Shoooot it's been a long time since I posted! I'm going to plead 'Super-busy-because-I-had-a-bunch-of-college-stuff-to-do-plus-a-choir-concert-where-I-played-my-uke-for-the-first-time-in-front-of-a-bunch-of-people-oh-my-goodness-I-haven't-updated-in-way-too-long-you-guys-probably-didn't-even-realize-I-am-now-the-proud-owner-of-a-ukulele!!!!'
Okay, quick update on the past few months: Obvs, I got a uke, my dad got my one for my birthday 'cause a friend of mine got me into the ukulele a year ago on the way to IYC'13, which brings me to IYC'14.
Oh. My. Goodness. Dude, God's power fell so heavily in that convention, lives were changed, this one person we brought with our youth group who had NEVER been in a Pentecostal service before in her ENTIRE life ALMOST got the Holy Ghost.
I got to see some old friends, hang out, worship God with everything I had, lost my voice for 2 weeks (in fact, I'm still kinda trying to get it back, don't tell my worship leader!!) and I have been changed. Man. Haha, you had to be there to really get what I'm saying.
Anyways, I also took this crazy 8-week Leadership course for college, complete with deadlines and everything. I'm used to a more self-paced slow-ish or fast-ish going thing, being homeschooled, you know? But oh my word, getting all of those assignments done BEFORE convention, haha, that was an interesting week full of almost all-nighters, lots of coffee, ya know.
So since summer's coming (cue the excited cheers of kids, teenagers and teachers everywhere) I was just curious. What're you looking forward to the most? Since I'm in college, I don't really get a break but I do get to do my college work at a slower pace, so that'll be great.
Oh yeah, and we can't forget one of the most important parts of a church teen's summer life: CAMP IS COMING UP, WHO'S EXCITED?!?! SHOW OF HANDS.
Oh. Oh, really? Just me? Aaaallllll righty then.
Anyways, recently, my family's been having a ton of late night bonfires chillaxin' out in the backyard with my pastor and his family. Oh, the awesomeness of living next door haha. I wouldn't trade if for anything.
I'm also looking forward to what God's gonna do during this summer. Summer means more time to hang out with people, more time for church activities and more time to just kick back and relax.
To all of you guys who're already out of school, (ya lucky ducks) have an awesome summer! And to the rest of you people who're still in school, hang in there, summer is coming!
God bless you guys. :) I love ya!
--Sonya
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
It's Spring! And It's Winter! And It's Spring Again! And It's Winter again!
Well, guys, I'm pretty sure most of us can agree that this 'Winter to Spring to Winter' again over and over is getting just a bit old. I love snow, I grew up in MN, I am used to having snow in October or September all the way through late March and early April, but other people aren't.
Yeah, guys in Chicago, I may or may not have been praying for snow for the past 2 years... but hey, on the bright side, we have every reason in the world now to say that God definitely answers prayer! :D
Anyways, aside from that, hey, you guys seen Frozen yet? Apparently, this crazy winter has made that movie shoot to the top of 'Most Awesome Movie Ever' list, or something like that, haha.
I know a bunch of people have made awesome articles and dumb articles on it, so I thought I might as well do it too, you know?
I read an amazing article the other day that focused on one of the greatest things about the movie: Elsa froze Anna's heart, but Anna didn't let that stop her from trying to save her sister in the end, and then everybody cries because you suddenly realize that true love, whether romantic or sisterly, can melt even the most frozen of hearts. As Olaf said, "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."
But think about it. People freeze our hearts all the time. Whether it was a bad breakup, a bad childhood experience, someone you trusted with everything you had who broke everything you are now or were, and now we're all just walking around, slowly freezing as our hearts continually get colder and colder.
It started on the inside with Anna, before her body (hair, hands, face, the way she walked, etc.) showed that she was literally freezing to death. The same thing happens to us. We're frozen on the inside, and that ice starts to show after a bit.
But if you choose to forgive and love that person who put the ice in your heart, you're letting it go (let it gooooooooo) and the ice is gone.
