It's been a while and there's a reason for that (and that's also why I renamed this blog what I renamed it, HAH!).
Drum roll, please! *drum roll*
I'm actually trying to be an adult and pursue what God's called me to do. That's the basic gist of it. Now, let's dive into some of the details.
This year, I finally got serious about figuring out the HOW of what I wanna do with my life. I was figuring that out last year, for sure, and got it mostly figured out by the end of 2018, BUT I also needed to figure the basic action steps for it.
In November, I started actively and seriously looking into possible short-term overseas mission trips I could do. I also started looking into teaching English certifications and degrees so that, in the case of moving overseas, I could, you know, actually support myself (because dreams don't pay the bills, action and jobs do 😜). I found a TESL/TEFL program and was all set, but at the last minute it got canceled and I was like, "Uhh, what now?" and then my dad was like, "Hey check this out!" and that was that. Since July of this year, I've been working on an online course to become TEFL certified so I can go teach places and pay bills and adult.
But, I'm sure you're wondering, WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING SINCE JANUARY?!?! I'm glad you asked. I've been adulting. Working, praying, being a Bible Quizzing coach, writing random stories that pop into my head, doing music with the orchestra, you know, all those adulting things. Oh, and we did a summer music program, played for Maestro Muti (that was inSANE!), had like, 6 or 7 concerts in the space of three weeks, took a road trip to Dallas, St Louis (this one was a DOOZY of activity because it was NABQT and then NAYC in the space of 9 days and a lot of crazy stuff, we survived though!), and then a fun trip to MI for Apex, and now we're home and things aren't really calming down.
Quick side note about this year's Apex. If you ever need a group of really cool people to do online college with, a community that's got your back long after you graduate or before you even decide if you wanna do online college with us, then you gotta join Unbound. These people are fun, genuine, goofy, deep, responsible, supportive, caring, and all that other good stuff. Also, you can graduate with little to no student debt, and, with the way most of your average college students are drowning in college debt, I'd say that's kinda a big deal. So yeah. Apex was amazing. The speakers were legit, the team-building "Blitz" games were AWESOME (GO OLYMPUS!), and I became friends with and got to know some really incredible people. Be Unbound.
Okay, anyways. Since then, I've been catching up on sleep (sorta), working, filling out applications, studying TEFL stuff, and we haven't even started on what we've been doing for church (we had a rummage sale, a VBS, and a carwash fundraiser for SFC on three consecutive weekends, to give you an idea of how busy we've been). All in all, it's been a busy year.
I am really excited about everything that's going to happen during the rest of this year. I have a few more trips planned, I'm going to finish my TEFL certification around the end of September/beginning of October, and I can't wait to see what doors God will open up for a bunch of different things.
2019 has been a year of growth and unexpected, happy surprises. That's not to say there weren't some rough patches, but God's been shifting my perspective to look at things in a more positive light. Funny how things can seem so dark and bad, but then, later on, you're able to look at that situation (or situations) and you're just like, "Ahh, I see You doing cool stuff, God!" We're really blessed.
For those of you starting school, I wish you the best! For those who've already started, you got this, go you! And to those who are done and are trying to adult, through God, everything is possible. We're in the same boat, and I'm proud of what you're doing to be who God's called you to be.
Love you guys! 🤗😁💛
Monday, August 26, 2019
Monday, December 31, 2018
Reflecting on 2018
Well, guys. It has been a YEAR. And by YEAR, I mean, whew. Like, I'm glad it happened and I'm glad it's over at the same time.
The tail end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 set off a chain of events that impacted me in a way that no blog post or autobiography could ever make you completely understand. I watched my plans, dreams, and aspirations fall apart before my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it. Like any melodramatic kid, I broke down and cried about it for a good long bit, and then turned around and tried to figure it out. Did I figure stuff out? You bet I did. Did I learn from my mistakes? Mostly. Did I deal with my internal mess perfectly? HAH. No, I absolutely did not.
I put so much pressure on myself, it's ridiculous. But man, has God been faithful. Through all my anxiety about the future, beating myself up about the past and present, my freak outs and breakdowns and all that *lovely* jazz, God's just been teaching me about myself and who He is through it all. Because even when I was an angry, bitter mess, He stuck by my side and gave me opportunities to do things that, low-key, had my plans worked out how I wanted, I never would've gotten the chance to do this stuff.
I joined an orchestra. We went to China. I went to Georgia and ministered at a church for their youth weekend. I got to hang out with some incredible people. I made a tentative 'five year plan' that has since turned into a one-year-plan because bruh, God be like, "Yeah, I want this to happen now so like, you gonna do this now," and I'm like, "Haha wut" and He's just like, "Mhmm," and I be like, "😶 okee" and that's that.
There were some way lows, but there were some pretty amazing highs to this year too. I'm thankful for the people who stuck by my side despite the fact that I definitely pushed some of them to the breaking point. I'm thankful that God decided that my plans weren't as good as His plans and changed things up. I'm really thankful for the growth I've experienced and the direction I now have to go in. I'm thankful for the support I've gotten and the comfort zones I've been pushed out of, the things I've gotten to experience.
Dude, I could go on but like, I feel like I'll start talking in circles SOOOO.
I'm thankful. I also need to go practice my instruments. I will try to blog more regularly but no promises. 😜
Love all you guys. God bless you, and I hope you have a very wonderful Happy New Year!!!!
The tail end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 set off a chain of events that impacted me in a way that no blog post or autobiography could ever make you completely understand. I watched my plans, dreams, and aspirations fall apart before my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it. Like any melodramatic kid, I broke down and cried about it for a good long bit, and then turned around and tried to figure it out. Did I figure stuff out? You bet I did. Did I learn from my mistakes? Mostly. Did I deal with my internal mess perfectly? HAH. No, I absolutely did not.
I put so much pressure on myself, it's ridiculous. But man, has God been faithful. Through all my anxiety about the future, beating myself up about the past and present, my freak outs and breakdowns and all that *lovely* jazz, God's just been teaching me about myself and who He is through it all. Because even when I was an angry, bitter mess, He stuck by my side and gave me opportunities to do things that, low-key, had my plans worked out how I wanted, I never would've gotten the chance to do this stuff.
I joined an orchestra. We went to China. I went to Georgia and ministered at a church for their youth weekend. I got to hang out with some incredible people. I made a tentative 'five year plan' that has since turned into a one-year-plan because bruh, God be like, "Yeah, I want this to happen now so like, you gonna do this now," and I'm like, "Haha wut" and He's just like, "Mhmm," and I be like, "😶 okee" and that's that.
There were some way lows, but there were some pretty amazing highs to this year too. I'm thankful for the people who stuck by my side despite the fact that I definitely pushed some of them to the breaking point. I'm thankful that God decided that my plans weren't as good as His plans and changed things up. I'm really thankful for the growth I've experienced and the direction I now have to go in. I'm thankful for the support I've gotten and the comfort zones I've been pushed out of, the things I've gotten to experience.
Dude, I could go on but like, I feel like I'll start talking in circles SOOOO.
I'm thankful. I also need to go practice my instruments. I will try to blog more regularly but no promises. 😜
Love all you guys. God bless you, and I hope you have a very wonderful Happy New Year!!!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Wilderness Experience and Promised Land Mindset
It's been a good long minute since I last posted something. Life's been chaotic. Good chaotic. More on that in a later post.
Anywho.
Isaiah 41:9-10 NLT, "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
The Lord says this through Isaiah, all in the context of talking about how great He (God) is.
Here are some of my thoughts: Sometimes we get so wrapped up in how great, or how big and powerful our enemies and our problems are that we forget the One who can turn it all around in an instant. Sometimes, we complain about how we feel so much that we need to be sent through a wilderness for a bit so that all of that complaining and junk can die off of us. If we tried to possess the promises in the state of mind that we're in, God wouldn't get the glory. In fact, we probably wouldn't even appreciate the fact that He gave us our promises. We'd find something else to complain about!
I mean, look at the Israelites. From what it looks like, it was a two-week journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Two stinking weeks. And you know how long it took 'em to get there? Forty days. Bruh. 'Cause they was a mess. It's like God took 'em the scenic route because He knew they'd act stupid. It's like when a parent drives around the block fifty times waiting for their baby to fall asleep. But then after they got there, they were like, nah, we can't possess that, we're way too small, and so they had to wander around in the wilderness for another forty years.
See, other times, we get so wrapped up in how pitiful we are, we don't think we're worth possessing our promises. It's like, "Oh, I'm trash. I know God said this, but I could never do that. I'm not qualified, I've messed up too many times, when I mess this up He'll just abandon me and move on to someone else." That has to die too. Another wilderness, another season of getting to know God in a more personal way, of seeing His provision and His goodness and His faithfulness through all of our ups and downs.
Guys, God's called us to greatness. Whatever that looks like for you, whether it's in the 'ordinary', 'be good at your job and talk to your coworkers about God' kind of life, or the 'go to another country and touch lives there', don't just settle for good. Don't settle for comfortable. Don't settle for this side of Jordan when there's a promised land past that. And don't be afraid to go in and possess that promise, because God's already said that He's with you and He won't forsake you. He'll help you, He'll strengthen you, and when you mess up He's not going to throw you away. He's going to stay by your side, help you back up and you're gonna go and possess that promise.
Love you guys. :)
Anywho.
Isaiah 41:9-10 NLT, "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
The Lord says this through Isaiah, all in the context of talking about how great He (God) is.
Here are some of my thoughts: Sometimes we get so wrapped up in how great, or how big and powerful our enemies and our problems are that we forget the One who can turn it all around in an instant. Sometimes, we complain about how we feel so much that we need to be sent through a wilderness for a bit so that all of that complaining and junk can die off of us. If we tried to possess the promises in the state of mind that we're in, God wouldn't get the glory. In fact, we probably wouldn't even appreciate the fact that He gave us our promises. We'd find something else to complain about!
I mean, look at the Israelites. From what it looks like, it was a two-week journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Two stinking weeks. And you know how long it took 'em to get there? Forty days. Bruh. 'Cause they was a mess. It's like God took 'em the scenic route because He knew they'd act stupid. It's like when a parent drives around the block fifty times waiting for their baby to fall asleep. But then after they got there, they were like, nah, we can't possess that, we're way too small, and so they had to wander around in the wilderness for another forty years.
See, other times, we get so wrapped up in how pitiful we are, we don't think we're worth possessing our promises. It's like, "Oh, I'm trash. I know God said this, but I could never do that. I'm not qualified, I've messed up too many times, when I mess this up He'll just abandon me and move on to someone else." That has to die too. Another wilderness, another season of getting to know God in a more personal way, of seeing His provision and His goodness and His faithfulness through all of our ups and downs.
Guys, God's called us to greatness. Whatever that looks like for you, whether it's in the 'ordinary', 'be good at your job and talk to your coworkers about God' kind of life, or the 'go to another country and touch lives there', don't just settle for good. Don't settle for comfortable. Don't settle for this side of Jordan when there's a promised land past that. And don't be afraid to go in and possess that promise, because God's already said that He's with you and He won't forsake you. He'll help you, He'll strengthen you, and when you mess up He's not going to throw you away. He's going to stay by your side, help you back up and you're gonna go and possess that promise.
Love you guys. :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
My Testimony
My testimony is pretty simple: parents got into church when I was two, been living in it ever since. There've been ups and downs, but through it all, God's been faithful.
I basically grew up in church as a minister's kid. My parents were always involved in ministry, and for the longest time, I thought being in church basically meant music, preaching, Sunday School teaching, and Filipino food, I mean, Bible Study with Filipino food.
As I got older, I started getting involved in ministry, doing music, teaching Bible studies, preaching. The older I got, the more I noticed that I am so far from perfect, and the more I got into ministry the more I realized that people were expecting me to be perfect. I was starving for someone to see past the violin-player, the hopping Chinese-preacher's daughter, the alto at church, the kid who'd grown up in church and never knew alcohol or drugs or partying and stuff. I wasn't, and still am not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but the pressure I felt (some imagined but some legit too) was real. The struggle was real, guys.
It got more real when I realized that God wants me to do something great for His kingdom. First I got people expecting me to be perfect, I got myself expecting me to be perfect, and now I've got God Almighty expecting me to be able to do something great for His kingdom? I can barely string two coherent sentences together when I'm tired, how am I supposed to do something great for God's Kingdom?!
Anybody else feel me there?
I'll be real honest. Sometimes, I wanted to throw in the towel and say, "Nope, I'm done!" I felt overwhelmed, underappreciated, inadequate and unseen. Everything I wanted didn't matter, my voice didn't matter, nothing mattered. Looking back, all I really needed was a good prayer sesh and a mindset change, but in the moment dude. There were times I just wanted to give it all up because I'm too small to make a big difference. "God must've made a mistake when He chose me," I thought. The Moses syndrome was real, me begging God to choose somebody else.
