Hey everyone!
Wow. I have been learning so much.
If you haven't read Managing your Emotions by Joyce Meyer...you HAVE to! It is absolutely an amazing book. Probably one of the best that I have ever read.
I have learned so much about myself and God's forgiveness, and what I'm capable of doing in the past five days than I have in the past two years. It is truly a life changing adventure.
Recently the Lord has been speaking to me.
And I don't mean a light word here and there.
I mean like sermons!
I have five pages of notes from His talks with me.
It's is truly amazing how much God will tell you if you will just take the time to stop and listen.
God wants to speak to you.
You just have to willing.
Lately He been dealing with me on my depression and gaining eternal peace..
I am not going to confess that I am depressed... but it's true.
And in Joyce Meyer's book she has a whole chapter on "Understanding and Overcoming Depression."
That chapter broke me down. I realized that depression is a choice. We don't have to give into it. We can combat it with the word. We don't have to go down.
Colossians 3:15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful"
This verse is so important because in it we realize something, we are called to peace. We are of a peaceful nature. God has called us to in perfect peace. Not constant discord.
My new favorite verse is Isaiah 26: 3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace his whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock Eternal."
When I read this verse I stopped. I prayed. And I meditated on it.
This verse has become alive inside of me.
Jesus is called the Rock because He has always been solid and stable- always the same, never changing.
Our circumstances may change, people come and go, we ourselves change, but God will never change!
We can have peace and we can live lives that are happy and not depressing.
When the devil sees that his tactics are not working, we realizes he is failing and will be utterly defeated.
The devil is not creative. He uses the same problems and tactics against everyone. If we can learn to combat them, then he will have to choice but to give up and move on to another victim.
When we are depressed, it often seems like we are riding an emotional roller coaster. We seem to go from one extreme to another. But we are to walk in the JOY OF THE LORD, which is defined as a calm delight.
When we think of joy a lot if times we think of it as a feeling. A loud expression. But the Bible defines the Joy of the Lord to be a calm delight. Soothing even.
We may not feel joyful, but we are.
Psalm 3:1-3
"Lord, how are they increases who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are saying of me, there is no help for him... But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."
In life it seems like when one bad thing happens, everything else too falls apart.
And a lot of times that is true, but a lot of times it is just exaggerated.
Our eyes and hearts are downcast because we are looking at the problem, rather than at the Lord.
When we are feeling depressed we need to recognize it, submit it to the Lord, call upon His for His help, then fight that depression in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
If the devil is going to fight against us then we need to fight back!
He may try to bring us down but I know that when he comes to me, I'm not going down easily. In fact, I'm not going down at all! I am going to fight with every fiber in my being.
Anytime that you feel your spirit start to sink down into depression. you need to take action immediately. Don't wait until you have been in the pit for days before you start to do something to lift your spirit.
Genesis 13:14
"...Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, north and south, east and west."
Now is the time!
We must lift up our eyes and wake up!
Sooner or later the Lord will deliver us.
Our victory comes through recognizing that you are being assailed and in knowing what to do to defeat the enemy behind the attack.
THERE IS A CURE FOR DEPRESSION!
We don't have to stay like this forever.
I am not despairing or becoming depressed because my confidence is the Lord, the lifter of my head.
Psalm 143:8-12
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my god; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life, in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant."
David recognized his problem. Submitted it to the Lord. Then he cried out to the Lord, begged for His help. He then fought with his soul. The Holy Spirit gave him the strength to overcome.
That same power lives inside of you.
You can overcome. Just like David did.
Don't give in. Don't give up. Fight the good fight.
Life you life.
Depression isn't a life, it's a distraction from all the wonderful things God has in store for you.
God loves you.
Believe in that.
He loves you.
So much.
I hope that you take this to heart.
Miriam
22 December 2012
17 December 2012
Speak into Being
Only eight more days until Christmas! I can't believe it. It seems like it comes and goes faster year after year.
During this entire Christmas season I have been struggling.
And I mean really struggling.
I have slipped back into some old habits...not very productive ones I'm afraid to say.
But yesterday, as I was struggling with myself, I started talking to one of my friends.
He helped see things in a clearer perspective.
I was telling him what had happened the past few days and what was going on mentally and he had me do something that I've never done before.
I got out two pieces of paper and a pencil.
On the first piece of paper I wrote down ten things that I was thankful for. And on the other piece I wrote down ten things that I was struggling with. After I was done I pinned up the piece of paper with the ten things I was thankful for on my bulletin board. And then I prayed over my list of struggling things and tore it up and threw it away.
Now let me just tell you something, it wasn't a light little prayer saying "thank you Jesus for dieing for me and for loving me. I know that you are handling my life with care...etc."
No. I PRAYED! For fifteen minutes I cried, and beseeched, and sat in stillness, and begged, and declared, and listened.
And I was heard. I told the Lord what I was expecting in my life.
I declared that I was free. That I was whole. That I was loved. That I was worth something. That I was forgiven. That I can forgive. That I am full of joy. That I have power over my emotions.
And it was absolutely amazing.
I felt 100% genuinely better.
I want to ask you a question. When you are going through a hard time what do you do?
Did you know that you have power over your emotions?
God created emotions for a reason. But that reason wasn't so that you could be ruled by them. We were created to rule. And our emotions were not.
Right now I'm reading "Managing your Emotions Instead of Your Emotions Managing You" by Joyce Meyer. AMAZING!
It is by far the best book, besides the Bible, that I have ever read. I highly recommend that you read it.
I'm only on chapter four and I've already learned so much.
For example, today I decided to do something different.
I took out a piece of paper and wrote at the top "Who God is to Me:"
And I started to write out who He is to Me.
This is what it looked like:
"God is wonderful, beautiful, glorious. God is everlasting. He is merciful. He will always forgive me. God loves me. God redeems me. He picks me up when I have fallen. God is my savior, my deliverer. He is forever. He is magnificent and steadfast. God loves me. God died for me. God is my advocate. He is my healer. He will never leave me. He is my constant support. God is my father. He is my peace and my ever-present joy. God is my all in all. I love Him. God is my one true love. I am His. He holds me in His hands. He is my protector."
I could go on and on and on.
I filled up a whole page. And I am going to do this as often as I can.
I am going to speak this every day. I am going to remind myself, my spirit man, who God is to me.
It's good to remind ourselves of that every day.
Another great habit I'm learning is to write out who God is me, and then pray. Pray that over your life. Then wait. Listen for God's voice.
After I've done both those things I find a word. Today it was peace.
I have been in inner turmoil. But not anymore. Earlier this evening I was praying and that word came to my mind. I looked in the back of my Bible and found verses with the word peace in them. One popped out to me.
Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
I read that whole chapter. I was crying by the end of it.
God is our Rock.
He is our eternal.
Why must we always try to fix ourselves?
If we will just trust in him then we can rest in sweet sleep. For the Lord grants sleep to those He loves.
After I read those verses I wrote them out and put them on my wall next to my One Direction poster. Now the first thing I see is that I can have everlasting peace, and then the five faces of my beloveds ;)
I encourage you to try doing what I did today. I'm going to do it everyday. I have finally found a system that speaks to me, that works with my creativity. And God's word.
Find a verse to meditate on. For me right now, it's Isaiah 26:3-4
Whatever verse the Lord drops in your heart, don't lose it. Hold on to it with both hands; tightly! The devil will do whatever he can to try and pry those words away from you. But don't you let him! You are worth more than you think you are. Give yourself more credit than that. The Bible is God's love letter to you and me. Let it speak to you.
I pray that you have an amazing Christmas!!
Love,
Miriam
During this entire Christmas season I have been struggling.
And I mean really struggling.
I have slipped back into some old habits...not very productive ones I'm afraid to say.
But yesterday, as I was struggling with myself, I started talking to one of my friends.
He helped see things in a clearer perspective.
I was telling him what had happened the past few days and what was going on mentally and he had me do something that I've never done before.
I got out two pieces of paper and a pencil.
On the first piece of paper I wrote down ten things that I was thankful for. And on the other piece I wrote down ten things that I was struggling with. After I was done I pinned up the piece of paper with the ten things I was thankful for on my bulletin board. And then I prayed over my list of struggling things and tore it up and threw it away.
