War on the Horizon

Before World War II began, German leader, Adolf Hitler, had a vision of one major German empire that covered all of Europe. Hitler began pursuing his dream on September 1, 1939 when he invaded Poland and started the war. Two days later, Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany. On April 9, 1940, German forces invaded Norway and Denmark. By May 10, Germany had begun invading the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. All three, along with France and the United States, had taken a neutral stance in the war. On June 10, 1940, Italy joined the war, allied with Germany.

The United States involvement, up until Pearl Harbor, had been solely neutral. America did not have the desire to join in the affairs of the Eastern Hemisphere. Content to sit back and watch, America never dreamed on the tragedy that was lurking in the future, waiting to pull her into the war. On December 7, 1941, AN American base in Hawaii was bombed by Japan, killing thousands and wounding thousands more. As a result, President Roosevelt declared war on the Axis Countries.
As I sit and think about World War II, and Pearl Harbor, and the effects they had on our country, I can’t help but think about the war waging in my own family. As armies invade on my quiet little country and things begin to fall apart, I realize that my time to enter this war is drawing near. I can no longer remain neutral in the battle. But when? When will I be pulled in? What will be my Pearl Harbor?

-Holly

The Land of Garcia!

I thought that you should know what is going to happen in the future because this may affect you. I don't know if you've heard, but I'm taking over the country, and you can't stop me. It will be called the Land of Garcia! (exclamation point included) The national land animal is the bear, because "Garcia" means "bear." The national bird is the flamingo; the national flower is the Venus flytrap. The national tree is the banana tree, and the national colors are purple and creme. (You may not like the colors, but you can get over it, because there is no flag known to man that is either purple or creme, and my country is going to be unique.)
The Land of Garcia! has many sports; like ice skating, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, swimming, and tennis. There is absolutely no golf, because it's boring and I don't understand it.
Education is important. You can't graduate from high school unless you take all core classes along with mixed martial arts classes and cooking classes. Gym is required every every year in every school. For college, scholarships and financial aid is available.
For every country there has to be laws, and my country is no exception. There aren't that many. You've heard that people who go to jail just have a happy time watching television and sitting around playing cards or whatever. In the Land of Garcia!, if you go to jail, you only get three meals a day, and if you have good behavior, you're permitted to go outside for three hours. That's it; no television or whatever it is they do jail. If you have killed someone, you will be killed the same way. Homosexuality is not tolerated. Abortion is illegal. If found out, you will be kicked out. Ridiculous laws, like the laws mentioned in Mr. Turner's government class, will not be passed. Men who weigh more than 400 pounds and women who weigh more than 200 pounds will be forced to lose weight. My country will be healthy. There is no work on Sunday. No divorce is allowed unless there is abuse or infidelity. Single parents will receive financial help, but to qualify for this, they must have a job.
There's only one leader with two others in command. The current leader appoints a worthy person with a clear mind that will not become too ambitious, and want to annihilate the Land of Garcia! If this ever occurs, there are hidden assassins and spies in place from around the world who will exterminate the leader, and then the people will get a chance to vote on who the next leader will be.
I don't know about you, but I like my future country. You may like it as well, or maybe you think it's horrible and gruesome, whatever. If you don't like it, you can leave.


-Hannah G.

Am I Truly Thankful?

Every year, we gather around a table with friends and family and enjoy a large lunch or dinner. We talk about what we are thankful for for ten minutes at most. When we are done, we eat and talk about what happened to each of us since the last time we saw one another. We laugh together around a table in fellowship for a few hours. However, we unfortunately go our separate ways at the end of the day.
Every year, I promise myself that I will keep up with Rian, my step-cousin, and every year, I fail at just that. I have to ask myself, how can I be truly thankful for my family if I don't even keep up with them? Today has been a great day with my family and friends, but I don't want that fun time to be a rarity.
In the same way, every day, I promise myself that I will become closer in my walk with God, and every day, I fail at just that. If I am to be truly honest with myself, I must ask myself, how can I be truly thankful for a God who gave up his son for me if I do not take the time to talk to Him? I want to want to take time, but I find myself living down to the expectations of many other people. I am then daily disappointed in myself.
However, I learned durring Horton Haven that we cannot be challenged, but rather that we must be changed. This year, I will strive to show my thankfulness to God by coming to Him with a sincere heart of thanksgiving, praising Him for everything that He has done for me. Only then can I show even part of my thanks to Him for his providncial grace.

- Ashley Reed

Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving! Yeah, I have the blog while we are out of school. Since it is Thanksgiving break, I’m going to say the things I’m thankful for and hopefully help you all get into the attitude of this holiday. I know we are all excited about not going to school and getting to eat lots of great food, but I don’t think we can forget what it’s all about.

Starting off, I am of course thankful for having Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My life would be a train wreck without Him, and I am eternally thankful (pun definitely intended). My family and friends are next on my list; they are a big part of my life and I love them so much.

