Never Feel That Way, M'kay?

There will always be someone prettier, better, and smarter, than you....but that shouldn't get you down...you might be that someone to someone else :)

Sitting in my Reading and Writing about Texts class, just 20 minutes ago, I felt like the most idiotic person in the room. Not only was I the only person to bring a hand-written paper, forget to submit the assignment online but brought it in hand but I completely missed the topic of the assignment.

To add to the fire of my embarrassment, the professor had us paired up and read each others paper, while creating a thesis for them. (NO ONE LIKES THESISISISISISSS!) I sat there for a good, 10 minutes while my partner had an entire paragraph written down on my paper and was happily chatting with the other people who finished in record time.

I felt humiliated and "dim-witted" and I was the only person who really saw this!
Luckily for me, I was able to write a few sentences of his main points of the story. By the time the professor came to us to see how we were coming along, my partner was telling me information on my paper and I was blank about his.

I am pretty good at just throwing things out there and I proceeded to say something about how related I found different pieces of the work that I actually had found a solution to his problem (getting symbolism to correspond with Character and Plot).

Walking away from that horrible scene (that I created in my head), I found that I may lack in being able to just do something quickly and on command but that I can create in-depth analysis when I speak about my thoughts and tying them together. For my partner and I, we both got something that the other lacked and that makes us pretty equal in my mind.

Don't get your self-worth down just because one thing comes hard to you and not to others. Being different has it's perks. Like an A+ on an assignment or a welcoming smile from a new friend who is just as different as you are.

If you can't watch it on Sundays, why watch it at all?

I was never one for fads, or popular items, songs, culture, etc. and more than ever, I tried to avoid it. Once it was off market or people stopped talking about said item, person, etc, I would pick it up and enjoy it in peace.

This applies to modern day "rituals"; Sunday football, naps, pick-nicks or whatever, especially when it came to watching television on Sunday afternoons.

My family, parents, didn't like it in the past and so my siblings and I wouldn't do it. It was no big deal, television wasn't such a big part of our day but lately (within the last 3-4 years) we began to do so. They were usually children's movies, christian movies, or sitcoms that we saw as children...a bit of a walk down memory lane.

Now, I am a fan of The Avengers, Monster Myths (how they came to be and how they became part of traditions), and a bit of Sci-Fi, just enough to get my toes wet in the pool of random facts but my sister and I recently began watching "The Walking Dead".

I know, not the best thing to admit to...ITS A FAD!!! O.O
But I wasn't thinking it was anything bad.
I was not really interested in the fact that it focuses on zombies but rather HOW they came to be.
At first, it was some type of illness that caused it. Then, it was born in us already and once people died they became that way. Now, something about another illness being airborne that causes death which causes "dead" life.

I didn't think much of it at first but today my sister was telling me how a new episode was coming out this Sunday and that we still had 10 episodes to go through before we could see the new one.

I stopped pulling books out of my backpack and thought of something so I told her:
"We are not watching it on Sunday. It wouldn't be right."
She responded the exact thing I was thinking:
"Why."

You see, I was not ok with watching that show on a Sunday but any other day was fine with me.
That seemed wrong to me the moment I said it and so I consulted my dad (Pastor Dad)
and he told me what I already knew but didn't want to admit:

If I don't find it ok on a Sunday, its not ok in general- so stop watching it.
and
If I don't think it is ok at first, chances are, it's not.

I liked the show enough to watch it and while my sister and I are spending time together, I know that this is not the way to do it.
So I am done with the show.
All I need to do now, is stop any sort of temptation (if there is any) and I should feel better about how I spend my time.

Perhaps, I can start doing homework ^.^

Be careful with what you see, hear, touch or where you go. Children really learn by example.

Bless You All!!!!

A New Leaf

Over the past few months, I have seen many things happen within the body of Christ. Many of which, I pray won;t happen again, such as: Separation, Jealousy, Assumptions to bad conclusions, and many more. It almost made me wish that I could step away from it all and never return. Yes, I know that I should stay positive (something that I always enforce in my family) but this time, I just felt pushed-aside.