Now let me just tell you something, it wasn't a light little prayer saying "thank you Jesus for dieing for me and for loving me. I know that you are handling my life with care...etc."
No. I PRAYED! For fifteen minutes I cried, and beseeched, and sat in stillness, and begged, and declared, and listened.
And I was heard. I told the Lord what I was expecting in my life.
I declared that I was free. That I was whole. That I was loved. That I was worth something. That I was forgiven. That I can forgive. That I am full of joy. That I have power over my emotions.
And it was absolutely amazing.
I felt 100% genuinely better.
I want to ask you a question. When you are going through a hard time what do you do?
Did you know that you have power over your emotions?
God created emotions for a reason. But that reason wasn't so that you could be ruled by them. We were created to rule. And our emotions were not.
Right now I'm reading "Managing your Emotions Instead of Your Emotions Managing You" by Joyce Meyer. AMAZING!
It is by far the best book, besides the Bible, that I have ever read. I highly recommend that you read it.
I'm only on chapter four and I've already learned so much.
For example, today I decided to do something different.
I took out a piece of paper and wrote at the top "Who God is to Me:"
And I started to write out who He is to Me.
This is what it looked like:
"God is wonderful, beautiful, glorious. God is everlasting. He is merciful. He will always forgive me. God loves me. God redeems me. He picks me up when I have fallen. God is my savior, my deliverer. He is forever. He is magnificent and steadfast. God loves me. God died for me. God is my advocate. He is my healer. He will never leave me. He is my constant support. God is my father. He is my peace and my ever-present joy. God is my all in all. I love Him. God is my one true love. I am His. He holds me in His hands. He is my protector."
I could go on and on and on.
I filled up a whole page. And I am going to do this as often as I can.
I am going to speak this every day. I am going to remind myself, my spirit man, who God is to me.
It's good to remind ourselves of that every day.
Another great habit I'm learning is to write out who God is me, and then pray. Pray that over your life. Then wait. Listen for God's voice.
After I've done both those things I find a word. Today it was peace.
I have been in inner turmoil. But not anymore. Earlier this evening I was praying and that word came to my mind. I looked in the back of my Bible and found verses with the word peace in them. One popped out to me.
Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
I read that whole chapter. I was crying by the end of it.
God is our Rock.
He is our eternal.
Why must we always try to fix ourselves?
If we will just trust in him then we can rest in sweet sleep. For the Lord grants sleep to those He loves.
After I read those verses I wrote them out and put them on my wall next to my One Direction poster. Now the first thing I see is that I can have everlasting peace, and then the five faces of my beloveds ;)
I encourage you to try doing what I did today. I'm going to do it everyday. I have finally found a system that speaks to me, that works with my creativity. And God's word.
Find a verse to meditate on. For me right now, it's Isaiah 26:3-4
Whatever verse the Lord drops in your heart, don't lose it. Hold on to it with both hands; tightly! The devil will do whatever he can to try and pry those words away from you. But don't you let him! You are worth more than you think you are. Give yourself more credit than that. The Bible is God's love letter to you and me. Let it speak to you.
I pray that you have an amazing Christmas!!
Love,
Miriam
20 November 2012
Confessions
I felt bad about yesterday's post so I'm gonna try to do a little better today.
I was having a very emotional day.
A lot of drama has happened in my life this past month, that's why you haven't seen a lot of me. Sorry about that guys. I'll try to be more consistent.
Today I'm going to talk about your own personal confessions.
Once a week I go out with a lovely lady that is on staff at my youth group.
I absolutely love her!
She is beautiful, super nice, a great woman of God, and amazingly wise.
Needless to say I am overjoyed to have her in my life. She is my role model.
One thing she has taught me is the importance of speaking the Word over your life.
Speaking into being what you want to happen in your life.
Who you want to be.
Who God wants you to be, more specifically.
What she has had me do is make a list.
A list of scriptures to speak over my life.
Every morning I speak these over myself.
I say the scripture and then speak it as a confession.
Here's my list:
Psalm 86:4
"Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you."
Confession- Bring joy to me Lord, for my trust is in you.
Acts 2:28
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."
Confession- You have shown me the ways of life and I will be full of joy in your presence.
1John 4:11
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Confession- I will love others because God first loved me.
Psalm 119: 76
"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant."
Confession- Your everlasting love will be my comfort because of your promise to me.
Romans 5: 3-4
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope."
Confession- I rejoice in my sufferings because I know that they produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope.
Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord."
Confession- There is no weapon or evil plan the devil can, could, or will create that will prosper in my life. God's presence and anointing destroys everything that could come against me.
2 Corinthians 10:5
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Confession- I cast down every thought, imagination, or desire that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:13
"Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."
Confession- God has delivered me from the powers of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of His Son.
So that's my confession list!
I encourage you to make your own list.
Feel free to use mine as well. Add verses, take some away. Make it apply to your life.
And have fun with it!
When you're done stick it in a paper holder and put it in your shower. That way you won't forget to say them every day.
I hope that you enjoyed reading through my confessions.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
I'll catch up with y'all afterwards!
All my love,
Miriam
I was having a very emotional day.
A lot of drama has happened in my life this past month, that's why you haven't seen a lot of me. Sorry about that guys. I'll try to be more consistent.
Today I'm going to talk about your own personal confessions.
Once a week I go out with a lovely lady that is on staff at my youth group.
I absolutely love her!
She is beautiful, super nice, a great woman of God, and amazingly wise.
Needless to say I am overjoyed to have her in my life. She is my role model.
One thing she has taught me is the importance of speaking the Word over your life.
Speaking into being what you want to happen in your life.
Who you want to be.
Who God wants you to be, more specifically.
What she has had me do is make a list.
A list of scriptures to speak over my life.
Every morning I speak these over myself.
I say the scripture and then speak it as a confession.
Here's my list:
Psalm 86:4
"Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you."
Confession- Bring joy to me Lord, for my trust is in you.
Acts 2:28
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."
Confession- You have shown me the ways of life and I will be full of joy in your presence.
1John 4:11
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Confession- I will love others because God first loved me.
Psalm 119: 76
"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant."
Confession- Your everlasting love will be my comfort because of your promise to me.
Romans 5: 3-4
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope."
Confession- I rejoice in my sufferings because I know that they produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope.
Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord."
Confession- There is no weapon or evil plan the devil can, could, or will create that will prosper in my life. God's presence and anointing destroys everything that could come against me.
2 Corinthians 10:5
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Confession- I cast down every thought, imagination, or desire that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:13
"Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."
Confession- God has delivered me from the powers of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of His Son.
So that's my confession list!
I encourage you to make your own list.
Feel free to use mine as well. Add verses, take some away. Make it apply to your life.
And have fun with it!
When you're done stick it in a paper holder and put it in your shower. That way you won't forget to say them every day.
I hope that you enjoyed reading through my confessions.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
I'll catch up with y'all afterwards!
All my love,
Miriam
19 November 2012
A Ramble For You...
Hello there!
I'm glad that you've decided to come back and read my blog after that One Direction post. I was a little scared that I had lost you there for a second. I always knew you'd come back. We have a great relationship, you and I. One that most people don't have. A connection of sorts. Something funny.
Anyways, want to know what I've been up to?
Quite a lot actually!
I got accepted to go to Oral Roberts University, ORU, three weeks ago. And last week I got accepted into the Anne Vaughn School of Nursing. So happy about that.
I am in the Christmas Illustrated Sermon at my church. We have practice every week until our performance. I'm a towns person, like usual. It's a great way to spend my weekend and to tell people about Christ.
I'm on Thanksgiving break!! It could not have come sooner this year. And while I wish I was in Michigan with my extended family this year, I am grateful that I get to be with my family here. No matter how uncooperative or selfish they can be.
I'm pretty sure that I re sprained my knee. And I think I pulled a ligament in my hand. Very painful stuff.
Enough about me. How are you?
Let's talk about us. Ya know, the relationship between me and you.
I am very grateful that you have followed my blog. That you have taken enough of an interest in my life and what I have to say to spend some very precious minutes of your day to read about mine.
That really means a lot to me and I don't take it for granted.
The past few weeks have been really tough for me. Let's just say this week hasn't been my forte. That's my excuse for this really long ramble. I'm sorry. That's all I have to say to you.