I am also thankful that I get to attend MJCA, even though some people would say differently. My parents pay money for me to get a better education, and I don’t want to take that for granted. I have to throw the troops in there as well, how could I not be thankful to men and women who put their lives on the line for our country? That statement leads me to the fact that I live in a free country, and that is a big deal.

Since I don’t have any life destroying illnesses and I have all of my limbs, I also get to be thankful for that. There are so many things in my life that I get to be thankful for and I hate it that we usually only pay attention to them once a year. I want to start being thankful everyday, and not just on the day we devour large amounts of food while watching football. Well, hope that got you ready for the day known as Thanksgiving, Turkey day, or whatever you want to call it. Have a good one!

-Kaitlynn

Outwitted

Reading this short section of poetry reminded me to love my enemies. The author speaks of being shut out, but then with love, he let who shut him out in. Naturally we who are left out or shut out want to get revenge, and this is human nature, though the best cure for hate in most all cases is love. The author was shut out, but he forgave and loved his enemy. If this were the mindset of all of us there would be much less violence in the world and less enemies for everybody.
We all have a desire to get back at someone who treated us unjustly. Often it never even crosses our minds to forgive them and love them and forget about what they did. Revenge is the best answer for us, and it causes mischief and harm to both us and the person who treated us unfairly. If we would just forgive and forget about what our enemies did to us, the world would be a better place.
The best cure for hate is love. If we love our enemies, it teaches us not to be mad at them despite the things they may do to make us angry. The author in this poem outwits his enemy and instead of hating him back or trying to get revenge, he shows him love and neither one of them are harmed by the other. And a great reason for loving our enemies is because God tells us to love our enemies. Love is the best thing to use against hate.
If everybody had the heart and desire to love their enemy like we are supposed to, there would be a lot less violence in the world. When we hate our enemies, it shows how less of a person we are when we try to get back at them, and the hate continues between us and may not ever end. Hate is truly a harmful and dangerous thing and can only be resolved by loving our enemies. Yet before we love we must also forgive. If we do not forgive our enemies for wronging us, why should they forgive us if we have ever wronged them. We should all love our enemies.

-Cody

The Crashing Waves

The girl stood there, in the middle of the ocean. Everything was going great. it seemed as if nothing could go wrong. The girl had everything going for. At least that's what she thought. But while she stood there, in the middle of the ocean, wave after wave came crashing down. The waves were coming down so hard she could barely stand to her feet. She stood there wondering what had she done wrong? Why had everything seemed so perfect, and now everything was falling apart. The girl started turning to things that made her feel as if she was rising above those crashing waves, but all they were really doing was pulling her down more. It seemed to her that she was losing everything. She had lost her friends, her grades were slipping, she couldn't find a guy, her family was falling apart, and her heart just felt so broken. Every time she thought she had found someone to help, they just broke her heart even more. She felt like she couldn't depend on anyone, and she started to drown. She slowly stood there watching her life fall apart, wondering why those waves had come crashing down upon her. Why did she deserve to have such a horrible life? Why didn't this happen to someone deserving? She felt alone in the world, as if no one was there. Tears finally began to fall from her eyes and dropped into the ocean. Her tears disappeared just as she was too. But then, out of nowhere came and voice saying, "you're not alone" and immediately after the voice, the ocean was calm. The girl could then stand on her feet again, and she realized what she had been missing all alone.

2009-2010 Basketball Season by T.J. Roberts

For me, this year is going to be something special. I am so excited to actually get this year’s show on the road. There has been a lot of talk on whether or not we will be good and honestly, I think so. We are in a new district this year so we are playing totally different teams. This year should be full of exciting moments and games.
I am most excited about this season because I have never been on this type of team before. This is the smallest team I have ever been on. However, this team has more heart and is the fastest team I have ever been on. We are a run and gun kind of team. We are going to be up in people’s faces on defensive and running the court on offense. When you really sit and think about it, it is like a new start. None of the teams we play this year know anything about us and we do not know anything about them. We have a great opportunity to establish who we are as a team in this district. The past is the past and it is time to start over fresh.
The atmosphere of this year’s practice is unbelievable. I think this is where the heart and desire to win comes in. The only time that our gym is quiet is when Coach is talking. At all other times, we are loud and constantly encouraging each other. That is how a gym is supposed to be. Coach Culter always says a quiet gym is a loser’s gym and I think this is the first team to actually buy into and believe this, because it is very true. We need to practice communicating with each other like we are taught to do on the court. I am very excited about our first game, November 17th. (MJCA vs. PLEASANT VIEW CHRISTIAN) I would encourage everyone to come out and make our gym even louder.

Curiosity

As I stood amidst the crowd, thousands of bodies moving together in one quick and organized pace, people brushing against each other, some lost and confused, others determined to reach their destination, I took in the hushed roar of a thousand different voices that filled the giant arena with a white noise of a thousand different conversations. I wondered what it would sound like if the entire world had been present, crammed into every square inch of the place, all of their voices dancing off the walls and ceilings like fireflies stuck in a mason jar. I wondered what it would be like to specifically hear the voice of each person, to make sense of every word that floated off their lips. I wondered if this is what God hears when we pray...