Here's something to think about if you're still not getting it: We beat Jesus. We whipped Him and humiliated Him and broke His body and nailed Him to a cross. It was us, our fault, our sins, that did that to Him.
He had plenty of time to let His heart freeze, to throw in the towel and say, "You know what? Forget this, you're not worth it!" But He didn't. He didn't care that we don't deserve it. He didn't care that it was our fault He had to die. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so we could be saved. His love for us pushed Him to do the craziest things, and it's strong enough to unfreeze the ice in us and everybody around us.
I know forgiveness isn't easy. It's basically letting the offender go free while the victim pays the price. But if you forgive them and love them anyways, then you show them a way out of their metaphorical frozen kingdom, a way to change it. Whether they unfreeze it or not is up to them, but at least you chose to thaw your own heart.
Love and forgiveness are tricky, scary things, but 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (NIV), and Matthew 6:14 says, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (NIV)
Also, Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (KJV) I won't get into doctrine right now, but when God remits your sins, they're gone, like, GONE. When cancer goes into remission, it doesn't come back. When God remits your sins, He forgets them, they're covered by the Blood of Jesus.
But you know something interesting about this verse in Acts 2? It doesn't say 'for the remission of YOUR sins' it says 'for the remission of sins'. That means ALL sins. Not just yours, but the ones that people did to you. Need more Word about this? 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (KJV) and 1 John 2:2, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)
Love and forgiveness might seem like a bad idea when you've been hurt over and over and over. But if we're called to be like God, then that means we have to forgive like God, right? That means over and over and over and over.
Stop letting yourself freeze over. Open yourself up to love and forgiveness, whether it's for someone who hurt you, or even for yourself.
Love you guys. :) Have a great rest of your week.
--Sonya
Yeah, guys in Chicago, I may or may not have been praying for snow for the past 2 years... but hey, on the bright side, we have every reason in the world now to say that God definitely answers prayer! :D
Anyways, aside from that, hey, you guys seen Frozen yet? Apparently, this crazy winter has made that movie shoot to the top of 'Most Awesome Movie Ever' list, or something like that, haha.
I know a bunch of people have made awesome articles and dumb articles on it, so I thought I might as well do it too, you know?
I read an amazing article the other day that focused on one of the greatest things about the movie: Elsa froze Anna's heart, but Anna didn't let that stop her from trying to save her sister in the end, and then everybody cries because you suddenly realize that true love, whether romantic or sisterly, can melt even the most frozen of hearts. As Olaf said, "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."
But think about it. People freeze our hearts all the time. Whether it was a bad breakup, a bad childhood experience, someone you trusted with everything you had who broke everything you are now or were, and now we're all just walking around, slowly freezing as our hearts continually get colder and colder.
It started on the inside with Anna, before her body (hair, hands, face, the way she walked, etc.) showed that she was literally freezing to death. The same thing happens to us. We're frozen on the inside, and that ice starts to show after a bit.
But if you choose to forgive and love that person who put the ice in your heart, you're letting it go (let it gooooooooo) and the ice is gone.
Here's something to think about if you're still not getting it: We beat Jesus. We whipped Him and humiliated Him and broke His body and nailed Him to a cross. It was us, our fault, our sins, that did that to Him.
He had plenty of time to let His heart freeze, to throw in the towel and say, "You know what? Forget this, you're not worth it!" But He didn't. He didn't care that we don't deserve it. He didn't care that it was our fault He had to die. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so we could be saved. His love for us pushed Him to do the craziest things, and it's strong enough to unfreeze the ice in us and everybody around us.
I know forgiveness isn't easy. It's basically letting the offender go free while the victim pays the price. But if you forgive them and love them anyways, then you show them a way out of their metaphorical frozen kingdom, a way to change it. Whether they unfreeze it or not is up to them, but at least you chose to thaw your own heart.