Remember, stay beautiful!
Confusedly,
Your very tired author....
I'm glad that you've decided to come back and read my blog after that One Direction post. I was a little scared that I had lost you there for a second. I always knew you'd come back. We have a great relationship, you and I. One that most people don't have. A connection of sorts. Something funny.
Anyways, want to know what I've been up to?
Quite a lot actually!
I got accepted to go to Oral Roberts University, ORU, three weeks ago. And last week I got accepted into the Anne Vaughn School of Nursing. So happy about that.
I am in the Christmas Illustrated Sermon at my church. We have practice every week until our performance. I'm a towns person, like usual. It's a great way to spend my weekend and to tell people about Christ.
I'm on Thanksgiving break!! It could not have come sooner this year. And while I wish I was in Michigan with my extended family this year, I am grateful that I get to be with my family here. No matter how uncooperative or selfish they can be.
I'm pretty sure that I re sprained my knee. And I think I pulled a ligament in my hand. Very painful stuff.
Enough about me. How are you?
Let's talk about us. Ya know, the relationship between me and you.
I am very grateful that you have followed my blog. That you have taken enough of an interest in my life and what I have to say to spend some very precious minutes of your day to read about mine.
That really means a lot to me and I don't take it for granted.
The past few weeks have been really tough for me. Let's just say this week hasn't been my forte. That's my excuse for this really long ramble. I'm sorry. That's all I have to say to you.
Remember, stay beautiful!
Confusedly,
Your very tired author....
01 November 2012
Purple Nerves and Purple Tattoos
PURPLE
I don't know why but purple to me is just the best color ever!
You may even say that I have an obsession... but just a little one.
Ya know, I have purple socks, jewelry, clothes, nail polish, clothes, shoes, phone cases, ipod cases, stuft animals, blankets, pillows, my walls used to be purple, eye shadow, cups and dishware, utensil cases, scrapbooks and journels, makeup bags, ribbons, sharpies, pens and pencils, erasers, and belts...okay. It's a huge obesssion!
I even found a store called "Primary Purple" in San Antonio, Texas.
Let me tell you, that store made my entire trip worth it. Even without the ocean, river rides, and excessive shopping, that store made it worthwhile!
How the color purple affects us physically:
- it uplifts us
- calms the nerve and mind
- offers a sense of spirituality
- encourages creativity
It's a pretty stellar color if it can invoke all of these things.
While I was the "Primarily Purple" store, I happened upon this really cool poster that I had to buy! Here's what it says:
Purple Profile
Purple Profile
You are a purple person if:
You are imaginative, sensitive, artistic and sophisticated.
You have noble ideals and a keep appreciation of the cultural.
You are alert, demanding, foresighted, confident, resourceful, spontaneous and highly independent.
You take delight in the beautiful, the gracious, the sensitive, but maintain an attitude of critical appraisal.
In love you seek to attain a magical quality and refuse to settle for anything less.
You refuse to be "swept-off you feet" unless genuineness and integrity can be absolutely ascertained.
You are active in the support of things you believe in, and are concerned with the pursuit of truth and other human values.
You take chances and believe that you must do so to make the most of what life has to offer.
Purple is an exclusive color, mystical in quality, blending the two extremes of the spectrum, red & blue.
Traditionally, purple represents splendor, dignity, royalty, rank & wealth.
Purple is a unique color, and it is truly a unique individual who holds is dear.
Purple is a color often well liked by very creative or eccentric types and is the favorite color of adolescent girls.
In Christianity, Purple is the color of "pride."
In the United States, a state with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats is known as a "purple state."
Purple stones- Amethyst, Ametrine, Sugilite, Lavender Jade, Selenite, Iolite, and Lavender Quartz.
An English, Jenny Joseph, wrote a poem titled "Warning." It's opening line begins, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple..."
Here is the poem below.
WARNING
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
As you can see, the color purple is a very special color. It is loved by many and seen by all.
I don't know why I'm so obsessed with this color.
Maybe it is scientifically proven that girls love this color, I don't know. All I know is that this color is unique. And only a unique and special person can truly embrace all that purple holds dear.
I hope that you enjoyed learning about this majestic color.
In the days to come evaluate yourself. Decide which color embodies you.
It's something fun to do.
Have a great weekend guys!
Yours truly,
27 October 2012
OneD!
It is time.
Today I am going to talk about music. And my musical obsessions.
I promise that this is the last time I will ever dedicate an entire post to this subject.
Today I'm gonna talk about
One Direction.
Well, not really talk about them, just kind of post some pictures and fawn over them.
I sincerely apologize and I don't blame you if you stop reading my blog from now on. Honestly I probably shouldn't have even done this but I couldn't stop thinking about this post until I had put it up here.
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik.
American and British heartthrobs!
I just love them so much! <3
They were all on X-factor last year when Simon Cowell put them all together as a group after they auditioned as seperate vocalists.
Thank God he did!
Last picture of them!
So cute and adorable :)
I hope that you guys have a great day today! And always remember, One Direction loves you!
And so do I!
I am a true Directioner!!!!
<3
Today I am going to talk about music. And my musical obsessions.
I promise that this is the last time I will ever dedicate an entire post to this subject.
Today I'm gonna talk about
One Direction.Well, not really talk about them, just kind of post some pictures and fawn over them.
I sincerely apologize and I don't blame you if you stop reading my blog from now on. Honestly I probably shouldn't have even done this but I couldn't stop thinking about this post until I had put it up here.
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik.
American and British heartthrobs!
I just love them so much! <3
They were all on X-factor last year when Simon Cowell put them all together as a group after they auditioned as seperate vocalists.
Thank God he did!
Last picture of them!
So cute and adorable :)
I hope that you guys have a great day today! And always remember, One Direction loves you!
And so do I!
I am a true Directioner!!!!
<3
14 October 2012
Get to Know Me!
I don't really know what to say today.
You may be asking, why even bother to blog if you don't know what you're gonna talk about?
Well, I'm kind of asking myself that same question right now too.
But I'm gonna keep on trucking.
I guess that today I'm gonna let you get to know me a little better.
I'm gonna do a part 2 of "If you Really Knew Me You'd Know..." post.
I know, it's kind of a cop out to thinking up a new idea to talk about.
But I'm really tired today and I haven't had the best morning.
Scratch that. I've had a terrible morning.
If you really knew me you'd know...
Remember to take some time out for yourself and to take a nap. It's worth it. Promise me.
See ya later y'all!
Your tired and content author.
You may be asking, why even bother to blog if you don't know what you're gonna talk about?
Well, I'm kind of asking myself that same question right now too.
But I'm gonna keep on trucking.
I guess that today I'm gonna let you get to know me a little better.
I'm gonna do a part 2 of "If you Really Knew Me You'd Know..." post.
I know, it's kind of a cop out to thinking up a new idea to talk about.
But I'm really tired today and I haven't had the best morning.
Scratch that. I've had a terrible morning.
If you really knew me you'd know...
- This year in school I'm studying Greek and Roman Mythology. And it's killing me! I thought that history and government were boring...this literally puts me to sleep every day. I get a daily nap time when mythology rolls around.
- I am a One Direction fanatic! Today when I sat down to blog I started this post as a One Direction post. But then I though that I would lose too many followers if I did a sole post on them. So sometime next week I'm gonna have a post on them and Justin Bieber. :) Anyways, One Direction. Aaahhh! I watched them perform on tv and on youtube and started crying. SO amazing. My favorite is Niall Horan. And Zayn Malik is close second. <3
- I'm a Senior in high school this year. And honestly, I'm terrified. I've had two graduation planning meetings so far. Everyone is talking to me about college. I get daily emails. I get weekly phone calls from the colleges that I've applied for. I made my transcript and my resume. I don't want to grow up so fast. My whole life I've been waiting for this year...and now that it's here I don't really want it to be. I kind of just want to go back to middle school, if you know what I mean.
- I'm going to Nashville, Tennessee this week! I leave on Wednesday. I'm going to work with the 99. An organization that my church started a few years back. I'm so excited! The star of country music! Speaking of which...
- I am a country music freak! I am listening to it almost all day every day. I play it on the guitar and the piano. And next month, the day before Thanksgiving, I'm going to a Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes concert!! So excited!