I am one of those people who, for example, lets a child cry if they didn't get their way after I explained nicely why they will not be overly-spoiled. (Shocker: She got her way, thanks to Grandma and Tia! >.<) I can be flexible, if the opportunity calls for it, otherwise I am ruthless. So you can imagine my "pain" when I was powerless in a situation.

Recently, we have let go of some of our members in our church and while I was a bit sad to see them off, I knew it was for the best. Those obstacles that I spoke about in a previous post, are now gone but they leave behind holes. This old church is now being re-born and I am afraid of all the changes that are coming.


The members of our church, who will no longer be attending, have left us open to a whole new church with now: no pianist, power point operator, two less children in Sunday school,and  no administrator who ran the entire church solo.
I am not complaining. Yes, I really miss those kids. They were such joys to have in class and to watch grow. i hate to see children being caught in the cross fires of the adults misunderstandings and losing something so precious as a bond of friendship but God puts people in our lives and then, has us move on to see the better.

I have found myself praying for their well-being and for overall peace and happiness, especially since we have shared our lives for these past five years. God Bless Them.

My older sister who is our Bassist and the Sunday School Teacher of ages 6 and under, will be leaning for her Field work in September for two months and then again for another two months after she returns for a brief period. She is a very big asset to the church and to the family. I will miss her dearly as well as realizing just how much she does around here, seeing as I will be the one who is to take her place at least, for a trail-period.

My brother seems to be jumping back and forth, much like myself from this world to God and it scares me. To the core. We are so much alike that I fear he and I will end up the same, or worse, I  better than he. There is nothing that scares me more than to see myself better than my family, in any way....minus video games...>.< Please help me pray for him.

Negative+Negative= Positive
Negative+Positive= Positive
Positive+Positive= Positive
Negative * Negative= Positive
Negative * Positive= Positive
Positive * Positive= Positive
-_-_-_-_-_-Because with God, everything can be used for Good.-_-_-_-_-_-

On a happier note, there is a lot of changes coming around here with Vacation Bible School being a huge hit (30+ Kids came everyday!!!) and now, another combined service with the Nepali Church, Korean Church, English Church, and Spanish Church! In celebration of the baptisms that will take place next month.

Also a quick congrats on my little sister's baptism!!! WOO HOO!!!

There just seems to be more changes happening...
or rather...
I am just noticing how many things change before my eyes that usually go unnoticed but I can see how God is using this for good, for our lives.

I hope that you all will continue to read these posts and that you will follow me on my journey through life. I will try to be more consistent. Sometimes, I have too much to say (according to my family, I always do) but I have a hard time wording them.
I want you all to be a part of my life.
Thank you.

God is Good...All the Time... and All the Time...GOD IS GOOD!

He Never Gives Up

Have you ever climbed or walked up a mountain?
It's not very easy and it can be scary but in the end, once you reach the top, is breathtaking.

In Mexico, people make their own nativity sets with different types of plants all set around a Baby Jesus. These plants are located mostly on mountain sides and there was a year when I was able to help with finding those plants. I don't remember how old I was but I remember everyone getting into several vehicles and heading towards the mountains. We walked up a flat mountain and collected many plants, moved on to another mountain, much taller and pretty steep. While I was standing on the top, laughing because of my "fear" of heights, I could see an endless sea of blue skies, cloudless, with a sun giving us a sweet kiss of 100 degree weather. Breathtaking, like I said before.

Now the trip back down was a bit easier and a tiny bit scarier. Once we reached the bottom, there was a rush of giddiness in all us (the younger children) as we made our way back to my grandma's house.

The climb up the mountain really was hard, especially when I was hiding in fear- trying to overcome it. While I had family there to help me, I wanted to do something for myself and that resulted in me scraping my knee on one of the bigger rocks I was attempting to climb.

