Junghwa Giveaway - Reposted from God's Daughter

So this amazing jewelry maker is having a giveaway of some amazing jewelry. :) You can see more about it (and how to enter!) at this post at God's Daughter. I really, really like the prize, which is exactly why I'm entering.

Incredible Quotes #7

In Himself, God is love; through Him, love is manifested, and by Him, love is defined.

~Burk Parsons

Just as I Am

A beautiful little girl named Rhema Marvanne. :) She sings like an angel. This has got to be one of my favorite songs by her (along with Note To God, also by her - check that one out too!).

Sad But True

Incredible Quotes #6

You have a disagreeable duty to do at twelve o'clock. Do not blacken nine and ten and eleven, and all between, with the color of twelve.

~George Macdonald

College!

Today, I started my first day of college. This is officially the weirdest day of my life. The closest thing I have ever had to a public school class is my Science Olympiad competitions and my PSATs. So it was rather different today. Thankfully I am taking my first class of each day (ancient history) with Sarah and, it turns out, her brother Jared. My other three classes, however, I am not so lucky in my classmates. At least, in geography I'm not. I haven't had my dancing or my American literature yet. I'm hoping to find a mutual homeschooler in at least one of those two, though.

At first, it wasn't too bad. I've been in enough class-like settings that taking a class with people I don't know wasn't that alarming. It didn't quite sink in that I wasn't just with a lot of homeschoolers I hadn't seen before.

That is, it didn't until I heard this guy walking behind me use the F-word about five times per sentence. That I had never heard before. Ouch. THAT'S when it struck.

These people are what we know as "the world."

I need to be careful. I can't be open to everything they suggest. I must examine what they say, and compare it to the truth of the Gospel. This could be difficult. I've never had to do that before. It's never been necessary before. But now it is. It's really very sad.

So tomorrow I'll head back. And this time, hopefully, I'll be prepared. Prepared to stand out like a light in darkness - not because of who I am, but because of who Christ is within me.

Hallelujah!

These are two of the most amazing young performers I've heard for a long time. :) Jotta A. and Michely Manuely perform Hallelujah.

We Will Not Forget.

Every year at this time people pause in their routine and think of a day - the day that the sky collapsed and humanity drew near to comfort one another. The day that there were no barriers, social, racial or any other. The day that the world wept.

10 years. Can it be? So brief compared to the vast reaches of time, so long when applied to a single life. Yet we remember.

10 years. What happened a decade ago? What happened to break the hearts of millions - perhaps billions - of people? Four planes were commandeered by nineteen men and forced to fly where their captors directed.

10 years. 4 planes. One plane was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers attempted to retake control. Another plane was forced to fly into the Pentagon in Virginia. The other two planes each crashed into one of the two Twin Towers. Both towers collapsed in a matter of hours.

10 years. 4 planes. 3000 people lost their lives that day.

Who were these men? Were they insane? Not at all. Were they evil? No more than the rest of human race. In fact, they believed they were doing good. They thought they died for the cause of Allah. In reality, they were mere pawns in a greater battle, one which cannot be seen by human eyes.

To minds of these poor humans, who won that day? Was it that invisible darkness manipulating the thoughts of the nineteen hijackers? No. It was the Spirit who breathed courage into the firefights and heroism into the everyday civilians. The hand that held the husband and father's fingers steady as he dialed the number to tell his family he wouldn't be making it home that night. The light that showed the Seeing Eye dog the way as she led hundreds of people out to safety. The bond that knit the American people closer together than a hundred years could do. And one day we will understand this.

But until then, what can we do? What can we do to show we care for those who died during those dreadful hours?

There is one thing we can do.

We remember. 

Incredible Quotes #5

To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him, the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.

~St. Augustine

Randomness

All day I've been thinking today was September 10. Now I find out it's the 9th. What's up with that?

I just spelled find in the above sentence dinf. I always knew my fingers were dyslexic. 

I'm bored. I'm waiting for my mom to finish what she's doing so we can continue with the movie. Something about a woman detective in Botswana (which I never knew was in Africa before today).

Tomorrow I get to have one of my bestest buddies over to spend the night. Then on Sunday we go to our outdoors church service at some friends' house. It's supposed to be our annual church picnic. I didn't know we had an annual church picnic.

Speaking of bestest buddies, I have 15 best friends. Basically that means I like them all the exact same. I just know some of them better than others. And most of the time, that's not my fault...actually, I have 12 best friends and 3 who I could add to their number with very little persuasion. Ack, I forgot one. So it's actually 13 best friends + 3. Not counting guys. And then there's a girl or two or three who I used to be best friends with, but...not anymore and let's leave it at that.