- I'm a nanny. And yes, I do get paid. I nanny two kids, ages of 9 and 11. Joshua and Avery. They are two of the sweetest kids I've ever met. Every Wednesday and Thursday I am with them. They are home schooled, just like me! So I teach them on those days. We do weekly crafts and bake stuff too. It's a really fun job. :)
- Dating in high school...not worth it. Trust me. I've had experience and it only ends with a broken heart. All relationships do unless it ends with a marriage. And this heartbreak is really painful...
- I went to the Nightmare last night. A freaky walk-through experience that tells the story of Jesus and what hell is kind of like. I was thoroughly frightened. It took me a while to fall asleep last night.
Remember to take some time out for yourself and to take a nap. It's worth it. Promise me.
See ya later y'all!
Your tired and content author.
12 October 2012
Don't Lose Your Sanity!
This evening has been an adventure in and of itself.
I have been watching all of my younger siblings, five of them to be exact. And if I'm being truly truthful...four of them aren't really my siblings. Just cousins that are temporarily living with us, but I consider them my siblings because I just love them that much!
Anyways, there are five of them.
13, 11, 8, 6, and 2 years old.
That's a lot of kids.
And a lot of different ages to contend with.
To make happy.
To keep calm.
To keep order and sanity in this house.
To be perfectly honest again, I'm just barely keeping my sanity every day.
Especially right now.
Like I said.
Five kids.
And just me.
A 17 year old who needs to learn how to manage her stress better.
An adventure to be sure!
So far my evening has consisted of lasagna.
Children.
Children covered in lasagna.
Children covered in Popsicle drippings.
Tears.
A broken washer.
Burning candles and open doors.
Lots of yelling and laughing.
And plenty of memorable events.
My life is a constant roller coaster!
I said before that I need to learn how to manage my stress better. Because when you have seven people living in a three bedroom house that a person capacity of four people....you're gonna have some stress! And me and my mom are experts at it. Trust me. Come live in my house for a week and you'll have a new meaning for the words multi-tasking, mom, stress, love, and sanity.
As of right now you probably don't know where this post is going. And that's okay because neither do I!
One thing I've learned in the past four months is that you just have to roll with the punches! Take it as they come. Take one day at a time. Or, as in my case, one hour at a time. Sometimes it's the only way to keep your on head on straight.
This past week in my Theology class we studied the book of Ezekiel. I have to admit, it's not my favorite book in the Bible. But I learned something new that I hadn't really looked at before.
It's amazing what you'll find in the Bible when you actually take to the time to open it and study what God is trying to say to us. :)
Ezekiel 37 is about the Valley of Dry Bones. Now that sounds a little dreary. But stick with me. It gets better.
Ezekiel 37: 1-12
"The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel."
I read this and had to stop.
God told Ezekiel to prophesy over those dead bones. He told him to speak life into them. To tell them what they were to become!
God had given Ezekiel power. He told him to prophesy over Israel.
Israel had a pattern.
They were a rebellious nation.
Years and years of correction, discipline, mistakes, and learning; and the Israelites were still in rebellion!
God had been chasing them all over. Calling to them with a hurt and loving voice. But Israel still rebelled. Never learning.
Finally, God had unleashed His wrath upon His chosen people. The country of Babylon came and took over Israel and took the Israelites into captivity.
They thought that their life was over.
But God had other plans.
He told Ezekiel to prophesy over them just as he did over the dead and dried up bones.
Ezekiel told the Israelites the promises of God and breathed life back into their dying hope.
God wants to do the same with you!
We are those dead and dried up bones.
Just like Ezekiel, we have to speak life into our bodes!
We must declare what we want God to do in our lives. We must take control of our situation and then give them over to God. For only He can truly breathe life back into us.
Trust in Him!
He will never leave you or forsake you.
I don't really know what this has to do with the beginning of my post...
I don't really think it even ties in.
Oh well!
That passage of scripture has been on my heart for the past week or so and I thought that I'd share that with y'all.
I hope that you enjoyed learning about my hectic life. And I also hope that you learned something out of Ezekiel's story today.
Have a great evening! I pray that yours isn't at crazy as mine. And remember, always keep your sanity...don't take after me. I'm pretty sure I lost mine like ten posts ago!
Crazily,
Speak to your bones!
I have been watching all of my younger siblings, five of them to be exact. And if I'm being truly truthful...four of them aren't really my siblings. Just cousins that are temporarily living with us, but I consider them my siblings because I just love them that much!
Anyways, there are five of them.
13, 11, 8, 6, and 2 years old.
That's a lot of kids.
And a lot of different ages to contend with.
To make happy.
To keep calm.
To keep order and sanity in this house.
To be perfectly honest again, I'm just barely keeping my sanity every day.
Especially right now.
Like I said.
Five kids.
And just me.
A 17 year old who needs to learn how to manage her stress better.
An adventure to be sure!
So far my evening has consisted of lasagna.
Children.
Children covered in lasagna.
Children covered in Popsicle drippings.
Tears.
A broken washer.
Burning candles and open doors.
Lots of yelling and laughing.
And plenty of memorable events.
My life is a constant roller coaster!
I said before that I need to learn how to manage my stress better. Because when you have seven people living in a three bedroom house that a person capacity of four people....you're gonna have some stress! And me and my mom are experts at it. Trust me. Come live in my house for a week and you'll have a new meaning for the words multi-tasking, mom, stress, love, and sanity.
As of right now you probably don't know where this post is going. And that's okay because neither do I!
One thing I've learned in the past four months is that you just have to roll with the punches! Take it as they come. Take one day at a time. Or, as in my case, one hour at a time. Sometimes it's the only way to keep your on head on straight.
This past week in my Theology class we studied the book of Ezekiel. I have to admit, it's not my favorite book in the Bible. But I learned something new that I hadn't really looked at before.
It's amazing what you'll find in the Bible when you actually take to the time to open it and study what God is trying to say to us. :)
Ezekiel 37 is about the Valley of Dry Bones. Now that sounds a little dreary. But stick with me. It gets better.
Ezekiel 37: 1-12
"The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel."
I read this and had to stop.
God told Ezekiel to prophesy over those dead bones. He told him to speak life into them. To tell them what they were to become!
God had given Ezekiel power. He told him to prophesy over Israel.
Israel had a pattern.
They were a rebellious nation.
Years and years of correction, discipline, mistakes, and learning; and the Israelites were still in rebellion!
God had been chasing them all over. Calling to them with a hurt and loving voice. But Israel still rebelled. Never learning.
Finally, God had unleashed His wrath upon His chosen people. The country of Babylon came and took over Israel and took the Israelites into captivity.
They thought that their life was over.
But God had other plans.
He told Ezekiel to prophesy over them just as he did over the dead and dried up bones.
Ezekiel told the Israelites the promises of God and breathed life back into their dying hope.
God wants to do the same with you!
We are those dead and dried up bones.
Just like Ezekiel, we have to speak life into our bodes!
We must declare what we want God to do in our lives. We must take control of our situation and then give them over to God. For only He can truly breathe life back into us.
Trust in Him!
He will never leave you or forsake you.
I don't really know what this has to do with the beginning of my post...
I don't really think it even ties in.
Oh well!
That passage of scripture has been on my heart for the past week or so and I thought that I'd share that with y'all.
I hope that you enjoyed learning about my hectic life. And I also hope that you learned something out of Ezekiel's story today.
Have a great evening! I pray that yours isn't at crazy as mine. And remember, always keep your sanity...don't take after me. I'm pretty sure I lost mine like ten posts ago!
Crazily,
Speak to your bones!
11 October 2012
Yellow Veins and Lollipops
We are getting so close to talking about the best color ever created!
PURPLE!
But it's not time for that yet.
Now it's time for the color Yellow.
Such a pretty, bright, sunshiny color.
But before I go into our new color, let's recap what we've learned so far.
Pink- the embodiment on the woman.
Orange- energy and youthfulness.
Green- it represents stability.
Blue- trust and responsibility.
Now let's learn what Yellow means.
Whoa!
I love writing these posts because I learn so much about the different colors of the rainbow.
It's amazing how much a color affect every aspect of our lives.
Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness.
Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future.
Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts.
Another weird fact about yellow is that is the representation of "Greed" in Christianity.
I never would have thought of that one!
In many countries yellow symbolizes liberalism.
Might want to be a little more careful where you wear your yellow shirts from now on.
In the visible color spectrum yellow is the happiest color!
And no wonder! It's so bright and cheerful. So light and fluffy. Such a pretty and fun color.
Last random fact, and possibly the weirdest, 75% of the pencils sold in the United States are yellow.
This song jumped into my mind the second I sat down to start blogging this evening.
I know it's an oldy, but it's a goldy!
I hope you enjoyed it! :)
The color yellow is just one more thing that we have to be thankful for. God knew exactly what He was doing when He created the earth. Just consider how boring and bland life would be without color! I pity dogs and people who are color blind. Only black and white for them. And sometimes red too. But still, God created color for a reason. For us to be able to enjoy it!
I hope that you are enjoying the rainbow to the best of your abilities.
Love you guys!
Colorfully,
Little Miss Sunshine
PURPLE!
But it's not time for that yet.
Now it's time for the color Yellow.
Such a pretty, bright, sunshiny color.
But before I go into our new color, let's recap what we've learned so far.
Pink- the embodiment on the woman.
Orange- energy and youthfulness.
Green- it represents stability.
Blue- trust and responsibility.
Now let's learn what Yellow means.
Yellow
Yellow is sunshine!
It's a warm color -like the color red- but it also has conflicting meaning.
Yellow denotes happiness and joy, but it also symbolizes cowardice and deceit.
It is a bright color that is cheerful and warm.
Random fact-it is the most stressful color to the eye because of the high amount of light that it reflects. That's why you can't look directly at the sun.
Yellow can also create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. Babies also tend to cry more in yellow rooms than others.
Funny fact, yellow actually increases your metabolism. Maybe that's why McDonalds arch is yellow.
Since yellow is the most visible color it is the best attention grabber. So next time you're planning on throwing a fundraiser, try using the color yellow in your color scheme.
Now I'm going to ask you a few questions about this fantastic color.
1. How does the color yellow make you feel?
2. Do you associate yellow with certain qualities or situations?
So this is what the color Yellow does to us physically!
- Stimulates mental processes
- Stimulates the nervous system
- Activates memory
- Encourages communication
Whoa!
I love writing these posts because I learn so much about the different colors of the rainbow.
It's amazing how much a color affect every aspect of our lives.
Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness.
Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future.
Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts.
Another weird fact about yellow is that is the representation of "Greed" in Christianity.
I never would have thought of that one!
In many countries yellow symbolizes liberalism.
Might want to be a little more careful where you wear your yellow shirts from now on.
In the visible color spectrum yellow is the happiest color!
And no wonder! It's so bright and cheerful. So light and fluffy. Such a pretty and fun color.
Last random fact, and possibly the weirdest, 75% of the pencils sold in the United States are yellow.
This song jumped into my mind the second I sat down to start blogging this evening.
I know it's an oldy, but it's a goldy!
I hope you enjoyed it! :)
The color yellow is just one more thing that we have to be thankful for. God knew exactly what He was doing when He created the earth. Just consider how boring and bland life would be without color! I pity dogs and people who are color blind. Only black and white for them. And sometimes red too. But still, God created color for a reason. For us to be able to enjoy it!
I hope that you are enjoying the rainbow to the best of your abilities.
Love you guys!
Colorfully,
Little Miss Sunshine
05 October 2012
I Love Country Music
I love country music.
You can't live in Oklahoma and not love country music.
I know that a lot of people who live here say they don't like it, well let me tell you something....they do.
Deep down in their heart.
When a certain Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney song comes on, they get going on.
Their is just something about Country music that is inspiring.
It makes you feel lazy.
Laidback.
Sad.
Happy.
Content.
Depressed.
Excited.
Most of all, it makes you feel like a redneck.
And that's why I love it so much.
Here's one of my favorite country songs ever.
Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss."
Trippy huh?
OKLAHOMA!!!!!
In case you haven't noticed, I kind of really love my state.
Like, a lot.
This song is amazing.
The lead singer of this band, Ronnie Dunn, was my dad's best friend's uncle.
So cool!
I don't know how else to convince you if you don't like country music.
I guess the only cure is to listen to it until you start to like it.
If I were to be completely honest with you I would have to say that I haven't always been a country music fan....
My dad was the one who got me hooked on it.
I am so glad that he did!
I'm gonna leave you with one more song.
You can't live in Oklahoma and not love country music.
I know that a lot of people who live here say they don't like it, well let me tell you something....they do.
Deep down in their heart.
When a certain Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney song comes on, they get going on.
Their is just something about Country music that is inspiring.
It makes you feel lazy.
Laidback.
Sad.
Happy.
Content.
Depressed.
Excited.
Most of all, it makes you feel like a redneck.
And that's why I love it so much.
Here's one of my favorite country songs ever.
Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss."
Such a great song!
Another really great song is Luke Bryan's song "Drunk on You."
AMAZING!
Luke Bryan is an angel. So beautiful. So country.
Oklahoma is the proud state of country.
A lot of country artists are actually from Oklahoma.Trippy huh?
OKLAHOMA!!!!!
In case you haven't noticed, I kind of really love my state.
Like, a lot.
This song is amazing.
The lead singer of this band, Ronnie Dunn, was my dad's best friend's uncle.
So cool!
I don't know how else to convince you if you don't like country music.
I guess the only cure is to listen to it until you start to like it.
If I were to be completely honest with you I would have to say that I haven't always been a country music fan....
My dad was the one who got me hooked on it.
I am so glad that he did!
I'm gonna leave you with one more song.
This song is soooo good!
I bought it on itunes the week it came out.
I bought it on itunes the week it came out.
If this song doesn't convince you then I don't know what will.
I hope that you guys have a great evening.
And remember, drink lots of hot chocolate and sit by lots of fires this fall.
Love you all!
Miriam
23 September 2012
Changing of the Seasons
Fall is in full swing.
The leaves are starting to change colors, the air is crisp and cold, candles are making their big debut on mantle pieces, boots are back in fashion, and coffee is number one.
All the way it should be.
If you don't already know, fall is my favorite season. I did a whole post on it a month ago.
As I'm writing right now I'm drinking a cinnamon french vanilla coffee, while my snow apple mint candle is burning silently next to me, and Jazz music is softly playing in the background.
Can't you just feel the mood with me?
Perfection at its finest.
Friday afternoon me and my best friend, Lexie, died my hair.
I guess you might say that we were feeling sporadic.
The changing of the seasons does that to you.
We gave myself an Ombre.
Soooo cute!!!
I absolutely love it!
For some reason it's making me feel even more in the Fall spirit than normal.
Something tragic has happened in my church.
I am not going to go into any details whatsoever because it's too painful, and I don't really want everyone knowing everything that has happened.
Basically, sexual abusement happened and wasn't reported until a week and a half after it happened. And then it was just super complicated.
Now, five workers at my church have been suspended. And four of them are youth workers. And two of those youth workers are our youth pastors. And the other two, the girl is my role model and counselor, and the other one plays a huge role in my youth group. Acting like a fatherly figure to most of the girls there.
Let's just say that the past two weeks have been excruciatingly painful.
I know that the truth always comes out. And I know that what the devil intended for evil God has meant for good. But when your in the moment, it's hard to actually believe that.
I have cried so many tears. I don't know how it's humanly possible for someone to cry as much as I have the past week.
I know that God is collecting all my tears in a bottle. He holds the whole world in His hands. He loves us so much! Unfathomably!
This situation has strengthened my relationship with God so much. I've just had to give it all to Him. Rely that He knows exactly what He is doing. I can only see what's going on right in front of me. He sees the whole picture of all eternity.
With time, God will heal of our broken hearts and fix this church.
Until then, all that we can do is trust solely on God and meditate on His word.
I will say this though, because of all that has happened, our youth group has turned into a real family.
#WeAreFamily
The leaves are starting to change colors, the air is crisp and cold, candles are making their big debut on mantle pieces, boots are back in fashion, and coffee is number one.
All the way it should be.
If you don't already know, fall is my favorite season. I did a whole post on it a month ago.