Love and forgiveness are tricky, scary things, but 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (NIV), and Matthew 6:14 says, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (NIV)
Also, Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (KJV) I won't get into doctrine right now, but when God remits your sins, they're gone, like, GONE. When cancer goes into remission, it doesn't come back. When God remits your sins, He forgets them, they're covered by the Blood of Jesus.
But you know something interesting about this verse in Acts 2? It doesn't say 'for the remission of YOUR sins' it says 'for the remission of sins'. That means ALL sins. Not just yours, but the ones that people did to you. Need more Word about this? 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (KJV) and 1 John 2:2, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)
Love and forgiveness might seem like a bad idea when you've been hurt over and over and over. But if we're called to be like God, then that means we have to forgive like God, right? That means over and over and over and over.
Stop letting yourself freeze over. Open yourself up to love and forgiveness, whether it's for someone who hurt you, or even for yourself.
Love you guys. :) Have a great rest of your week.
--Sonya
Friday, January 3, 2014
First Post of the Year!!!! WAHOO!!!!
Hey, guys! Can you believe that it's 2014 already? The world ended over two years ago, and so far my family has survived this apocalypse just fine. It's like nothing even happened!
Haha, anyways, Happy New Year!!!!!! Hope you're having a great time so far, it's only day 3, how's your resolve towards your resolutions holding up? Still goin' strong?
Honestly, I've quit making them. I just want to be better than I was last year. Go further, go deeper, go longer, you know?
I'm gonna be honest with you, 2013 was a buncha ups and downs and mellows and craziness and highs and lows and weirdness and awesomeness. I had battles, I had victories, I had defeats, I got knocked down, but you know what? I got back up, and I'm pushing ahead. I'm not goin' back to who I used to be.
Sorry this was such a short post. God bless you guys, especially the ones who started school like, the day after New Year's, and make 2014 the year you finally stepped out and made the difference you've been wanting to make for so long. :)
Love you guys.
--Sonya :)
Haha, anyways, Happy New Year!!!!!! Hope you're having a great time so far, it's only day 3, how's your resolve towards your resolutions holding up? Still goin' strong?
Honestly, I've quit making them. I just want to be better than I was last year. Go further, go deeper, go longer, you know?
I'm gonna be honest with you, 2013 was a buncha ups and downs and mellows and craziness and highs and lows and weirdness and awesomeness. I had battles, I had victories, I had defeats, I got knocked down, but you know what? I got back up, and I'm pushing ahead. I'm not goin' back to who I used to be.
Sorry this was such a short post. God bless you guys, especially the ones who started school like, the day after New Year's, and make 2014 the year you finally stepped out and made the difference you've been wanting to make for so long. :)
Love you guys.
--Sonya :)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas Present Procrastination Level: Expert
Hey guys. It is too late right now and I am writing a blog post. Go me for being more nuts than I thought, haha!
Anyways, hey look, it's Christmas Day!!! YIPPEE!!!!!
I got all my brothers gifts done. Got my littlest sister's gift done. All yesterday or the day before. And, erm, I may or may not have gotten busy, forgotten to do my other sister's present, and TOTALLY blanked until like... 11ish last night. Then I may or may not have gotten a burst of crazy inspiration and written a short story from then until now.
But seriously. Oh snap. And now I have to do my parents. Um... my dad said 'don't stay up too late'... I wonder if it's past his definition of 'too late'...?
Jesus, I thank You for Your wonderful, awesome inspiration, Pandora, and cute Christmas music that actually appeals to my scarred Christmas music love-hate relationship. And for... coffee. Oh Lord Jesus, thank You for that sweet nectar of life.
And most of all, God, I wanna thank You for coming to earth, wrapping Yourself in human flesh, and being born of a virgin, living and then dying for someone like me. <3 Happy birthday. :)
I know we generally celebrate the Birth of Christ around now, Christmas time, and Easter at Easter time, but... we should celebrate it all year round, because of what He came to do. The story doesn't end at the manger. The story doesn't end at the cross. It's still going, guys. :)
I want to celebrate the birth and death of my Savior all day, every day, because He deserves it! And, for the Guy that has literally, EVERYTHING, it's the least I can do as a sort of birthday present. :)
Love you guys. Merry Christmas.
