It Only Happens Once…

Life gets busy. Just when I thought graduation would be the end of my social life, I find myself loaded with projects and tasks, visits and meetings. It makes me grouchy, some days, because I’m getting sort-of ”plum-tuckered” out.

I didn’t want to go to church last night, but I’m glad I did. We had an interesting discussion on personal convictions and Romans 14-15.

After the study, we all split up into self-organized spontaneous groups. I noticed a elderly lady looking around the room. No one was sitting near her, people were praying with their friends. After prompting my mom to go sit by her, we went over and introduced ourselves. We ended up having a lovely discussion with Mrs. Powell, who must’ve been in her eighties! She talked of her growing up grandchildren, and her middle aged son, their missions work and then asked us what we were doing lately. My mom mentioned how busy we were with my graduation party. With her faltering voice, she shook a finger in my face and said “Enjoy it… it only comes once!” Shortly thereafter, her equally elderly husband came out and sat behind her. You could totally tell they were still in love! I was tickled pink when Mrs. Powell mentioned she was engaged to three other men at various point in life, broke it off each time and ended with ‘him’ (as she jerked a thumb at her man) for the last 65 years. Aww!! She patted my knee and said in a mischievous voice: “When you start courtin’ watch out!”

When I’m 80 something, I want to be alive and kickin’ like her!

In the midst of a busy point of life, I was reminded by someone far older than me that a successful life cannot be measured by friends, money, or status. Enjoy the experience. Make the most of every opportunity. It only happens once…

It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 1:10:

Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.

We need to find wisdom from ages before us. So, look to people from ages before us! We have some catchin’ up to do as young folks.

And then onto 14:

 I have seen everything that is done under the sun,

and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Life is nothing new. But, by the time 50 comes around, people realize there’s more to life then money. Then they wish they’d known that earlier in life. They were chasing after something that didn’t matter for half their life.

That’s why this blog is called Echoes in the Wind. I’ve seen all the chasing after the wind. Okay, maybe not all of it, I’m 15 days shy of being ten and eight years. But I’ve seen people wasting their young years on a lot of things that don’t matter. Music. Money. Clothes. Fiction not worth reading. Boyfriends.

Echoes come back to you.

Echoes haunt you, reminding you of what’s happened. Perhaps telling you of what could be.

Echoes will come back to you, and continue to, unless you stop making a ruckus. There can be good ‘ruckuses’ and bad ‘ruckuses.’

Echoes warn other people far behind.

Echoes can come from people on mountains. We’re all said to be climbing up a mountain toward God. Not sure if I like that analogy, but it’ll do. 

This blog’s original intent was to stretch and encourage and tell younger girls of what I’ve learned in life. To make you think. To make you want something better. To let God use my talent of writing and creating to inspire you on your journey up a mountain.

Life should be simple. Don’t make “it’s complicated” your life’s motto.

Life is not about frivolity. Clothes don’t make the man. Neither does your color of nail poish.

Life is not a show. Don’t pretend. Be REAL (the link will tell you the wrong definition of real)

Life has ideas. Be familiar with them. Know them. Study them.

Life should be colorful. Be vibrant. Don’t be dull.

Life should focus on serving. Look around for needs. Attend to them. Act like you alone know about a need.

Life should be ultimately about God, and the pursuit of Him.

Now, I’m not blogging to just younger girls anymore. I’m blogging to peers, older young women, friends, young men, married and single adults, and other random people who join for fun or for laughs .

Many people who are tired of chasing after the wind.

INCH

Well, I’m not so flighty after all. I’m actually posting about INCH!

{grin}

Today, I heard a glorious two hours of Leslie Ludy, talking about femininity as it ought to be. Nothing new, but my fading vision for what my future could be was renewed; my perceptions of what I am going to make myself changed.

I’m not going to make myself great.

God will- but only if he chooses.

It’ s alright to dream about some tall, dark, handsome guy to come sweep me off my feet and take me to Israel someday to spread the gospel to the Jews and Arabs living there. It’s alright to dream about making a little house into a home with tons of kids (to help with the demographics). It’s okay to dream about getting a husband smarter than me… though people tell me it won’t happen and a mean little voice in my mind asks me “what if you never marry?????MWHAHAHAHAHAHA.”

 It’s okay to have desires. But God made those desires. He knows them so much better than I do.

Wow.

Who wouldn’t surrender them to God?

