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
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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.
Monday, November 2, 2009
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.
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
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
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