have to bend your mindset, and use a whole new perspective, but it is so interesting and thought provoking. The conclusion of the book was Wormwood losing his "patient" and not succeeding. The spiritual warfare that had been working in him was finally ended, and he got off on the side to be on :)
Throughout the whole end of the book, you can see the struggle and the beginning of the losing battle for Wormwood and Screwtape. The last letter is actually Uncle Screwtape furiously pleading/yelling with him to just listen and obey what he had been saying. Himself being a "professional tempter" he cannot grasp how Wormwood's mind does not think as his own, and that is told throughout the entire book, he's trying to teach with a very frustrated mindset, and that's not working so well for him.
As a conclusion, I will share my 3 favorite quotes from the second half of the book (to give myself boundary, because there are so many good ones).
*Isaiah 14: 12-15 ""How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (ESV)
I am a little over half-way through the book, but in a very under-detailed and condensed summary, (as far as I have read) this book is from the perspective of a "professional devil" who is writing letters to his nephew, a "junior tempter", describing how to spiritually attack his "patient". He shows him different techniques, plots, and devices to assault him/her in different ways. Before I describe some of the ways he (Screwtape) has taught Wormwood (the nephew), I will state some of the truths that C.S. Lewis does before starting the book.
1. What is the opposite of God? It is in fact, not satan. Satan is not an equal of God, nor is he able to counteract God as an opposite. Satan is the opposite of Michael (an angel), because the he himself was an angel once, (*Isaiah 14:12-15). 2. Angels do not look like sweet little sunshiney creatures with halos and little wings, because they are warriors! God literally has an angel army! Every time an angel is seen in the bible, they have to begin their statements with "Fear not"... because they are frightening and intimidating! And 3, the last of the main statements...He reminds the reader that the book is written by a human! This is a work of fiction, with theological truth. Screwtape is not a real devil (though how ironic if one had that name) and he has no nephew named Wormwood, this is just an insightful (and witty) book to help us correctly picture these creatures. He reminds the reader as well, that this book is not written perfectly, and to caution any unbalanced ideas one may get about devils being in more control over your life than God. They are not. God is the ultimate authority and power, nothing that isn't supposed to will get past Him. This is just written showing one side of the warfare.
With that said, and a clearer picture of angels and devils depicted, I'll get into some profound statements made by C.S. from the perspective of Screwtape.(Note: any mention of the "Enemy" especially capitalized, is referencing God, and Screwtape may not necessarily be telling the truth, he is a cunning devil after all...) Here's a few of my favorites:
- "Above all, do not attempt to use science (I mean the real sciences) as a defense against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about the realities he can't touch and see. There have been sad cases among the modern scientists. If he must dabble in science, keep him on economics and sociology; don't let him get away from that invaluable 'real-life'. But the best of all is to have him read no science, but to give him a grand general idea that he knows it all and that everything he happens to have picked up in casual talk and reading is "the results of modern investigation". Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the way some of you young fiends talk, anyone would suppose it was our job to teach!" (page 10)
- "Work hard then, on the disappointment or anti-climax which is certainly coming to the patient during his first few weeks as a churchman. The Enemy allows this disappointment to occur on the threshold of every human endeavor. It occurs when the boy, who has been enchanted in the nursery by The Stories from Odyssey, buckles down to really learning Greek. When lovers have got married and begin the real task of learning to live together. In every department of life it marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing. The Enemy takes this risk because He has a curious fantasy of making all these disgusting little human vermin into what He calls His "free" lovers and servants-"sons" is the word He uses, with His inveterate love of degrading the whole spiritual world by unnatural liaisons with the two-legged animals. Desiring their freedom, He therefore refuses to carry them, by their mere affections and habits, to any of the goals which He sets before them: He leaves them to "do it on their own" And their lies our opportunity. But also remember, their lies our danger. If once they get through this initial dryness successfully, they become much less dependent on emotion and therefore much harder to tempt." ( page 14)
- "Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence, we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism, and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we will learn in due time how to emotionalize and mythologize their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy." (page 32)
- "Another possibility is that of a direct attack on his faith. When you have caused him to assume that the trough is permanent, can you not persuade him that "his religious phase" is just going to die away like all his previous phases? Of course, there is no conceivable way of getting by reason from the proposition "This is false." But, as I said before, it is jargon, not reason, you must rely on. The mere word phase will very likely do the trick. I assume that the creature has been through several of them before-they all have- and that he always feels superior and patronizing to the ones he has emerged from, not because he has really criticized them, but simply because they are in the past." (page 43)
- "I see only one thing to do at the moment. Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specifically true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove! I'm being humble", and almost immediately pride- pride at his own humility- will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt- and so on, through as many stages as you please. But don't try this too long, for fear you awake his sense of humor and proportion, in which case he will merely laugh at you and go to bed" (page 63)
Part Two
As I finished "Screwtape Letters" I continued to be shocked at the way of thinking that it ensues. You really have to bend your mindset, and use a whole new perspective, but it is so interesting and thought provoking. The conclusion of the book was Wormwood losing his "patient" and not succeeding. The spiritual warfare that had been working in him was finally ended, and he got off on the side to be on :)
Throughout the whole end of the book, you can see the struggle and the beginning of the losing battle for Wormwood and Screwtape. The last letter is actually Uncle Screwtape furiously pleading/yelling with him to just listen and obey what he had been saying. Himself being a "professional tempter" he cannot grasp how Wormwood's mind does not think as his own, and that is told throughout the entire book, he's trying to teach with a very frustrated mindset, and that's not working so well for him.