As I'm writing right now I'm drinking a cinnamon french vanilla coffee, while my snow apple mint candle is burning silently next to me, and Jazz music is softly playing in the background.
Can't you just feel the mood with me?
Perfection at its finest.
Friday afternoon me and my best friend, Lexie, died my hair.
I guess you might say that we were feeling sporadic.
The changing of the seasons does that to you.
We gave myself an Ombre.
Soooo cute!!!
I absolutely love it!
For some reason it's making me feel even more in the Fall spirit than normal.
Something tragic has happened in my church.
I am not going to go into any details whatsoever because it's too painful, and I don't really want everyone knowing everything that has happened.
Basically, sexual abusement happened and wasn't reported until a week and a half after it happened. And then it was just super complicated.
Now, five workers at my church have been suspended. And four of them are youth workers. And two of those youth workers are our youth pastors. And the other two, the girl is my role model and counselor, and the other one plays a huge role in my youth group. Acting like a fatherly figure to most of the girls there.
Let's just say that the past two weeks have been excruciatingly painful.
I know that the truth always comes out. And I know that what the devil intended for evil God has meant for good. But when your in the moment, it's hard to actually believe that.
I have cried so many tears. I don't know how it's humanly possible for someone to cry as much as I have the past week.
I know that God is collecting all my tears in a bottle. He holds the whole world in His hands. He loves us so much! Unfathomably!
This situation has strengthened my relationship with God so much. I've just had to give it all to Him. Rely that He knows exactly what He is doing. I can only see what's going on right in front of me. He sees the whole picture of all eternity.
With time, God will heal of our broken hearts and fix this church.
Until then, all that we can do is trust solely on God and meditate on His word.
I will say this though, because of all that has happened, our youth group has turned into a real family.
#WeAreFamily
04 September 2012
Intro.
I realized something here.
I like to blog in series.
Weird I know!
Today I want to start a new series.
One a little bit more in depth than the color series. But one that is just as fun. In a whole new way.
The title of this:
NOT A FAN
I'll explain this a little bit later.
About a week and a half ago I got a package in the mail. I wasn't expecting a package so I was really interested in who would be sending me one and what was in it.
As I looked at it I saw that it was from my uncle in California. Mark. The one in the Marines.
By this point I was super excited because he doesn't send packages.
I opened it and inside was a book and a DVD. Both titled "not a fan."
I was surprised.
I wasn't expecting this gift.
And I certainly wasn't expecting this gift to be a book.
When I read the back of the book I was even more shocked.
This book was talking exactly about what our church's theme is for the month of September.
So this is what my new series is about.
I shouldn't really call it a series. I feel like a pastor or something when I say that. And I'm pretty sure I'm not a preacher or anything. I'm just very passionate about my faith and my God. As I should be.
The goal of this new sequence of posts is this:
Becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus.
Simple.
Captivating.
Challenging.
Fulfilling.
So here's how this goes. Basically I'm going to write a post per chapter in this book.
Chapter 1.
Under "religious views" does your facebook page say "Christ follower"?
Did you dog Harry Potter and rave about Lord of the Rings?
Point is. Many of us are quick to say, "Yes, I'm a follower of Jesus," but I'm not sure we really understand what we are saying.
If you are part of the second group than I don't need to help you figure out if your in it or not. It's pretty self-explanatory.
If your in this group than you probably think like this: "It doesn't bother me that my friends and family have a Jesus sticker on the back of their car, but why? "
It doesn't bother you that people follow Jesus. It's cool, but not your thing. You don't really care. If that's what they like, okay. Just don't try to make me like it.
But...what if?
Put your life on pause for a moment and ask yourself this question, what if all of life comes down to this one question? What if there really is a heaven and there really is a hell, and where I spend eternity comes down to this one question?
To you, this may sound completely ridiculous. But to others you may be considering this a minute possibility. Isn't it worth at least thinking through this question?
I believe that the reason we were put on this earth is to answer this one question. And the truth is, whether or not we do so consciously or intentionally, we all answer this question.
First things first! I'm not here to "sell" Jesus. He's not for sale. And if He was, no amount of money, or good works could even measure up to a hair follicle of how much He is.
My goal here is help you. And to help myself.
That's all.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
I hoped that little tidbit helped you in some way, shape, or form.
Know that I love you guys!
Lovingly,
Miriam <3
I like to blog in series.
Weird I know!
Today I want to start a new series.
One a little bit more in depth than the color series. But one that is just as fun. In a whole new way.
The title of this:
NOT A FAN
I'll explain this a little bit later.
About a week and a half ago I got a package in the mail. I wasn't expecting a package so I was really interested in who would be sending me one and what was in it.
As I looked at it I saw that it was from my uncle in California. Mark. The one in the Marines.
By this point I was super excited because he doesn't send packages.
I opened it and inside was a book and a DVD. Both titled "not a fan."
I was surprised.
I wasn't expecting this gift.
And I certainly wasn't expecting this gift to be a book.
When I read the back of the book I was even more shocked.
This book was talking exactly about what our church's theme is for the month of September.
So this is what my new series is about.
I shouldn't really call it a series. I feel like a pastor or something when I say that. And I'm pretty sure I'm not a preacher or anything. I'm just very passionate about my faith and my God. As I should be.
The goal of this new sequence of posts is this:
Becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus.
Simple.
Captivating.
Challenging.
Fulfilling.
So here's how this goes. Basically I'm going to write a post per chapter in this book.
Chapter 1.
D.T.R.
Are you a follower of Jesus?
I know that most of you probably didn't really understand or take very much time thinking about that question. So I'm going to ask you again.
Are you a follower of Jesus?
There are normally two groups that people fall into.
1. The "Jesus Fish on the Back of My Car" Group
2. The "Why is their a Fish on the Back of My Friend's Car?" Group.
I'm going to ask you a few questions to help you determine if you're in group 1.
Do you go to church?
Are your parents or grandparents Christians?
Did you raise your hand at the end of a sermon one time?
Are your parents or grandparents Christians?
Did you raise your hand at the end of a sermon one time?
Did you repeat a prayer after a preacher?
Do you own three or more Bibles?
Have you ever appeared in a church directory?
Do you own three or more Bibles?
Have you ever appeared in a church directory?
Did you grow up going to VBS and/or church camp?
Have you ever worn "witness wear"?Under "religious views" does your facebook page say "Christ follower"?
Did you dog Harry Potter and rave about Lord of the Rings?
Point is. Many of us are quick to say, "Yes, I'm a follower of Jesus," but I'm not sure we really understand what we are saying.
If you are part of the second group than I don't need to help you figure out if your in it or not. It's pretty self-explanatory.
If your in this group than you probably think like this: "It doesn't bother me that my friends and family have a Jesus sticker on the back of their car, but why? "
It doesn't bother you that people follow Jesus. It's cool, but not your thing. You don't really care. If that's what they like, okay. Just don't try to make me like it.
But...what if?
Put your life on pause for a moment and ask yourself this question, what if all of life comes down to this one question? What if there really is a heaven and there really is a hell, and where I spend eternity comes down to this one question?
To you, this may sound completely ridiculous. But to others you may be considering this a minute possibility. Isn't it worth at least thinking through this question?
I believe that the reason we were put on this earth is to answer this one question. And the truth is, whether or not we do so consciously or intentionally, we all answer this question.
First things first! I'm not here to "sell" Jesus. He's not for sale. And if He was, no amount of money, or good works could even measure up to a hair follicle of how much He is.
My goal here is help you. And to help myself.
That's all.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
I hoped that little tidbit helped you in some way, shape, or form.
Know that I love you guys!
Lovingly,
Miriam <3
03 September 2012
Pacific Life Whales and Loyal Jackrabbits
Who's ready for a new color perspective??
I AM!!!!!
I just love writing about the rainbow.
Next color is:
I AM!!!!!
I just love writing about the rainbow.
Next color is:
Blue
Blue is the most popular color.
It is the color that most people would say is their favorite color.
It represents that your newborn baby is a boy, and not a girl.
Blue- the pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum; an effect of light
Again, that's the literal meaning.
I don't even know why I bother to give you the literal meaning because I completely disregard it for the rest of the post. I guess it's just kind of a filler. Plus it's just good to know what the color blue really is. In case you already didn't know that.