And do a favor for me... keep Christ at the center of Christmas. It's easy to get caught up in everything else going on, but hey, Jesus is the real reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
--Sonya :) <3
Anyways, hey look, it's Christmas Day!!! YIPPEE!!!!!
I got all my brothers gifts done. Got my littlest sister's gift done. All yesterday or the day before. And, erm, I may or may not have gotten busy, forgotten to do my other sister's present, and TOTALLY blanked until like... 11ish last night. Then I may or may not have gotten a burst of crazy inspiration and written a short story from then until now.
But seriously. Oh snap. And now I have to do my parents. Um... my dad said 'don't stay up too late'... I wonder if it's past his definition of 'too late'...?
Jesus, I thank You for Your wonderful, awesome inspiration, Pandora, and cute Christmas music that actually appeals to my scarred Christmas music love-hate relationship. And for... coffee. Oh Lord Jesus, thank You for that sweet nectar of life.
And most of all, God, I wanna thank You for coming to earth, wrapping Yourself in human flesh, and being born of a virgin, living and then dying for someone like me. <3 Happy birthday. :)
I know we generally celebrate the Birth of Christ around now, Christmas time, and Easter at Easter time, but... we should celebrate it all year round, because of what He came to do. The story doesn't end at the manger. The story doesn't end at the cross. It's still going, guys. :)
I want to celebrate the birth and death of my Savior all day, every day, because He deserves it! And, for the Guy that has literally, EVERYTHING, it's the least I can do as a sort of birthday present. :)
Love you guys. Merry Christmas.
And do a favor for me... keep Christ at the center of Christmas. It's easy to get caught up in everything else going on, but hey, Jesus is the real reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
--Sonya :) <3
Monday, December 9, 2013
Baby, It's Cold Outside.....
Just kidding! Oh wait... not everybody's from MN... never mind. It's cold outside.
More like windy, but meh, when it's like, -7 and there is no wind at all, you can walk around in a t-shirt. No joke. :D
Okay, now that you all officially think I'm crazy, lez get down to business.
My mom turned on Christmas Jazz music or something... the men singers,maaaannnn they can sing. Mhmm. But these women singers... o.O Somebody just kill me now, please. Their voices ain't my favorite.
Ah, well. It's Christmas time, there is SNOW outside and I mean SNOW. Like, not a ton, but enough where you should probably not wear flats outside, boots are kinda required haha. :)
And I'm cramming to be able to do this Sociology course, trying to get it done before Christmas. In Jesus Name.
God bless you guys! Merry Christmas! Stay warm, and don't worry... you got this. :) Finals, exams, having to sit around the Christmas Dinner table staring at relatives and biting your tongue when that one annoying and opinionated relative opens his or her mouth... yes, we all have them. Haha, don't worry.
And don't forget the real reason for the season. Jesus came and was born for YOU. He loves you way more than anyone ever could. <3
Love ya!
--Sonya :) <3
More like windy, but meh, when it's like, -7 and there is no wind at all, you can walk around in a t-shirt. No joke. :D
Okay, now that you all officially think I'm crazy, lez get down to business.
My mom turned on Christmas Jazz music or something... the men singers,maaaannnn they can sing. Mhmm. But these women singers... o.O Somebody just kill me now, please. Their voices ain't my favorite.
Ah, well. It's Christmas time, there is SNOW outside and I mean SNOW. Like, not a ton, but enough where you should probably not wear flats outside, boots are kinda required haha. :)
And I'm cramming to be able to do this Sociology course, trying to get it done before Christmas. In Jesus Name.
God bless you guys! Merry Christmas! Stay warm, and don't worry... you got this. :) Finals, exams, having to sit around the Christmas Dinner table staring at relatives and biting your tongue when that one annoying and opinionated relative opens his or her mouth... yes, we all have them. Haha, don't worry.