This applies to life in general.
We work hard and make it to high places but when there is a large stone in our way, we would rather scrape our knees than to ask for help.
No matter where we are, what we are doing, when we are doing them, God is there for us, molding the path ahead, in hopes that He will be given the chance to help us.

He never seems to let us go or give up on us.

For years I resented my family and God, trying to rely on other people who didn't deserve that type of trust. I thought that going down my own path would be much more fun and practical.
I was wrong.

I gave up on God about four times in my entire life and every time I would come limping and crying back to him, He never forgot about me; welcoming me back with open arms and a heart of love.

How many people can say that about a high school friend, church member, or co-worker? Not many, I can tell you that.

Those were the people I depend on in my youthful ignorance and I do regret it some days, especially when I sit and read my Bible. I think to myself: "Man, I could have known this stuff years ago, if I hadn't kept quitting on God."

I know that God forgives and forgets, (We should do that too) but I remember that I must also forgive, forget, but never let ignorance claim me.

 I suppose, I am jumping around the same idea but I find it comforting to know that I never have to feel sorry again about leaving Him behind; God never lets me down.

No matter what happens in my life, He will always love me and keep me. Something I look for in a future spouse, is that he is like or super similar to my God, my Savior, keeping in mind that he is not Jesus but all that in another time. :)

A heart that repents, will always be in the arms of a just, holy, and wonderful God.

Preparing for Rain Takes Pushing Boulders.

We as human beings tend to have a hard time with change, I am no exception to this. Sure I take some change better than others but the acceptance of that change is the same, no matter how long it takes.

My parents started Pastor-ing a church about 5 years ago and at first, we were thinking that we were going to change ourselves to accommodate the church we began to take over. And now that I think of it, we didn't really "take it over" but pushed ourselves around it over the past 5 years, never really taking ownership of the titles we had as the Pastor's kids.

Now, the starting of 2014, is our time for change. God has been talking to our whole family this past year (2013) and now, we are putting our plans into action, accordingly. The problem with that, is the fact that his church has been around for more than 30? years. So the people of the church are pretty stuck in their ways.

With that in mind, we don't want to hurt anyone and we don't want to push them out of the way but how can we do what God says when those of the flesh, or our flesh, go against us?

I saw this movie that my dad bought, Facing the Giants,  and it gave me some perspective on this subject, mainly told by a Faithful Follower of God: Mr. Bridges---here told by me:

"There were two farmers, both desperate for rain. Both of them prayed to God that they would receive rain but only one of them went out into the fields and prepared his field for it. So who do you think, trusted God that He was going to send rain?"

"....The one who prepared for it."

-----End of story-----

Here we were, praying for people and blessing but we never prepared for the rain. So we started to change things, Not allowing drinks or food in the sanctuary- which I have never felt comfortable doing- officiating people as church members to give them special and certain roles in the church, taking over the overseeing of the finances, redecorating the church and updating the roof, carpets, and overall building, opening ourselves to the community and helping those for the sake of helping in the name of Christ.

Sounds pretty good right? Simple things that take time? Well, not quite.
While we have many ideas and are doing well to plan only enough and not too much, and with time, there are some things we need to overcome.

These problems, which I can't quite remember all of them, are the boulders of the church, the ones we have to push in order to gain the blessings from God and do His will.

That is what is hurting the Churches from growing, they don't want to hurt feelings and offend anyone and while I believe that that should be prevented, it can't always be avoided. Some people look for a reason to get angry at pastors who want to change what has already been set in stone and this is when we need to pray and do what we need to do, in hopes that those people will see how the changes will cleanse and give revival in our lives, church, and community.

A majority of people would say that churches now a days, are too comfortable with themselves and the people thy know, rather than accept people they don't know or even make them feel welcome. They go against God's principles and example of showing love by sitting in that same chair/pew, claiming it.

I have been to churches that have never even said "hello" to my family and I felt out of place and even nervous, which is against my personality. I was saddened to see people talking amongst themselves and not giving us a second glance or even a smile! I was determined to makes sure that no one would feel that way when they walked into our building and I still try, even if I have to send someone else to speak to them.

