Secluded Paradise

Snow :D

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:02:42 -0500

Snow :D :

NEW BLOG PLEASE FOLLOW :D

Jesus>Religion

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:59:05 -0500

Jesus>Religion

NEW BLOG

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:17:01 -0500

NEW BLOG

Photo

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:28:49 -0500

Extremely loud and incredibly close

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:29:23 -0500

Extremely loud and incredibly close

The Hobbit !!

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:18:49 -0500

The Hobbit !!

Hope

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:53:27 -0500

Have you ever experienced a sermon that has obviously related to multiple members of the congregation in different ways?

Tonight was one of those…

The sermon was speaking on the relation of the story of Jacob, Esau and Isaac in the Hebrews 11 verses on faith and hope (connected to the story in genesis).

My mind tends to trail so for those of you who were actually at Matthais Lot tonight you might have a hard time understanding how I came to this conclusion but here we go (feel free to comment if this makes no sense).

I have been having a rough time with the idea of hope lately. Analyzing it in class this semester alongside various conversations/sermon my favorite verse Hebrews 11:1 began to become more and more challenging. Hope from the distorted perspective I had established meant hoping that God would work things out to suit your perspectives of a good life on Earth, now i knew this came with challenges on the way, but I just kept hoping in that end outcome of all these troubles of today finally reaching a point on this Earth that allowed for satisfaction. Somehow I assumed that all the worries facing today that challenge tomorrow would be erased in some distant tomorrow of the Kayla Fantasy land. Now some of you are likely thinking, “well isn’t that what the Bible says? That God will work things out for the better of our good?” Well yes, but I feel like we have so often allowed ourselves to believe, or at least I have, that this good would be equal to the perfect life I had dreamed of for myself.

Well Hope is not meant to work that way. God’s hope for our lives lives outside of earthly presets. Therefore there will be challenge and there will be confusion. Things won’t make sense, and you may not recieve that perfect outcome you were waiting for, but here is the thing. God is here right now. He is the hope everpresent. He is hoping for us to realize Him in everyday just as we are hoping that he will make everyday right for us. Allowing this thought to rule our mind is like saying our hope is a contract of which God owes us. He owes us nothing. Thus we owe him everything. Our hope is meant to out stand the troubles of this life, for his plan provides hope outside of this world. Thus the hope. The thing that has drawn me so close to God as a child, and challenged me the most in these past months, is the one thing that keeps faith … well… faith.

One can not sit waiting for that perfect ending, in doing so you are leaving behind the perfect beginnings God is trying to work through you right now. He is Hope, the ultimate picture when the final piece of the puzzle is placed, but in hoping we trust in him placing our piece no matter who or where it lands next to. We work our light in that place, and through God in the moment; not the past and future, but the present, trusting that he will cover the rest.

Ok. If you can follow my brain thought through all of that you might actually be more A.D.D. than I, but I hope it at least made some sort of sense.

The song before the sermon was this:

“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, cause it’s all about you, it’s all about you lord Jesus, I’M SORRY LORD, for the things I HAVE MADE IT, because IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU.”

And the annual spend hours looking at my brothers and sisters in China celebrating Christmas day :D...

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:21:46 -0500

And the annual spend hours looking at my brothers and sisters in China celebrating Christmas day :D They are all incredibly cute!

There is still a new year to come. This year could be the one :D

Did anyone have a child touch their heart this season?

I know one who loved children reached out to all our hearts. Have you opened your heart to his love for the orphans?

Finally

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:32:15 -0500

Finally:

Last convoy out of Iraq

Warner Brothers mark one year to The Hobbit with official...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:28:40 -0500

Warner Brothers mark one year to The Hobbit with official synopsis release

It’s exactly one year to the day until The Hobbit arrives in UK cinemas, and to commemorate this milestone, Warner have released the film’s first official synopsis. 

The studio has confirmed that the two films will be called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There And Back Again, and will be released on 14 December 2012 and 13 December 2013 respectively…

I have been waiting since 8th grade when Peter Jackson announced the idea to make this film. 8 years later (wow just put that into perspective), and I am ENORMOUSLY excited!

avoiding hw by looking through some old myspace pics. Had to use...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:49:00 -0500

avoiding hw by looking through some old myspace pics. Had to use my photo account because i couldn’t remember the password for my normal account. Never thought back then that FB would win.

