'A Beautiful Display'

New blog feature: 'Picture of The Week!'

I've always loved to travel. My whole life, we've gone to many different places and I have been on an airplane many, many times. I've always loved airports, sitting and waiting for your plane to be ready, running around and looking at the souvenir shops, and experiencing the fear of walking through that security. Traveling is just something that I really enjoy doing. It gives me the opportunity to see new places and experience new things. I'm a natural born tourist :)

Anyways, for my first 'picture of the week', I wanted to post a picture of a place that I've never been, but always wanted to go. Actually, there are many places like this. I have a thing for big cities. I love all the lights, bridges and tall buildings. So, out of the many big cities I would love to visit, one of them is Chicago. I found this beautiful picture of it the other day:


This picture got me thinking. When you look at it you see beautiful colors, amazing sky, water, and lots of buildings. I looked at it for awhile and had this thought. We are all kind of like these buildings. By "we," I mean, WE as people. We are all different shapes, sizes, types, and colors but when we come together, we make a beautiful scene. I know I'm taking a lot out of this simple picture, but it's true! This picture is magnificent and beautiful, just like we are as God's children. We all have our own special purpose and design just like these buildings. We're all different, but when we come together, we make this amazing picture.
Tobymac has a new song called 'City On Our Knees.' (Look I'm talking about songs again) This is an amazing song about being one family under Christ and being one special city. There's one line in this song that I particularly love and it says this:

"Tonight’s the night
For the sinners and the saints
Two worlds collide in a beautiful display"

I think that these lyrics just perfectly display what I'm talking about with this picture. This is actually the picture in my head when I listen to this song. We're all so different, just like the buildings in this picture. But none of that matters when we come together and make a beautiful display. We are one city under one King and it's amazing. I love how one incredible picture can relate so well to our lives. Looking at this picture makes me see how amazing we all really are as God's children. We really do make a beautiful display when we stand together. All our differences and faults are forgotten when our worlds collide and we become a city, one city under one King.

"Cause its all love tonight
When we step across the line
We can sail across the sea
To a city with one king
A city on our knees"
-Tobymac (City On Our Knees)

*Amy :)

The Mermaid Story

Hey!
Ok, so my new weekly blog post thing is........ still undecided :) I'm thinking very hard on what to d but I'm uncertain. So, right now 'Picture of the week' is still an option and another one just hit me, 'Story of the week.' Now, there are at least a trillion amazing short stories out in the wide, world and thanks to my friend, the Internet, it's pretty easy for me to find plenty. So, I am considering a 'story of the week' that I either find or write myself. Then, after posting the story, I'll give a few thoughts, or words about it. So, even though this may not be permanent, I wanted to post a story today that is just amazing. It's an incredible story and it actually makes my dad choke up. (Not easy to do)...

The Mermaid Story by Robert Fulgham
(From 'All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten')

One rainy Sunday afternoon I found myself in charge of 70 or so school age children. We were in a gymnasium, and I knew that if I didn't come up with an idea before long - pure chaos would ensue. At that very moment I remembered a game - an old roll playing game called Wizards, Giants and Goblins. So I got my charges to calm down (no easy feat, thank you very much), and I explained the rules of the game:

"Now," I proclaimed, "if you wish to be a Giant, stand at the front of the room. If you wish to be a Wizard, stand in the middle. And those who wish to be Goblins stand toward the back. All right, let the play begin." I allowed the children several minutes to confer in huddled masses until the action resumed.

As I was standing there I felt I tug on my coat. When I looked down, there was a little girl with blue, questioning eyes.

" 'Scuse me."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Scuse me, but where do the mermaids stand?"

"Mermaids? Mermaids?" I sputtered. "There are no mermaids."
"Oh, yes there are. For you see, I'm a mermaid, and I wish to know where to stand."

Now here was a little girl who knew exactly what she was - a mermaid, pure and simple and she wanted to know where to stand. And, she wouldn't be satisfied standing on the sidelines watching the others play. She had her place, and she wanted to know where to stand.

But, where do the mermaids stand? - all those children we try to mold and form to fit into our boxes.

Sometimes, I have moments of inspiration. I looked down at that child, and I held her hand -

"Why the mermaid shall stand next to The King of the Sea." (Yeah, King of the Fools would be more likely.)

So, we stood together - the mermaid and the King of the Sea - as the Wizards, Giants and Goblins roiled by in grand procession. It isn't true, by the way, what they say about mermaids not existing. I know they do for I've held one's hand.

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Wow, so I LOVE this story! It's so good! I think that this story really portrays the world as it is today. This story outlines how everything around us works. This world is so "boxy." We push everyone into a box and we write a billion rules that everyone has to follow or else they're not accepted. And even though this is such a common view, it lacks one of the most important things in life, which is individuality. This view of our "boxed-in world" lacks the creativity and uniqueness of all people.