But girls, I’ve fallen away from that trust. I haven’t exactly taken the pen out of God’s hand, but I have nearly forgotten about the commitment I made several years ago to live passionately for God every day- including the days of singleness that stretch on unbending in my future.

So I’m going to try again and remember to do live passionately EVERY day. Not just once or twice a week, but EVERY day. I needed that kick in the pants. Or knock on my thick head. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in doing, not worshipping. I want to bring that feminine mystery back into my life. I can’t imagine how I lost it. Or wanted to.

After two full hours of the true gospel, true beauty, and true feminine grace; I was able to meet and talk with one of the people I look up to in faith… Leslie Ludy. (Apparently, she pronounces it Less-lee instead of what we say- LeZZ-lee) It was a lovely little chat, though it lasted only 3 or 4 minutes. Girls, she really means what she says in her books! You can see how deeply she wants the girls of today to embrace the great faith of yesterday. The gospel, though old, is never changing!

Then, I went to hear Dr. Voddie Baucham, who helped me learn a little more about kids and their attitudes. I’m barely “growned upped”- but I sure forgot how kids act. I needed to hear that. His  Family Discipleship was an applicable lesson on kids and authoritie, the instituions that shape us, and the people who try to tear us down. I highly recommend his “Family Driven Faith.”

I did take notes that session right in my dashboard. Wrong call.

I lost the internet connection, and hence my notes.

Ouch.

After that, I heard several more sessions by the Ludy couple, soaking up all the insights they shared. We talked about what God is to be in our lives (My portion, my redeemer, my maker, my deliverer, my salvation… among 60 and some other things).

After buying the book “Why We’re Not Emergent…by two guys who should be”, I settled into another session with Voddie Baucham. This guys has a sense of humor. He really does.

Whilst making fun of home educators who start school the same day ‘government mass academia institutions’ begin, he yelled out in his BIG, booming voice “Repent!” (clapping) Silence. “If you can’t say amen, you oughta say ouch!”

Tomorrow, I’m gearing up for some Phylicia Duran, some Ludy, some Baucham, and some Phillip Telfer.

Now, I am going to attempt to get what resembles a good night’s sleep.

In a hotel.

I can try…

Quick Update

Our corner of Michigan recently got hit by an ice storm, and we are out of power. We’re running on a generator that is quite finicky and OLD (Daddy bought it in 1999 for Y2K). I’ve posted pictures of the ice storm on my photo blog, (link below) but as for writing long posts for here, that’s out for now! The power is too spotty. The power restoration estimate is for Sat.

Also, I’m fighting a nasty chest bug, so if you could pray for me, thanky thanks!

Therefore, dear readers, if you begin to wonder, I’m not dead or been victimized by alien abductors…  *Lauralea is just hibernating* {in icy MI}.

To see some pictures of the past three days, please stop by~

http://whattheeyehasseen.blogspot.com/2011/02/beautiful-inconvenience.html

Jewish Feasts Overview

Okay, so NOBODY wants to take the challenge. You may be thinking, “Well, I’m not much for memorizing…” or “1,000 verses? That’s 1/30 of the Bible… NO WAY! It’s impossible!”  I may not reach 1,000 verses, but, it makes me think of this quote from Amazing Grace…

“We’re too young to know certain things are impossible, so we will do them anyway.”

Okay, so onto the much delayed Jewish Feasts post!

1. Passover:

Passover comes in the middle of spring, the first of seven commanded feasts. This is a significant feast, remembering how God delivered the children of Israel in Egypt! (Read more about that in Exodus)

Jesus fulfilled this feast by being our Passover Lamb- the one who took our punishment. It is interesting to note that Passover began the week of Jesus’ death, the last supper was a feast of Passover, and a feast of…

2. Unleavened Bread:

The feast of Unleavened Bread began a few days after the start of Passover, and they ran together for several days. The first meal was on Wednesday, which had to have been the last supper. Why?  In the Bible, leaven always represents sin: in James, Corinthians, etc. So, when Jesus said “This is my body,” He was saying he was sinless.

Jesus died on Thursday, because the Feast of First Fruits began on Friday, along with the Sabbath.

3. First Fruits

 Remember when Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the first fruit of the resurrected?” Well, on Sunday, the Feast of First Fruits ended, and Jesus arose!

I thought this was really cool when I found the order and fulfillment of these.

4. Pentecost

This is pretty much self-explanatory; the birth of the church! I am not sure why we don’t celebrate this now!