The color blue connects with nature.
It is a calming color. Just like green.
Both of the colors have a soothing aspect to them.
It is strong.
Steadfast.
Visible.
And forceful.
But it is also light.
Friendly.
Welcoming.
Almost everyone likes some shade of blue.
When I say a natural color, I mean that it is a universal color. A color from the sky.
Its cool, calming effect makes time pass more quickly, and helps you to sleep better.
A great color for bedrooms and houses. But be careful! Because too much blue can dampen one's spirits.
The Blue person:
The color blue embodies trust and responsibility.
It is sincere, reserved, and quiet.
It doesn't like to create a fuss or draw attention to itself.
Blue people hate confrontation and like to do things their own way.
A blue person is reliable and responsible.
They exhibit inner security and confidence.
If you are friends with a blue person, then you can rely on them to do the right thing in difficult times.
Blue people have a need for order and direction in their lives.
Blue is the helper, the rescuer, the friend in need.
A blue person is a giver, not a taker.
They build strong and lasting relationships. They become deeply hurt if that friendship is lost, or that trust broken.
Have you ever seen those 'Pacific Life' commercials?
Ya know, the ones with the big blue whales?
I love those.
The beautiful, crystal clear blue water.
The huge blue whales.
The magnificent blue sky with the rolling white clouds.
It's captivating.
Calming.
I can never look away when those commercials come on.
My eyes are transfixed to the screen.
Just watch this little clip and see what I mean.
See what I mean?
It's amazing!
The color blue is spectacular!
So be a blue person!
Be reliable, responsible.
Be reliable, responsible.
Trustworthy and loyal.
But most of all just be you.
The blue you!
And remember, See the Rainbow, Taste the Rainbow!!!
Loyally,
Pacific Life staff
28 August 2012
Auburn Rainbows
I'm ready for the fall.
The beautiful 70 degrees weather.
Nice breezy days.
The smell of dying leaves and coming winter.
The rainbow that appears in every nook and cranny.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Probably my most favorite thing to do is to walk in the crunchy leaves.
To feel them bend and break under my steady tread.
Hear the pleasant crunch with every single step.
Smell the pleasant aroma of a new season.
I decided something very important about this season.
I have decided that it is now my favourite season.
I have also decided that the most important day of my life is going to take place during this season.
I am going to get married during the fall.
Now mind you I don't plan on getting married for at least a few more years, just thought I'd throw that out there.
But that special day is going to take place during this mystical wonderland we call Autumn.
One of my favourite memories as a child took place during the Fall.
We have a lot of trees in our backyard and all around it too.
About once a week during September, October, and November, me and my little sister would have a chore.
A special chore that you can only do during these crucial months.
Raking leaves.
The actual raking part wasn't that much fun. In fact, I strongly remember complaining about it and getting back pain from doing it so vigorously.
I did it so fast. For one reason and one reason only.
Jumping in the piles!
So much fun!
Me and my little sister would jump and then re-rake. And then jump and then re-rake. We would do it for such a long time.
Our favourite thing to do was to pile the leaves all in one big pile at the bottom of our slide of our playhouse.
Yeah. I know what your thinking.
It was a BLAST!
Huge piles of leaves.
Two little kids with nothing else to think about but the next rush down the slide.
Pure bliss.
And for a moment....everything was perfect.
A great memory.
All of the seasons each bring something important and special.
Autumn brings cooler weather and rainbows.
Auburn rainbows.
Everything always seems a little hazy.
It's a good kind of hazy though.
I never want to get out of the fog that shrouds over this season.
Hazily,
Your very own Acorn counter
The beautiful 70 degrees weather.
Nice breezy days.
The smell of dying leaves and coming winter.
The rainbow that appears in every nook and cranny.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Probably my most favorite thing to do is to walk in the crunchy leaves.
To feel them bend and break under my steady tread.
Hear the pleasant crunch with every single step.
Smell the pleasant aroma of a new season.
I decided something very important about this season.
I have decided that it is now my favourite season.
I have also decided that the most important day of my life is going to take place during this season.
I am going to get married during the fall.
Now mind you I don't plan on getting married for at least a few more years, just thought I'd throw that out there.
But that special day is going to take place during this mystical wonderland we call Autumn.
One of my favourite memories as a child took place during the Fall.
We have a lot of trees in our backyard and all around it too.
About once a week during September, October, and November, me and my little sister would have a chore.
A special chore that you can only do during these crucial months.
Raking leaves.
The actual raking part wasn't that much fun. In fact, I strongly remember complaining about it and getting back pain from doing it so vigorously.
I did it so fast. For one reason and one reason only.
Jumping in the piles!
So much fun!
Me and my little sister would jump and then re-rake. And then jump and then re-rake. We would do it for such a long time.
Our favourite thing to do was to pile the leaves all in one big pile at the bottom of our slide of our playhouse.
Yeah. I know what your thinking.
It was a BLAST!
Huge piles of leaves.
Two little kids with nothing else to think about but the next rush down the slide.
Pure bliss.
And for a moment....everything was perfect.
A great memory.
All of the seasons each bring something important and special.
Autumn brings cooler weather and rainbows.
Auburn rainbows.
Everything always seems a little hazy.
It's a good kind of hazy though.
I never want to get out of the fog that shrouds over this season.
Hazily,
Your very own Acorn counter
27 August 2012
Green Tea and Peppermints
Time for a color change!
If you read the last post than you know exactly.
The color orange just rubs me the wrong way.
Sorry y'all!
While you read this post I want you to listen to this music. So peaceful. Just like the color green. FYI I can actually play this on the piano. :)
The color Green.
So much better than the color orange.
Green was my favorite color for years! And my aunt Liz is obsessed with that color. I can't even imagine a time in the past when her favorite color hasn't been green. It's just never happened!
Green- the color of growing foliage; between yellow and blue in the spectrum
Literal meaning. But we all know that the literal isn't always the most fun!
Green occupies the most space in the spectrum visible to the human eye. It is the second most favorite color next to blue.
It is a pervasive color in the natural world.
It is an ideal backdrop in interior design because we see it EVERYWHERE!
It's true too!
Just try thinking of a building, a room, a place in the city, where you haven't seen the color green somewhere. It's pretty hard. And when you're outside? You can't escape it! The grass. The leaves. Lawn mowers. Hoses. Birds. Trees.
Green is a soothing color.
Refreshing.
Tranquil.
Peaceful.
Natural.
When you go outside a person normally seems to be more in touch with their inner self. More relaxed and normal.
Green is the color of peace and ecology.
Green soothes.
Think of your parents.
When your super stressed or just having a really bad day. Their voices calm you. Their soft caresses, lilting voices, it's soothing.
That's what the color green does.
A natural soother.
Think of it this way, when your having a bad time go outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Sit down next something green. Climb a tree or something.
The color green helps to alleviate depression. Anxiety. Nervousness.
If your feeling nervous, wear green.
I tried it! And it works! If you deck yourself in the color green you will feel less sad and less nervous.
One of the main reasons why this works is because the color green is known worldwide as the color of safety.
It represents mutual trust and stability.
Green is the color of balance, harmony, and growth.
It represents the world.
I bet that you never thought that a color could mean so much. But colors are so much more than just something you see on a piece of paper.
Pink embodies the woman.
Orange means energy and vigor.
Green represents stability.
Each color is alive and beating. (Some more than others >>>orange)
Now that I've educated you in the color green, I'm going to energize and relax you. With a nice recipe for some iced green tea.
Your welcome!
Iced Green Tea
Just click this link and it will lead you to the recipe. Have fun with that!
Hope that you guys have a stupendous week, or days, until I have blog again!
Naturally,
Yours Truly
If you read the last post than you know exactly.
The color orange just rubs me the wrong way.
Sorry y'all!
While you read this post I want you to listen to this music. So peaceful. Just like the color green. FYI I can actually play this on the piano. :)
Green
The color Green.
So much better than the color orange.
Green was my favorite color for years! And my aunt Liz is obsessed with that color. I can't even imagine a time in the past when her favorite color hasn't been green. It's just never happened!
Green- the color of growing foliage; between yellow and blue in the spectrum
Literal meaning. But we all know that the literal isn't always the most fun!