But every single stinkin' time I asked Him to choose someone else and just kill me (I'm an overdramatic human, guys, chill), God answered back, "No. I'm not gonna choose somebody else, I chose you. It's not because you're such a great person or you've accomplished so many great things are because you're the most qualified person for the job. I chose you because I want you to do it. And when you do it, you're not doing it by yourself. It's not by your might or your own power or your own strength that you're going to accomplish this, it's by My Spirit." Every single stinkin' time I wanted to throw in the towel and give up, God said, "I'm not giving up on you. Even when you've given up on yourself, I'm not going to give up on you."
Guys. 1 John 4:8 talks about how we have to have love because God is love, but allow me to highlight that last part real quick. "God is love." Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it's impossible to please God, and James 2 talks about how faith without works is dead, and Galatians 5:6 says that faith worketh by love. It comes full circle. We gotta have love to really do anything.
This seems like a bit of a tangent but let me bring it back here.
1 Corinthians 13 is 'the love chapter'. Without love, everything we do is basically useless noise. Love is patient, love is kind, love is all these different things, love is who God is. After everything we've done to Him, Jesus still loves us. My sins drove the nails into His hands and feet. He's got every right to give up on me, to never create me or give me this life I'm living. But despite all my flaws, despite the times I wanna give up, He remains faithful and says to me, "I'm not gonna give up on you."
That's how I know God is faithful. That's how I know He loves me. That's how I know He loves you.
You're on this Earth for a reason, and no matter how many times you screw up and consider quitting, He still loves you and will chase after you because He wants you.
And that's my testimony. What's yours?
Love you guys. Summer's coming, hang in there, friends. God bless yous! :) 💖
I basically grew up in church as a minister's kid. My parents were always involved in ministry, and for the longest time, I thought being in church basically meant music, preaching, Sunday School teaching, and Filipino food, I mean, Bible Study with Filipino food.
As I got older, I started getting involved in ministry, doing music, teaching Bible studies, preaching. The older I got, the more I noticed that I am so far from perfect, and the more I got into ministry the more I realized that people were expecting me to be perfect. I was starving for someone to see past the violin-player, the hopping Chinese-preacher's daughter, the alto at church, the kid who'd grown up in church and never knew alcohol or drugs or partying and stuff. I wasn't, and still am not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but the pressure I felt (some imagined but some legit too) was real. The struggle was real, guys.
It got more real when I realized that God wants me to do something great for His kingdom. First I got people expecting me to be perfect, I got myself expecting me to be perfect, and now I've got God Almighty expecting me to be able to do something great for His kingdom? I can barely string two coherent sentences together when I'm tired, how am I supposed to do something great for God's Kingdom?!
Anybody else feel me there?
I'll be real honest. Sometimes, I wanted to throw in the towel and say, "Nope, I'm done!" I felt overwhelmed, underappreciated, inadequate and unseen. Everything I wanted didn't matter, my voice didn't matter, nothing mattered. Looking back, all I really needed was a good prayer sesh and a mindset change, but in the moment dude. There were times I just wanted to give it all up because I'm too small to make a big difference. "God must've made a mistake when He chose me," I thought. The Moses syndrome was real, me begging God to choose somebody else.
But every single stinkin' time I asked Him to choose someone else and just kill me (I'm an overdramatic human, guys, chill), God answered back, "No. I'm not gonna choose somebody else, I chose you. It's not because you're such a great person or you've accomplished so many great things are because you're the most qualified person for the job. I chose you because I want you to do it. And when you do it, you're not doing it by yourself. It's not by your might or your own power or your own strength that you're going to accomplish this, it's by My Spirit." Every single stinkin' time I wanted to throw in the towel and give up, God said, "I'm not giving up on you. Even when you've given up on yourself, I'm not going to give up on you."
Guys. 1 John 4:8 talks about how we have to have love because God is love, but allow me to highlight that last part real quick. "God is love." Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it's impossible to please God, and James 2 talks about how faith without works is dead, and Galatians 5:6 says that faith worketh by love. It comes full circle. We gotta have love to really do anything.
This seems like a bit of a tangent but let me bring it back here.
1 Corinthians 13 is 'the love chapter'. Without love, everything we do is basically useless noise. Love is patient, love is kind, love is all these different things, love is who God is. After everything we've done to Him, Jesus still loves us. My sins drove the nails into His hands and feet. He's got every right to give up on me, to never create me or give me this life I'm living. But despite all my flaws, despite the times I wanna give up, He remains faithful and says to me, "I'm not gonna give up on you."
That's how I know God is faithful. That's how I know He loves me. That's how I know He loves you.
You're on this Earth for a reason, and no matter how many times you screw up and consider quitting, He still loves you and will chase after you because He wants you.
And that's my testimony. What's yours?
Love you guys. Summer's coming, hang in there, friends. God bless yous! :) 💖
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Valentine's Day, a.k.a. SAD, and All the Cliche Stuff
And doing them by yourself is lame. I mean yeah, sometimes it's good to just treat yo-self, to be alone and show the world you're happy as a single pringle, but let's be honest, half of you guys who do that are just tryna covertly say, "HEY I'M SINGLE SOMEONE CHANGE THAT" without looking like a needy fool. 😅
Why am I saying that? Uh, 'cause I resisted the urge to post cliche "Single and happy about it", "Pros to being single on V-Day: Saving money I'd otherwise have to spend on a Valentine present" etc. pics to IG and SC all day. All day. Because if I'm honest, it'd be nice to have found 'the one' by now and to be doing life with this human.
But on the other hand, boy am I glad I'm not dating anybody or preparing for marriage to anybody in particular. Like, dude, I still gotta learn how to schedule my own doctor's appointment and talk to my own health insurance company, I can't handle that kind of responsibility right now. 😂
What's the point of this post? I had a point. I know I did. Oh yeah, Valentine's Day!
So if you're dating or married, congrats, I'm happy you got somebody for ya. I pray they treat you well and that you treat them well. Be excellent to each other, aight? Or else I'll hunt you down, slap you in your stupid face, beat you with a hardcover, annotated KJV Bible and throw glitter-filled water balloons at you that have verses written on them about how we're supposed to treat each other.
All in love, of course. I'd do this to my brother. Because I love him. 'Cause everything you do should flow out of love. Yup. I mean, it's either glitter or I kill you and repent later, which would you prefer? 😃
Ahem, anyways, aaaand if you're single like me... Use this time to focus on figuring out who you are. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do with your life? How do you do that thing you wanna do? How do you get to that place? What habits do you need to form that'll help you be a better, healthier person that accomplishes those awesome goals and dreams you have? How do you form those habits?
Cliche, I know. But Valentine's Day is all about the cliche. As is Single Awareness Day. Whether you're in a committed relationship or not, be a decent human. Love people the way Jesus does. Look at yourself the way Jesus looks at you. Go after Jesus with everything that's in you, and change the world.
Love you guys. Happy Valentine's Day, Happy S.A.D., (both a week late), and keep being awesome. 😜
Photo by Bart LaRue on Unsplash
Monday, February 12, 2018
Rejection or Divine Redirection?
Let's talk about the r-word.
Rejection.
Ouch. It hurts just thinking about it.
Everyone feels rejected at some point. Life isn't always about acceptance, you know. People aren't gonna like you 100% of the time. Maybe it's 'cause you accidentally cut them off in traffic. Maybe you pointed out a flaw in their logic. Maybe you're doing the best you can and for whatever reason, they just really don't like you. Or, it could be, you're doing your absolute best to reach out, be the light, be Jesus to everyone around you, and they reject you for it. Whatever the reason, you end up feeling rejected, dejected, and that ain't a fun place to be.
And you know who one of the most rejected-feeling groups of people is in this world?
Youth.
They got ALL this junk going on with their bodies, school, peer group, etc. They're trying to navigate through the ins and outs of becoming young adults, becoming more responsible, while also having the expectations that this world thrusts upon young people, to be irresponsible, make mistakes and live it up as much as possible. It's a nightmare. We're supposed to have fun in high school, make friends, be crazy teenagers, and then suddenly seventeen and eighteen hits and, whoa, we're supposed to have jobs, get college degrees and know exactly what we wanna do with our lives? You're crazy. This world is jacked up. Like, hon, it don't work like that, there are some habits that gotta be formed before we can effectively do that, yo.
Oh, and did I mention the whole being a Christian thing? When you're a Christian, you automatically stand out from the crowd. You will get rejected for what you believe, whether you're actively telling people about what you believe or not. It's just the world we live in.
But don't let rejection stop you from being who God's called you to be. If God has called you to preach, don't let discouragement from your peers to "shut up about this Jesus thing" stop you from continuing to talk about Jesus. If God's called you to reach your friends and teach Bible studies, don't let anyone's rejection of what the Bible says stop you from continuing to look for someone who will accept it.
It all comes down to this, guys: Sometimes, it's not rejection, sometimes it's a divine redirection. Sometimes, that rejection saves you from wasting time on people who really don't want it, and forces you to go find the ones who really want the truth. Sometimes, that rejection you get sets you up to do what God meant for you to do in the first place.
You have to perceive it differently. Jesus said that when you get rejected, shake the dust off your feet and keep going. He already told us we'd get rejected just for being His followers. But there are people who desperately need and want this beautiful Gospel we've been given. There are people that only you can reach, and who are you to deny them of their chance at Heaven, just because you were rejected?
I understand. Rejection hurts. It's hard getting your hopes up only to have them crushed, to really go after something you want only to see all your plans fall apart. It's hard to try to reach out to someone who seems like they need, no, they want help, but they reject your help. And then what about next time? What if you try to reach out to someone else and they slap your hand away like that other person did before? Yeeoosh. The prospect of rejection can freeze even the strongest warrior. You're not alone in feeling it or fearing it.
But don't let that fear, or that feeling of having been rejected, stop you from being who God called you to be, trying to go after God's plans for your life, from reaching out to people around you. Rejection is that testing ground to see how much you believe what God told you. It's the fire that'll burn the things that won't stand and leave the things that will. Rejection can show you what you need to work on if you let it. It can spin you around, and then push you towards someone else. Yeah, man, it's painful. But it's not the end. There's life after rejection, there's something we're supposed to do afterward. We can sit in a corner and sulk about how someone rejected us, or we can rise above it and try to find someone who wants to hear about Jesus.
For me, rejection makes me reevaluate everything. That can be good and bad, you already know what the bad is so I won't go into that. The good: what do I do now? What's the next step, where do I go from here? Like they say, when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go next is up. What's that for you? Or better yet: who is that for you? Who else do you think just might want a Bible study, or might want to come to church, or might want to hang out with you and the youth group?
You know something? Rejection, much as it hurt, might be our best teacher. 'Cause sometimes, it'll redirect us from people who don't want it to people who do. Sometimes, it's not rejection. Sometimes, it's a divine redirection.
Rejection.
Ouch. It hurts just thinking about it.
Everyone feels rejected at some point. Life isn't always about acceptance, you know. People aren't gonna like you 100% of the time. Maybe it's 'cause you accidentally cut them off in traffic. Maybe you pointed out a flaw in their logic. Maybe you're doing the best you can and for whatever reason, they just really don't like you. Or, it could be, you're doing your absolute best to reach out, be the light, be Jesus to everyone around you, and they reject you for it. Whatever the reason, you end up feeling rejected, dejected, and that ain't a fun place to be.
And you know who one of the most rejected-feeling groups of people is in this world?
Youth.
They got ALL this junk going on with their bodies, school, peer group, etc. They're trying to navigate through the ins and outs of becoming young adults, becoming more responsible, while also having the expectations that this world thrusts upon young people, to be irresponsible, make mistakes and live it up as much as possible. It's a nightmare. We're supposed to have fun in high school, make friends, be crazy teenagers, and then suddenly seventeen and eighteen hits and, whoa, we're supposed to have jobs, get college degrees and know exactly what we wanna do with our lives? You're crazy. This world is jacked up. Like, hon, it don't work like that, there are some habits that gotta be formed before we can effectively do that, yo.
Oh, and did I mention the whole being a Christian thing? When you're a Christian, you automatically stand out from the crowd. You will get rejected for what you believe, whether you're actively telling people about what you believe or not. It's just the world we live in.
But don't let rejection stop you from being who God's called you to be. If God has called you to preach, don't let discouragement from your peers to "shut up about this Jesus thing" stop you from continuing to talk about Jesus. If God's called you to reach your friends and teach Bible studies, don't let anyone's rejection of what the Bible says stop you from continuing to look for someone who will accept it.
It all comes down to this, guys: Sometimes, it's not rejection, sometimes it's a divine redirection. Sometimes, that rejection saves you from wasting time on people who really don't want it, and forces you to go find the ones who really want the truth. Sometimes, that rejection you get sets you up to do what God meant for you to do in the first place.
You have to perceive it differently. Jesus said that when you get rejected, shake the dust off your feet and keep going. He already told us we'd get rejected just for being His followers. But there are people who desperately need and want this beautiful Gospel we've been given. There are people that only you can reach, and who are you to deny them of their chance at Heaven, just because you were rejected?