Now, it is interesting to note that over the Summer, there is a  long break with no  feasts whatsoever. It  represents the church age,  the age of grace, for,  when the  feast  of-

5. Rosh Hashanah

-begins, it represents the Rapture. This is an unfulfilled feast. Rosh Hashanah means “Feast of Trumpets”

6 Yom Kippur

This is a serious day for Jews, praying that God will forgive them of their sins. What the Jews do not realize is that Jesus has covered their sin! Yom means “day” in Hebrew, kippur means ‘atonement’

7. Succoth

This commemorates the booths the Israelites made in the wilderness. For us, as Christians, it represents the palaces we will live in someday in Heaven.

That’s all the feasts!

For more info, check out Leviticus 23, the chapter where God places the feasts in the law.

Now, I have some widget re-arranging to do. This blog needs a face lift!

I am at 6 out of 1,000 verses to memorize this year.

30 Children + Two Big Boxes + Christmas = Joy!

This past week, we’ve been finishing up on a special project: a project we’ve never attmepted before.

We packed two good sized boxes (I could fit into one and I’m about 5’7″) full of goodies for 30 orphaned children in Soroti, Uganda, Africa. This past spring, the Manes Family came to our church and shared about their missions ministry, one of them being in an orphanage.  As we talked with them about the orphans, the subject of OCC and Christmas came up. “It would be great if you guys could do something like that for the kids in our orphanage,” they said. Well, my dad didn’t think it’d be possible, because of shipping costs and customs. However, we asked for ideas, just in case. “A plain number 2 pencil of their own would thrill them!” It was also discovered this orphanage was in need of toys, which were in very short supply. “They share everything!” Turns out, God provided for us to pack two boxes of toys for these kids, many of whom have not received much for Christmas before. How did He do this? Our church graciously donated the money needed to do this!

I thought I’d share these pictures of our family’s packing party!

Don’t worry, I wasn’t shipping my cat. Daisy was just being helpful! I’m sure the kids would love her, though.

We tried to include a variety of things, from footballs to hair clips to easy board games. Party City was a fun, inexpensive stop for little things. Noisemakers, bouncy balls, stickers, and pencil sharpeners are cheapest at Party City. You can find Fresh Metal cars for $4.50 for 5 (as shown).

We asked the Manes’ what was needed most. They said “socks and school supplies.” So, each kid got a pair of socks, a 100 page notpad, and 4 colorful pencils. These are some of the boy bags in the stuffing process. I think the boys are going to enjoy all those whoopee cushions! I wonder if they’ve ever played Football American?! Well, they all are getting a football, so they’ll have to learn!

This is what a good part of our living room floor looked like as we dumped out all the bags! The frisbees work well, and they are from Party City… (just a hint to all the OCC packers!) We made sure each kid got a pack of gum, and some hard candy. The puzzle is from Dollar Tree, and is very good quality! It’s also small enough to put in a shoebox! (Not to give out OCC hints or anything) We found a finger bowling game at WalMart, and a Jump The Peg Game at Dollar Tree in Ann Arbor.

The girl’s bags.  We found spyrographs at Dollar General for $1.50, and jump ropes for $1. We also found Lisa Frank coloring books at Dollar Tree. The Lord gave us many good deals on many great gifts. Cute notebooks can be found at Dollar General for a dollar.

We sent along I Spy Snap, a card game that can be played in a group, Uno, Memory Match, Go Fish, and Old Maid. A boy from church donated 4 of his old soccer balls to send along. Glue sticks and crayons also jumped into the boxes. We also found some Lego Car Kits that were $1.

It was fun… until we saw the shipping! (Which was funny to see, anyway!) It cost more to ship the boxes than to buy all the fillers! But it’ll be a blessing.

There ya go. More OCC ideas, or…

Ask your church if they’d like to do this for your missionaries who’re involved in orphanages!

11 Random Things

Okay, I’m not turning into a hedonist, but I think this post should be a little funny, considering my previous post in which I shared about my convitions about Helloween. It’ll be hodgey podgey thoughts, some funny, some serious.