Green occupies the most space in the spectrum visible to the human eye. It is the second most favorite color next to blue.
It is a pervasive color in the natural world.
It is an ideal backdrop in interior design because we see it EVERYWHERE!
It's true too!
Just try thinking of a building, a room, a place in the city, where you haven't seen the color green somewhere. It's pretty hard. And when you're outside? You can't escape it! The grass. The leaves. Lawn mowers. Hoses. Birds. Trees.
Refreshing.
Tranquil.
Peaceful.
Natural.
When you go outside a person normally seems to be more in touch with their inner self. More relaxed and normal.
Green is the color of peace and ecology.
Green soothes.
Think of your parents.
When your super stressed or just having a really bad day. Their voices calm you. Their soft caresses, lilting voices, it's soothing.
That's what the color green does.
A natural soother.
Think of it this way, when your having a bad time go outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Sit down next something green. Climb a tree or something.
The color green helps to alleviate depression. Anxiety. Nervousness.
If your feeling nervous, wear green.
I tried it! And it works! If you deck yourself in the color green you will feel less sad and less nervous.
One of the main reasons why this works is because the color green is known worldwide as the color of safety.
It represents mutual trust and stability.
Green is the color of balance, harmony, and growth.
It represents the world.
I bet that you never thought that a color could mean so much. But colors are so much more than just something you see on a piece of paper.
Pink embodies the woman.
Orange means energy and vigor.
Green represents stability.
Each color is alive and beating. (Some more than others >>>orange)
Now that I've educated you in the color green, I'm going to energize and relax you. With a nice recipe for some iced green tea.
Your welcome!
Iced Green Tea
Just click this link and it will lead you to the recipe. Have fun with that!
Hope that you guys have a stupendous week, or days, until I have blog again!
Naturally,
Yours Truly
20 August 2012
Orange Peels with polkadots!
Color numero dos! (color number two)
It took me a while to decide what color to talk about next. So I decided on my least favorite color.
Orange.
Don't ask me why I don't like this color but it just drives me crazy! This post should be a little different since I don't like the color...like at all!
It took me a while to decide what color to talk about next. So I decided on my least favorite color.
Orange.
Don't ask me why I don't like this color but it just drives me crazy! This post should be a little different since I don't like the color...like at all!
Orange
The color Orange is a very transverse color. You can't really connect it with a feeling. Like when you're feeling down or sad, blue. Happy and cheerful, yellow. Hyper, red. Love and passion, pink and purple.
But the color orange? What feelings does that invoke in you?
Absolutely nothing for me.
Orange- A color between red and yellow in the spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength of 590 to 610 nm; reddish yellow
This is what the color orange means.
Technically.
So lets just move on from the technicalities and get to the fun stuff!
Usually the color orange is associated with strong negative or positive feelings. Like for me, I strongly dislike this color!
The true color of orange elicits either an "I love it" or an "I hate it" response, stronger than other colors.
Orange radiates warmth and energy.
How the color orange affects us physically:
- Stimulates Activity
- Stimulates appetite
- Encourages Socialization
It's true! As weird as that may seem think about it?
Thanksgiving.
The day of feasting. It's traditional main color is orange.
What do you do on Thanksgiving, eat like a pregnant rhino, go to a bazillion people's houses for meal after meal after meal, and have so much fun with family and friends that the day goes by like *that*!
ORANGE!
Interesting fact for you. The color orange symbolizes gluttony to most Christians.
Bahaha! That's random!
"Orange, it seems, may be the best color choice for the competitive player.
Though rare in golf apparel and only the seventh most popular color among
American consumers, orange is jovial, warm, energetic, forceful, and has a
subjective impression of exuberance. It is associated with fruitfulness,
adventure, vigor and wholesomeness, plenty of which exists in golf and on the
PGA TOUR." -- Michael Patrick Shiels
Orange.
An person with an orange attitude is warm. Energetic. Forceful. They love adventure! They are a prosperous person, full of vigor and energy! Youthful you may say.
Sounds like a pretty cool person if you ask me.
An orange person is usually talkative. They are joyful!
Well, orange people sure are a bundle of joy.
I know that I don't want to be an orange person for only one reason, I hate the color orange.
Sorry! I know that I've already said that about ten times but I do! And I just have to tell you one more time, I HATE ORANGE! I made a vow never to wear orange. And I have strictly kept to that rule. It has saved my life.
I sincerely apologize to anyone who's favorite color is orange. This has probably been a very offensive and painful post for you to read. Sorry! I had to speak my mind.
You have a great day, you orange lovers!
:)
Joyfully,
Orange hater
16 August 2012
Pink Umbrellas and Pink Fish
Today I'm going to start a series of posts titled: "See the Rainbow, Taste the Rainbow!
A post about each of the main colors! Ending with purple because it's the BEST color ever! (Mainly just because it's my favorite color.) :)
A post about each of the main colors! Ending with purple because it's the BEST color ever! (Mainly just because it's my favorite color.) :)
PINK
First things first. Pink is not just a color. It is so much more then just a color. It has a meaning, a look, a statement to make.
Now you may be thinking, why the heck is she going to waste a whole post on a stupid color?
I'm about to tell you!
I have a purpose for this, I promise!
PINK- A color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.
Now you know what pink is if you already didn't know that.
But pink is so much more than a color, it's an attitude.
When you think of the color pink what comes to mind?
When I think of the color pink I think of flowers, little girls, silly frills, and pure innocence.
What is the color pink?
Do you love it?
Hate it?
Or are you one of 'those' people who look at the glass half empty?
You see a color and no feelings are invoked at all. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
I am truly and sincerely sorry if you are of one of 'those.' Life is full of rainbows. Learn to appreciate them.
Pink embodies the woman.
(So if you are a guy and reading this, you may just want to stop right here. You can keep reading, but this next part sf just for the ladies. Come back to my next post.)
Pink means beauty. Romance. Passion. Sensitivity. Love. Softness. Kindness. Sweetness. Servitude. Fun. Nurtuting. Inspiring. Affection. Compassion.
And the list goes on.
To be clothed in pink means to be beaty. Be kindness. Be love. Be inspiring.
I don't know about you but when I think about my mom, and most women in general, this is what I think about.
And I want to be pink. Not the actual color. But the attitude. The meaning of a pink woman. I want my future children and husband, when they think of me, to think of this.
That I am Servitude. I am Fun. I am Nurturing.
I don't know about you but I'm going to try to be this person every day of my life until I die. It's a great goal. One very high. But not unattainable.
So here's the challenge.
Be a pink woman. Because we are not children. We are not teenagers. We are not old and useless. We are strong. We are desirable. We are love. We ARE PINK!
Pink is my colour
Pink pants and rosy plants
Pink blouses, never failing to arouse spouses
Pink hot feverish lips
Passionate pants of pink
Love letters dipped in pink ink
You see! You see!
Pink is my colour
Pink is the sweet side of wild
Quite mild
Like a little lost baby child
Of all the colours compiled
Pink is romantic and disarming
All pink roses are ever so charming
Pink is my colour
The fruit juices I drink
Are always colour pink
With favourable odours
Igniting my fire making me desire more and more
Think! Think! Pink always links
With erotic pleasant stinks
Those flirty winks
Combining with pink
Creating an effect of kink, kink, kinky!
Pink is my colour
Refined or raw
Pink is my colour
And the colour of my door
Pink is my colour
And the only colour I adore
Copyright 2006 - Sylvia Chidi
Pink blouses, never failing to arouse spouses
Pink hot feverish lips
Passionate pants of pink
Love letters dipped in pink ink
You see! You see!
Pink is my colour
Pink is the sweet side of wild
Quite mild
Like a little lost baby child
Of all the colours compiled
Pink is romantic and disarming
All pink roses are ever so charming
Pink is my colour
The fruit juices I drink
Are always colour pink
With favourable odours
Igniting my fire making me desire more and more
Think! Think! Pink always links
With erotic pleasant stinks
Those flirty winks
Combining with pink
Creating an effect of kink, kink, kinky!
Pink is my colour
Refined or raw
Pink is my colour
And the colour of my door
Pink is my colour
And the only colour I adore
Copyright 2006 - Sylvia Chidi
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