When I pray, I always think of having a conversation with God. I like to imagine that we're talking face to face about whatever we feel like, chillin' out just like best friends do. I can't physically hear Him, but He answers me, nonetheless. I know God is listening, but can He really hear me? I wonder if God has physical senses. Does God have ears? Sometimes I like to think that God is up in Heaven with a giant plasma featuring all of our faces as if we were Skyping Him or something. I wonder how it feels to have the whole world constantly talking to you, expecting you to hear each word and provide an adequate response. That seems like an awfully big responsibility. It's too complex of a matter for my measly, human mind to understand, of course, but I still wonder. I'm grateful that I worship a God that is so amazing that He actually takes the time to listen not just to every word I say, but also every thought and feeling I possess. And more than that, He does answer me with exactly what I need to hear every time.

-Katy

More than just an outsider

There will always be the jocks, the cheerleaders, the popular crowd, the nerds, and then them…… the outsiders. To them, no matter what they do, it’s never good enough for others to like them. They have to join forces with other outsiders and become friends with them.
To be on the outside is even more common in cliques. To the typical “outsider,” the people in the cliques are perfect. Take one look into to lives of the popular crowd or the cheerleaders. It isn’t all perfect. Someone in the popular crowd never meets the standards of the others. Same goes for cheerleaders. Cheerleaders always feel they have to strive to be the prettiest, because they are being looked upon all the time and being judged. There is always going to be someone who likes different music than you do or different clothes. Just because it’s not what you wear, it doesn’t make them any less important than you.
There are going to be outsiders in every group. They either don’t have the right looks or they like something the popular crowd doesn’t. An outsider can even be someone that is liked, but isn’t let in to all the details and is probably talked about behind his/her back. While it seems to the outside horrible not to be liked, in reality the outsiders are the ones that stand out. They are the ones that once people see who they really are, they will get to know them. People will eventually see the “insiders” for who they are and pick the “outsiders” over them.
-Kenzie

The Untypical Date

The rules of dating are easy right? Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, and boy gets up enough courage to ask girl out, chickens out a couple times, then some how squeaks out the question, "So um, you like movies?" And the girl answers, " Umm yea I think everyone does." Boy tries to decipher the "hidden" meaning behind this when really the girl is just thinking, Aw maybe he’s not stable! Should I speak slowly for him? Then of course the girl thinks this is "adorable" a word a boy NEVER wants to hear from a girl. What boy in his right mind wants to be adorable? But he goes along with it because he knows what is coming next the smile and the " Umm yea I would love to go to the movies So the boy and girl go on this so called " date" to the movies to see a movie that probably only the girl is interested in. So your in line and the boy looks at the girl and says, "Wow, you look really pretty tonight" (thinking this will make her night and win her over completely), but she says, " Really? Because I feel so yuck right now." Well that poor` boy, that defenseless boy is left wondering, "What? You do? What does that mean? Does she really feel ugly or is this a trick, is her dad hiding somewhere, will he jump me if I tell her she looks good in that shirt?" So they buy their tickets and walk inside, the boy thinking no girl eats in front of guys asks the fatal question of " Would you like anything for the concessions stand?" And that dumb poor boy gets the only girl that can win a pie-eating contest in 10 seconds flat. " Well since you asked, I would love some cotton candy, and some chocolate maybe with some crunchy things in it, and a slurpy but not too cold because I’ll get a brain freeze, oh and a diet coke." And of course how can the stunned boy doing anything but nod his head and say, " Yea sure anything you want."

So he waits and gets up there and there’s no cotton candy but there is cotton candy flavored candy and no diet coke but diet Pepsi and this of course means nothing to the guy its basically the same thing … right? So he goes to find his date, this is a mission that no boy can come back alive from. Everyone looks the same, he can’t remember what she is wearing, and he is getting the evil eye from the couple he is standing in front of. Then like a life vest she stands up and waves him over. Smiling, feeling so proud he got this food for her he hands her the food. What happens next is something that shouldn’t but does shock him. She says, " Aw this looks so good but I ate a tic tac and I’m so full but thanks, it’s the thought that counts." The cloud of disbelief sets in around the boy and takes his seat and waits for the movie to begin. But he hears something not even ten minutes into the movie. It’s her! She is talking to him without him even knowing. He doesn’t even have to slightest notion about what she could be saying so he just nods his head. These thoughts run through his head "what is she saying? Am I supposed to read her lips? Its dark how in the world could I do that? What is that in her teeth." He can’t believe the lungs on this girl, she must be a world champion talker; they have to give award for this kind of lung capacity. And all too quickly the movie ends, and she is still talking about the movie, and he realizes he has no idea what he even seen. The car ride is unbelievable, the talking is still coming, what could there be left to talk about? Finally he pulls up to her house, and he delivers the universal line that everyone should know as this is NOT working, " Well, so and so, I had a really great time tonight. I’ll call you to do it again sometime." As he drives away, the only thing he can remember is never to ask a girl if she likes a movie again.