Random Thing #1

Looking through “searches” under my site stats, people have found my blog by typing in the following more than once:

cheap echoes for windy days (I guess cheap echoes are all the rage?)

laura harriott is mean to me (Uh! Not fair! They must be thinking of  different Laura!)

laura harriott hot (I guess they weren’t aware I blog about courtship, purity, and being just friends with guys!)

how much does laura harriott weigh (118. There you go. Somebody I know must be very nosey)

laura harriott quest tutorial adrian (That’s the homeschool co-op group I take classes at!  Whoever typed that is a creepy homeschooler!)

upload a pic and put braces on your self (Sorry, I don’t offer that. I’ll consider it in the future)

laura harriott’s dundee tornado pictures in michigan (Yes! finally something I have!)

good hand washing directions (Yup, I’m the girl for that. Click on the “Cleanliness is Next to Godliness” page)

how to find echoes in the wind (Well, put on super-sonic goggles and watch very carefully)

I googled some of these myself, and they didn’t come up on Google. Amusing.

Random Thing #2

Answer these Questions for Extra Credit…

Was king Rohoboam a good King or a bad king?

Was Hezekiah a good king or a bad king? Why?

What was the name of the apostle that was sent to the Eunuch?

Finish this verse: “If you love me….

Random Thing #3

The most viewed post on my blog is:

Church Fellowship Ideas!

…with an average of 27 views a day.

Random Thing #4

Christ died on a Thursday. He entered into Jerusalem on a Sunday, ate the last supper as the first meal of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on Wednesday. They had to hurry and crucify him on Thursday before the Passover began on Thursday at 6. For three days, nobody could do anything until the Suday morning, after the double Sabbath was over. So, we can conclude Christ was in the tomb for three nights. What’s up with Good Friday?

Random Thing #5

Look up Psalms 16. Tell me your favorite verse. Mine is 8 onto the end of the chapter! Now, look up Isaiah 61. Oh the beauty of these verses! Again, tell me your favorite verse.

Random Thing #6

Book Quote:

I was innocently reading my daily Proverb, which happened to be 31… I wasn’t paying attention to the words very closely, figuring they wouldn’t apply to me until after I became a wife…Yet suddenly my eye fell on a verse and the words stood out to me:

She [the wife of godly character] brings him [the husband] good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:12 NIV)

Wait a minute, ALL the days of her life? What was that supposed to mean? I had yet to meet any woman who had been married all of her life!

…I felt a gentle nudge on my heart. And, somehow, I knew this wat what God wanted for me. To seek my future husband’s highest good. Right now. How can I love somebody I’ve never met? I’m keeping an abstinence commitment for him… what else can I possibly do for him?

That is from When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy. It’s a little paraphrased. To find out what you can do for your future spouse, read the book!

Random Thing #7

Islam, (according to Noah Hutchings), is not America-friendly.

Can A Muslim Be An Acceptable US Citizen?

Religiously, no… because no other religion is accepted/loved by his Allah but Islam.

Socially, no… because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to be friends with Jews or Christians.

Intellectually, no… because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on BIBLICAL principles and the Muslim believes the Bible is corrupt.

Politcally, no… because he must submit to the mullahs who teach total annihilation of Israel and America.

Random Thing #8

Don’t never use a double negative.

Contractions aren’t necessary.

Random Thing #9

Did you know I just figured out Santa is Satan mispelled? See?

Random Thing #10

Firehouses have circular stairways because the engines were at a time pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor, and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” is the longest English word according to my Oxford English Dictionary. Yes, I spelled that right without a dictionary.

Mr. (Fred) Rogers was an ordained minister.

Random Thing #11

Recently, my teacher sent me a homework assignment sheet for Forensic Science and Government. Thing is, the documents would appear in Hindi. My teacher wanted to know how I recognized Hindi. Well, I’m a nerd. I’m the girl who buys 25c language tapes at garage sales. I sit in front of Google translator memorizing phrases I type in. Mostly, I study alphabet and pronounciations. Mostly, I can tell you how a word is pronounced, but I can’t tell you what it means. (I know, real helpful). I’m up to about 17 alphabets, and I can recognize most writings and know what language people are speaking in! I hope to work on Hebrew next.

Okay. There ya go. 11 Random Things. And yes, please respond to the questions that were asked.

Feel free to post some random facts about you or your site.

Parades with The Devil

Growing up, we never participated in Halloween. The whole festivity is rooted in evil! Just look at all the decorations and costumes next time you’re in Wal-Mart. Everything is scary, black, death related, or devilish. I feel like hell has spilled over into the aisles. Walking by Wal-Mart’s prominent Halloween section (right at one of their entrances!) makes me think of Dante’s Inferno (interesting book, I must say). The rubber masks with contorted faces, the fake blood, the skeletons… what parent in their right mind would let their kids parade with Satan in the name of … getting treats?