Cally girl. I miss you. A lot.

"I’d rather have a life of ‘oh wells’ than a life of ‘what ifs’."

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:18:27 -0500

“I’d rather have a life of ‘oh wells’ than a life of ‘what ifs’.”

- idk

Photo

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:27:55 -0500

A Student's Guide to Organic

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:46:42 -0500

Recently I started purchasing all of my groceries organic and/or local. I started off the semester slowly adding in one thing a week that was organic/local to see how much it affected my budget and my physical/emotional health. This last visit I purchased all organic, and between the beginning of the semester and now I have added approximatley $10 or less to my grocerie money a week, making my total between 30-40 (depending on the week and how much I have run out of).

Benefits:

I have so much more energy. This semester has been a bit of insanity for me, but I know the food I have been eating has increased my energy and my general outlook on daily life.

Did you know cheddar cheese is white! I have noticed a significant increase in color to my food. Maybe the cheddar cheese being white wasn’t the best example. This may not mean much to you, but being an art student it means a lot.

Protein. I am a vegetarian. Turns out the vegetables and beans that naturally should supply you with high amounts of protein are not as efficient when sprayed with chemicals/fertilizers.

Flavor. I am one who truly just loves to taste food. The flavor difference between the two is incredible. I would say the biggest difference I have noticed comes from the cheese and bread. I buy local bread-meaning fresh. I suggest you try those first, you won’t want to go back.

Ethics. As a Christian we are called to care for our land. From the classes I have taken at school on environmental studies and ecology, alongside my hightened interest in the subject, I have learned a great deal about the current agricultural practices of the United States (and much of the world.) These practices are not sustainable, and do great harm to the Earth, and the creatures that inhabit it - including humans.

Drawbacks:

It is a bit more pricey, but like I said it has only added $10 to my budget. I buy the necessities. Then I try one new thing a week just for fun. Buyign the essentials also allows you to be creative, and try out new things with what you have. I suggest this website if you prefer someone else to give you ideas : http://www.supercook.com/

Shopping take a bit more time; specifically if you are not buying from an organic store. We are lucky to have earth fare by school, but occasionally I purchase items from Kroger. Kroger tends to take a bit more time to buy from, but even the large coorpate stores have begun to add more organic and local products. You also have to be careful what organic you are buying. I have taken an extra step to try and buy in season and in the states -particularly the states closer to where I live. After all you have to consider the price it takes to bring the product to you. Fare trade is always a good option if you can not buy local.

Overall I truly find this new lifestyle worth it. Yes I would say it is a lifestyle. It truly changes how you view the things on your plate and the lives of those who helped put it there. The majority of the world spends over 90% of their income on food. In the U.S. the average family spends approximately 5-6% on food.

World thoughts.

What are you doing to change your food-print?

Community Garden @Milligan

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:59:07 -0500

Community Garden @Milligan:

Working on starting a Community Garden at Milligan. Building a foundation for the creation care God calls of us! This project is a work in progress, but it is going well. We will meet with the president of Milligan in January with our proposal and go from there.

Adoption!

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:41:48 -0500

Two forever families found their children today! But many are still searching, and many little ones are still waiting. A few of the kids have been waiting a long time: Phillip, William, Eliana, Noah, Lucy, Claire, Josiah. Could you make this their special year?

"It has to be so stupid it capture the audience of america."

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:45:34 -0500

“It has to be so stupid it capture the audience of america.”

- people around me trying to come up with a blog topic/title

soufflelibre: Mumford & Sons - Home (NEW SONG HQ)

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:25:41 -0500

soufflelibre:

Mumford & Sons - Home (NEW SONG HQ)

Desert Road

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:37:09 -0500

Desert Road

life is a journey. goodbyes are almost never for forever and hello’s follow soon after

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:13:58 -0500

life is a journey. goodbyes are almost never for forever and hello’s follow soon after