-Hannah Smith

Defining the Grateful Gesture

The poem “Defining the Grateful Gesture” made me realize how ungrateful I really am. Every day I complain about the food prepared for lunch as if it isn’t edible; I wake up every morning dreading the rest of the day at school, and I think of another excuse to get me out of football practice. Not once all day do I think about how good my life actually is, or how lucky I am to afford a lunch and tuition at a private school were I can play any sport that I want.
It is hard for me to believe that I can complain about the type of food that they are serving at lunch when not twenty miles from our school there are thousands of homeless people waiting in an endless line outside of the Nashville Rescue Mission for their only meal of the day. I wake up every morning in a bed in a house that I never once think how grateful I am to have. The problem with people who have a decent life is that they don’t know how great their life is until everything is taken away from them.
One problem I have is that I am ungrateful about my education. I dread coming to school. It is not fair when my parents work every day to better my education by paying my tuition and all I do is the bare minimum just to pass so I can drive and hang out with my friends on the weekends. If it weren’t for the privileges that I have, I probably would have thrown my life away. There are many people that don’t even have the privileges of going to school and participating in athletics.
Like the children in the poem, I am undeserving of the life that I live, of the nourishment, the shelter, and even the education that I receive. I have no idea the pain that people have that live in the streets and go to bed hungry, that don’t have the same opportunities that I have to better their lives. I regret the ungrateful feeling that I have; it makes me sick that I don’t thank God every day for allowing me to live this life.

-Devin

To My Gacky:

Gacky,

You truly were my hero, and I can't believe you are gone. It still hasn't hit me yet, that you're gone. The image of the doctor coming into the waiting room and saying, "I'm sorry there's nothing more we can do" just keeps running through my head. I remember every time friends have told me about the death of their grandads, I would say I don't know what I'll ever do without my Gacky; I think I'd die. But now it's actually happened, and I miss you more than ever. I won't ever forget you taking me to "Rockytop" as you called it even though you never wanted to go and you singing and dancing to my music. All the times when I complained about being hungry and you'd drop everything to bring me exactly what I wanted. I'll also never forget all the other memories. You always put others before yourself, and anytime I needed you, you'd be there in a heartbeat. You were everyone's hero; there was no one else in the world like you. You were the greatest person I had ever known, and I can't believe this, it just happened so suddenly. Nothing is ever going to be the same without you, and you'll always have a very special place in my heart, and you won't ever be forgotten. Every time I was upset, you were there to fix it and make it stop, but this time you are not, and that hurts more than anything. You were the only person to ALWAYS be there for me, there wasn't ever a time you weren't. You were more than a Grandad to me, you were like my dad . . . you were my Gacky. I will always love you and always miss you.

R.I.P. Gacky,

I know you are in a better place, but I still want you here with me. :(

The Kaleidoscope

The kaleidoscope of color shifted from brilliant red – gold to sand and white; the sand molded with a sleek, glistening black and then turned to pure, clean white, and back to the red – gold. I watched as it turned and shifted through this same color pattern, mesmerized. They were all so beautiful. Over and over I watched with delight at the beauty before me, all my very own. I laughed with joy as the colors grew and developed into something more beautiful and complex than anything I knew. I was truly blessed. My eyes focused beyond the beautiful color and looked into the heart. It was there I was truly happy with what I saw. The colors – this joy – were mine to keep.
But it didn’t last. Things slowly began to change. The black and sand colors began to flicker in and out. Their definition became unclear. I watched as they slowly disappeared. Tears silently filled my eyes. Then, I watched in horror as the pure white became cloudy and deluded. And then, just like that, it was gone. The only color that stood fast was the red – gold, but that didn’t seem to be enough. The kaleidoscope was broken. It fell from my numb fingers to the floor where it shattered and spread in all directions.
My knees gave way beneath me, and I fell to the ground. The tears flowed freely now, easy almost. I opened my eyes and saw the glimmering red – gold still intact. A faint shining hope edged its way into my heart. I picked up the pieces of the kaleidoscope, and went on my way down a path I was sure would always be there.

Remember 9-11

A cloud of smoke and dust, so thick it seemed that it could be cut with a knife, blanketed the city. Bloodcurdling screams echoed from every direction, while sirens blared the signals of coming paramedics, cops, and firefighters trying to save as many souls as they possibly could. They fought through the rubble while heat penetrated even the thickest of uniforms. Around them was an image few can forget: The Twin Towers broken and burning, a portion of their former glory, and bodies of thousands of American men and women found throughout the remains.