I understand. Rejection hurts. It's hard getting your hopes up only to have them crushed, to really go after something you want only to see all your plans fall apart. It's hard to try to reach out to someone who seems like they need, no, they want help, but they reject your help. And then what about next time? What if you try to reach out to someone else and they slap your hand away like that other person did before? Yeeoosh. The prospect of rejection can freeze even the strongest warrior. You're not alone in feeling it or fearing it.
But don't let that fear, or that feeling of having been rejected, stop you from being who God called you to be, trying to go after God's plans for your life, from reaching out to people around you. Rejection is that testing ground to see how much you believe what God told you. It's the fire that'll burn the things that won't stand and leave the things that will. Rejection can show you what you need to work on if you let it. It can spin you around, and then push you towards someone else. Yeah, man, it's painful. But it's not the end. There's life after rejection, there's something we're supposed to do afterward. We can sit in a corner and sulk about how someone rejected us, or we can rise above it and try to find someone who wants to hear about Jesus.
For me, rejection makes me reevaluate everything. That can be good and bad, you already know what the bad is so I won't go into that. The good: what do I do now? What's the next step, where do I go from here? Like they say, when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go next is up. What's that for you? Or better yet: who is that for you? Who else do you think just might want a Bible study, or might want to come to church, or might want to hang out with you and the youth group?
You know something? Rejection, much as it hurt, might be our best teacher. 'Cause sometimes, it'll redirect us from people who don't want it to people who do. Sometimes, it's not rejection. Sometimes, it's a divine redirection.
Friday, February 2, 2018
An Open Future
I feel like the name of this blog is perfect for me because sometimes I just go for weeks and months on end without posting and then I come back like HEY SO GUYS like no time's passed at all. 😅😂
But anyways. Guys. I got my diploma in the mail, like, a month ago come Saturday. Let's just say it softened the blow of not being accepted to grad school. Can't go to grad school this semester but hey, at least I can now prove that I finished my BA last semester, right?
And I'll have you know, I only cried like five times in the 7 or so hours after I found out about not being accepted. 😅😭😳😶
This made me reevaluate basically my whole life. "What now?" I asked myself. I have a mini fridge in the living room, a microwave, and a cool Ninja blender (that I have been using the entire time during this year's 21 Day Challenge a.k.a. Daniel Fast 2.0, btw). I have some money saved up in the bank, my own debit card, a cool smartphone, and a bunch of big dreams. What am I supposed to do now?
See, I had the whole next 4-5 months planned out. Go to grad school. Take classes. Hang with my best friends. Stay up way too late doing assignments and studying, drinking coffee and laughing with awesome people. Cry my eyes out during chapel services, pray like I never had before with people in my age group. All that's basically out the window for now. I have at least 6 months to do... what?
So, I basically sat down with my questions and tried to figure out what I want to do with my life. What do I want to do career-wise? There are a few things, but one thing I think would be pretty stinkin' fantastic is this: Write. I want to write. I wanna write fiction. I want to "live by my pen" as Anne Hathaway said in her role as Jane Austen in the movie "Becoming Jane." How do I do that? Well, first off, I gotta write. I gotta edit the mess out of my work. I gotta make it publishable. Next step, publish the work. Market the work. Get paid for the work. Aaaaaand repeat until I can either live off of writing or live off it and some kind of other part-time or full-time job.
Sidenote: I love my job, absolutely love it. I'm learning all these crazy things about the world of printing and web design and all this stuff, I feel like a starry-eyed kid at Disney World half the time (the other half I'm working trying to make sure I'm doing my job right and as well as possible). I just have like, fifty different ideas of how my life could go and I'm tryna get 'em all out before they make my head explode. 😜
What else do I wanna do? I wanna travel. I wanna go on missions trips, see what it's like to be a missionary, help out missionaries, do missionary work.
So what have I done about this stuff? Well for one, I've looked into some mission trips. There are too many deadlines at the beginning of the year so unless someone walks up to me and says, "Hey, I want you to come with me to this foreign country this year," then I probably won't go overseas just quite yet. I've also looked into going overseas to teach ESL. Got some pointers from my uncle, who went overseas and taught English in Korea, and there are some pretty cool opportunities that I'm looking into a little bit more. I'd need a TESL or TEFL certification and a few other prereq's that would take a little time to get done, but lucky for me, that fits my schedule for the next two years haha. Oh, and as for writing, I've made it a goal to write and publish 5 books this year on various platforms, i.e. Wattpad, Amazon, possibly Inkitt, etc.
I might still go to grad school. Or I might just go to the undergrad area to get a certificate in Apostolic Studies so I can articulate my faith in a knowledgeable way and get some experience living on my own for a bit. Or I might just skip all that, work hard, get my TESL/TEFL and move to Eastern Asia for the rest of my life! (JK, I'd miss my American people too much... I'll just pack 'em all in suitcases and take 'em with me, muahaha)
The point of this post? It's an open future for me. I've got a direction I want to go in. And I know there's a direction God wants me to go in. The trick is making sure the two are one in the same. Do I think writing can change the world? Yes, yes I do. Do I think teaching can change the world? Tried and proven, both in the secular and the church worlds, teaching can completely change the world, because it changes young people who will go on to change the world. Do I think this is something I should pursue? Short answer: Yes. Time (and a whole lotta prayer) will tell if this is the direction God wants me to go in.
'Til next time, folks!
--Sonya 😁 💖
P.S. I'mma try to get better at writing this blog, or at least posting something on this blog. Bear with me, guys. 😜
But anyways. Guys. I got my diploma in the mail, like, a month ago come Saturday. Let's just say it softened the blow of not being accepted to grad school. Can't go to grad school this semester but hey, at least I can now prove that I finished my BA last semester, right?
And I'll have you know, I only cried like five times in the 7 or so hours after I found out about not being accepted. 😅😭😳😶
This made me reevaluate basically my whole life. "What now?" I asked myself. I have a mini fridge in the living room, a microwave, and a cool Ninja blender (that I have been using the entire time during this year's 21 Day Challenge a.k.a. Daniel Fast 2.0, btw). I have some money saved up in the bank, my own debit card, a cool smartphone, and a bunch of big dreams. What am I supposed to do now?
See, I had the whole next 4-5 months planned out. Go to grad school. Take classes. Hang with my best friends. Stay up way too late doing assignments and studying, drinking coffee and laughing with awesome people. Cry my eyes out during chapel services, pray like I never had before with people in my age group. All that's basically out the window for now. I have at least 6 months to do... what?
So, I basically sat down with my questions and tried to figure out what I want to do with my life. What do I want to do career-wise? There are a few things, but one thing I think would be pretty stinkin' fantastic is this: Write. I want to write. I wanna write fiction. I want to "live by my pen" as Anne Hathaway said in her role as Jane Austen in the movie "Becoming Jane." How do I do that? Well, first off, I gotta write. I gotta edit the mess out of my work. I gotta make it publishable. Next step, publish the work. Market the work. Get paid for the work. Aaaaaand repeat until I can either live off of writing or live off it and some kind of other part-time or full-time job.
Sidenote: I love my job, absolutely love it. I'm learning all these crazy things about the world of printing and web design and all this stuff, I feel like a starry-eyed kid at Disney World half the time (the other half I'm working trying to make sure I'm doing my job right and as well as possible). I just have like, fifty different ideas of how my life could go and I'm tryna get 'em all out before they make my head explode. 😜
What else do I wanna do? I wanna travel. I wanna go on missions trips, see what it's like to be a missionary, help out missionaries, do missionary work.
So what have I done about this stuff? Well for one, I've looked into some mission trips. There are too many deadlines at the beginning of the year so unless someone walks up to me and says, "Hey, I want you to come with me to this foreign country this year," then I probably won't go overseas just quite yet. I've also looked into going overseas to teach ESL. Got some pointers from my uncle, who went overseas and taught English in Korea, and there are some pretty cool opportunities that I'm looking into a little bit more. I'd need a TESL or TEFL certification and a few other prereq's that would take a little time to get done, but lucky for me, that fits my schedule for the next two years haha. Oh, and as for writing, I've made it a goal to write and publish 5 books this year on various platforms, i.e. Wattpad, Amazon, possibly Inkitt, etc.
I might still go to grad school. Or I might just go to the undergrad area to get a certificate in Apostolic Studies so I can articulate my faith in a knowledgeable way and get some experience living on my own for a bit. Or I might just skip all that, work hard, get my TESL/TEFL and move to Eastern Asia for the rest of my life! (JK, I'd miss my American people too much... I'll just pack 'em all in suitcases and take 'em with me, muahaha)
The point of this post? It's an open future for me. I've got a direction I want to go in. And I know there's a direction God wants me to go in. The trick is making sure the two are one in the same. Do I think writing can change the world? Yes, yes I do. Do I think teaching can change the world? Tried and proven, both in the secular and the church worlds, teaching can completely change the world, because it changes young people who will go on to change the world. Do I think this is something I should pursue? Short answer: Yes. Time (and a whole lotta prayer) will tell if this is the direction God wants me to go in.
'Til next time, folks!
--Sonya 😁 💖
P.S. I'mma try to get better at writing this blog, or at least posting something on this blog. Bear with me, guys. 😜
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Fire. Coal. Diamonds. Info Dump. Teehee.
This is gonna be my inspiration for tomorrow night, and I need to get the fifty billion thoughts in my head about it out in, well, words, so bear with me guys. 😅
People have been talking a lot about fire recently. They've also been talking about a process, transformation, that kind of thing.
So here's this thing that goes through the fire, goes through a process, and undergoes this crazy transformation. You can make a diamond out of a piece of coal because they're both carbon compounds. The difference between a diamond and coal is that, while they're both carbon compounds, they're organized completely differently. A piece of coal gets put into a highly pressurized, incredibly heated environment. After a while in that heat, under all that pressure, it gets taken out and suddenly, it's no longer coal but a diamond. It still has to go through some cutting and polishing and stuff, so the process ain't over yet, but when it's done, it's this beautiful, valuable thing. And get this: when you shine a light through a diamond, you see different aspects of the light. A piece of coal gets a light shined on it and it's just a piece of coal. A diamond reflects and refracts light so you get that awesome rainbow effect that shows you all the different colors of the light spectrum.
We are like pieces of coal separated from the rest of the coal and set aside for the Master's use. When we pray, "Oh God, give me strength, give me patience," we think God's just gonna magically download patience and strength into us. It don't work like that, friend. See, we pray and ask Him for all of these awesome things, and then freak out wondering what we did wrong 'cause suddenly everything's blowing up in our face, our patience is wearing thin, there's all of this pressure coming against us and we are not strong enough to handle everything that's coming against us. But really, we're getting exactly what we asked for. It's a trial by fire. We're getting pressure from all around because God's trying to restructure us into what He wants us to be. We're going through the fire because it'll burn away all of the mess and stuff in us that isn't right. The bible talks about God being an "all-consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29) and that literally means He consumes every single last thing. Are you gonna let God consume every part of your life? He isn't doing this to destroy you, He's doing it to strengthen you and build up your patience. It's a muscle you gotta build. It's a process you gotta go through. So instead of freaking out like, "Why's everyone against me?" "Why is this happening to me?" "Why *insert whatever*?" ask, "What is God trying to work out in me and what can I learn from this?" And then do it. Allow the Spirit of God to flow through you in those situations. James 1:4 says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Go through that intense heat and pressurizing process that restructures you and makes you into something new and something beautiful that can reflect the light of Jesus to everyone around you.
So that's basically it. If you got any suggestions, I welcome criticism. 😁 Aaaand keep in mind, this has to be about 5 minutes or so. Yes, I can talk really fast but I can't just give people an info dump and expect them to retain everything. 😅
Speaking of which, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a SUPER long time. Life's been crazy. I finished my coursework for my BA, I've been trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a line so that I can graduate in December, and then I've been freaking out about that and trying to get accepted into graduate school so I can go in January. So, basically, I'm preaching to myself as much as I'm preaching to my youth group tomorrow night, haha. Humans are great, it's the time crunches that're killing me. It's all in God's hands, though.
To all of you college and high school etc. folk, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You will get your BA done, college people! I believe in you. High schoolers, you will get your high school diploma! All y'all gonna change the world. See? I believe in you so much that this Minnesotan even said 'All y'all' for extra emphasis. You can do it. You're awesome. I love you. You guys inspire me. 😊
God bless you guys!
--Sonya :) <3
People have been talking a lot about fire recently. They've also been talking about a process, transformation, that kind of thing.
So here's this thing that goes through the fire, goes through a process, and undergoes this crazy transformation. You can make a diamond out of a piece of coal because they're both carbon compounds. The difference between a diamond and coal is that, while they're both carbon compounds, they're organized completely differently. A piece of coal gets put into a highly pressurized, incredibly heated environment. After a while in that heat, under all that pressure, it gets taken out and suddenly, it's no longer coal but a diamond. It still has to go through some cutting and polishing and stuff, so the process ain't over yet, but when it's done, it's this beautiful, valuable thing. And get this: when you shine a light through a diamond, you see different aspects of the light. A piece of coal gets a light shined on it and it's just a piece of coal. A diamond reflects and refracts light so you get that awesome rainbow effect that shows you all the different colors of the light spectrum.