So back to what I was saying previously, as Christians, there is no easy way to doing things and that includes running and creating a new foundation for a church. Following God will test every portion of your life and the results are so beautiful and rewarding, the troubles will seems like they were of the ancient past, the feelings will feel fresh, and the destination will be uplifting and so indescribable that you will never be able to keep it to yourself.

This past Sunday was great as a result of finally getting everyone on the right page.

It takes time, effort, and prayers to get things the way they need to be.
Just listen to God, even when it seems hard to do or if you become worried what people will think of you, just remember that God has His reasons and the rewards are amazing!!!

Praying for those Angry Eyebrows

                               

A lot of the times, we get mad. A simple statement but one that can hold a lot of sin or a long-term portion of sin (both are the same since sin is sin). And the hardest thing about following God, is forgiving and praying for those that anger us.

I know a person who likes (or just speaks) to make people angry. Now, maybe I am just looking at this the wrong way. They are intelligent and know how to offend someone without their knowledge and finally, I caught on to that. It started out as a simple sarcastic statement and escalated to racist comments with no signs of apologize. Now I have tried my best to explain why I became offended at such statements but according to them, it is known as "History" (Not the 'it's in the past' way but that it is in History books). Then one day, I snapped and vowed to never talk to this person again or really allow them into personal matters just because annoying them with scarce details seemed like something fun to do.

I was wrong.

I was consumed by anger when I saw this person or heard their name. I would talk about them in negative terms only and never wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I would look for any little thing they did, said, or wrote just so I could be angry at them more and more, until one day, God said "Hey, So-and-So is my child."

It was a spiritual smack on the head for me that day. So I stopped what I was doing, closed my eyes, and prayed not only for forgiveness but for that person and hope that they would open themselves more to God. I thought that they could use a bit of guidance just like me. and Immediately, I felt better. Yes, I still have a hard time praying for them but I don't get as angry and when I feel like it's going to happen again, I remember how I felt after I prayed and that I should let anyone take away my blessings but instead, I should give them away.

I bet you are wondering what the photo at the top of the post is about. For those who have not watched Veggie Tales, I recommend it! It is fun for all ages and the one I have put on here is called "Larry Boy and the Angry Eyebrows". I could go into a deep and confident review on the movie but I say "JUST WATCH IT!!!!"

The main lesson is not to let the sun go down on your anger, you know, forgive and forget; don't get mad, bro! A lesson that many people, especially an emotional-train-wreck like myself, have to really pray about.

Using as a reference, the wonderful book of "What does the Bible Say About..." wonderfully organized by Brian Ridolfi it states:

Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath - Ephesians 4:26

Sound familiar? ;)

Also:

Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools - Ecclesiastes 7:9

Now, I don't know about all of you but I am a fool for a lot of things (not the best thing to admit but hey, I am human and sometimes I see from the eyes of the flesh) but I don't want to be a fool for anger. A bitter tounge- stinks.

So take some advice from an Emotional Train Wreck (That would be me.)- When you are angry at someone to the point of yelling: stay quiet and relax, take a deep breath (or 20, like me) and just wait. Patience is a virtue, you know. If the occasion calls for it, walk away but the most important step of all, is pray about it and the person. Take a moment to pray for yourself, the person, and the situation, TRUST ME, it will be so much better.

A Small Prayer, if you need it:

Father,
I Thank you for (Name of person). I thank you for allowing them to be in my life, for you know their purpose and mine in each of our lives. I put the situation in your hands. You know better than anyone else and you know things that we both don't know. Father, I ask that you take this anger from me, I will not take ownership of it for I know that it does not come from you and does not belong with me or (name of person). Again, Thank you for what you have done for both of us and I ask that you continue to bless us. In your Mighty Name.
Amen.