And don't forget the real reason for the season. Jesus came and was born for YOU. He loves you way more than anyone ever could. <3
Love ya!
--Sonya :) <3
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!!
Twas the day before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, every pot and pan was clanging, and everybody was freaking out...
Well, not in my house, we goin' down south to see the grandparents and some of the other extended family on my momma's side. :) So no freaking out here, except packing. Okay, in a house of four women (whether small or big) and three men (okay, two are only half-men, but you get the point) that's not only a lotta suitcases, but a lotta, "Guys, only ONE bag, we're only staying for THREE days!"
It's pretty quiet right now though, I guess we're all done packing....or maybe it's cuz my dad and youngest brother and sister are out running some last-minute errands.
Which leaves my mom probably packing for herself and my dad, and my other bro and sis chillin' in my room, writing down story ideas.
Yup. My entire family is aspiring to be world-renowned authors.
Anyways, tomorrow's Thanksgiving! Dude. Only a month and three days (or four, or two, depending on which side of the globe you're on) left of the year 2013.
Does time fly or WHAT?
Well, since everybody else and their grandma seems to be doing it, I'll do it too.
A small list of only a tiny fraction of the bajillion zillion things I'm thankful for:
1. My family and my friends. They drive me completely bananas sometimes, but they're mine, and we always got each other's backs. Not everybody can say that. <3
2. Books. They're literally portals into another world. You can become anyone or thing you want when you write/read a book.
3. Jesus. I'm thankful for Him every day, but it still hits me that He bled and died for somebody as crazy, weird and messed up as me. Guys, you do not have to make yourself bleed, because He already bled for you. You don't have to kill yourself, because He already died for you. And He gave you a way to connect with Him when He sacrificed Himself and became the atonement for our sin.
4. Music. I honestly think God gave us music so we could express what's going on in our heads and our hearts without the struggle of having to find words. Sometimes, when words fail, music speaks for us.
5. You. I'm thankful that God made you. I may or may not know you in real life. But I'm still glad He made you. And no, it's not just because you read my blog posts. It's because every single person God makes, He has a special, unique, mind-blowingly awesome purpose for you. Even if everyone around you says that you're a nothing, calls you horrible names, tries to tear you down, etc, it doesn't make you any less important and special and amazing. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. If you weren't worth it, God wouldn't have made you.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. God bless you.
In the words of the Doctor...."Geronimo!!!!" :D
--Sonya :) <3
Well, not in my house, we goin' down south to see the grandparents and some of the other extended family on my momma's side. :) So no freaking out here, except packing. Okay, in a house of four women (whether small or big) and three men (okay, two are only half-men, but you get the point) that's not only a lotta suitcases, but a lotta, "Guys, only ONE bag, we're only staying for THREE days!"
It's pretty quiet right now though, I guess we're all done packing....or maybe it's cuz my dad and youngest brother and sister are out running some last-minute errands.
Which leaves my mom probably packing for herself and my dad, and my other bro and sis chillin' in my room, writing down story ideas.
Yup. My entire family is aspiring to be world-renowned authors.
Anyways, tomorrow's Thanksgiving! Dude. Only a month and three days (or four, or two, depending on which side of the globe you're on) left of the year 2013.
Does time fly or WHAT?
Well, since everybody else and their grandma seems to be doing it, I'll do it too.
A small list of only a tiny fraction of the bajillion zillion things I'm thankful for:
1. My family and my friends. They drive me completely bananas sometimes, but they're mine, and we always got each other's backs. Not everybody can say that. <3
2. Books. They're literally portals into another world. You can become anyone or thing you want when you write/read a book.
3. Jesus. I'm thankful for Him every day, but it still hits me that He bled and died for somebody as crazy, weird and messed up as me. Guys, you do not have to make yourself bleed, because He already bled for you. You don't have to kill yourself, because He already died for you. And He gave you a way to connect with Him when He sacrificed Himself and became the atonement for our sin.