We are like pieces of coal separated from the rest of the coal and set aside for the Master's use. When we pray, "Oh God, give me strength, give me patience," we think God's just gonna magically download patience and strength into us. It don't work like that, friend. See, we pray and ask Him for all of these awesome things, and then freak out wondering what we did wrong 'cause suddenly everything's blowing up in our face, our patience is wearing thin, there's all of this pressure coming against us and we are not strong enough to handle everything that's coming against us. But really, we're getting exactly what we asked for. It's a trial by fire. We're getting pressure from all around because God's trying to restructure us into what He wants us to be. We're going through the fire because it'll burn away all of the mess and stuff in us that isn't right. The bible talks about God being an "all-consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29) and that literally means He consumes every single last thing. Are you gonna let God consume every part of your life? He isn't doing this to destroy you, He's doing it to strengthen you and build up your patience. It's a muscle you gotta build. It's a process you gotta go through. So instead of freaking out like, "Why's everyone against me?" "Why is this happening to me?" "Why *insert whatever*?" ask, "What is God trying to work out in me and what can I learn from this?" And then do it. Allow the Spirit of God to flow through you in those situations. James 1:4 says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Go through that intense heat and pressurizing process that restructures you and makes you into something new and something beautiful that can reflect the light of Jesus to everyone around you.
So that's basically it. If you got any suggestions, I welcome criticism. 😁 Aaaand keep in mind, this has to be about 5 minutes or so. Yes, I can talk really fast but I can't just give people an info dump and expect them to retain everything. 😅
Speaking of which, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a SUPER long time. Life's been crazy. I finished my coursework for my BA, I've been trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a line so that I can graduate in December, and then I've been freaking out about that and trying to get accepted into graduate school so I can go in January. So, basically, I'm preaching to myself as much as I'm preaching to my youth group tomorrow night, haha. Humans are great, it's the time crunches that're killing me. It's all in God's hands, though.
To all of you college and high school etc. folk, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You will get your BA done, college people! I believe in you. High schoolers, you will get your high school diploma! All y'all gonna change the world. See? I believe in you so much that this Minnesotan even said 'All y'all' for extra emphasis. You can do it. You're awesome. I love you. You guys inspire me. 😊
God bless you guys!
--Sonya :) <3
Friday, August 4, 2017
Update on Life :)
So, I learned something preetttyyy crazy this week. You ready for it?
Sleep is a precious commodity when you've forgotten that you had an assignment due last week and that you have an assignment due the next day that there's no way in Heaven you'll be able to get it done because you set yourself the task of reading Return of the King, among other books, in only two weeks. Because let's change the world one story at a time, right?
Pro tip #1: Get some sleep after a crazy thing like North American Youth Congress. And I mean sleep, guys.
Pro tip #2: Try not to get sick while you're at it. 😅
But anywho. I got the assignment done, turned it in late but it's done, now on to the next. I gotta make sure I don't overdo it, but I also need to make sure I stay on top of my assignments.
So let's talk about NAYC'17. It. Was. Phenomenal. 34,000+ Apostolic young people gathered together at Lucas Oil Stadium. The air was like electricity, the expectation was so high. The Holy Ghost was so thick in that stadium, the Colts might get the Holy Ghost next time they walk in there, you know?😜 Callings and prophecies were given and reconfirmed. People walked in one way and walked out another.
How do I know this? 'Cause I was one of them. I was changed. Promises God gave me, He reminded me of them again, vividly planting images into my mind of lost family members being saved, of being used by Him and doing things for His Kingdom and seeing souls saved. That first night, God didn't so much remind me of how great He is as He did reveal to me how great He is. Granted, if He'd showed me the whole nine yards I wouldn't be here to tell the tale, that's way too much for any human being to handle. But He gave me a better picture of how great He is. His greatness makes up for my weakness. He is great enough to make the things happen that are too big for me to do on my own. I'm human, I'll mess up, I'll forget, I'll lose sight of what's important, I'll stumble and I'll fall flat on my face, but He's greater than all of that, and He'll make it all work out just the way He planned.
I could go on for hours about the things God did at NAYC'17. There was testimony after testimony of people who were just working the stadium getting the Holy Ghost, getting healed, miracles happening in people's lives, all those kinds of things. People heard the call of God and ran after it. They didn't allow fear to be a factor, to motivate their actions, they let faith in God motivate them. We decided to answer the question "Is this that?" with "This IS That!" and we're drawing some lines, and we're keeping the fire burning and gonna see breakthroughs in our churches, towns, cities, nations, continents ('cause guys, we had people from other continents besides North America there, we're finna go global here!), and bruh, it's already lit. If God can do this much, how much more can He do? We ain't seen the end of it yet. In these last days, in this last hour, God's gonna completely blow our minds, we just gotta be willing to step out in faith and follow Him so that we can be a part of it.
God bless you guys. Keep that fire burning. And don't forget... THIS IS THAT!
Sleep is a precious commodity when you've forgotten that you had an assignment due last week and that you have an assignment due the next day that there's no way in Heaven you'll be able to get it done because you set yourself the task of reading Return of the King, among other books, in only two weeks. Because let's change the world one story at a time, right?
Pro tip #1: Get some sleep after a crazy thing like North American Youth Congress. And I mean sleep, guys.
Pro tip #2: Try not to get sick while you're at it. 😅
But anywho. I got the assignment done, turned it in late but it's done, now on to the next. I gotta make sure I don't overdo it, but I also need to make sure I stay on top of my assignments.
So let's talk about NAYC'17. It. Was. Phenomenal. 34,000+ Apostolic young people gathered together at Lucas Oil Stadium. The air was like electricity, the expectation was so high. The Holy Ghost was so thick in that stadium, the Colts might get the Holy Ghost next time they walk in there, you know?😜 Callings and prophecies were given and reconfirmed. People walked in one way and walked out another.
How do I know this? 'Cause I was one of them. I was changed. Promises God gave me, He reminded me of them again, vividly planting images into my mind of lost family members being saved, of being used by Him and doing things for His Kingdom and seeing souls saved. That first night, God didn't so much remind me of how great He is as He did reveal to me how great He is. Granted, if He'd showed me the whole nine yards I wouldn't be here to tell the tale, that's way too much for any human being to handle. But He gave me a better picture of how great He is. His greatness makes up for my weakness. He is great enough to make the things happen that are too big for me to do on my own. I'm human, I'll mess up, I'll forget, I'll lose sight of what's important, I'll stumble and I'll fall flat on my face, but He's greater than all of that, and He'll make it all work out just the way He planned.
I could go on for hours about the things God did at NAYC'17. There was testimony after testimony of people who were just working the stadium getting the Holy Ghost, getting healed, miracles happening in people's lives, all those kinds of things. People heard the call of God and ran after it. They didn't allow fear to be a factor, to motivate their actions, they let faith in God motivate them. We decided to answer the question "Is this that?" with "This IS That!" and we're drawing some lines, and we're keeping the fire burning and gonna see breakthroughs in our churches, towns, cities, nations, continents ('cause guys, we had people from other continents besides North America there, we're finna go global here!), and bruh, it's already lit. If God can do this much, how much more can He do? We ain't seen the end of it yet. In these last days, in this last hour, God's gonna completely blow our minds, we just gotta be willing to step out in faith and follow Him so that we can be a part of it.
God bless you guys. Keep that fire burning. And don't forget... THIS IS THAT!
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Stay to the Side or Stand Up and Fight?
Which would you rather: Fight in a war, or watch both sides tear each other to shreds?
Let's set some parameters to this scenario: Neutrality means you live, but everyone in that war dies and neither side wins. Choosing to fight for one side means that you die, but your side wins, and everyone lives.
Let's say you choose neutrality. It's one of our basic human instincts to avoid pain and try to live. We're even called 'mentally ill' if we wish to die. You live your life, walking this line between the two sides of the war. You watch as people die around you. Men, women, children. Friends, family, acquaintances, complete strangers. The evil ones and the good ones. The atrocities that are committed, some that you could easily have averted, but that would've violated your oath of neutrality. Doing something means you've chosen a side, cast away neutrality and dared to believe you could make a difference. Doing something means you have to die.
Now, let's say you choose to fight. You know what's right. You know what you're supposed to do, what you've been called to do, or maybe you don't but there's something inside of you that says enough, enough of the senseless slaughter and the despair around you. Enough innocent blood being spilled, it's time to do something, to take up arms and fight.
And fight you do. You fight with everything you have inside of you. With every step forward, you can feel a part of you dying, being replaced by something new, by something supernatural, until one day you have to make a decision: die and win, or live and lose. Take back your neutrality, and you can live. You won't be bothered anymore. You won't have to fight anymore, because you're neutral. Because you don't care.
And you choose to die.
Neutrality is a beautiful lie. You cannot live neutrally without killing your heart and your mind, your very ability to feel and move forward. If you do not stand for something, then there's really no point in living, is there?
You have to choose a side at some point. You have to make your own decision about what you believe.Your friends can't make that decision for you. Your parents can't make that decision for you. Your pastor, youth pastor, church leaders, etc. can't make that decision for you. Nobody else can make that decision for you. You have to make it.
So, friend. Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Who will you serve?
Let's set some parameters to this scenario: Neutrality means you live, but everyone in that war dies and neither side wins. Choosing to fight for one side means that you die, but your side wins, and everyone lives.
Let's say you choose neutrality. It's one of our basic human instincts to avoid pain and try to live. We're even called 'mentally ill' if we wish to die. You live your life, walking this line between the two sides of the war. You watch as people die around you. Men, women, children. Friends, family, acquaintances, complete strangers. The evil ones and the good ones. The atrocities that are committed, some that you could easily have averted, but that would've violated your oath of neutrality. Doing something means you've chosen a side, cast away neutrality and dared to believe you could make a difference. Doing something means you have to die.
Now, let's say you choose to fight. You know what's right. You know what you're supposed to do, what you've been called to do, or maybe you don't but there's something inside of you that says enough, enough of the senseless slaughter and the despair around you. Enough innocent blood being spilled, it's time to do something, to take up arms and fight.
And fight you do. You fight with everything you have inside of you. With every step forward, you can feel a part of you dying, being replaced by something new, by something supernatural, until one day you have to make a decision: die and win, or live and lose. Take back your neutrality, and you can live. You won't be bothered anymore. You won't have to fight anymore, because you're neutral. Because you don't care.
And you choose to die.
Neutrality is a beautiful lie. You cannot live neutrally without killing your heart and your mind, your very ability to feel and move forward. If you do not stand for something, then there's really no point in living, is there?
You have to choose a side at some point. You have to make your own decision about what you believe.Your friends can't make that decision for you. Your parents can't make that decision for you. Your pastor, youth pastor, church leaders, etc. can't make that decision for you. Nobody else can make that decision for you. You have to make it.
So, friend. Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Who will you serve?
Monday, May 1, 2017
I Have a Dream
Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational man. Social Justice warrior, Christian, a man with uncompromising beliefs, this guy had a dream, and he pursued it with everything he had and inspired (and I dare say he still inspires) millions. That line from his speech, "I have a dream," is probably the one most remembered, quoted line that we know.
So let me use that line for a few minutes.
I have a dream. I have a dream that one day, I will see revival in a foreign country. I have a dream to preach, teach, live out and show the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who've never heard it before. It's not gonna be me that changes people, it's gonna be the power of God that changes 'em. I just wanna be there to see it and let Him use me as a conduit of His power.
I have a dream that my unsaved family members will come to not only know Jesus, but be changed by His transformational power, go through the salvation process of Acts 2:38, and run with what He gives them. He gave me a promise, and I'm gonna hold onto that and stand on that promise 'til the day I see it fulfilled.
I have a dream that the people who have fought so hard against God will have a divine encounter with Him just like Saul of Tarsus did, and, just like he did, become the greatest apostles we've ever seen.
I have a dream that the friends and family who've left the Truth will come back and go forward stronger than before. Just because you left church doesn't mean God left you. Just because you messed up doesn't mean God's given up on you. He still loves you, He still has a plan and a purpose and a destiny for you, and He's calling you back to Him, listen to that voice, run towards the voice of God.
I have a dream that my youth group will grow in maturity, spiritually, and in number. As long as we got those three happenin', it doesn't matter to me in which order they go, but there's gotta be a spiritual maturity if we want to grow in number. A buncha young people in a building is just a social club. We have not been called to be a social club, we've been called to change the world. We gotta be a buncha Holy Spirit transformed young people, generating an atmosphere of the power and Spirit of God everywhere we go, whether it's at school, at work, at home, and yes, at church and bible studies and youth group too.
I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, Dr. King. He was a legend. I'm just me.
But legends are what happen when someone takes a dream, picks up a worthy cause, and do whatever it takes to make it happen.