“Oh it’s only for fun…”

Really? How is spiritual death in masquerade fun?

It pains and annoys me to hear of all the parents at my church tell each other what their kid’s costume is, where they are going to get the most candy, and how they plan to keep their kids safe. In my opinion, if you want to keep your children safe, don’t let them roam the streets with demons. That’s basically all Halloween is: Satan’s attempt to lure those into his eternally damned fold.

I personally believe that demons are more at work on All Hallow’s Eve (All Souls Night, Devil’s Night, or Demon’s Night in some regions) and on Halloween. I detest the feeling of spiritual oppression that comes over you the minute you walk outside on or between these days. The air has a totally different feel to it.

Under the guise of Devil’s Night pranks, demons influence teens and adults to do rather dumb, and sometimes harmful, things. You may think I am a prude and don’t want to have any fun. Quite the opposite. I love having fun! It has to be the right fun. Detroit, rather near to where I live, there are always reports of many arsons on Hallow’s Eve. There are more cases of rape, murder, break-ins, and theft all Halloween week. Cats seem to go missing like crazy as demon infested minds inhumanely kill for sacrifices to the devil. I hate this week of all the others. What reasonable Christian can call this fun whilst remaining under Biblical principles? How can one of the faithful not see through these pranks?

Demons and Satan are always at work, but more so this weekend than any other.

My family and I have done many things to ignore Halloween. Here are some ideas for those of you who are interested:

• We’ve gone to a restaurant and spent the entire trick or treat time fellowshipping. We rarely go out to eat because the food is not healthy, so it’s a treat: time with mom and dad, and junk food!
• We have a family tradition that many people laugh at, including ourselves. We set up our Christmas tree the day of Halloween. We can’t wait for the all clear siren to sound. When it sounds, I always mentally think “Satan, go back to hell.” Then, my mom turns on our Christmas tree lights, and my dad plugs in the deck lights. We get a lot of jokes aimed at us the next morning, but it reveals to our neighborhood how we feel.
• On Devil’s Night, I can never sleep. Three years ago, I began the habit of reading and studying the whole book of Proverbs as soon as I get in bed. I’m a speed reader, and usually have the book done in an hour and some odd minutes. I’ve noticed a trend that happens every year. Around midnight, the wind picks up and there’s a eerily faint demonic moaning noise that carries through the neighborhood. I’m not imagining things! So, instead of letting fear take over as it did the last few years, I’ve downloaded some worship music into my Mp3 player. I’m prepared!
• We don’t carve pumpkins because it invites trouble. They were first carved as lanterns to carry to the cemeteries in Ireland. Not a tradition we want to carry on or participate in. We should do nothing that pleases the devil if we can help it. (To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin)
• We don’t buy candy to celebrate.
• I don’t accept candy offered to me that has Halloween wrappers. I also turn down candy that is offered to me in celebration of Halloween. (One exception: my grandma’s harvest bonfire candy!)
• We turn down ‘Halloween’ party invites. (We will attend “harvest” parties or bonfires).
• We don’t go to haunted houses or corn mazes. We avoid Cedar Point’s Halloweekends. It‘s not the fun thing they make it up to be. (Cedar Point is the world’s best amusement park that is about 1-1 1/2 hours away).
• We don’t call it a holiday (holy-day) unless by accident. There’s nothing holy about it!
• We play worship or Christmas music the day of Halloween.
• We went grocery shopping one year. There was nobody there. (Except some weirdo in Darth Vader costume who wandered up and down the aisles). No wait, the entire staff at your service
• We don’t decorate for Halloween (you probably knew that already). We save candles with harvest smells for November.
• We only go down Halloween aisles in stores if we have to (like a shortcut).
• We avoid wearing the combinations of black and orange, green and purple, etc. to avoid any appearance of evil. In fact, some years I just avoid these colors all together.

I know some of you think my family and I are extreme in precautions of Halloween. I’ve had people tell me that we should just avoid Christmas altogether as well. Why? Because it’s the date of Saternalia, the Roman pagan festival in winter. Well, if the American people in history chose December 25th as a celebration of Christ’s birth, then so be it. It’s called “Christ-mas.” Why else do you think the ACLU wants to outlaw that holiday? If we were celebrating Christmas as Saternalia, they would have no problem with it.