P.S. (If you see/have seen the movie, the following quote will make sense and make you smile because It is my favorite quote from that movie) >>>>>

DANCE WITH ME, LAMPY!!!! <3

God Bless!!!

UPCOMING MOVIES!!!! You have to see :)

MARCH 21, 2014!!! The opening of the movie "GOD'S NOT DEAD" in theatres. Go to the site: www.godsnotdead.com and see if there is a showing near you!

For me, in Fargo, ND and hopefully, it will be available in Grand Forks, as well! :D

Along with this movie, there are about 4 other Christian movies being released this year (or have already been released)

I went to see "Song of God" a week ago with my family! It was a wonderful feeling to see young adults walking into the theatre for a Christian movie and even better to hear them excited to watch it.

I am really looking forward to "Heaven is For Real"! <3I haven't read the book yet but I will before the movie comes out :)   **Also, there are rumors going around about this movie and I will say that I pray this will not effect the movie in any way. This is a true story.

Procrastination *OOPS!!!

Wow.

I am not too sure what I can say to all of you...

I can see that I haven't been writing like I was meaning to, well, to be honest I was writing...it just wasn't on here >.<

So here we go. A message to all of you..........????

:)

I suppose now would be a good time to talk about Procrastination. (Yes, I am talking about myself but for all of you)

Now, the word Procrastination means the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention (according to dictionary.com)

This word, this action, is used by people all over the world and many believe that it is something normal or even lazy and I do hate to break this to you...wait, no I am glad to break this to you all

Procrastination is a sin.

Simple and there it is, complex.

This word is stated as more of a slacker or laziness as stated in Proverbs 10:4-5 >>>

"He becomes poor that deals with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent will make it rich. He that gathers in the summer is a wise son; but he that sleeps in the harvest is a son that causes shame."

How crazy is that?
Many people don't even think of anything when they are told that they are lazy or when they are being lazy. It's pretty sad huh?

Not only do I want to use this post to apologize to all of you but to also apologize to my God who gave me the gift and passion to write and I have been wasting it by being lazy or preoccupying myself with things that are not as important as spreading his love with these simple words.

SORRY!!!!

Proverbs 10:4-5, is not the only place in the Bible where there are words for the lazy people or rather, the "slothful man", "ssluggard", and so on; but there are several different places in proverbs where they come up to say that the lazy will not inherit riches. Also there are a few mentioning in Hebrews and Ecclesiastes.

So how do we break the demon of laziness/procrastiation?

Well, there are many ways to do this and it depends on why you prcrastinate in the first place. Making this a perfect time to say this is Step 1!

STEP 1: Determine why you procrastinate.

• Overwhelming Tasks
• Too Busy
• No Motivation

STEP 2: Pray that God will take away this demon and believe with all the Faith in your heart, that he will do so.

STEP 3: Follow and make-up some ways to fix this and practice them with all your heart

(For Overwhelming Tasks)

• Make a schedule and stick to it!
• Start immediately after you get a task/assignment, or jot down ideas for this task ASAP
• Don't be afraid to Ask for help from someone who may know about this or someone you simply trust.

(For Being Too Busy)

• Get away from distractions (turn off that phone, block internet if not needing it **THERE ARE BOOKS IN THIS WORLD THAT HAVE MORE INFORMATION!!!!** and be in a quiet place so you can concentrate)
• Do the easy things first! That way you have more time for the harder tasks
• REMEMBER: If you finish it, there will be more time to relax than worry about it, last minute.

(For No Motivation)

• Think how amazing it will feel once it is done! and how amazing it is going to be, to show those people what you are fully capable of!
• Move the date up to "trick" yourself that it is due sooner!
• Keep in mind, that if it doesn't get done soon, there will be unavoidable consequences.

3 Easy steps and you will be happier knowing that you are not sinning unintentionally anymore :)

Pray tonight and every day, to thank God for getting rid of that demon...I already know that he has done so for you and for me as well :)

Now let's just hope that my internet connection stays strong (Just got it back today after weeks of no internet)

God Bless you all!!! <3