He died for his dream. Are we willing to die for ours? Or, maybe even more important, are we willing to live to make them happen?
So let me use that line for a few minutes.
I have a dream. I have a dream that one day, I will see revival in a foreign country. I have a dream to preach, teach, live out and show the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who've never heard it before. It's not gonna be me that changes people, it's gonna be the power of God that changes 'em. I just wanna be there to see it and let Him use me as a conduit of His power.
I have a dream that my unsaved family members will come to not only know Jesus, but be changed by His transformational power, go through the salvation process of Acts 2:38, and run with what He gives them. He gave me a promise, and I'm gonna hold onto that and stand on that promise 'til the day I see it fulfilled.
I have a dream that the people who have fought so hard against God will have a divine encounter with Him just like Saul of Tarsus did, and, just like he did, become the greatest apostles we've ever seen.
I have a dream that the friends and family who've left the Truth will come back and go forward stronger than before. Just because you left church doesn't mean God left you. Just because you messed up doesn't mean God's given up on you. He still loves you, He still has a plan and a purpose and a destiny for you, and He's calling you back to Him, listen to that voice, run towards the voice of God.
I have a dream that my youth group will grow in maturity, spiritually, and in number. As long as we got those three happenin', it doesn't matter to me in which order they go, but there's gotta be a spiritual maturity if we want to grow in number. A buncha young people in a building is just a social club. We have not been called to be a social club, we've been called to change the world. We gotta be a buncha Holy Spirit transformed young people, generating an atmosphere of the power and Spirit of God everywhere we go, whether it's at school, at work, at home, and yes, at church and bible studies and youth group too.
I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, Dr. King. He was a legend. I'm just me.
But legends are what happen when someone takes a dream, picks up a worthy cause, and do whatever it takes to make it happen.
He died for his dream. Are we willing to die for ours? Or, maybe even more important, are we willing to live to make them happen?
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Update on College and Life in General :)
So, here's an update on life.
I have a job. I love this job. It's a fun job. I get to create and design and send emails, help out with Facebook ad campaigns and manage accounts, and learn more about the world of marketing.
Seriously. It's stinking fascinating, guys.
I also passed a test, which leaves me 5 courses (2 DSSTs and 3 TESU courses) closer to finishing my BA. Guys. Guuyyssss. I'm gonna be a college graduate before Christmas guys. 😁😁😁
Weeellll, I say before Christmas, what I really mean is, I'll be done with my classes by roughly September-October, and I'll apply for December graduation. So I'll get a diploma for Christmas. So I won't officially be a college graduate when my last class is over, but I will be a college graduate when my last class is over. Clear as mud, right? Teehee.
Oh yeah, and my youth group went to IYC'17 like, two weeks ago, and my wooooorrrdddd. The music was incredible, anointed, powerful, and all that and a bag of chips haha. The preaching, also incredible, anointed, powerful, it changed my life. One second, the preacher had me laughing my lungs out, the next bawling my eyes out. Our youth group grew closer together, definitely. We literally had the best time hanging out, and we didn't hate each other by the end of it. It was straight up weird not seeing everybody at breakfast and hanging out at dinner and stuff that next week.
Oh, and two of my best friends COMPLETELY surprised me by coming up from Urshan to see me and give me birthday gifts, and I even got to hang out with one of 'em at the Afterburner. The shock and love is still real haha, I'm still extra happy that they came and surprised me, and it's been two weeks. x) Bottom line: IYC'17 was lit, guys.
So anyways, I started studying for this next test, the 'Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union'. Guys. Russia is crazy. Their history is fascinating. If you get the chance to study Russia, do it, and do it with an open mind. I don't keep up too much with current events, but I know that people are having issues with Russia, and I feel like if we understood it, its history and culture and everything, then we wouldn't have half the messes in history that we have haha. But for real. Study it. If for no other reason than because they got cool names like Vladimir and Vasilii and Ivan and there's also the Teutonic Knights and the Swordbearers and the Mongols and stuff. I mean, who doesn't like Vladimir and the Teutonic Knights? It just sounds cool.
Ahem. Moving on.
So I still don't have any idea what I'm gonna name my blog since I am neither a teenager nor homeschooled. Well, I guess you could say I'm still homeschooled, but you get the idea. I'm graduating college soon. I'm not a teenager anymore. And 'A Day in the Life of a Twenty-Year-Old Almost-Graduating College Student' is a bit too much of a mouthful. Plus, I'd have to change the name again when I graduate, and then again when I turn 21. xP
Ayoo. Well whatevs. So, you guys, summer's approaching, which means most of y'all traditional school-goers will be outta school on summer break for a few months, yay!!! And the rest of us non-traditionals are... still in school. What's a summer break? What's a break? x)
This could mean you're facing a bunch of finals and projects and assignments to turn in that you're either totally caught up on or you've procrastinated too much on and now you're feeling the panic set in. Don't worry: You're going to make it. You've made it before, you'll make it again, you can do this. I believe in you.
God bless you guys. Love ya. :)
--Sonya :) <3
I have a job. I love this job. It's a fun job. I get to create and design and send emails, help out with Facebook ad campaigns and manage accounts, and learn more about the world of marketing.
Seriously. It's stinking fascinating, guys.
I also passed a test, which leaves me 5 courses (2 DSSTs and 3 TESU courses) closer to finishing my BA. Guys. Guuyyssss. I'm gonna be a college graduate before Christmas guys. 😁😁😁
Weeellll, I say before Christmas, what I really mean is, I'll be done with my classes by roughly September-October, and I'll apply for December graduation. So I'll get a diploma for Christmas. So I won't officially be a college graduate when my last class is over, but I will be a college graduate when my last class is over. Clear as mud, right? Teehee.
Oh yeah, and my youth group went to IYC'17 like, two weeks ago, and my wooooorrrdddd. The music was incredible, anointed, powerful, and all that and a bag of chips haha. The preaching, also incredible, anointed, powerful, it changed my life. One second, the preacher had me laughing my lungs out, the next bawling my eyes out. Our youth group grew closer together, definitely. We literally had the best time hanging out, and we didn't hate each other by the end of it. It was straight up weird not seeing everybody at breakfast and hanging out at dinner and stuff that next week.
Oh, and two of my best friends COMPLETELY surprised me by coming up from Urshan to see me and give me birthday gifts, and I even got to hang out with one of 'em at the Afterburner. The shock and love is still real haha, I'm still extra happy that they came and surprised me, and it's been two weeks. x) Bottom line: IYC'17 was lit, guys.
So anyways, I started studying for this next test, the 'Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union'. Guys. Russia is crazy. Their history is fascinating. If you get the chance to study Russia, do it, and do it with an open mind. I don't keep up too much with current events, but I know that people are having issues with Russia, and I feel like if we understood it, its history and culture and everything, then we wouldn't have half the messes in history that we have haha. But for real. Study it. If for no other reason than because they got cool names like Vladimir and Vasilii and Ivan and there's also the Teutonic Knights and the Swordbearers and the Mongols and stuff. I mean, who doesn't like Vladimir and the Teutonic Knights? It just sounds cool.
Ahem. Moving on.
So I still don't have any idea what I'm gonna name my blog since I am neither a teenager nor homeschooled. Well, I guess you could say I'm still homeschooled, but you get the idea. I'm graduating college soon. I'm not a teenager anymore. And 'A Day in the Life of a Twenty-Year-Old Almost-Graduating College Student' is a bit too much of a mouthful. Plus, I'd have to change the name again when I graduate, and then again when I turn 21. xP
Ayoo. Well whatevs. So, you guys, summer's approaching, which means most of y'all traditional school-goers will be outta school on summer break for a few months, yay!!! And the rest of us non-traditionals are... still in school. What's a summer break? What's a break? x)
This could mean you're facing a bunch of finals and projects and assignments to turn in that you're either totally caught up on or you've procrastinated too much on and now you're feeling the panic set in. Don't worry: You're going to make it. You've made it before, you'll make it again, you can do this. I believe in you.
God bless you guys. Love ya. :)
--Sonya :) <3
Monday, April 10, 2017
Teen-hood Gone, On to the Twenties!!!
It's my birthday. I am no longer a teenager. GUYS. I AM NO LONGER A TEENAGER!!!!
To be honest, it doesn't feel different until I think about it. I've lived on this earth for two decades. I've seen sunrises and sunsets, good days and bad days, rainy days and sunny days and snowy days and chilly days and extra-too hot days.
I made it. Not like, made it. But I made it to my twentieth year of life. That's more than some can say. I am blessed. I got a roof over my head, a crazy family who loves and supports me, crazier friends who make life worth living, the ability to listen to music and read and write and laugh and cry and learn and move and grow. I have coffee for goodness's sake, and hot running water, and a nice phone with a great plan (thanks, mom, thanks dad :D), and a computer, and glasses, and a guitar. I could go on all day and all night.
Something struck me while I was on my way home from work today. Through the ups and the downs, God's been there for me through it all. When I was good, and when I was a complete and total mess of hormones and rebellion and pain, He was there. When I wanted to just lie down and die (both figuratively and literally), He was there, keeping me alive, keeping the blood pumping through my veins and the oxygen coming in and carbon dioxide going out. When I wanted to hit someone over the head with a folding chair or throw someone out the window, He held me back (and in some cases, sent an angel to keep me from doing something irrational like that, thanks, sis).
When I missed my friends and felt completely lost and alone, He was there. When I was broken, He was there. God had, has a plan for me. I can't go a day without Him. He's my rock and my salvation, the One who knows the beginning to the end, the One who robed Himself in flesh and came down and died for me. He's a faithful God. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for me.
And if this God has a plan for me, then trust me, He has a plan for you too. You may not be 20 yet, or maybe you're over 20, but He definitely still has a plan for your life. How do I know this? Well, if He didn't then you wouldn't be reading this, now would you? :D
Trust Him in and through the process. Pain means you're growing and that you're still alive. Pain is a lesson. You just need to learn it. When you're in the fire, He's in it with you. When the storm's raging around you, He's right there with you. Maybe He's calling you to get out of the boat and walk on the water. Maybe He's in the boat with you and you need to have more faith and stop freaking out. He said you'd make it to the other side, and if God says it, it's gonna happen. He's faithful.
Life's such a crazy thing, a precious gift. It's made up of decisions that we make. My life's not over yet, and neither is yours. We both have a chance to make our lives mean something, and God can make it mean more than we ever thought possible. So go do something with your life. Don't give up. Keep pressing forward towards the destiny that God has for you.
God bless you guys. Love ya. <3 :)
--Sonya :) <3
P.S. Guys I need a new name for this blog 'cause I'm no longer a teenager. If no one gives me suggestions, I will be forced to come up with one myself. Muahaha. But seriously though if you have suggestions, comment, I am accepting suggestions and if I like more than one I may just do a crazy mash-up so I don't know. x)
To be honest, it doesn't feel different until I think about it. I've lived on this earth for two decades. I've seen sunrises and sunsets, good days and bad days, rainy days and sunny days and snowy days and chilly days and extra-too hot days.
I made it. Not like, made it. But I made it to my twentieth year of life. That's more than some can say. I am blessed. I got a roof over my head, a crazy family who loves and supports me, crazier friends who make life worth living, the ability to listen to music and read and write and laugh and cry and learn and move and grow. I have coffee for goodness's sake, and hot running water, and a nice phone with a great plan (thanks, mom, thanks dad :D), and a computer, and glasses, and a guitar. I could go on all day and all night.
Something struck me while I was on my way home from work today. Through the ups and the downs, God's been there for me through it all. When I was good, and when I was a complete and total mess of hormones and rebellion and pain, He was there. When I wanted to just lie down and die (both figuratively and literally), He was there, keeping me alive, keeping the blood pumping through my veins and the oxygen coming in and carbon dioxide going out. When I wanted to hit someone over the head with a folding chair or throw someone out the window, He held me back (and in some cases, sent an angel to keep me from doing something irrational like that, thanks, sis).
When I missed my friends and felt completely lost and alone, He was there. When I was broken, He was there. God had, has a plan for me. I can't go a day without Him. He's my rock and my salvation, the One who knows the beginning to the end, the One who robed Himself in flesh and came down and died for me. He's a faithful God. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for me.
And if this God has a plan for me, then trust me, He has a plan for you too. You may not be 20 yet, or maybe you're over 20, but He definitely still has a plan for your life. How do I know this? Well, if He didn't then you wouldn't be reading this, now would you? :D
Trust Him in and through the process. Pain means you're growing and that you're still alive. Pain is a lesson. You just need to learn it. When you're in the fire, He's in it with you. When the storm's raging around you, He's right there with you. Maybe He's calling you to get out of the boat and walk on the water. Maybe He's in the boat with you and you need to have more faith and stop freaking out. He said you'd make it to the other side, and if God says it, it's gonna happen. He's faithful.
Life's such a crazy thing, a precious gift. It's made up of decisions that we make. My life's not over yet, and neither is yours. We both have a chance to make our lives mean something, and God can make it mean more than we ever thought possible. So go do something with your life. Don't give up. Keep pressing forward towards the destiny that God has for you.