I’d like to know your thoughts about Halloween. Why do you celebrate it? Why do you not? Is there anything you disagreed with in this post? Tell me! I will fairly post all polite and kind comments, both for and against Halloween. (Please take note of the two adjectives preceding the word “comments”)

Oh, one last thing from a trivia loving girl: around this time of year, people see a lot of people wearing black coats and capes (at least where I come from). I’ve heard of some calling them “Wiccans.” Well, did you know Wiccans do not believe in Satan? That makes these caped-people Gothic- not Wiccan.

Okay.

The end.

Summit Wisconsin 2010!

My session started on August 8th at 5 pm, and I was the 4th person to show up at the conference center. The reason I decided to come early? The dorm rooms had a set of bunk beds and a single bed. I wanted the privacy of a single bed with nobody hovering below or above me! (I did get the bed, btw…)

As people arrived, we got very well acquainted before our first meal together. Most of the people arrived by dinner-time, and we all walked 3/4 of a mile to the dining hall.  Yup. 3/4 of a mile. one way. That’s six times a day. 13 days = over 50 miles. We were all in great shape by the end of the session! The food was worth the walk. We had meatloaf, a salad bar, ice cream (every meal 8 flavors a meal), omelets, tacos and green beans, to name a just a few of the options. If you’re a picky eater, you will love Summit!

In the early parts of the conference, there were many people from a group of Catholics. They had many children, which took up a lot of room in the dining hall. It became the camp joke: “Hurry to dinner and beat the Catholics and their billion kids!”

The speakers throughout the two weeks were amazing! It may sound cliche, but they were. Some of the greatest ones for me were Michael Bauman (he drove us nuts); John Stonestreet; Scott Klusendorf; Mike Haley (his homosexual-to-pastor testimony had me in tears); Doc (Noebel); and Debbie Brezina. We heard lectures on a wide variety of topics: abortion, homosexuality, Postmodernism, evangelism at home vs. global missions, foreign affairs, university issues, Obama, slavery, current issues (like the oil spill), eschatology (and the surprisingly many types of it), predestination vs. freewill, the end times, creationism vs. evolutionism, feminism, different demoninations and how God never intended the church to be like that,  adoption, election (vs. faith salvation), ethics, Austrian economics- er-”Australian” economics , Communism and MUCH, MUCH MORE! We even talked about hippies smoking hashish, but you’ll have to come to Summit to hear more about that one. That list is just a small sample.

Of course, even though we were in lectures for a good part of the day (I’d say 2/3 of the day), we had fun, too. Every day they offered different activities for us.  Ultimate Frisbee, bombardment (dodgeball), golf, volleyball, golf, photo scavenger hunts, and basketball were just a few of them. There was a trip to a water park on Sunday as well. In our free time, we could do just about anything. We walked to the country store (they had 1 cent candy!), talked, played guno (Uno with an evil twist) and ninja, talked, walked around the endless camp, explored Judson Tower, and played spoons.

Judson Tower, I might add, is the creepiest tower I’ve been in. It looks like this:

Harmless, right?

I decided to climb it on Sunday morning, since it was our ‘day off’ and I had missed breakfast. I walked up too many steep stairs to get up the hill the Tower is on. I entered the Tower and began climbing the tight spiral staircase up. The steps were about 2 feet wide, and I had to duck. It was dark. What didn’t help matters much: the wind was screeching through the spiral and I heard and saw mice. I kept telling myself I would get to the top eventually and the view would be goregous… but, I changed my mind when a moth flew into my face and fluttered there. Screaming a scream that Chicago could probably hear, I ran down the stairs and back out, down the hillside stairs. If I go back again next year, Judson Tower is not on my sights to see list.

My roommates were nice and a bit crazy at times. Angela and Jenni and I were in the same small group with our counselor, Sarah. (Most roommates were in separate small groups). One night, we were talking on the top bunk when Angela began snoring. We realized she was asleep, so Jenni said “Angela-” and Angela replied “What?” We thought she was awake, but upon further discovery, we found she was asleep. She was sleeptalking. Oh boy. We were able to have a whole conversation with her, figure out her birthday, middle name, and the like. Things really got interesting when Angela asked “Where’s Sarah?” (our counselor) Jenni told her she got engaged. That ended up leading to Angela trying to walk out of the room to find Sarah! We laughed so hard, and the whole camp knew about it by the next day. She wanted to know how we knew her middle name.

A video shown was called Agenda: Grinding America Down. It was about socialism and how it’s influence is slowly taking over everything we stand for in America. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend getting this movie and showing it at your church. See the opening of it at http://agendadocumentary.com

Every evening we had worship with Nate Lenz. Worship was a holy time when 75 young adults sang out to God and his Spirit was felt in the room. The highlight of my day! We sang meaningful songs, not just any worship songs. The words were powerful ones.