As a conclusion, I will share my 3 favorite quotes from the second half of the book (to give myself boundary, because there are so many good ones).
- "You must therefore guard in his mind the curious assumption "My time is my own". Let him have the feeling as he starts the day that he is the lawful possessor of the twenty four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of his property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright." (page 96)
- "We produce this sense of ownership, not only by pride, but by confusion. We teach them not to notice the different senses of the possessive pronoun-the finely graded differences that run from 'my boots' through 'my dog' 'my servant' 'my wife' 'my father' 'my master' and 'my country', to 'my God'. They can be taught to reduce all these senses to that of 'my boots', the 'my' of ownership. Even in the nursery a child can be taught to mean 'my Teddy bear' NOT the old imagined recipient of affection to whom it stand in a special relation (for that is what the Enemy will teach them to mean if we are not careful) but "the bear I can pull to pieces if I like". At the other end of the scale, we have taught men to say "my God" in a sense not really very different from "my boots" meaning "the God whom I have a claim for my distinguished services and whom I exploited from the pulpit-the God I have done a corner in"." (page 98)
- "But since your patient has contracted the terrible habit of obedience, he will probably continue such 'crude' prayers whatever you do. But you can worry him with the haunting suspicion that the practice is absurd and can have no objective result. Don't forget to use the "heads I win, tails you lose" argument. If the thing he prays about doesn't happen, then that is one more proof that petitionary prayers don't work; if it does happen, he will, of course be able to see some of the physical causes which lead up to it, and 'therefore it would have happened anyway' and thus a granted prayer becomes just as good proof as a denied one, that prayers are ineffective." (page 126)
*Isaiah 14: 12-15 ""How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (ESV)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Thank you Jesus!
My youngest sister, Faith, and I do Bible lessons together, she is 2, but very intelligent for her age. She has learned about several things but her favorite is "Baby Moses". It's a special time for us to spend together, and especially because she's learning God's word! Faith makes me so proud when she remembers the stories, or brings them up randomly, but words can't express how happy I was to hear her this morning. As she was jumping on her child-sized trampoline with my niece Gemma, she dropped everything to pray. A 2 year old little girl stopped right while playing to thank Jesus. She started giving thanks for her toys and food and family, and anything she thought of. It's astounding to hear her praying, at an early age she truly grasps the concept of thankfulness!
Earlier this morning I also heard my mom and a friend voxing (a phone app that allows you to send voice messages, like voice texting sort of) each other their blessings journals. Both of these events today got me thinking, giving thanks is very important, and I should improve on it. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" This was not written to Melany Widener in the year 2013, or anyone who may be reading this, but we can still learn from it. We should be thankful, for everything. And since I understand that, there is zero excuse for me to not be actively doing it. I have been blessed with many things, and even if I do appreciate them, I need to be showing that appreciation through thanks. But not only for the good, because God is also in control of the bad, and even simply His control over the bad, is definitely worthy of thanks. "Everything" means everything, and I will try to have a heart of thankfulness about truly everything.