God bless you guys. Love ya. <3 :)
--Sonya :) <3
P.S. Guys I need a new name for this blog 'cause I'm no longer a teenager. If no one gives me suggestions, I will be forced to come up with one myself. Muahaha. But seriously though if you have suggestions, comment, I am accepting suggestions and if I like more than one I may just do a crazy mash-up so I don't know. x)
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Update on College
So. I'm coming to the home stretch.
Got three more DSSTs to finish, two more transcripts to send off, an application to fill out, a few weeks to wait (hopefully it's only a few weeks, pray, saints!), some financial aid stuff to figure out, and then three more courses and I'll be done with my BA.
Yup. That's right. After about four years of doing online college, I'm finally gonna be done with my degree.
*Deep breath* YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Ahem. Anywho.
It's been a long, kinda crazy journey. I've passed tests, gone through some struggles, been stressed out the wazoo, laughed, cried, learned, grown, fallen down, gotten back up, screamed, changed my major, prayed, face-walled (like a face-palm, but with the wall instead of a palm), sighed in relief when some courses were over, triumphed, got punched in the gut and kicked in the butt by some of the assignments, and we're not outta the woods yet, but we're getting there. 😌
You'll probably hear more rants and triumphs and happy events and crazy events in the upcoming weeks (or months, haha, sorry about that), and I hope you enjoy reading these sort of random windows into my mind and life.
It's still kinda surreal. It hits me at random times that this is happening. I'm finally accomplishing this thing that I've been working at for years. It's like I'm coming up to the final few chapters of a book, and after it's finally over and I've finally finished it, I'll start another one. Jobs, writing more books, graduate school, going overseas as a missionary, working with broken and hurting people, shining the light of Jesus into a dark world. Who knows? The possibilities are endless, 'cause God's in control. It's gonna be amazing, I know that much.
Oh, and hey. To the kid, adult, human being that has a plan, keep pursuing it, but don't get discouraged if things don't work out exactly like you planned. Sometimes, God wants us to go in a different direction than what we originally wanted, and He'll shake up our plans because our plans aren't His plans. He wants to use you for a purpose that will blow your mind, and in order to do that you gotta trust Him and follow His lead.
And to the human who had a plan but it all got messed up, or you don't even have a plan, just keep trusting God. Keep following Him. Who cares if it's not quite what you had in mind? My dad was gonna go into med school, become a doctor, ended up feeling a call to the violin. Now, he's a violin teacher, helping kids learn discipline and responsibility and watching them change their worlds. And let's talk about Joseph, in the Bible. Man, that dude went through the most insane stuff. He didn't really have a plan, but he had a promise from God, and after all these crazy things happened to him, being sold into slavery, being falsely accused and thrown into prison, being forgotten there, all that junk, he ended up being second-in-command of Egypt, and God fulfilled that promise He'd given him.
I'm not exactly sure what God's got in store for me in the future, but I know that even in the darkest places, as long as I'm in God's will, it will work out and be better than I ever could've dreamed. God's gonna take you places you never thought you could go, and you'll reach people you never thought you could reach. You just trust and follow Him. Trust me, it's gonna be epic. 😏
God bless you guys!!! Love ya!!!
--Sonya 😁💕💞💓🐧🐤🐼🐶🐵🐠🍲🍥🍜🍛☕
P.S. please forgive me buuutttt I JUST FOUND OUT I COULD INSERT EMOJIS INTO MY BLOG POSTS AND I'M KINDA HAPPY ABOUT THIS. GOD BLESS YOU AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. 🌙🌠🌝🌃🌄🌆🌇🌉🌌
Got three more DSSTs to finish, two more transcripts to send off, an application to fill out, a few weeks to wait (hopefully it's only a few weeks, pray, saints!), some financial aid stuff to figure out, and then three more courses and I'll be done with my BA.
Yup. That's right. After about four years of doing online college, I'm finally gonna be done with my degree.
*Deep breath* YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Ahem. Anywho.
It's been a long, kinda crazy journey. I've passed tests, gone through some struggles, been stressed out the wazoo, laughed, cried, learned, grown, fallen down, gotten back up, screamed, changed my major, prayed, face-walled (like a face-palm, but with the wall instead of a palm), sighed in relief when some courses were over, triumphed, got punched in the gut and kicked in the butt by some of the assignments, and we're not outta the woods yet, but we're getting there. 😌
You'll probably hear more rants and triumphs and happy events and crazy events in the upcoming weeks (or months, haha, sorry about that), and I hope you enjoy reading these sort of random windows into my mind and life.
It's still kinda surreal. It hits me at random times that this is happening. I'm finally accomplishing this thing that I've been working at for years. It's like I'm coming up to the final few chapters of a book, and after it's finally over and I've finally finished it, I'll start another one. Jobs, writing more books, graduate school, going overseas as a missionary, working with broken and hurting people, shining the light of Jesus into a dark world. Who knows? The possibilities are endless, 'cause God's in control. It's gonna be amazing, I know that much.
Oh, and hey. To the kid, adult, human being that has a plan, keep pursuing it, but don't get discouraged if things don't work out exactly like you planned. Sometimes, God wants us to go in a different direction than what we originally wanted, and He'll shake up our plans because our plans aren't His plans. He wants to use you for a purpose that will blow your mind, and in order to do that you gotta trust Him and follow His lead.
And to the human who had a plan but it all got messed up, or you don't even have a plan, just keep trusting God. Keep following Him. Who cares if it's not quite what you had in mind? My dad was gonna go into med school, become a doctor, ended up feeling a call to the violin. Now, he's a violin teacher, helping kids learn discipline and responsibility and watching them change their worlds. And let's talk about Joseph, in the Bible. Man, that dude went through the most insane stuff. He didn't really have a plan, but he had a promise from God, and after all these crazy things happened to him, being sold into slavery, being falsely accused and thrown into prison, being forgotten there, all that junk, he ended up being second-in-command of Egypt, and God fulfilled that promise He'd given him.
I'm not exactly sure what God's got in store for me in the future, but I know that even in the darkest places, as long as I'm in God's will, it will work out and be better than I ever could've dreamed. God's gonna take you places you never thought you could go, and you'll reach people you never thought you could reach. You just trust and follow Him. Trust me, it's gonna be epic. 😏
God bless you guys!!! Love ya!!!
--Sonya 😁💕💞💓🐧🐤🐼🐶🐵🐠🍲🍥🍜🍛☕
P.S. please forgive me buuutttt I JUST FOUND OUT I COULD INSERT EMOJIS INTO MY BLOG POSTS AND I'M KINDA HAPPY ABOUT THIS. GOD BLESS YOU AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. 🌙🌠🌝🌃🌄🌆🌇🌉🌌
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Not Trash, Treasure
Someone once told me, half-jokingly, "Boys are trash. Boys in church are just saved trash."
And I know he meant well. He meant to be careful and not just give yourself away to the first joker who catches your eye, because not everyone has your best interests at heart. Not every guy will love and cherish you and protect you. Some guys really are scum-filled.
But people are not trash. People are broken, but they are not trash. People are twisted and filled with trash, but they themselves are not trash.
We have an epidemic of human beings who walk around believing that they are worthless, stupid, replaceable, alone, dirt-filled, irredeemable messes. They're looking for something to fill this void inside of them, but what they fill that emptiness with only seems to make them feel worse. It makes the feeling go away for a while, sure, but after the high's gone, the book's been read, the TV show's completed, the work's done, the relationship's over, you're just left with... what? Maybe some memories. Probably some regrets. And they just keep going, looking for something deeper, looking for something that'll last, something eternal.
But they're not worth that, they think, so they settle. They settle for that abusive relationship. They settle for a job they absolutely hate and don't bother to keep looking and trying. They settle for less than. They settle for a temporary solution. Or worse, they choose a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
People are not trash. People are precious. Every single human being, no matter what they've done, who their family is, what color their skin is, what they believe, they are precious. What's the point of gaining the entire world if you lose your soul? Your soul is way more valuable than this entire world. Why would the God who created everything come down, put on this tiny, vulnerable body of flesh, and subject Himself to even death, if He didn't think you were worth it?
Jesus does not lie. He loves you. He says you are worth it. He says you are precious to Him. He says, "I love the broken pieces that make up you." He says, "I'll fix you, but you gotta be willing to hand over your brokenness." And you know the crazy thing? He does it. He fixes it. He makes it new. The things that you never had, the people who were supposed to love you and instead threw you away because they thought you were trash, none of it matters anymore because the God who created everything says, "I love you and I want you."
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
People have called you trash. They've called you worthless. They've beaten and broken you. They've hurt you and made you into something that no human should ever be. The pain of your life and the mess you've had to deal with is insane.
But there is hope, and His name is Jesus. He'll restore the things you've lost. He'll heal the wounds that've been inflicted on your body and your mind. He'll make right what's wrong. He'll give you the strength that you need to overcome your past and your present, and He'll change your future for the better. He's able to give you abundantly, exceedingly, above all that you could ever ask or think.
All you gotta do is let Him.
There's gonna be some pain involved. When a bone breaks and heals wrong, you gotta break it again so that it'll heal right. It hurts to open up and be vulnerable, but trust me, God's not gonna make you hurt just to hurt, He does it to get it out and make it better. You're gonna have to cut off some things, cut out some things, and live in a way that your old self is gonna hate, but when you become a child of God, old things are passed away, all things become new, and if anybody is dead in Christ, it makes them a new creature. You're gonna be new, you gotta act like you're new. Your old life was filled with hate, your new life is gonna be filled with love. You gotta choose it every day, to walk in that newness of life, but dude, you and I both know that your hardest day with God is better than your best day without Him.
Sometimes, you gotta clean and scrape the grit off of something in order to make it shine. You're worth more than gold. He'll take what was once called trash and show the world what a treasure it really is. You're special, you're chosen, you're called, you've got one crazy destiny, kid. :) You're not trash, you're a treasure.
Love you guys. Have a great week. :)
--Sonya :) <3
And I know he meant well. He meant to be careful and not just give yourself away to the first joker who catches your eye, because not everyone has your best interests at heart. Not every guy will love and cherish you and protect you. Some guys really are scum-filled.
But people are not trash. People are broken, but they are not trash. People are twisted and filled with trash, but they themselves are not trash.
We have an epidemic of human beings who walk around believing that they are worthless, stupid, replaceable, alone, dirt-filled, irredeemable messes. They're looking for something to fill this void inside of them, but what they fill that emptiness with only seems to make them feel worse. It makes the feeling go away for a while, sure, but after the high's gone, the book's been read, the TV show's completed, the work's done, the relationship's over, you're just left with... what? Maybe some memories. Probably some regrets. And they just keep going, looking for something deeper, looking for something that'll last, something eternal.
But they're not worth that, they think, so they settle. They settle for that abusive relationship. They settle for a job they absolutely hate and don't bother to keep looking and trying. They settle for less than. They settle for a temporary solution. Or worse, they choose a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
People are not trash. People are precious. Every single human being, no matter what they've done, who their family is, what color their skin is, what they believe, they are precious. What's the point of gaining the entire world if you lose your soul? Your soul is way more valuable than this entire world. Why would the God who created everything come down, put on this tiny, vulnerable body of flesh, and subject Himself to even death, if He didn't think you were worth it?
Jesus does not lie. He loves you. He says you are worth it. He says you are precious to Him. He says, "I love the broken pieces that make up you." He says, "I'll fix you, but you gotta be willing to hand over your brokenness." And you know the crazy thing? He does it. He fixes it. He makes it new. The things that you never had, the people who were supposed to love you and instead threw you away because they thought you were trash, none of it matters anymore because the God who created everything says, "I love you and I want you."
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
People have called you trash. They've called you worthless. They've beaten and broken you. They've hurt you and made you into something that no human should ever be. The pain of your life and the mess you've had to deal with is insane.
But there is hope, and His name is Jesus. He'll restore the things you've lost. He'll heal the wounds that've been inflicted on your body and your mind. He'll make right what's wrong. He'll give you the strength that you need to overcome your past and your present, and He'll change your future for the better. He's able to give you abundantly, exceedingly, above all that you could ever ask or think.
All you gotta do is let Him.
There's gonna be some pain involved. When a bone breaks and heals wrong, you gotta break it again so that it'll heal right. It hurts to open up and be vulnerable, but trust me, God's not gonna make you hurt just to hurt, He does it to get it out and make it better. You're gonna have to cut off some things, cut out some things, and live in a way that your old self is gonna hate, but when you become a child of God, old things are passed away, all things become new, and if anybody is dead in Christ, it makes them a new creature. You're gonna be new, you gotta act like you're new. Your old life was filled with hate, your new life is gonna be filled with love. You gotta choose it every day, to walk in that newness of life, but dude, you and I both know that your hardest day with God is better than your best day without Him.