This is the best possible thing to do with your summer time. The spiritual growth spurt I experienced was huge. This camp will change your life, even in small ways. I came back a neat freak and was inspired to write my own declaration of faith/theology paper. For fun. Not like me.

Come to Summit. Have fun, learn a bunch and get crazy roommates.

Returning for 2011 is a no brainer!!

100th POST GIVEAWAY!

August 2nd…

I came up with some final ideas for the list! I’ll post it on a page, so if anybody wants to add to it some more… go ahead!

The winner is…

HALEY F from http://bright4him.blogspot.com !

Congratulations, Haley!

I’m also hosting a giveaway! Leave a comment with your ideas for things that count, and I’ll enter you into the drawing. I’ll enter you twice if you promote the giveaway somewhere on your blog (sidebar or post) and leave the link in your comment.

I’m giving away…

The Lost Art of True Beauty

Here you go:

100 Things That Count

Happy 100th post!

A ministry-minded, God honoring woman is not a hypocrite. She cultivates real faith. Her actions show it, her words speak it, and her face is bright with the evidence of the blessings of God. She does things that count, no matter how small those things may be. I’ve thought about things I’ve done, and really, they do add up!

100 Things That Count List

1. Collect change in a baby bottle, then give the bottle and change to a crisis pregnancy center.

2. Buy gently used, like-new onesies and infant clothing at garage sales and thrift stores. Send them along with your baby bottle.

3. Pack a box for Operation Christmas Child. Be sure to include a letter and your name and address for the kid to write back: our family has geard from about ten different kids all over the world! (Dominica, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, etc)

4. Give your old clothes to a needy family in your church.

5. Leave tracts everywhere you go. (Library, stores, park, gas stations, public restrooms, you hair salon waiting area, and all sorts of other places. You don’t even have to do face-to-face witnessing)

6. Have a garage sale with the proceeds going to Relay for Life or Abort73

7. Comment thoughtfully on missionary blogs. They could really use the encouragement sometimes. On site I like is http://www.missionary-blogs.com

8. Watch the widows in your church. Is there one who seems especially down and discouraged? Send her anonymous notes of encouragement for a few months.

9. Babysit for a single mother for half-price or for free.

10. Spend time with girls at your church and talk about godly topics.

11. Start a Bright Lights group.

12. Buy things for a missionary

13. Pray for a waiting child

14. Help in Jr. Church or VBS

15. Invite some shy girls over to your house for some games and pizza

16. Offer your time to your neighbors- cleaning, babysitting, house-sitting

17. Start a secret pal network in your church, among the kids, teen group, or ladies

18. Do special music at church

19. Visit a nursing home and stay for awhile.

20. Start a blog

21. Put funny, encouraging notes in somebody’s suitcase, lunch sack, or purse.

22. Smile at a stranger

23. Stop complaining and start blessing

24. Don’t hang up on a telemarketer. Be polite and friendly instead. Do you think Jesus would’ve hollered at them?

25. Write short notes and color some kid-friendly pictures; then, just after church, give the notes to a mother of small kids. Tell them to read the notes to their children on the way home. The kids are excited to see what you say!

26. Write letters to your parents.

27. Go through your church directory, choose a person, and pray for him/her for the month, every day.

28. Dress modestly not only for your own good, but for the good of others around you.

29. Surprise new parents by buying a can of formula or a pack of diapers

30. Pay the toll of a driver behind you, or the order of the guy behind you at McDonalds. It seems like a lot of money, but it’s only once!

31. Thank a veteran for their time by sending a card around ‘the 4th’ or Memorial Day.

32. Put a note in the offering plate for your pastor

33. Make a meal for a new mom, the elderly, or a sick family

34. When you go to the DMV or Secretary of State, take a number, wait until it’s nearly your turn, and trade numbers with the person who just walked in the door.

35. If you live in Michigan, support Baptist Children’s Home and hold a food shower for them.

36. Go to a park and offer to play with any kid who is there. Talk about God with them.

37. Send a package to a college student or military personnel

38. (from Jenna) Plant a couple extra rows of produce in your garden and then donate the veggies to your local food pantry

39. (39-47 are from Cassie) Fall in love with Jesus

40. Pray for people by name

41. Love and encourage your parents

42. Pray for your future husband

43.Grow in Christ-like character

44. Memorize and meditate on scripture

45. Learn a new language- you never know when you might need it

46. Be a “big sister” and role model to younger girls who might not have someone like you to look up to in their lives.

47. Keep a journal- about your day-to-day activities, innermost thoughts and feelings, what God is doing in your life, meditations from scripture, divine revelations, etc.