So I am challenging myself, and anyone who would like to join me, to start a thankfulness journal. These are pretty common around the Thanksgiving holiday season, but being thankful is not November exclusive. So starting today I am going to embark on a daily giving of thanks. I will write it as a page (like my "Books Worth Reading" or "Gospel" pages) rather than a post every day, and I'm doing it on this blog for accountability. I hope to gain a mindset and attitude of gratitude (ok that sounded cheesy :))...and on that note, I shall start now! :)
Earlier this morning I also heard my mom and a friend voxing (a phone app that allows you to send voice messages, like voice texting sort of) each other their blessings journals. Both of these events today got me thinking, giving thanks is very important, and I should improve on it. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" This was not written to Melany Widener in the year 2013, or anyone who may be reading this, but we can still learn from it. We should be thankful, for everything. And since I understand that, there is zero excuse for me to not be actively doing it. I have been blessed with many things, and even if I do appreciate them, I need to be showing that appreciation through thanks. But not only for the good, because God is also in control of the bad, and even simply His control over the bad, is definitely worthy of thanks. "Everything" means everything, and I will try to have a heart of thankfulness about truly everything.
So I am challenging myself, and anyone who would like to join me, to start a thankfulness journal. These are pretty common around the Thanksgiving holiday season, but being thankful is not November exclusive. So starting today I am going to embark on a daily giving of thanks. I will write it as a page (like my "Books Worth Reading" or "Gospel" pages) rather than a post every day, and I'm doing it on this blog for accountability. I hope to gain a mindset and attitude of gratitude (ok that sounded cheesy :))...and on that note, I shall start now! :)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
CAAAAAAMP JOOOOOOY TWENTY THIRTEEEEEEN :)
This summer I worked as a volunteer at "Camp Joy", a Bible camp for young kids to high school students. To sum up my experience in very simple terms, I'd say it was wonderful, just wonderful :) Because when I think of the word wonderful, I think of something you can be amazed at, something that holds you in wonder and is very enjoyable...and that is absolutely how I look back on my time at Camp Joy.
To start off, you should know a couple things as background information; I had never been to Camp Joy before (when I started workers training was the first time I'd set foot there), I knew nobody (my connection to the camp was former directors) and I was a long ways from home (a four and a half hour drive). Thinking about it now, I can really see how God pulled everything together and made me so excited to go. I only had about 3 weeks after I knew I had been hired before we started training, and I hadn't thought it through like I usually would with something. You see, I realized about a day into training, that I didn't know what I was doing there. I hadn't talked to hardly anyone, I sat alone for everything, and it didn't seem like anyone was interested in my being there. This all soon changed.
Now don't go thinking that the staff members there aren't good people, because they're truly great...I just was expecting everyone to automatically accept me and be my friend, and things don't work like that. I had stepped into a tight knit group of friends that had been together since childhood, and I could hardly remember everyone's name, of course I wasn't going to be treated the exact same as I watched them treat everyone else, because they didn't know me yet. I can imagine they were still trying to figure me out, as well as I was with them, so I don't blame anyone. It was also a mixture of being stressed at this new undertaking, and being so far away from home that made me feel more lonely. I remember a specific conversation on the phone with my parents, I'd been there for only a few days, and it was the night before the first week of camp started. The phone call was basically me, telling them that I had no clue at all why I was there. I kept reassuring them, but more myself really, that I wouldn't go home after coming this far and committing to this, but at that moment, all I wanted was the comfort of my home. I honestly and truly thought that it was a horrible idea for me to have gone, and dreaded all that time to come in an uncomfortable and lonely environment.
The very next day.. ba ba ba ba dada da (duck song, sorry :)) the next camp began, and I was starting to see how wrong I was to think I would dread this experience. The second that children started pulling up in cars, needing help with their bags and someone to introduce them, I realized something. Just as I had very recently been homesick and lonely, many kids were about to experience the same thing.Quite a few of them hadn't ever been to a camp before, and they missed their homes...some didn't know a single person either, so I made it my mission to prevent that as much as possible. That meant sitting with the little boy who was all alone, or smiling at the little girl who looked sad, introducing myself a billion times, and getting the shy kids involved, helping a little girl do her hair, to spending hours helping a little girl get her hair untangled from a brush, singing homesick girls back to sleep, or rubbing their backs to help them fall asleep...any way I could think of to help those kids have the most comfortable and enjoyable experience of camp, and most importantly, to see the love of Jesus.