Two thousand, nine hundred ninty three people lost their lives because of this attack on our own soil. The families fo these people will forever remember the full extent of the attrocities committed. However, I fear that, as a country, we will lose sight of that. In fact, I believe that we already have.



Many people today oppose the war in Iraq. They blame George W. Bush for starting the war, but wasn't the entire country stirred up with a wrath superior to any other nation attacked in history? We were all appalled at the evil behind the act, so we stood up and with one unified voice, demanded tht Congress take action against the people behind these heinous crimes. Are we such short sighted people that we have forgotten why we all started this war? Or, worse, can we not have the same patriotic fire our grandparent and great- grandparents had durring WWII because of Pearl Harbor? We cannot stand idly by and condone such violent acts upon our nation's soil. To do so only opens a door for more opportunities of mericiless and needless slaughtering.



I say this, not just to those who oppose the war, but to every American. Let us not forget 9-11 and thus forget our patriotic duty to defend our nation's liberty at all costs. Remember 9-11.



-Ashley Reed

Beating up Coach C

By T.J. Roberts
Well, this is the famous golf story where I hit Coach Christensen in the mouth with a golf ball. Two years ago Coach C. was my golf coach. One day during practice, I hit my ball behind a tree on a par 5. Par five means that the average score or par score on that hole is 5. Well my second shot was the one that went behind the tree. I was about 14 years old during this time so I was not as advanced in golf as I am now, so I did not know how to hit all the different types of shots like I do now. Coach C. decided that he was going to attempt to teach one of these special shots to me. This special shot is called a hook or a draw. For me as a right handed person, this means that when I hit the ball it would go from right to left pretty quickly which was a perfect shot from the position that I was in.
Coach C. told me to turn my club face in towards the ground and swing around my body kind of like a baseball bat so that the ball would curve around the tree. I swung at the ball and all I heard was the ball hit the tree. I was looking to see where it went and as I went to ask Coach if he saw where my ball went, I saw him bent over holding his mouth while gushing and spitting out blood. I immediately felt horrible and handed Coach my golf towel. After the pain started to go away I saw that my golf towel, which started out white, was now 100% red and dripping with blood. Coach left the course right then and I believe he went to the doctor before going home.
The main thing that I remember about this experience was the looks and questions I got the next day at school. I can not count how many times I had to tell the story. It was so many times that I wanted to say ok let me just tell the whole class once so I do not have to say it anymore. Coach C. showed me his purple lip the next day and I think Mrs. C. would agree that it was one of the nastiest bruises that I have ever seen. But yes, this is the famous story of how I beat up Coach C.

Watch what we say? It really can be life or death for someone whose life is at rock bottom..... you just didn't know it!!

At South High-"And then I heard the sounds of fish in an aquarium and I knew that though I had tried to drown them with my words that they had only opened up like gills for them and let me in." This sentence struck me as vital in the teenage world. It doesn’t make sense that we as teens use words with utter carelessness, but when things are said to us it is taken to offence so easily. The words we choose to pour out on people really do in a sense drown them!
When you hear a sad story about another person you can sometime feel bad for them but it is always easily overlooked as you go on with your day. When that terrible thing happens to you its like your whole world is crashing on you with no one to save the day. We tend to care so little of other people’s problems just because of the simple fact that is stated so often, “It’s not my problem” or “Thank goodness that wasn’t me”! When will we ever truly make a difference in peoples lives? A better question is when will we stop making others lives worse? That seems like a harsh thing to say but in reality it’s so true! We will never really understand how our words can affect a person’s life! People can say the meanest things or even small things as a joke and never know how terrible that affected the victim of your words.
I wish so badly that we all could understand the tremendous effect words have! Words can last a life time and never leave the mind of a hurting human being. One word as simple as, for example, “blob” , like the story Mrs. C told us, can be the breaking point of someone whose life seems like a nightmare. It’s a terrible thing to wake up with the damage another person has put on you and you absolutely can not seem to make it go away.
We in America always want to be the heroes, always saving the day and making a difference. The difference that should be focused more on is fixing what is already broken. This world is filled with people who have had enough hurt! So instead of drowning them with more despair we need to help mend the damage that has been created in their life.

My Family

I love my family. We’re pretty quirky, and we all have our flaws, but we wouldn’t be the Lawrences without all of us.

Granddaddy is hilarious and has a big interest about which Indians we descended from. He used to work with wood and now he has only half of one of his index fingers. Now he works at a fort giving tours; he knows a lot about Tennessee history.

Granny is amazing. Every holiday she opens her house to all 23 of us and cooks practically every meal we have up there. She is always thinking about one of us before herself. She loves as all and puts a smile on all of our faces. She is one of the strongest women I have ever met.

My cousins and I have to most random conversations at the Grandparent's house. I look forward to every holiday to get up there to see them. Going to the lake wouldn’t be the same without them. Who else would I play Super Mario Brothers for multiple hours on end in a tiny back room?