Now, there are two important people in this story, obviously. The first is the little girl. She really makes me smile in this story. This young, school aged girl recognizes who she is and she won't let anyone tell her otherwise. She was strong enough to go against the normal rules and stand up for who she was and who she wanted to be. Unlike the 70 other kids, she wouldn't let the rules of the game push her into a box. She wanted to be a mermaid, because that's who she knew she was. Other than just recognizing this, she also had the courage to tell the leader. She had the courage to ask him where the mermaids went, and even when he told her there were none, she was able to stand firm and stay who she was. She was a mermaid, and she knew it.

The second important person was the man that was in charge of this game. When that little girl told him she was a mermaid, he didn't tell her she was wrong. This man looked at that little girl and accepted her for who she was, he let her be who she wanted to be in life. Even though he made up different rules at first, he didn't push this child into a box, but instead he let her stand next to the 'King of The Sea.'

This is just so important in life. We all need a 'King of The Sea' in our lives to accept us regardless of what everyone else says. We all need that courage of the little girl to be able to stand up and say, "I'm a mermaid." We have to be able to recognize that we don't have to be something because everyone else tells us to, we can be who we want to be. And our 'King of The Sea' will be next to us always, accepting us for being individual, accepting us for standing out.

God is our 'King of The Sea' and if we want to be mermaids (or mermen) then we can! God isn't here to push us in a box. He created us and loves exactly the way we are, and no goblin, giant, or wizard can change that.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

"Wait and See" by Brandon Heath

Guess what? This is officially the LAST 'Song of The Week' on my blog! It's exciting because now I can start something new! Still not sure what though. I am thinking about 'blog of the week' and 'picture of the week' but I also wanted to do something with music videos, so I'm still not sure. I'll figure it out soon and let you know. My cousin and I are also constantly thinking of new ideas together, like the interview (Which you can read on her blog) and yesterday we came up with some other post ideas, so new things will be coming! Rest assured. :)

Now, on with the song! Thinking and thinking and thinking about one last song to do was hard! Again, I wanted to do a new artist... so I decided to do 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. I've heard this song a couple of times on the radio, but never really listened to the words until the other day.When I came home from school, my brother ran into my room and started telling me that he had a brand new favorite song of all time. He also wanted me to learn to play the chords to it and stuff. So, I found the chords and have been playing it lately. Anyways, it was this song called 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. (Which I recently added to my playlist if you want to listen to it.) But yeah, I figured out why my brother loves it so much, the lyrics are great! It's an awesome song.


You can read all of the lyrics *HERE* and watch the brand new official music video *HERE*

I also found a quote on Brandon's website about the song. It says this:
"'Wait and See' is probably the most autobiographical song I've ever written. But I think that anybody can relate to this song, and be encouraged to know that God has a plan for us, even if we still feel like a failure at times. If we come to know Jesus as our Savior, He is going to change our hearts and lead us into a greater existence other than for ourselves. For me, the last verse of 'Wait and See' is really what my journey is all about, 'now's my time to be a man, follow my heart as far as I can, no telling where I'm ending up tonight.' Most nights, I am in a hotel room and I barely know where I am, but I know that I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing. I just have to wait and see what God is going to do with the rest of the story. I'm encouraged by what He has done already, but I know that the story will continue to unfold and I'll keep learning more about the purpose of my life." -Brandon Heath

I love this song because I think that everyone at one point has looked at their lives and asked God where He is taking them. I've done it and this song is really encouraging because it does remind us that God has a plan and He's not finished with us yet. I think a big majority of our lives is made up of failures and imperfections and people telling us that we're not good enough or that we're not going to make it. And especially if you're a sensitive person or even if you're not, it can really affect you. It's hard to hear from people that you're not good enough. It's hard to hear that you're not going to make it far in life, or you're a failure. And I think that we've all heard something like that before in our lives. It's not easy. We want to know that we're going to be successful, we want to know that we're going to do everything right, but unfortunately our lives aren't going to be perfect. At that point is when the words to this song apply.

"There is hope for me yeah, because God won't forget. All the plans He's made for me. I'll have to wait and see."

I LOVE this line! So many important things and meaningful words packed into this one little part of a song. God has made so many plans for our lives, plans that we don't know and plans that we probably can't even imagine, and they will all develop in His perfect timing. One big lesson in life is patience right? Yeah, that applies nicely here. God has our whole lives planned out for us and He won't forget all the great things He is going to do in each of our lives. We just have to have faith, hope, and patience, while we wait and see. God is going to do extraordinary things in all of us, even if it doesn't seem like it now. We'll just have to wait and see what He is going to do with our lives :)

Another important line in this song says...
"I've seen enough to know that I'm not here for nothing."