Some very hilarious, amusing, special, and touching moments happened this summer, between the staff and between the kids, all of them (and many unsaid) were the reason I grew to absolutely and positively love Camp Joy, my serving experience, and time with these wonderful people, and I'll share some with you.
My 3 favorite hilarious moments with the kids would be: 1 Macer Racers, these would be little girls who persistently and stalkerishly chased around another male staff member, stealing things from his bracelets...to his hair, yes his hair. We named them Macer Racers because it resembles names such as "Beliebers" and "Directioners" who are obsessed with Justin Beiber or One Direction. My second favorite hilarious moment with the kids would be a little girl talking about the movie "Soul Surfer". We're all talking about how it made us cry, or how touching it was, when this quiet girl pipes up and says "my favorite part was when the shark bit her arm off"...we were all in stitches :) The third most hilarious thing I witnessed at camp concerning campers was one of the girls being convinced that El Chupocobra (the camp legend, like a ghost for example, which is actually a legend from Mexico) was getting her while she slept. She would wake up every morning, dead serious, showing us this imaginary mark on her arm that was from "Chupocobra invading her in the middle of the night" :)
My 3 favorite moments with the staff members were: 1 the best game of lost in translation I've ever played, including phrases such as "a family of narwhals racing to the sandy shore to rest under the shade of a coconut tree" "You're so sweet, ponies ask for you on their birthdays" "and the decomposition process of a hot dog" (we played on my birthday, an off day of camp, and I have to say it was one of my favorite birthdays ever :)) The second most amusing moment I shared with fellow staff was a very creepy yet hilarious video we watched at the coffee shop in town. It was a rendition of "Father Abraham", and to this day one of the other staff members is scared of it, we even made a pillowcase mimicking the children's costumes in the video :)
And my third favorite thing would be pop stand. We sell pop and candy at certain times in the day to the kids, and we came up with code names for everything at the stand. Some examples are: a Medic= a Dr. Pepper, A cherry Pepsi= BEEEDOOO BEEEDOOOO BEEEEDOOO (Despicable Me 2:)) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups= best buds. It was pretty funny to hear all of these ridiculous names called out every couple seconds :)
Now that I've shared with you some lighthearted things, I want to tell you about my absolute favorite thing that happened, all summer there, and something I won't ever forget. There was a girl, at Junior High Camp, and let's say her name was Sally (just because there wasn't a Sally and I've been thinking about Weeping Angels today :)) Sally was the girl you would assume was forced to go to camp by some family member. She sat alone, on purpose, and frowned frequently, she had a very negative way about her, and I saw her smile maybe twice until this specific moment. I would often go sit with her and strike up conversation, smile my brightest as she walked by, and include her as much as I could, but I thought it was going unnoticed. I also thought I was annoying her, and it was hard to find a balance of making her feel welcome and loved, to not standing over her. I didn't ever give up, but I kept doing those things for her and loving on her with the thought that it wasn't doing anything for her... but I was gladly wrong. The last night of Junior High week of camp, we had just gotten back from campfire. All the girls were busily getting ready for bed, playing with each others hair, laughing, and cherishing the last moments they had with new friends, before the sadness of parting came in the morning. I was in a separate dorm building- so it was just the girls, and 3 of us dorm leaders- the other 2 were off working on things, and I was in charge of the girls. I had been in and out of the bathroom monitoring shower time and making sure things moved along before I started nighttime devotions. On one of my trips back from the bathroom, Sally caught my attention and asked if she could talk to me real quick. I got excited, told her I'd love to talk to her, and we went and sat on my bed. She started to tell me how when she came that week, she didn't want to be there. She said she did not believe in God, and was irritated by all of the God-centered things we had been doing. She was lonely, and not enjoying herself. Then she told me that about mid-day on the second day she was there, she realized me doing things, like smiling when she walked by, or sitting by her at the dinner table and talking to her. At that point I thought "Wow, it was all worth it"... and then she told me that she now believes in God, because she saw Him in me, that I helped her to understand His love and His awesomeness. At that point, I was crying, and then she started crying, we prayed together and we talked some more, we ended up laughing together and then I unfortunately had to get devotions going and the girls to bed, but I will forever cherish that moment, and she will always be special to me. That moment taught me how amazing it is to see (and feel) God working through people to glorify Himself.