My mom and dad are the two most important people in my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. They are always there for me no matter what, and I love them so much for that. My mom is my best friend in the entire universe (sorry besties); I can tell her anything. My dad is my teddy bear and knows how to really make me smile. They are the best.

The brothers, what else can I say? They have been on the “Kaitlynn Protection Unit” for a long time. They really know how to pick on me, but it’s all-good; I can just tell on them. I’ve been a really big pain to them in the past and will most definitely be one in the future. But I love them, and they know it. They shaped me into who I am today, and I am so thankful for that. They have always been there for me. And I can’t forget my sisters-in-laws; they are really cool, and I’m glad they are a part of my brother’s lives.

The last people on my list are my nieces and nephew. Man, do I love them. They don’t call me “aunt” because that would be sort of weird since the oldest is only three years younger than me. We have so much fun when they come over to the house, and I want to be the best for them. I hope they know that they can come to me for anything and that I would do anything to help them. They are a huge part of my life.

Well, that’s my family. I thought it would be cool to let you all see into the world of the people who are most important to me.

-Kaitlynn

I Thank You God

Often we blow through life caught up in work or school, and completely forget why we are here on this earth. Our purpose here is to serve God, and to do what is good in His eyes. We never really take a minute to stop and enjoy God's beauty which surrounds us everyday. We must all make every minute of everyday that God has given us count, because we never know when we have just breathed our last breath. Live life to the fullest extent for Him, and notice and enjoy his magnificence everyday.
It is easy to see God's beauty if we just open our eyes and look around us. Just like the star-lit sky that hangs over our heads at night, while our Maker hides in the midst of them with watchful eyes keeping watch of us. Or the beauty of the shining orange sun that rises every morning and sets every evening. The vast rolling green hills are also a prime example of God's beauty. There are so many beautiful things in this world that God has given to us, and we should be grateful for them.
Although there are many beautiful things on this earth the greatest beauty of all can be obtained by opening your heart to God. This beauty is the beauty of a second chance. A chance to spend eternity in Heaven with our Creator, and where all things are magnificent. This should be our main goal in life. It is almost impossible to sit around and look at God's creations and think how someone could not believe in Him. There is no excuse for letting school or work get in the way of having a relationship with God. We should be grateful for what God has given us, despite the mood we are in. And if you find yourself in a bad mood, look around at some of the things God has given you, and maybe this will make you feel better.



-Cody Butler

My Story

At first when I decided to write this blog I thought about doing a poetry response. But one day I was at church and I thought, Why not write my story?

So basically, I’ve been in church since I was born; just like many other people. I accepted Christ at an early age, and I don’t even remember how old I was. I was going to MJCA so I thought I was pretty secure in my decision to accept Christ. I would have no problems.

I left MJCA to go to West Wilson Middle for seventh and eighth grade. My mom wanted me to experience what it was like not to be in a Christian environment. In a Christian environment, there is always this barrier between the rest of the world and you. In a sense you don’t know the way people act and speak because they don’t know that it’s not right and you’d get in trouble for it in a Christian school. When I went to West Wilson, a lot of things changed in my life. People are definitely wrong when they say that their surroundings don’t affect them at all. The people around me definitely affected me. I started saying things I shouldn’t have said, and I acted very rude to many people. I did go to church, but that didn’t mean anything to me. Church was just like “whatever, if I have to go, I’ll go.” I’ll admit I was even a little embarrassed to talk about God and the Bible at school.

I came back to MJCA, and I was a little upset. Back at that time, I would have rather stayed at public school. Of course, I had no say in the matter, and I returned. I renewed my friendships with the ones I left back in sixth grade. I had a façade . . . even with my friends. I didn’t let on how I really felt. I just showed them this happy side when I was really angry inside.

Church to me got a little better. In January, we had a guest speaker, Junior Hill, and he was very profound and truthful when he spoke. You know when at the end of a service they’re calling people down to the front? And they say something along the lines of a rapidly beating heart and sweaty palms? Well, I had that same feeling. I thought my heart would explode because it was beating really hard, and I thought I would be sick with nervousness. I went up to the front, and they took me to some stairs, and I told them what was going on in my life. I told the woman that the only reason I had accepted Jesus earlier was because I wanted attention, and I wanted more friends- something I didn’t get. I dedicated my life to Christ that day. It was January 13, 2008.

In April, I started drifting away and not reading my Bible, and I conformed to what the world wanted. Church was still good; I enjoyed it, but I was sure not to say something I didn’t mean. Months and months passed again. Many things had been going on in my heart and mind. I was so confused, and I didn’t know what to do. One day, my youth pastor’s wife told all of us how she wasn’t a Christian, but she thought she had been over the years. I’m sitting there thinking, “Whoa! That’s amazing”; that following Wednesday, my youth pastor’s friend came and told us what he’d gone through with his relationship with God. I was thinking how this must be some sign from God saying, Listen up, Hannah. It’s time to get things right with Me. So I did. But once again life got in the way. The morning when I didn’t read my Bible I knew the cycle of my relationship with God would return back to how it was before.