Sometimes, you gotta clean and scrape the grit off of something in order to make it shine. You're worth more than gold. He'll take what was once called trash and show the world what a treasure it really is. You're special, you're chosen, you're called, you've got one crazy destiny, kid. :) You're not trash, you're a treasure.
Love you guys. Have a great week. :)
--Sonya :) <3
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Words
I'm always amazed by how elaborately we can describe something with our words. Whether it's the spoken word coupled with body language, or the written word, it's fascinating.
I mean, think about it just for a moment. I saw a Tumblr post that described it like this: Your favorite book is just a combination of 26 or so symbols marked on thin slices of trees, and you hallucinate vividly for hours on end. Not a direct quote, but you get the gist. If you don't read the good 'ole paperback, then it's probably an extremely complicated combination of 1's and 0's. If it's not books, it's movies, or people, or music.
You can express a whole ton with just your words. You can literally create an entirely new world, complete with races, an ecosystem, a creation myth, its own physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, ways of life, all with just your words. You can reach down into the depths of someone's heart and pull them out of their shell, just with the right words. You can literally speak light into someone's darkness, and vice versa, just with your words. You can breathe life or death with your words.
So, now that you know you have this super power, what are you gonna do with it? You could save a life. You could destroy a life. You could create something new and terrible, excruciatingly, painfully beautiful, devastatingly amazing. I caution you, once you open your mouth and start to speak, take your pencil and begin to write, open up your laptop and begin to type, unlock your phone and start to tap at the keys, your words will change the world around you. Once you start using your words, you may also have to follow through with some action, as well.
Can you handle that? One day you may be called on to account for the words you've used, the things you've spoken into existence.
So what are you waiting for? You know you can't be silent. Choose your words and use them wisely. God bless you as you change your world, and the worlds around you.
I mean, think about it just for a moment. I saw a Tumblr post that described it like this: Your favorite book is just a combination of 26 or so symbols marked on thin slices of trees, and you hallucinate vividly for hours on end. Not a direct quote, but you get the gist. If you don't read the good 'ole paperback, then it's probably an extremely complicated combination of 1's and 0's. If it's not books, it's movies, or people, or music.
You can express a whole ton with just your words. You can literally create an entirely new world, complete with races, an ecosystem, a creation myth, its own physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, ways of life, all with just your words. You can reach down into the depths of someone's heart and pull them out of their shell, just with the right words. You can literally speak light into someone's darkness, and vice versa, just with your words. You can breathe life or death with your words.
So, now that you know you have this super power, what are you gonna do with it? You could save a life. You could destroy a life. You could create something new and terrible, excruciatingly, painfully beautiful, devastatingly amazing. I caution you, once you open your mouth and start to speak, take your pencil and begin to write, open up your laptop and begin to type, unlock your phone and start to tap at the keys, your words will change the world around you. Once you start using your words, you may also have to follow through with some action, as well.
Can you handle that? One day you may be called on to account for the words you've used, the things you've spoken into existence.
So what are you waiting for? You know you can't be silent. Choose your words and use them wisely. God bless you as you change your world, and the worlds around you.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Obligatory Happy New Year's Post :D
Happy New Year!!
Wow, guys. We made it. It's 2017.
Which means that NAYC'17 is happening this year. YAY.
And I'm also turning 20 this year. WHOA.
And I'm gonna get done with my BA this year. FINALLY!!!
It's gonna be a busy, probably insanely crazy year. One thing you can always count on, it's not gonna be exactly like you expected it to be. There's gonna be ups and downs, you're probably not gonna keep all of your New Year's Resolutions (If you do, props to ya, man, I wanna be more like you), you're gonna have some great times and you're gonna have some low times, some crazy times and some chill times, and then those random periods of not quite insane but not quite chill either.
So, you know. Life.
Going into this year, my resolution is to just be better than I was last year. Be better than I was yesterday. Be better than I was an hour ago. I know, not a super specific goal, but it's easier to just shoot for making it off the ground instead of going for the moon all at once. Once we get off the ground, then we'll shoot for making it to the clouds, then outta the atmosphere, then to the moon, then to the stars. That's my philosophy, anyways.
So, happy new year, guys. Hope yours is awesome. Go out there and make it awesome, don't just talk about it and dream about it, go out and build. Make it happen. If stuff doesn't happen like you wanted it to, adapt. Change. Pick up your chin and keep going. Make a new plan. Don't just survive. Thrive. I know you can. I believe in you. :)
God bless ya!!
--Sonya :) <3
Wow, guys. We made it. It's 2017.
Which means that NAYC'17 is happening this year. YAY.
And I'm also turning 20 this year. WHOA.
And I'm gonna get done with my BA this year. FINALLY!!!
It's gonna be a busy, probably insanely crazy year. One thing you can always count on, it's not gonna be exactly like you expected it to be. There's gonna be ups and downs, you're probably not gonna keep all of your New Year's Resolutions (If you do, props to ya, man, I wanna be more like you), you're gonna have some great times and you're gonna have some low times, some crazy times and some chill times, and then those random periods of not quite insane but not quite chill either.
So, you know. Life.
Going into this year, my resolution is to just be better than I was last year. Be better than I was yesterday. Be better than I was an hour ago. I know, not a super specific goal, but it's easier to just shoot for making it off the ground instead of going for the moon all at once. Once we get off the ground, then we'll shoot for making it to the clouds, then outta the atmosphere, then to the moon, then to the stars. That's my philosophy, anyways.
So, happy new year, guys. Hope yours is awesome. Go out there and make it awesome, don't just talk about it and dream about it, go out and build. Make it happen. If stuff doesn't happen like you wanted it to, adapt. Change. Pick up your chin and keep going. Make a new plan. Don't just survive. Thrive. I know you can. I believe in you. :)
God bless ya!!
--Sonya :) <3
Friday, December 16, 2016
Fiiiinaaallsss
Finals. Fiiiiinaalllssss. Fi. Nals. The dreaded word of every student. Quick question to the Harry Potter fans, in real life, which is scarier, the term 'Finals' or Voldemort? Which would you rather not be named?
With Finals Week comes all the stress that can give you ulcers and drives you to pull all-nighters trying to study those last few things so that you'll get a passing grade for a class you've either done fantastic in, or you're totally failing in.
If you can just get that last final done, you're home free for Christmas break. You can chill, sleep in, relax, and not think about school until the day before break ends. Hopefully you don't have homework over break.
But you're not done with Finals yet, so no celebrating yet.
With the stress also comes the depression, the anxiety, the panic attacks. You start having thoughts of, "I'm not good enough," "I'm gonna fail no matter how hard I try," "I should just give up now," "My parents are gonna shoot me if I come home with a failing grade," "What's the point of this anyway?"
If you're like me, that kind of thought trail leads to a pretty messed up place. You're beyond tired now, you're exhausted. You're emotionally and physically drained, you have zero motivation to do anything anymore, and you just want to give up on life and take a hiatus for, well, ever. The future's pointless to look at because you're so bogged down in right now, you don't know how you'll survive, or if you're even worth it if you survive.
This is me, keeping it very real. This is the thought process I go through when I'm stressed out and barely holding it together. So, like, basically the place I've been returning to these past few weeks.
I'm surrounded by some of the most amazing people, and I've met some of the most amazing people on the face of the planet. Compared to them, I'm a candle, and they're everlasting supernovas. This candle's melting. The wax keeps dripping down, 'til, eventually, it's gonna run out, and the fire of the candle dies.
What do I even do for anyone? I'm selfish, an attention-seeker, a hypocrite, an introverted extrovert, I wanna punch some people in the face all the time, I get down on myself very easily because I'm too emotional, and the list goes on and on. I know I have a purpose and a destiny, but what's the point since I'm probably just gonna mess it all up anyways?
The point is, the people that I'll meet one day, the people that I already know, they rely on me, so I gotta keep going for them. They deserve a chance to make it.
But I don't want them believing a lie about me, that I've got it all figured out and I'm totally together. 'Cause I am totally not. I gotta figure this out, figure myself out.
So where's the balance? If I get so focused on trying to make it for other people, I'm still gonna get worn down and torn apart. It's a spiral down, either way. Focus too much on me, I'm messed up. Focus too much on other people, still get messed up. Gah.
The thing I realized is, first off, going to bed and sleeping off the bad day helps to reframe everything. When you're body's more rested, your mind's more rested, and you can look at things a bit more objectively. Secondly, I'm getting my degree so I can help other people, and the things I'm going through now, the stress and the pain and the mess, is so that I can learn to lean on Jesus more, rather than relying on myself. Ultimately, it's for His glory, it's because of His mercy and love that I can live and hope and try. The fire that I walk through, the crushing process that I'm in, is to purify and expunge the mess outta me so that I don't show off myself, but so I can reflect Him. A testimony is a powerful thing, and Revelation says that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony. I got the blood applied to my life, and when this test's over, I'm gonna have a testimony about how I thought I wouldn't make it, but God saw me through and I'm here today because of His goodness.
Thirdly, it is okay. Being stressed out, having a heart that's hurting for no reason, is okay. Pain means you're still alive. Pain means you're growing. Pain means you're trying. Frustration means you're trying. Failing means you tried, and if there's still breath in your body, it means you can try again. It means you made a mistake, you got some experience, and you can adapt, refine your strategy, and go after that boss monster again. You keep trying 'til you've defeated that test. You keep trying 'til you've killed that thing. You've got another chance from God, go try again.
Fourth, when you've hit a dead end, you feel like the walls are closing in around you and you have nowhere to go, cover your face with your hands and pray. Open up your Bible and read it, absorb that Word like your life depends on it. You've got a God who loves you and never leaves you. God is always listening. He's a very present help in trouble. He's a strong tower that you can run into and be safe. He's a provider, a protector, a healer, a deliverer, a saviour. He's there when no one else is, and if you're listening, He'll speak to you. He's a comforter, a counselor, the everlasting father, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace.
By the way, that word 'prince' doesn't mean like, 'prince' as in 'son of a king', it means 'ruler', 'captain', 'chief', 'lord', 'governor', 'principal', 'keeper', 'general'. You have chaos, He has peace. He will give you peace in your mind, spirit, body, if you go to Him. You're His child, of course He'll give you His peace.
To all of those who've finished their finals, yaaayyy go you!!! :) To all those who haven't yet, God bless you, I'm praying for ya, gan'batte!!! You're gonna do great. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Go knock 'em dead.
God bless you guys. Love ya. :) <3
--Sonya :) <3
With Finals Week comes all the stress that can give you ulcers and drives you to pull all-nighters trying to study those last few things so that you'll get a passing grade for a class you've either done fantastic in, or you're totally failing in.
If you can just get that last final done, you're home free for Christmas break. You can chill, sleep in, relax, and not think about school until the day before break ends. Hopefully you don't have homework over break.
But you're not done with Finals yet, so no celebrating yet.
With the stress also comes the depression, the anxiety, the panic attacks. You start having thoughts of, "I'm not good enough," "I'm gonna fail no matter how hard I try," "I should just give up now," "My parents are gonna shoot me if I come home with a failing grade," "What's the point of this anyway?"
If you're like me, that kind of thought trail leads to a pretty messed up place. You're beyond tired now, you're exhausted. You're emotionally and physically drained, you have zero motivation to do anything anymore, and you just want to give up on life and take a hiatus for, well, ever. The future's pointless to look at because you're so bogged down in right now, you don't know how you'll survive, or if you're even worth it if you survive.
This is me, keeping it very real. This is the thought process I go through when I'm stressed out and barely holding it together. So, like, basically the place I've been returning to these past few weeks.
I'm surrounded by some of the most amazing people, and I've met some of the most amazing people on the face of the planet. Compared to them, I'm a candle, and they're everlasting supernovas. This candle's melting. The wax keeps dripping down, 'til, eventually, it's gonna run out, and the fire of the candle dies.
What do I even do for anyone? I'm selfish, an attention-seeker, a hypocrite, an introverted extrovert, I wanna punch some people in the face all the time, I get down on myself very easily because I'm too emotional, and the list goes on and on. I know I have a purpose and a destiny, but what's the point since I'm probably just gonna mess it all up anyways?
The point is, the people that I'll meet one day, the people that I already know, they rely on me, so I gotta keep going for them. They deserve a chance to make it.
But I don't want them believing a lie about me, that I've got it all figured out and I'm totally together. 'Cause I am totally not. I gotta figure this out, figure myself out.
So where's the balance? If I get so focused on trying to make it for other people, I'm still gonna get worn down and torn apart. It's a spiral down, either way. Focus too much on me, I'm messed up. Focus too much on other people, still get messed up. Gah.
The thing I realized is, first off, going to bed and sleeping off the bad day helps to reframe everything. When you're body's more rested, your mind's more rested, and you can look at things a bit more objectively. Secondly, I'm getting my degree so I can help other people, and the things I'm going through now, the stress and the pain and the mess, is so that I can learn to lean on Jesus more, rather than relying on myself. Ultimately, it's for His glory, it's because of His mercy and love that I can live and hope and try. The fire that I walk through, the crushing process that I'm in, is to purify and expunge the mess outta me so that I don't show off myself, but so I can reflect Him. A testimony is a powerful thing, and Revelation says that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony. I got the blood applied to my life, and when this test's over, I'm gonna have a testimony about how I thought I wouldn't make it, but God saw me through and I'm here today because of His goodness.