And regarding the title of this post, "CAAAAAMP JOOOY TWENTY THIRTEEEEEEN" is what we would all yell at random times throughout this summer, someone starts it and then everyone joins in, it's pretty awesome. And in conclusion, I can't wait until "CAMP JOOOOOOY TWENTY FOURTEEEEEEEEN" :)
Some very hilarious, amusing, special, and touching moments happened this summer, between the staff and between the kids, all of them (and many unsaid) were the reason I grew to absolutely and positively love Camp Joy, my serving experience, and time with these wonderful people, and I'll share some with you.
My 3 favorite hilarious moments with the kids would be: 1 Macer Racers, these would be little girls who persistently and stalkerishly chased around another male staff member, stealing things from his bracelets...to his hair, yes his hair. We named them Macer Racers because it resembles names such as "Beliebers" and "Directioners" who are obsessed with Justin Beiber or One Direction. My second favorite hilarious moment with the kids would be a little girl talking about the movie "Soul Surfer". We're all talking about how it made us cry, or how touching it was, when this quiet girl pipes up and says "my favorite part was when the shark bit her arm off"...we were all in stitches :) The third most hilarious thing I witnessed at camp concerning campers was one of the girls being convinced that El Chupocobra (the camp legend, like a ghost for example, which is actually a legend from Mexico) was getting her while she slept. She would wake up every morning, dead serious, showing us this imaginary mark on her arm that was from "Chupocobra invading her in the middle of the night" :)
And my third favorite thing would be pop stand. We sell pop and candy at certain times in the day to the kids, and we came up with code names for everything at the stand. Some examples are: a Medic= a Dr. Pepper, A cherry Pepsi= BEEEDOOO BEEEDOOOO BEEEEDOOO (Despicable Me 2:)) and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups= best buds. It was pretty funny to hear all of these ridiculous names called out every couple seconds :)
Now that I've shared with you some lighthearted things, I want to tell you about my absolute favorite thing that happened, all summer there, and something I won't ever forget. There was a girl, at Junior High Camp, and let's say her name was Sally (just because there wasn't a Sally and I've been thinking about Weeping Angels today :)) Sally was the girl you would assume was forced to go to camp by some family member. She sat alone, on purpose, and frowned frequently, she had a very negative way about her, and I saw her smile maybe twice until this specific moment. I would often go sit with her and strike up conversation, smile my brightest as she walked by, and include her as much as I could, but I thought it was going unnoticed. I also thought I was annoying her, and it was hard to find a balance of making her feel welcome and loved, to not standing over her. I didn't ever give up, but I kept doing those things for her and loving on her with the thought that it wasn't doing anything for her... but I was gladly wrong. The last night of Junior High week of camp, we had just gotten back from campfire. All the girls were busily getting ready for bed, playing with each others hair, laughing, and cherishing the last moments they had with new friends, before the sadness of parting came in the morning. I was in a separate dorm building- so it was just the girls, and 3 of us dorm leaders- the other 2 were off working on things, and I was in charge of the girls. I had been in and out of the bathroom monitoring shower time and making sure things moved along before I started nighttime devotions. On one of my trips back from the bathroom, Sally caught my attention and asked if she could talk to me real quick. I got excited, told her I'd love to talk to her, and we went and sat on my bed. She started to tell me how when she came that week, she didn't want to be there. She said she did not believe in God, and was irritated by all of the God-centered things we had been doing. She was lonely, and not enjoying herself. Then she told me that about mid-day on the second day she was there, she realized me doing things, like smiling when she walked by, or sitting by her at the dinner table and talking to her. At that point I thought "Wow, it was all worth it"... and then she told me that she now believes in God, because she saw Him in me, that I helped her to understand His love and His awesomeness. At that point, I was crying, and then she started crying, we prayed together and we talked some more, we ended up laughing together and then I unfortunately had to get devotions going and the girls to bed, but I will forever cherish that moment, and she will always be special to me. That moment taught me how amazing it is to see (and feel) God working through people to glorify Himself.
And regarding the title of this post, "CAAAAAMP JOOOY TWENTY THIRTEEEEEEN" is what we would all yell at random times throughout this summer, someone starts it and then everyone joins in, it's pretty awesome. And in conclusion, I can't wait until "CAMP JOOOOOOY TWENTY FOURTEEEEEEEEN" :)
Friday, October 4, 2013
I Kissed Dating Goodbye
I could give you a list of all the hilarious things my baby sister has done today, or write a 10 page report on my favorite book, but I have decided to share with you one of the very important things in my life, and a big part of who I am.