A couple weeks ago I became friends with a girl in my Sunday school class; her name was Jasmine. We had never talked before and our Sunday school teacher told us we had to share our testimonies with a person. I was honestly dreading the following Sunday the moment she said that. So that following week Jasmine and I were paired, and we talked about our life experiences and what was going on with our relationship with God. I was really glad I told her. I felt so relieved for finally telling the truth to Jasmine and not having this feeling of secrecy and finally taking the Christian façade off.

Now, things hit closer to home whenever someone mentions God. For instance, when someone takes His name in vain, it hurts. His name is to be respected and honored. We shouldn’t use it in such an unholy manner. The adversary definitely wants you away from God. As you can see, I’ve experienced it many times. The farther away from God the better because he knows you won’t be a problem to him; the adversary knows what your weaknesses are and will use them against you. When I think about it sometimes I feel disappointed in myself for not wanting a relationship with the One who created me in His image. I feel like I’m more mature now than I was then. I know I’m going to mess up in life and people are going to judge my actions. But really, it doesn’t bother me because in the end, there’s only One person who’s going to judge my actions righteously- God.

-Hannah G.

I Thank You God.

i thank you god by e e cummings

Every time I look outside, every time I take a breath, every time a step is taken, or every time I hear a dog barking, I take it for granted. I don’t even think about it when it happens, but I don’t thank God for what He does in my every day life. I would venture to say that most people don’t take time out of their busy lives to just stop and thank the One who created all of these beautiful things around us. I’m not saying this to justify myself or say that it’s right, just because everyone else is the same way.

When I look outside, I can see so many things that I could just stop and stare at all day long because of the amazement that I have when I see them. I should be thanking God for every single thing that I am able to do. I am able to run, talk, yell, eat, laugh, see, hear, and sleep, as well as multiple other things. I cannot believe that I manage to forget about these things every day. I take so much that I am given by Him for granted.

If we all took just a little bit of time every day, to thank and praise our Creator for all He has given us, I’m sure that He would appreciate it very much. I’m not sure what would really happen if we all did what we were created for as much as we are supposed to. No one is perfect, but we should all strive to be as much like Christ as we possibly can. That’s what we’re told every single day in school and at church at Sunday school.

I wish I could go back into the past and thank God for everything that He has given me. I’m just one person out of this whole universe. I’m just a single grain of sand amongst every other one on this beach. I can’t even fathom the many things that God has done just for me individually. He actually thinks of me. The One who created this world, has thoughts about me individually. Wow. When I really stop and think of all of it, it really seems even more amazing. All I can say is “wow.”
-Tyler

The Beauty of the Earth
I look around at my surroundings as I walk my dog or go get the mail, and think to myself, it is so hot out here. I will tell my dog to hurry up, or I will drag him back into the house because I just can’t stand the heat. I completely ignore the beauty of the world and how there is so much around me. Only when I take my time to slow down do I see just a glimpse of what God made. God made it all, and it is so amazing and beyond my mind.
I think about the ocean and how much life it really contains. The reefs have so much life and beauty which scream to me. Each thing has its own purpose and was created by God. I think how could he make something so beautiful? But it only takes me a second to remember God’s nature and that He is Beautiful. He gives us so much, yet we take it for granted.
You might watch a show on Animal Planet or Discovery that talks about the world. Not once do you here them say that God created it. All you here is falsehood about how it is millions of years old and everything came from some germ. I can not see how they are blinded to the complexity and don’t put it together with a creator. They say millions of years of trial and error or just by chance, our world came to be what it is today. I think to myself, how idiotic! Only God could create something as beautiful or complex as our world.
All around us are hints, not small but huge hints, that God is behind it all. The jungles, deserts, beaches, and so much more have God’s handiwork written all over them. Each so different and special make the world what it is. God gave us a wonderful place to live, and in return, we do not give him the credit he rightly deserves. But above all, we don’t even thank him.

-Emily

Gratefulness

Defining the Grateful Gesture
By: Yvonne Sapia
“According to our mother,
when she was a child
what was placed before her
for dinner was not a feast,
but she would eat it
to gain back the strength
taken from her by long hot days
of working in her mother’s house
and helping her father make
candy in the family kitchen.
No idle passenger
traveling through life was she…”


When I first read “Defining the Grateful Gesture”, I thought about how ungrateful we can be. I think that we could all learn a couple of things about being grateful. The dictionary definition for gratefulness is “warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received”. I really thought about all of the small things that we take for granted every day, such as: cell phone, school, house, bed, family, television, ipod, food, teachers, computers, car, and a caring God. We are blessed with many things that we do not even think about for a second. It’s easy for us to appreciate the larger things that we are blessed with because they are more noticeable. When people do amazing things for us that are out of the ordinary, we realize it and are thankful. What about the everyday things? What about simple things that we expect but shouldn’t? If some of the simplest luxuries were removed from our lives, I imagine we would notice. The problem is that it does not go both ways. If we are upset when we lose these things, then why aren’t we equally as grateful when we have them. I know that I need to improve my gratitude in everyday life and I think this is something we all can improve on.