48. (from Elisabeth) If you’re out and you spot a person who looks sad, pray for them – God knows their name and why they’re sad.

49. (49-54 from Melinda)Spend time with an elderly person and cheer their heart

50. Learn a instrument and play for a nursing home

51.Read to some little children

52. Talk to a special needs child and make them feel special

53. Serve without complaining the ones who God has currently called you to serve; even when they don’t seem to appreciate you.

54. Get up early each day and seek Christ first.

55. (55-59 from Melody) Do all tasks without grumbling

56. Reach out to the lonely/hurting people around you and show them Christ’s love

57. Give away smiles freely (who knows how they might encourage someone or brighten up their day!)

58. Be willing to be vulnerable in order to show someone Christ’s love

59. Make a habit of daily devotions & time with Jesus

60.(60-62 from Haley) Obeying and helping your parents

61. Giving homework help to a friend or sibling

62. Praising people (especially those younger who look up to you)

63. (63-65 from Lydia)If you see someone new at church go and make them feel welcome

64. When some one new moves onto your street talk to them and share God’s word

65. Have a neighborhood party and put together a small program that is entertaining and shares God’s word

66. (66-67 from myself, Lauralea) Write a few notes of encouragement to volunteer firefighters or a local policemen. They really like helping people, and rarely get the thanks they deserve.

67. Buy back to school supplies (like now when they are super-cheap!) and send them to a missionary-orphanage director in Africa (your church may support a few). The kids will be happy and feel great with a pencil and piece of paper, much less a whole bunch of pencils and paper!

68. (68- 73 from Jemimah)Think of somethings to thank God for each day

69.Encourage/thank someone everyday

70. On Valentines Day, give roses to different people you see on the street, etc. You can give tracts, too.

71.  Help clean the neighborhood

72. Share blessing that you receive

 73. Stick Bible verses around the house

74. (74-75 from Rebecca C) Volunteer at church for a day-or a week!

75.Watch your siblings for a few days while your parents have a private get-away

76. (76-77 from Tara) Make dinner for your family or any other family in your church, neighborhood, or anywhere else.

77. Talk to the girls who are friendless and made fun of and find out about their lives. It definitely means a lot to know that someone cares.

78. (78- 82 from Elspeth) BE with your siblings. Spend time listening to them or playing with them. They’ll appreciate it and it’ll imporve your relationship.

79.Write a letter/card to your pastor(s) thanking him for the work he does.

80.Let someone go in front of you in a que.

81.Send someone a chirpy email telling them why you love them.

82.Compliment someone you find it hard to get on with.

83. (from Stephanie) Develop a healthy relationship with God through prayer and constant meditating on the Word.

84. (84-90 are more from Melinda )  

85. Repent and confess your sins to God and others.

86.Instead of telling someone that you will pray for them, spend time to pray with them right away.

87.Surrender and die to your own will daily, moment by moment

88.Cry with a hurting person

89. Rejoice/Laugh with a elated person

90. Take joy in simple things and simple days

91. (from me again ) Pray for anybody you see in a wheelchair and their family/caregiver.

92. Volunteer to be in your church’s nursery, even if it means missing out on the sermons.

93. Join a political campaign.

94. Read out loud to a group in a nursing home or a shut in.

95. Give out free water bottles with tracts at a parade, the beach, or before an outdoor show or concert. (Even your little brother’s soccer game)

96. Put money in a parking meter if the time is low.

97. Pick up items on clearance and donate them.

98. Wash a neighbor’s car for them.

99. Host a neighborhood grill-out

100! Share the gospel with the next person you meet!

20 Years

Today is my parent’s 20 year anniversary!

Even though my parents have had their ups and downs, they have been faithful to each other since July 14, 1990. In a world where the divorce rate is just over 50%, I think that’s a real accomplishment and powerful testimony. Love you, Daddy and Mama! Without you, I wouldn’t be here!

I think they’d like it if you congratulated them! They’re excited! :-D (hint: leave a comment)

~Their wedding day~ ( I took a picture of the picture: I didn’t take it on that day or anything. I came three years later :-) )