In my previous entry, I mentioned that I do not date-well I'm going to tell you why, and what I do instead!
Before, or after you read this blog, I would recommend you read the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. It is what changed my mind, and showed me the things I am going to tell you. No, I'm not going to tell you that anyone who dates is horribly wrong, or wrong at all. What I AM going to tell you, is all the upsides to doing things differently.
First, I ask "What is the purpose of dating?". The only answer that I consider worthy, is anything along the lines of "To find a future spouse". While that is a valid reason, it's not the only way. There are more possible "bumps in the road" to dating, and that is what I'm trying to avoid.
For example, I've seen some third graders start "dating", their boyfriend/girlfriend is a person they hardly know, someone they deem as "cute" or (please excuse my use of the word) "hot", and its all a game. Literally a game. When the mindset that "If I just get bored with one I'll try another" is instilled inside a child, it quite possibly becomes subconscious, that's where it starts. And that can explain a portion of the 50% divorce rate.
Then it can turn into early teens, who struggle with infatuation, selfishness, and lust. Dating can just feed that monster, especially without pure intentions. Many people go into relationships with the hope that it will make THEIR life better, make THEM happier, fulfill some of THEIR needs. And that's a big red flag right there, it can only bring about problems. Idolizing the person you're dating is also an issue that can be faced. When it gets in the way of your other relationships, takes time away from priorities, and brings the focus away from God, there is something wrong. Anything we put before God is an idol.
Then there's purity, and everyone, no matter who you are, is still human, and is still a Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Stupid Sinner, we all can or will struggle with it. Whether it be thoughts, or actions, dating brings about more temptation than not.
The last red flag in the concept of dating, is romance. This can tie back into the selfish desires, but the fact of the matter is, nobody needs practice with romance. If you've dated 20 people before you get married, or if you've dated none, that doesn't change how you will show affection to someone you truly love. Which brings up another subject, dating can deter what you think the word "love" means, because the truth is, love isn't a feeling, love isn't butterflies when you see someone, or a person you really like. Love is commitment. Dating in the general term, can make you believe the exact opposite. A beautiful example, stated in "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" is flowers. If you pick flowers too soon, before they're bloomed, you miss out on much, and you can't reverse that process. It goes the same for friendships, if you rush into romance (picking the flower too soon) before the friendship is fully developed, or fully bloomed, then you miss out on so much.
Given all of these flaws to dating, I will now show you the amazingly fantastic and splendid way to go about a relationship and potential spouse. Drop the titles, and become their best friend. I'm serious, that's it in a nutshell. Pay close attention to not putting them over God, get to know them really well, pray for them and your relationship with them, show that you're committed to it, but not romantically, and enjoy having this meaningful relationship. Chances are, after you've reached the status of best friends, you will know that person a hundred times better than if you had started, or continued dating. You'll find yourself with someone that you can trust, appreciate, joke around with, ask for help, help in return, spend time with, and enjoy the presence of :) all much more easily avoiding those problems.
Another commitment I have made, is to not kiss anyone until my wedding day, after I hear the words "You may kiss your bride". My first kiss is something I will cherish, and only give to the man I have committed to spend the rest of my life with. I encourage you to make the same decision. How cool would it be to be able to say, happily, that you never kissed anyone but your spouse, and even cooler if they could say the same! That makes it much more special, I mean imagine that moment...You're dressed up, you are so excited that your stomach feels like it is going to jump through your chest, you are standing before the love of your life, making a commitment before God and everyone to spend the rest of your life faithfully to them, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, etc., till death do you part, and then, when it seems like the happiest day of your life cannot get any better, you get to kiss them, something you've waited to do for years, and you can finally enjoy, with your new spouse! Sounds like a pretty good decision to me :)
While nobody likes to consider it, there's also the topic of break ups, or falling out. But here's the upside...If it is in God's will that you and the specific person don't become more than good friends, you still have an amazing relationship in your life. None of the "we can still be friends" or awkwardness that breakups can bring, you still have this great strong friendship :)
In conclusion, I hope I have well shared with you how incredible it can be to do this. I myself have a best friend, and seriously, it's awesome :)
P.S. Here's a link to the book :)
Click here for the "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Link
In my previous entry, I mentioned that I do not date-well I'm going to tell you why, and what I do instead!