-Caleb

Everyday

….Everyday, you save my life

“Sometimes I swear I don’t know if I’m coming or going

But you always say something without even knowing

That I’m hanging on to your words

With all my might and it’s alright

Yeah, I’m alright for one more night.”

-Rascal Flatts, Everyday

The first time I heard this song, I immediately fell in love with it. One day as I was sitting in the car, it came on. As I intently listened to the lyrics, I could not help but think that this song reminded me of God. There are times where I feel like no one knows what I am going through. I turn to the Bible for guidance and realize that I am not alone. God is always there for me.

His words are always uplifting and comforting. He loves every one of us and understands everything we are going through. Whether it be a break up or just fitting in, it is not easy. We have ups and downs in our life and sometimes hearing a story or a song can help you realize that God is with you always.

I am reading a book right now called, When God Winks at You. It is a book full of stories about when people are down and God surprised them by sending a “God-wink” their way. It served to remind them how lucky they really are. I absolutely love the stories and can’t help but watch and wait for my own Godwink.

We learn from the Bible that we are lost without him. As Christians, we need God and if we pray to him about our heavy burdens, they will be lifted from us. This song goes to show you God is everywhere, and everyday he saves our life.

- Mackenzie

Happiness

I am one of those people that likes to be spontaneous and out of routine.
I like to try new things and experience stuff most would think is crazy.
I have a huge list of things I want to do before I die like skydiving, saving someone's life, and riding as many rollercoasters as possible.

I'm always going to say something stupid! That's just who I am as a person.
It's embarrassing at first, but I learn to look back and laugh at it, because I love to laugh and laughing is just a part of who I am.

Here are some fun facts for you that I thought was cool. I take fun very seriously.

-Laughing actually relieves stress and increases endorphines, which help prevent depression.
-Laughing is a great work out for your body.
-Laughing increases heart rates and allows you to breathe deeper.
-Laughter reduces pain.
-Laughter can help fight infections.
-Laughing 15 min a day can help you lose weight.
-Having a pleasant, enjoyable conversation while eating a meal helps with digestion.
-Singing out loud also relieves stress and adds years to your life.
-Your face has over 40 muscles. When you smile, it gives your muscles a work out and prevents wrinkles in later years.
-Smiling is an act we are naturally born knowing how to do.
-Women smile more than men.
-There are 18 different kinds of smiles.
-Newborns prefer to see people who smile rather than non-smiling people.
-Gelotologist is someone who studies smiles.
-People can tell a real smile from a fake smile by their eyes.
-Laughing for one hour can burn 500 calories.
-A good mood has a distinct smell.
-Denmark is the happiest nation in the world.
-Dancing helps increase happiness, followed by sports and music.
-Children cuddled more are typically happier.
-Smiling is a universal language.

I hope you enjoyed those fun facts and maybe you can apply them to your own life!

- Aalia

"In the cemetery
a mile away
from where we used to live
my aunts and mother,
my father and uncles lie
in two long rows,
almost the way
they used to sit around
the long planked table
at family dinners..."

Unveiling by Linda Pastan

The title "Unveiling" initially drew my thoughts to a wedding, particularly the unveiling of the bride just before she shares a heart warming, exciting first kiss as the wife of the man she loves. That moment signifies the bond of love that two people share in their lifelong journey together. This journey of life reminds me of a curvy road leading to the top of a mountain. It has its ups and downs, its twists and turns, but it's a beautiful and amazing ride; every moment takes you higher. But eventually, life reaches its climax, the highest part of the mountain. You've seen all there is to see and the only way to go from the top is down. Life begins to slowly fade away with old age and death. Time seems to move faster as you look back on cherished memories. Such was the case of the person in this poem, left alone to reflect upon special moments spent with her deceased loved ones. Death is sad from an earthly standpoint- a last gasp of air, the final beat of a heart, the end of new experiences and adrenaline-pumping adventures, the conclusion of living. The grief surrounding death is heightened by being the sole human left in a group of people, forced to encounter this not-so-grand finale by himself. Luckily, as Christians, we can celebrate death as the beginning of a new and perfect life with our Creator. The road to Heaven- now that's the one I'd choose to be on.

- Katy

Welcome to Dual Credit Blogging!!

My name is Mrs. C, and I am a Dual Enrollment instructor. I have the responsibility of teaching high school juniors and seniors each year, and I also have the great privilege of reading their writing. That is what you will see in the posts to come . . . great writing. Their thoughts, hopes and dreams given shape with the written word. I also will include pictures of these students in action, and I hope you are as inspired as I am when you get a chance to see what is going on in their minds and hearts. Read on, enjoy and feel free to comment!!