3 of the 13 are technically only older sisters of my friends (and another is the friend of the older sister of my friend) but being homeschoolers, we have the freedom to be friends with people who are almost 2 years older than them. (Actually the four of them range between 1 year and 1 month to 1 3/4 years older than me).

Can you tell I'm tired? I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. And for me, that's saying a lot!

College classes start on the 26th. Some might consider me to become a public schooler at that time. To which I say...NEVER!!! Agewise, I'm only a junior in high school. Which means I have two more years of sanity. Okay, I really shouldn't be so mean.

BTW, to certain friends of mine who say that they are graduating a year early, because all they're really doing their "senior" year is reading (plus some college), I must admit to them that for my junior AND senior year, all I'm doing is reading (plus some college).

I have a LOT of reading to do. Plato. Ptolemy. Aristotle. Archimedes. Some guys whose names I have no idea how to pronounce (except, somehow, I have a hunch they're Greek). Thank goodness I got most of my Shakespeare, Dickens, Dante, and Chaucer out of the way.

Super excited for Super Sunday! Super *ahem* I mean, Celebration Sunday (it's an inside joke) is when all of our Household of Faith congregations get together for one gigantic church service! You get to see a lot of people you haven't seen since last Celebration Sunday, and I made a lot of new friends at Gleanings that I'll hopefully get to see there. Plus I got to know some people I already knew a lot better, which means that I'm more excited to get to see them now than I was at the last Super Sunday.

Well, I should probably go get my mom. Or go to bed. Either one.

P.S. You should really read this book. Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World, by N.D. Wilson

I adore this book. Normally when I read a book, because I have such a good memory, I CAN NOT read that book again for at least a year. Usually it takes longer than that. But this book...I've read it at least twice times in the past year, and I could read it again. In fact, I am. N.D. Wilson is the son of the people who wrote The Fruit of Her Hands and Praise Her in the Gates and Reforming Marriage, for those of you who know what I'm talking about.

Really. I love this book. Can't speak for its doctrinal value, but it's fascinating.

Go ahead, read it.

Incredible Quotes #4

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

~Albert Einstein

First Impressions - The Movie

Hey, everyone! An amazing group of young people from Grants Pass, Oregon (some of whom go to our HOFCC congregation down there) are putting together a movie based on the novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, which, from the preview, looks absolutely fantastic.

They need $3000 to be funded. They have 19 days left to be fully funded and only have $1,042. They need your help! If only 196 people gave $10 they would have enough. Please go to the link below to support them!

First Impressions

I'm Back!!!

I cam back from Gleanings yesterday. It.Was.Amazing. I can't say that enough. Everyone says that the first year is the best, but I can't say that this year was any better or any worse than last year. They were so different and each was remarkable in its own way.

I can compare it in lots of ways. The first year God broke our malformed, distorted hearts so that He had something to work with. This year, God put our hearts back together - healed them -  in His way.

Last year was a crazy year. It was reckless and giddy and passionate. We wept wildly and didn't care what others thought of us. As odd as it sounds, the thing it reminds me most of is the old pagan feasts (excluding the immorality.) The wild dancing in the moonlight and the firelight. The flushed faces and the feeling of pure intoxication. The thing is, that intoxication was from earthly wine. This intoxication was from the Spirit of God.

Do you understand what I mean, yet?

This year was slow and sweet and quiet. We wept, yes, but it was quiet and soothing.When we were done, it was peace. Rather than revival, it was growth. Rather than the passion of Romeo and Juliet in the summer nights, it was the gentle love that comes in the spring. Serene and calm and wonderful.

I don't remember what the word for last year was, but, if anything, it was a rekindling.

The word for this year was healing and I was healed both inside and out. I won't share any more that that, but I just wanted to say that God was more good to me this year than I ever believed He would be. 

I am now officially addicted to Gleanings. :)

Grrr....

Yesterday I had the most amazingly infuriating experience ever.  I went to the library to pick up a couple of books, and lo and behold, who were standing out front of the building? Two people from PLANNED PARENTHOOD!!! They were asking for donations. I managed to restrain my temper...barely.

Then we went toWalmart and I calmed down some after buying bleach, contact lens solution, coffee filters, and some more earring. And then we went to Trader Joe's.

Guess who was out front? YES! Another pair of Planned Parenthood people. I still managed to hold my temper (mostly because my dad was there with me this time) but I really, really, really wanted to say something about how I had "seen a video of the aftermath of an abortion and you know what I saw? I saw babies' hand and feet lying in a pool of their own blood."

But I didn't. The best comeback I ever heard given to them is that of my mom. One guy asked her, "Hi, would you like to support Planned Parenthood?"

She said, "No. In fact, I'd like to see you put out of business."