Before, or after you read this blog, I would recommend you read the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. It is what changed my mind, and showed me the things I am going to tell you. No, I'm not going to tell you that anyone who dates is horribly wrong, or wrong at all. What I AM going to tell you, is all the upsides to doing things differently.
First, I ask "What is the purpose of dating?". The only answer that I consider worthy, is anything along the lines of "To find a future spouse". While that is a valid reason, it's not the only way. There are more possible "bumps in the road" to dating, and that is what I'm trying to avoid.
For example, I've seen some third graders start "dating", their boyfriend/girlfriend is a person they hardly know, someone they deem as "cute" or (please excuse my use of the word) "hot", and its all a game. Literally a game. When the mindset that "If I just get bored with one I'll try another" is instilled inside a child, it quite possibly becomes subconscious, that's where it starts. And that can explain a portion of the 50% divorce rate.
Then it can turn into early teens, who struggle with infatuation, selfishness, and lust. Dating can just feed that monster, especially without pure intentions. Many people go into relationships with the hope that it will make THEIR life better, make THEM happier, fulfill some of THEIR needs. And that's a big red flag right there, it can only bring about problems. Idolizing the person you're dating is also an issue that can be faced. When it gets in the way of your other relationships, takes time away from priorities, and brings the focus away from God, there is something wrong. Anything we put before God is an idol.
Then there's purity, and everyone, no matter who you are, is still human, and is still a Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Stupid Sinner, we all can or will struggle with it. Whether it be thoughts, or actions, dating brings about more temptation than not.
The last red flag in the concept of dating, is romance. This can tie back into the selfish desires, but the fact of the matter is, nobody needs practice with romance. If you've dated 20 people before you get married, or if you've dated none, that doesn't change how you will show affection to someone you truly love. Which brings up another subject, dating can deter what you think the word "love" means, because the truth is, love isn't a feeling, love isn't butterflies when you see someone, or a person you really like. Love is commitment. Dating in the general term, can make you believe the exact opposite. A beautiful example, stated in "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" is flowers. If you pick flowers too soon, before they're bloomed, you miss out on much, and you can't reverse that process. It goes the same for friendships, if you rush into romance (picking the flower too soon) before the friendship is fully developed, or fully bloomed, then you miss out on so much.
Given all of these flaws to dating, I will now show you the amazingly fantastic and splendid way to go about a relationship and potential spouse. Drop the titles, and become their best friend. I'm serious, that's it in a nutshell. Pay close attention to not putting them over God, get to know them really well, pray for them and your relationship with them, show that you're committed to it, but not romantically, and enjoy having this meaningful relationship. Chances are, after you've reached the status of best friends, you will know that person a hundred times better than if you had started, or continued dating. You'll find yourself with someone that you can trust, appreciate, joke around with, ask for help, help in return, spend time with, and enjoy the presence of :) all much more easily avoiding those problems.
Another commitment I have made, is to not kiss anyone until my wedding day, after I hear the words "You may kiss your bride". My first kiss is something I will cherish, and only give to the man I have committed to spend the rest of my life with. I encourage you to make the same decision. How cool would it be to be able to say, happily, that you never kissed anyone but your spouse, and even cooler if they could say the same! That makes it much more special, I mean imagine that moment...You're dressed up, you are so excited that your stomach feels like it is going to jump through your chest, you are standing before the love of your life, making a commitment before God and everyone to spend the rest of your life faithfully to them, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, etc., till death do you part, and then, when it seems like the happiest day of your life cannot get any better, you get to kiss them, something you've waited to do for years, and you can finally enjoy, with your new spouse! Sounds like a pretty good decision to me :)
While nobody likes to consider it, there's also the topic of break ups, or falling out. But here's the upside...If it is in God's will that you and the specific person don't become more than good friends, you still have an amazing relationship in your life. None of the "we can still be friends" or awkwardness that breakups can bring, you still have this great strong friendship :)
In conclusion, I hope I have well shared with you how incredible it can be to do this. I myself have a best friend, and seriously, it's awesome :)
P.S. Here's a link to the book :)
Click here for the "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Link
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