I think that especially in teenager's lives, we feel like this a lot of times. We feel like we're just meant for nothing and we feel like we're so useless. But we're NOT! We're all so special and God loves each of us so much that no human on this earth could tell us differently. We are here for a purpose and we have been created for a reason. We may not know what it is yet, but in time, we'll see.

*Amy :)

My First Interview::: Featuring 'Beauty of A Rose'

This week, I was talking to my cousin some, and we decided to interview each other. First of all, it's fun and we could use it on our blogs, and secondly, we thought we'd get to know a little more about each other. So, I sent her a page of 30 questions, divided into 3 categories and she did the same for me. I just answered hers, and you will be able to see them *HERE* on her blog (when she posts it). She also answered all my crazy questions and I am going to post them. We decided that next time we see each other, we are going to swap questions and make videos, so I'll post that when it happens. Rachel is almost 16 years old and she's very sweet and smart. You'll learn a lot about her through these questions, and you can view her blog, Beauty Of A Rose *HERE*.


Questions/Answers: ALL ABOUT RACHEL!

Category 1: General/Random Questions

1. What are some hobbies that you enjoy? I really love to dance it is very fun and shows a different side of my personality. I really like cooking and have been in to that a lot lately it’s a lot of fun! I love photography and that is another way to show my personality through my photos. Writing is one of my favorite things to do even if it’s for school I love to write I could do it all day. 2. What are 2 things you want to accomplish before you die? I really want to go to Italy that is like the ultimate Dream of mine and to get at least one of my books published that actually tops the Italy dream but hey I will settle for one.

3. If you could only keep one of your possessions, what would it be? I would have to say my camera because you can’t remake memories and that is something that I really enjoy doing. Is making memories that last a life time and capturing the moment.

4. If you had to describe yourself in just 3 words, what would they be? Three words? Wow that's a hard one. Um Caring, Loyal, and Funny.

5. How would you describe your “style?” Style... um all over the place haha seriously it’s all over the place I don’t know how I keep up with it.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream and why? Vanilla. Everyone thinks it’s bland but really it is so yummy and you can put anything you want in it :) Bryers is my favorite brand.

7. What is you absolute biggest passion? Writing - I can say and do anything with writing and I can express myself so well with words.

8. Have you ever watched a movie that dramatically changed your life? If so, what was it? Facing the Giants. I saw it when I was thirteen and it really changed the way I looked at God and my relationship with him for the better. To this day I can’t watch it without crying throughout the whole thing like I did the first time I watched it.

9. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) Three wishes hmmm ok my first wish is that I would have a little more confidence not like “I so fabulous and better than everyone” confidence but just a little bit more faith in myself and the things I do. Second wish that my second sister and I would have had a better relationship when we were younger. Now she’s gone we can’t fix it. One more wish I know what I want more than anything else. My last wish is for a good husband because I know the things my sisters have gone through I just pray that, those thing will never happen to me or my younger siblings. And that he will love me for who I am and be the best thing in my life. That he has a heart for God and will love me all of his life until death do we part. That is really what I want. :)

10. What is your all time favorite word and why? My favorite word would have to be Love. Mainly because it describes so much emotion and if you really think about it every one uses the word love there isn’t a single person out there that doesn’t and it’s such an amazing word it just means so much.

Category 2: Deep/Personal Questions

1. What do you think is the most important thing about your faith? Trying to keep it when everyone else in the world is against you and you know what you are doing is the right thing but there is still the peer pressure.

2. How do you see God? I see God as a father above all fathers and I know he loves me. Like all fathers he believes in us but sometimes will put us to the test to really show him how much we have learned and what we know. God keeps us on a path that leads straight to him but sometimes lets us stray from him having enough faith in us to always come back. And there he will always be waiting.

3. If you were to have the opportunity to talk to a big group of all teenage girls, what is something you would tell them? Never ever lose your faith no matter what happens it is the only thing that will get you through whatever it is that you are going through. There is nothing that can ever take away your faith so hold on to it and you will be ok.

4. What passage in the bible is your favorite and why? ‘To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1’ it means so much because it is so true. There is a time for everything. It’s not like it is going to snow in summer because there is a season for that. Just like in life there is a season for hardship and a season for rejoicing. So that is why it is my favorite.

5. What is one thing you would change about the world if you could? That everyone would not be so blind to what God has to offer them and all of his blessings.