She was polite and everything, but you know what the worst part was? The fact that the guy couldn't believe that someone actually wouldn't want to support Planned Parenthood. These people are blind. To them, all dark is light and all light is dark. I could try to persuade them to a knowledge of the truth with the SLED acronym and the Romans Road. But without Christ, there is no hope for their sight to return.

All we can really do is pray.


UPDATE:  Went to Trader Joe's again today and they had a sign out front saying something along the lines of "So that our customers can shop undisturbed, we do not allow solicitors by or near the front of our store. If you are approached by anyone with a clipboard or folding table, feel free to ignore them without guilt." HAHAHAH!!!

Day 107 - Misselainious

Hey, look, Elaini Garfield talked about us and the garage sale we did! See her post here.

Incredible Quotes #3

(Speaking about the well-known quote "Forgive me, for I have sinned.")

"I say 'Forgive me' but I don't say 'I have sinned.' Forgiveness is important, but, then, so is reputation."

~Whitney (one of my best friends)

I about died of laughter.

~Misselainious~

Yes, I do know how to spell miscellaneous. See? Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous. Miscell...okay, you get the point. Misselainious is something special.

Elaini Garfield had a dream. A dream to go on a mission trip to India. But at 16 she became plagued with an awful skin disease. So, she decided, even if I can't go to India, I can still help them. So she did. (See pictures here) For one hundred days, Elaini wore one black dress to raise money for Indian orphans. But she didn't just wear it. Everyday she designed new and ingenious outfits using that black dress. Her goal? 50,000 dollars.

Sounds hard, right? That's what some of my friends and I thought. So we decided to organize a sale and donate all proceeds to Elaini.

We asked for donated materials to sell. We asked for volunteers. We arranged to borrow a church parking lot. We did a lot. And it was a lot of work!

But it was amazing. We had so much stuff I couldn't believe it! Like a room full. We had 21 kids help, plus a bunch of parents to provide "adult supervision." (Which meant sitting in the shade talking.)

We made $900. Yippee!

Really, this might not seem like much to you, but to us it was awesome. A huge team effort that had a great impact. $5 feeds an orphan for a month! It also took us down a bit in our level of cynicism. We had people that were running late and still took the time to stop by and donate for the orphans. Even when everything was free at the end of the sale, we still had people give donations. People. Are. Not. Animals. That's something we Creationists understand. But sometimes it's hard to remember, when you see abortion and 9/11 and people who seem to merely live to satisfy their base cravings. This was a real eye-opener, and I don't think just for me.

Anyway, Elaini is still taking donations even though the 100 days are over. She still wants to reach her $50,000 goal. (She only has like $32,000) Go ahead. Feed an orphan with 5 dollars. That's only like 1 Starbucks.

Please.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
~James 1:27

Gleanings for the Hungry...

Gleanings...Gleanings...the word no longer means what it was meant to. Instead of meaning "to come behind the reapers and collect the fallen grain", to many of peers, it really means a week in sunny CA, hard work, rotten peaches, and heat well up into the 100's.

Down in Dinuba, California, there exists a small compound composed of several buildings, a processing plant, and several LARGE drying fields. All around are the "large hills" of California and many, many fruit farms. This small compound is known as Gleanings for the Hungry.

Okay, so what do they do? Their mission is simple. Every year thousands - perhaps millions - of pounds of fruit is wasted because they are either close enough to ripe that they would be rotten by the time they could be sold or because they are too small or because they are simply deformed looking. Gleanings takes this fruit (donated by the growers in the area), slices it, drys it, and packs it in buckets to be sent to third-world countries where the majority of people are hungry for most of their lives. There, their missionaries distribute the fruit to the people and, at the same time, plant the seed of Truth in their hearts.

The problem is, Gleanings is a non-profit organization. They don't have the money to pay people to come run the plant for them. Therefore churches from all over the place send teams down there every summer to process the fruit. My church is one of these.

Now, of course, you have to pay your room and board, as well as your share of the gas it takes to get down there. This usually rounds up to about $200, counting souvenirs and the food on the trip.

My friends and I get the chance to pay only $200 to have a week-long vacation in beautiful California...spending over 8 hours a day working your hands off in rotten peaches and sweating out more liquids than you ever knew your body contained. Who wouldn't jump at the offer? The truth is, we love it. It's a great growing experience, it gives you a better work ethic, you get to spend a LOT of time (sometimes more than you like) with your fiends...er, friends. There's a swimming pool and a cafeteria with what has got to be the best food ever. And you get to sleep in a dorm room and see exactly how messy your pals really are.

But best of all, you get to spend quality time with your Lord and Savior, in prayer and in worship.Nothing can express the amazing power that this trip can be. Please pray for this year's trip, from August 27th to September 4th.