Thirdly, it is okay. Being stressed out, having a heart that's hurting for no reason, is okay. Pain means you're still alive. Pain means you're growing. Pain means you're trying. Frustration means you're trying. Failing means you tried, and if there's still breath in your body, it means you can try again. It means you made a mistake, you got some experience, and you can adapt, refine your strategy, and go after that boss monster again. You keep trying 'til you've defeated that test. You keep trying 'til you've killed that thing. You've got another chance from God, go try again.
Fourth, when you've hit a dead end, you feel like the walls are closing in around you and you have nowhere to go, cover your face with your hands and pray. Open up your Bible and read it, absorb that Word like your life depends on it. You've got a God who loves you and never leaves you. God is always listening. He's a very present help in trouble. He's a strong tower that you can run into and be safe. He's a provider, a protector, a healer, a deliverer, a saviour. He's there when no one else is, and if you're listening, He'll speak to you. He's a comforter, a counselor, the everlasting father, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace.
By the way, that word 'prince' doesn't mean like, 'prince' as in 'son of a king', it means 'ruler', 'captain', 'chief', 'lord', 'governor', 'principal', 'keeper', 'general'. You have chaos, He has peace. He will give you peace in your mind, spirit, body, if you go to Him. You're His child, of course He'll give you His peace.
To all of those who've finished their finals, yaaayyy go you!!! :) To all those who haven't yet, God bless you, I'm praying for ya, gan'batte!!! You're gonna do great. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Go knock 'em dead.
God bless you guys. Love ya. :) <3
--Sonya :) <3
Saturday, December 10, 2016
The Real Reason for the Season
It's December. There is snow on the ground. It's pretty cold outside.
Yaaayyyyy. :D
Anyways. Who all's doing finals? It seems like everyone's freaking out about finals, staying up late studying for 'em, drinking more coffee, praying extra hard, not that they get an A in this class but that they pass it, stuff like that.
My finals are different from your finals, but I get the stress. I have two more courses to finish before I'm done with this semester, and I'm starting one of them next Monday. I'm gonna finish the other one next Wednesday, and then hopefully finish everything before Christmas break. *cue my own all-nighter*
So here's my question. Why is Christmastime always so stinkin' stressful? I always thought it was a time to have fun, be 'at peace' you know? That whole peace on Earth, goodwill to all men thing. All the lights, the glitz, the glamor, the Christmas plays, special music, trees, decorations, presents, it's all nice, but it's not about that. Christmas is about how the God who created everything came down to His creation in created form so that one day He could die for us. You can't talk about Christmas without mentioning the reason Christ came.
Mary probably did know. She was Jewish, she knew the prophecies of the Messiah. She probably knew that He'd one day die on a cross. But for a few short years, Jesus the Messiah was a baby, her baby.
I'm not dissing the decorations, the trees and all that wonderful stuff, I like getting presents and I like giving presents. I like looking at all the lights and the special music's pretty awesome. Christmas plays are epic too, I mean, my pastor's wife can't do a mediocre play, she always makes it spectacular.
All I'm saying is, instead of getting stressed out about the little details, think about why Jesus came. Think about the reason for the season. Think about why we hang up lights and decorate a tree and practice special music for a special service and memorize scripts and direct Christmas plays.
You are the reason He came. You were once lost, dead, dying, hurt, without hope. But now, you have a hope. You've been found. You died, and God gave you life. You were hurt, and He healed you. And even on your worst days, you still have an unreasonably strong hope that it's gonna get better, 'cause your hope's not found in the temporary things of this world, it's found in an everlasting God who loved you enough to pay the price and make a way for you to come to Him.
Love you guys. Merry Christmas! :)
--Sonya :) <3
Yaaayyyyy. :D
Anyways. Who all's doing finals? It seems like everyone's freaking out about finals, staying up late studying for 'em, drinking more coffee, praying extra hard, not that they get an A in this class but that they pass it, stuff like that.
My finals are different from your finals, but I get the stress. I have two more courses to finish before I'm done with this semester, and I'm starting one of them next Monday. I'm gonna finish the other one next Wednesday, and then hopefully finish everything before Christmas break. *cue my own all-nighter*
So here's my question. Why is Christmastime always so stinkin' stressful? I always thought it was a time to have fun, be 'at peace' you know? That whole peace on Earth, goodwill to all men thing. All the lights, the glitz, the glamor, the Christmas plays, special music, trees, decorations, presents, it's all nice, but it's not about that. Christmas is about how the God who created everything came down to His creation in created form so that one day He could die for us. You can't talk about Christmas without mentioning the reason Christ came.
Mary probably did know. She was Jewish, she knew the prophecies of the Messiah. She probably knew that He'd one day die on a cross. But for a few short years, Jesus the Messiah was a baby, her baby.
I'm not dissing the decorations, the trees and all that wonderful stuff, I like getting presents and I like giving presents. I like looking at all the lights and the special music's pretty awesome. Christmas plays are epic too, I mean, my pastor's wife can't do a mediocre play, she always makes it spectacular.
All I'm saying is, instead of getting stressed out about the little details, think about why Jesus came. Think about the reason for the season. Think about why we hang up lights and decorate a tree and practice special music for a special service and memorize scripts and direct Christmas plays.
You are the reason He came. You were once lost, dead, dying, hurt, without hope. But now, you have a hope. You've been found. You died, and God gave you life. You were hurt, and He healed you. And even on your worst days, you still have an unreasonably strong hope that it's gonna get better, 'cause your hope's not found in the temporary things of this world, it's found in an everlasting God who loved you enough to pay the price and make a way for you to come to Him.
Love you guys. Merry Christmas! :)
--Sonya :) <3
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
In Light of the Election Results...
Sooo, guys. Trump's gonna be our next president. I'm gonna be honest, I voted for him, and watching the polls last night was more intense than watching the Cub's score.
So, here's to all the people who said Trump supporters are deplorable. Racist. Bigots. Hateful. Trash. Homophobes. A buncha other different names that I won't repeat because I'm homeschooled and I don't cuss haha.
First off, I forgive you for calling people like me those names. People get pretty hyped up during Election Season, campaigning for their favorite presidential nominee, trying to convert people to their side. I applaud those of you who did their research on both candidates. I understand that Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice is a touchy subject. My stance is Pro-Life, just because I believe that each body inhabits has a soul inhabiting it, and that soul could literally change the world. The amount of potential in an unborn 'clump of cells,' shall we say, is astounding. I was once a clump of cells. You were once a clump of cells. Your best friend was once a clump of cells. Now think of your life without those people who make it worth living. The worlds that would crumble if that 'clump of cells' hadn't been there to hold it together, to keep you upright. I feel like it's a crime to take away that kind of potential.
Now, yes, we definitely need to worry about what happens to those babies once they're out of the womb, who's gonna take care of 'em, the cost of living and education and all that jazz. That's a pretty pressing issue. But if you have been blessed with carrying a tiny little soul in your womb, whether through horrible circumstances or an accident, you have the greatest responsibility of nurturing that soul to change the world and make it a better place. Nothing worth having is ever easy. You haven't been cursed with motherhood, you've been blessed with the potential to invest in the future.
You have a choice. Whether it's legal or not, you do have a choice. What're you gonna do with that?
Anyways. That's my two cents. I love you guys. If you voted for Trump, woohoo our candidate won! If you voted for Hillary or third-party, then get over your loss and let's bind together in unity to make this country great. A house divided against itself cannot stand, but if we stand together, nothing will be able to knock us over.
And for those Anti-Trump people who are saying you can't be a Christian to have voted for Trump because he's so far from being a Christian because he's crass and degrades women and this and that... Was King Nebuchadnezzar a Christian? Was Darius a Christian? Was Xerxes? Was Caesar? Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of himself and ordered everyone to worship it, and threw three Hebrew guys into a fiery furnace when they refused to do it. Darius got big-headed, signed a law that said no one could worship anyone but him for, like, a month, and threw Daniel in the lion's den for breaking that law. Xerxes was devoted to pleasure, got drunk and ordered his queen to do something extremely degrading for a woman of her standing in front of his friends, she got banished, and then he had a beauty contest to choose his next queen. Under Caesar's rule, Jesus was crucified. But you know what? God used all of these different, messed up rulers to accomplish His will. Those three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fire, and they walked out unscathed. Daniel came out of that lion's den unharmed. Esther saved her people. Jesus, well, He rose from the grave and here we are today.
So instead of freaking out about how Trump's not a Christian and all that, why don't you get down on your knees and pray that he's a good president?
You say he won't follow God's voice. So let me ask you this. Why do you pray for your lost family members? Your lost friends? Your wayward children? Your coworkers? That country you feel called to go minister to as a missionary? Your neighbors? People who're lost and without hope? Why should they listen to God's voice? Why should they choose to let God in? Why would they?
'Cause you trust and believe that God has a purpose and a plan for them and that He wants them to come to know Him and spend eternity in Heaven with Him. So why not believe the same for Trump?
To be honest, I'd be saying the same thing about Hillary Clinton if she'd won. Get down on your knees and pray for these people. God's got this. And if you get in tune with what He wants, you'll start to see the bigger picture, and your fears for the future of this world and our country will disappear.
Peace out, guys. Love ya. :)
--Sonya :) <3
So, here's to all the people who said Trump supporters are deplorable. Racist. Bigots. Hateful. Trash. Homophobes. A buncha other different names that I won't repeat because I'm homeschooled and I don't cuss haha.
First off, I forgive you for calling people like me those names. People get pretty hyped up during Election Season, campaigning for their favorite presidential nominee, trying to convert people to their side. I applaud those of you who did their research on both candidates. I understand that Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice is a touchy subject. My stance is Pro-Life, just because I believe that each body inhabits has a soul inhabiting it, and that soul could literally change the world. The amount of potential in an unborn 'clump of cells,' shall we say, is astounding. I was once a clump of cells. You were once a clump of cells. Your best friend was once a clump of cells. Now think of your life without those people who make it worth living. The worlds that would crumble if that 'clump of cells' hadn't been there to hold it together, to keep you upright. I feel like it's a crime to take away that kind of potential.
Now, yes, we definitely need to worry about what happens to those babies once they're out of the womb, who's gonna take care of 'em, the cost of living and education and all that jazz. That's a pretty pressing issue. But if you have been blessed with carrying a tiny little soul in your womb, whether through horrible circumstances or an accident, you have the greatest responsibility of nurturing that soul to change the world and make it a better place. Nothing worth having is ever easy. You haven't been cursed with motherhood, you've been blessed with the potential to invest in the future.
You have a choice. Whether it's legal or not, you do have a choice. What're you gonna do with that?
Anyways. That's my two cents. I love you guys. If you voted for Trump, woohoo our candidate won! If you voted for Hillary or third-party, then get over your loss and let's bind together in unity to make this country great. A house divided against itself cannot stand, but if we stand together, nothing will be able to knock us over.
And for those Anti-Trump people who are saying you can't be a Christian to have voted for Trump because he's so far from being a Christian because he's crass and degrades women and this and that... Was King Nebuchadnezzar a Christian? Was Darius a Christian? Was Xerxes? Was Caesar? Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of himself and ordered everyone to worship it, and threw three Hebrew guys into a fiery furnace when they refused to do it. Darius got big-headed, signed a law that said no one could worship anyone but him for, like, a month, and threw Daniel in the lion's den for breaking that law. Xerxes was devoted to pleasure, got drunk and ordered his queen to do something extremely degrading for a woman of her standing in front of his friends, she got banished, and then he had a beauty contest to choose his next queen. Under Caesar's rule, Jesus was crucified. But you know what? God used all of these different, messed up rulers to accomplish His will. Those three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fire, and they walked out unscathed. Daniel came out of that lion's den unharmed. Esther saved her people. Jesus, well, He rose from the grave and here we are today.
So instead of freaking out about how Trump's not a Christian and all that, why don't you get down on your knees and pray that he's a good president?
You say he won't follow God's voice. So let me ask you this. Why do you pray for your lost family members? Your lost friends? Your wayward children? Your coworkers? That country you feel called to go minister to as a missionary? Your neighbors? People who're lost and without hope? Why should they listen to God's voice? Why should they choose to let God in? Why would they?
'Cause you trust and believe that God has a purpose and a plan for them and that He wants them to come to know Him and spend eternity in Heaven with Him. So why not believe the same for Trump?
To be honest, I'd be saying the same thing about Hillary Clinton if she'd won. Get down on your knees and pray for these people. God's got this. And if you get in tune with what He wants, you'll start to see the bigger picture, and your fears for the future of this world and our country will disappear.
Peace out, guys. Love ya. :)
--Sonya :) <3
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