6. Is there anything that you have an extremely strong opinion about? I would have to say abortion. Because it technically is murder they don’t say it is but it is and I think it is extremely wrong. And it also emotionally damaging as well as physically then when it comes time to actually have children you are emotionally challenged in that area. Plus God gave that life to you to take care of and guard not to kill.

7. As a teenage girl, what is your personal view on ‘dating?’ Well I think it isn’t just for like a fun thing and that you shouldn’t do just because everyone else is doing it. It is a way to get to know the person you might be spending the rest of your life with. That is a really big deal because if you date just to date then why are you really doing it. If you don’t have purpose for dating it then you shouldn’t be doing it. And when you are a teenager you can’t get married right away so why should you date you can’t do anything about it until you are at least twenty or so. Even then you could find out they were the wrong person for you and then you will have wasted your time.. When there might have been the right guy for you and they didn’t get a chance to know you because you were in another relationship and you could miss out on something really wonderful. And with dating to young you can get really hurt and maybe even worse so its not even about oh I don’t date because I think it’s bad. No I don’t date because I am may not be mature enough and I am protecting myself for my husband to be. When you get married you don’t want to be used goods you want to be everything that you should be for your husband and in dating you can sometimes give a little bit too much of yourself away. I am not saying dating is a bad thing I am just say for me I want to wait for the right guy and know that I am ready and mature enough. Right now I know I am not.

8. When you are having a completely terrible day, what can always makes it better? A really good song along with a prayer and my bible. When I read the bible I feel so uplifted and stronger somehow than I was before.

9. What is a song that describes your life, and how? I thought it might be hard to choose one but I think its “Sunrise” by Brandon Heath. It talks about being lost in the night and trying to find the sun. It is really what my family is going through right now. And when the lyrics say, “Holding your days like a stack of paper. Then you're chasing the wind as the pages scatter. You can save a few but you can't get ‘em all back.” That is really what we all are going through. It is really hard but I know that there will be sunshine up ahead.

10. What is a question that you have for God? Why? I tend to put it in front of everything that I ask him. Why this? Why that? Why God Why? And almost every time I kind of get the same answer ‘Because I love you.’ Even if the thing that I ask are because things are going bad it is still because he loves me and wants me to learn from my mistakes or just from the hard times. Hard times are not because he want to see us struggle but because he wants us to become stronger. Not just mentally but emotionally as well. God brings us hardships for our own benefit you might think they are never ending but God always has a plan and you just have to trust in him to bring you the sunshine at the end of the day.

Category 3: Funny Questions

1. What is the strangest food you have ever tasted? Hmmmm broccoli sprouts. They are like broccoli with roots before it’s actually becomes broccoli and they are really nasty. I don’t like them at all.

2. If you could create your own word, what would it be? Come on I mean I do that like every day. But it would have to be word-erd. I just said it one day because my brother was being a goof and it stuck so now that’s my word and I say it.

3. What is your most embarrassing moment? Ok so there are these oyster crackers that my family eats and when I was little I didn’t eat any crackers with holes in them. So now when we have those crackers my parents offer me ones with holes in them and that is really embarrassing to me and of course they just think it funny.

4. If you starred on a comedy show, and you had to do something super funny, what would you do to make everyone laugh? Probably say something that no one was expecting me to say and not what I was supposed to be saying.

5.. What answer do you think would make this joke the best joke ever: Why’d the chicken cross the road? (P.S. He did not want to get to the other side) He wanted to be a fried chicken. Haha that was so lame.

6. What is the funniest word you’ve ever heard and why? Froths- I don’t know I guess it's when people use it in a sentence when they are mad it just sound really funny. Like “That Froths me, that just froths me!”

7. If animals could talk, what would you ask them? Why are you talking? You shouldn’t be talking you’re an animal stop talking.

8. If you had to write a super silly story, what would it be about? My brother I can totally make something up something silly and funny about him.

9. Do you have an embarrassing talent? Well I don’t know it this counts but I can twist my tongue around so you can see the bottom but ya I don’t know if that will count. :)

10. Finally, what is the funniest memory from your childhood? Actually I don’t really remember that much from my childhood but there is one thing that really sticks with me. I was about 5 years old and my mom kept boiling cubes in the kitchen and they were wrapped in yellow foil. So of course being 5 I thought they were candy. I asked every time she used them if I could have one to eat and she kept telling me that they were not candy but of course I still asked her for one. So one day she let me have one and I ate it. Then spit it out on the floor. It was so not funny then but now I kind of think it is.

There you go! That was my interview with my amazing cousin, Rachel!!! I hope you enjoyed learning more about her!!!! To read the interview that she gave ME, visit her blog, Beauty of A Rose. And hopefully another interview will come soon, (a video one.)

*Amy :)