4. Music. I honestly think God gave us music so we could express what's going on in our heads and our hearts without the struggle of having to find words. Sometimes, when words fail, music speaks for us.
5. You. I'm thankful that God made you. I may or may not know you in real life. But I'm still glad He made you. And no, it's not just because you read my blog posts. It's because every single person God makes, He has a special, unique, mind-blowingly awesome purpose for you. Even if everyone around you says that you're a nothing, calls you horrible names, tries to tear you down, etc, it doesn't make you any less important and special and amazing. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. If you weren't worth it, God wouldn't have made you.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. God bless you.
In the words of the Doctor...."Geronimo!!!!" :D
--Sonya :) <3
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
It's November!
So, it's November, and you know what that means!
Thanksgiving. Food. Family. Friends. Starbucks 'cause some people have exams right before break. NaNoWriMo (shout out to all us crazy writers who're trying to balance school, writing 50,000 words in 30 days or less, and NOT going completely bonkers....or were we that way already and that's why we CAN balance it??? :)). Christmas music all over the place. Christmas decorations getting thrown up all over the place (if you didn't have them up already, or was too lazy to take it all down last year).
Thankful posts allllllllll ovvvveerrrrrrr theeeee plaaaaccceeeee.
Which is awesome, ya know. Haha. Well, quick update on college stuff, doing pretty good, I'm still alive and kicking! Pray for me, can't afford to get sick. FOR REAL. And stress+lack of motivation apparently = me getting sick. (-_-) I know, I'm not the only one.
But hey, I'm thankful that I can actually do this stuff. That I'm so busy with school and writing, and that I have a warm bed that I can curl up in and take a nap if I need to. That I have the most AMAZING friends in the world, each one of them is the best and I love 'em to death! That my family's crazy, and that even if me and my siblings don't get along 100% of the time, we still got each other's back.
I could go on, but you're probably pretty bored about hearing what I'm thankful about. Anyways, I hope you have a VERY happy thanksgiving, and that whether you're stressing about 'difficult family members' coming to your house, or school, or whatever, don't forget to stop and think about what you're thankful for, even if there doesn't seem to be anything at all. You're breathing, you're alive, God's still good. See? I just gave you three things to be thankful for. :)
Happy (two weeks before) Thanksgiving! See ya next week!!!
God bless! Love ya!
--Sonya :) <3
Thanksgiving. Food. Family. Friends. Starbucks 'cause some people have exams right before break. NaNoWriMo (shout out to all us crazy writers who're trying to balance school, writing 50,000 words in 30 days or less, and NOT going completely bonkers....or were we that way already and that's why we CAN balance it??? :)). Christmas music all over the place. Christmas decorations getting thrown up all over the place (if you didn't have them up already, or was too lazy to take it all down last year).
Thankful posts allllllllll ovvvveerrrrrrr theeeee plaaaaccceeeee.
Which is awesome, ya know. Haha. Well, quick update on college stuff, doing pretty good, I'm still alive and kicking! Pray for me, can't afford to get sick. FOR REAL. And stress+lack of motivation apparently = me getting sick. (-_-) I know, I'm not the only one.
But hey, I'm thankful that I can actually do this stuff. That I'm so busy with school and writing, and that I have a warm bed that I can curl up in and take a nap if I need to. That I have the most AMAZING friends in the world, each one of them is the best and I love 'em to death! That my family's crazy, and that even if me and my siblings don't get along 100% of the time, we still got each other's back.
I could go on, but you're probably pretty bored about hearing what I'm thankful about. Anyways, I hope you have a VERY happy thanksgiving, and that whether you're stressing about 'difficult family members' coming to your house, or school, or whatever, don't forget to stop and think about what you're thankful for, even if there doesn't seem to be anything at all. You're breathing, you're alive, God's still good. See? I just gave you three things to be thankful for. :)
Happy (two weeks before) Thanksgiving! See ya next week!!!
God bless! Love ya!
--Sonya :) <3
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