Life...As A Homeschooler

For many of the people reading this right now, the word "homeschooler" conveys one of two pictures to their minds.

1. A nerd who gets an A on a trigonometry test and would rather discuss the anatomy of lightning bugs (hey, they are cool-looking) and the inner details of aerospace engineering than see the latest movie down at the theater...basically is a typical weirdo.

OR

2. An undersocialized freak who actually dislikes Justin Bieber (guilty), doesn't know what electric guitars are, and has been brainwashed into thinking that abortion actually kills a human being (who'da thunk?).

I'm here to tell you...they're right.

Well, mostly. 

Here are some things which in all my years have stuck out the most to me about being a homeschooler.

1. On my tests, as on those of the majority of my friends, A's are praised but not unexpected. B's are average. C's mean I need to do some serious studying. D's...well, let's just say I'd rather not find out. (And, yes, I do have friends...and guess what...they're homeschooled, too!)

2. We don't get snow days...or sick days. You come downstairs and say "Mom, I think I've got the chicken pox." She takes one look at you and says, "Okay, go back to bed...and take your math with you!" Then she calls all your friend's parents so they can bring their kids over to get it too. 

3. At age 16, stupid is still a word used only on the direst of occasions, and public-schooler is "an insult of the highest degree."

4. You go the library and when you check out the librarian congratulates you on persevering through Sherlock Holmes. You quietly smile as you inform her you've been reading Charles Dickens since you were 9...and just for fun, not because your mom made you.

5. The closest thing to a school bully is your little sister.

6. You can recognize another homeschooler from across the grocery store, even if you've never seen them before. You're usually cued off by three things: the fact that the girls are wearing jean skirts and tennis shoes, while the boys' pants are fastened securely about the waist; the fact that there's about eight of them, the oldest about 20 and the youngest just a few months old; and, lastly, the fact that, to the smallest, they are behaving in a quiet dignified manner - no cussing, no yelling, no temper tantrums, and perfectly obedient.

7. The minor holidays mean that Dad is the one who gets to quiz you with algebra today, since he's not at work.

8. Your school uniform and your pjs are one and the same.

9. Lunch break means chores.

10. You can get as far ahead in school as you want - which means you can take a day off whenever you want, when you're ahead.

11. You try to call you friend only to have their mom tell you they're still in school...oops!

12. You have 15 best friends, and many more mere friends.

13. The Rebelution is the coolest thing since Apologia science.

These are just a few of the many unique things about homeschooling. I realize that I belong to a special brand of evangelical Christian homeschoolers, but I think much of this applies to more than just us.

But, though lots of things about homeschooling are amazing, sadly, there are many adverse consequences.

When taking the PSAT at your local college, the teen who had been quite friendly for the first half of the test turns abruptly cold when she finds out your homeschooling status.

When fundraising for your science team, people on the verge of donating walk away when finding out the same thing.

Lots of prejudice against us exists. And it's just plain sad. But I think we shall prevail. :)

And if you ever decide to homeschool your kids, please, please, please...don't make your kids do chores on lunch break.

Just sayin'.

Incredible Quotes #2

I believe in God like I believe in the sun. Not because I can see it, but because of it all things are seen. 

~C.S. Lewis

Incredible Quotes #1

I find it difficult to keep from laughing when I find people worrying about future destruction of some kind or other. Didn’t they know they were going to die anyway? 

~C.S. Lewis

A Witness to the Lord God...

 I found this verse by accident trying to find verses on environmentalism. I love it.

​​​​​​​​"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.  ~Job 12:7-1

It reminds me of Romans 1:20:

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

And Psalms 19:1:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork."

 And Luke 19:40

"But He answered and said to them, 'I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.'"

No matter how much mankind may try to smother God and those who speak about Him,  they cannot drown out the very earth's testimony of the Lord. As long as creation endures, there will be a testament of God's sovereignty, power, and glory.

The Empty Egg

This is one of the most touching stories I have read for a long time.

"Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face burned red. She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically-all except for Jeremy. He listened intently. His eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket....... all of them empty."


~Author Unknown

It's a work in progress..

I was reading someone's newest blog post when suddenly I had the brilliant idea of starting my own blog! Now...I'm the sort of person who's started about seven different journals in their lifetime...but never seemed to remember to write in it. So at first I didn't think it was such a good idea. But then I realized that it would also be a good place to share any amazing things I read or whatever. The balance began to tip in my blog's favor.

Then I found out that at least three of my friends, plus several more "acquaintances," already have blogs.

That decided it.

Here I am!

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so don't be surprised if everything from the font to the background changes constantly during the next month or so.

But pray I don't actually delete this thing.

P.S. the blog title is from Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."