Can you say "resolved?"

Question!

Is it too late to talk about New Year Resolutions? It seems not much talk went around about it this year. I didn't really get challenged to do anything this year and I don't know if I had a chance to challenge anyone else either. Why this is a new year, and as a friend said to me recently we have quite a year ahead of us. We need to make it worth it and do some work for the Lord, we need to make something out of our life and glorify Him doing it. Ok so lets do some new year's resolution stuff.

First on our agenda is attendance. Say present when called. Me: present. Jesus: present..duh. Ok we're all here lets move on.

Second would be reconsideration of previous endeavors. Now I haven't saved the world or attempted to destroy it so I think I'm on good terms with the U.N. but let's not get hasty. Wait...thats not what I meant. No lets look at the previous resolutions. I can't think of but one, and that one was actually a blog post. Something about being a hero. I can't say if I was one or not. Did I even try? I think i did...hmm. This is difficult. Let's have a vote:.... Alright the tallies are in. And the results say....idk....my bff jill? Alright so I don't know if I met my resolution for last year or not. I guess I'll have to try again and we'll see. Since no other endeavor's can be reacquainted we'll have to move along.

Third on business is new new year resolutions....(is that gramatically right? do i care? jk) This year I'm attempting to keep a constant walk with God with little straying from the path, not to say the path won't be very rocky, I want to fight the rocks, grrr rocks. Secondly I want to run a lot more, because I enjoy that. So I already started my reslolution of running everyday except for sunday, for any amount of time. That lasted two days because since I don't own running shoes and the shoes I do own are flats (and would be no good running in) I run bare foot. I had my hardest and longest run the other day which caused me to bruise my achilles tendon. Ouch! So i have about a week of this year that I'm going to log as a injury so I don't get behind on my resolution and get running shoes to run in.

Fourth on our agenda: ask visitors to post comments of their resolutions so I can maybe help keep accountable or not if you don't want me too, but just so this discussion is made this year and the infamous New Year is not left out of your life.

By the way, monster energy drink is evil.

You've Got Me and Jesus

You know, I bet a lot of poeple following are probably tired of hearing about monsters and Nothings but I am afraid to say that I'm being haunted. No the Nothing nor did my monster go away and I don't know when they will. Probably when I leave this earth. Don't worry, I'm not contemplating that right now. Well, a good friend made me realize something the other day. Outside of church and school activities I don't really have friends to talk to. That's why you find me at church a lot. I spend my freetime laying on my bedroom floor wishing I had something to do. I don't have friends outside of activities, to spend the night and things like that. I'm really lonely actually. That made me so sad. Then I thought that asking for friends like that might be asking too much from God. Maybe I should be happy with who I have. Maybe I need to realize that I need to depend on Him more. That night I couldn't help crying again. But then I looked up and you know what I saw. A small pink card that I got for my 16th birtday. It was probably the best gift anyone has ever given me. It had my name on the cover and lots of little doodles all over it but mostly it was full of quotes that talked about friendship.
A Hug from a friend in times of need is like the feeling you get when the song in your head comes out on the radio.
Friends are like pillars on your porch: sometims they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you.
Most people come into our lives and quickly leave, it is a specail few that come in and leave a footprint.
Be yourself because the people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind.
And there were a lot more just like that. It was made from one of my best friends and she made me think of a song that she once said was her song for all her friends. You've got me and Jesus by Stellar Kart. I have since realized that the friends I do have are super precious to me and I need to cherish them more and also I need to turn to Jesus more often as well. Thank you for being such an amazing friend.
When there's nowhere else to turn
All your bridges have been burned
Feels like you've hit rock bottom
Don't give up it's not the end
Open up your heart again
When you feel like no one
Understands where you are

[chorus]
Someone loves you even when you don't think so don't you know you got
Me and Jesus by your side through the fight you will never be alone on your own you got me and Jesus

After all that we've been through
Be now you know I've doubted too
But everytime my head was in my
Hands you said to me
Hold on to what we got
This is worth any cost so
Make the most of life
That's borrowed
Love like there's no tomorrow

Jesus Was A Drama Queen?

These days people just don't get the Bible anymore. In fact there are more and more christians today who don't read the Bible anymore. Many people think it's irrelevant for todays problems. But why? How is what GOD said in anyway irrelevant? This is the saddest thing in the world. In order for you to truly have a relationship with your Savior you have to read His Word. That's what He wanted you to do, isn't it? When you're praying to God at night or before supper or anywere at all, and you're pouring your problems at Him and asking for His advice, how do you think he's going to respond.

This is where many people jump off. They don't see a response from God, but the truth is that there is one, they just aren't listening for it. They don't look for a response. This shouldn't be confused however but looking at every detail in your life and calling it divine intervention. It means you should pay attention to what's happening in church, listen to your pastor during Sunday School, and most importantly listening to what God has to say through His own Word.

But once again people don't see the Bible as relevant today as it was for Israel during the beginning of A.D. It doesn't have the dramatic effect as it used to have on us. I know when I'm reading my NKJV sometimes it feels like I'm reading ancient text, and when I think about that way it doesn't have the feeling in it and then I'm not taking anything out of God's word, and worst of all I'm not growing.

But that's changing. I have struck gold in the form of dramatic experience of God's word. Today we have new tools open for us to make the Bible impact our lives directly, because God has blessed us. At my church we have been watching a short video series every once and a while. It is created by a new Christian author, Rob Bell. He made these videos with great passion. He looks at the camera directly for the whole movie and makes it feel as if he is talking to you. And the great thing is that he presents the Word of God to us. He brings back the feeling and amazing powefulness of God's word. He also relates it to us today.

In one of my favorite Rob Bell vidoes, lump, he describes how his son had developed this really bad habit of lying and one day his mother caught him lying. His son promptly ran away to the upstairs bedroom and hid under the bed covers for hours. When Rob finally got home he went upstairs and told his son "There is nothing you could ever do that could make you love me less," and continued to repeat it to his son. And that is exactly what God tells us. With all the meaning a father has for his son.

Another great tool I came across is a new Bible that just came out that is called "Inspired by The Complete Bible Experience." It took a few years but Zondervan recorded the entire tNIV Bible onto 72 CD's. What's great about this is they took over 200 actors for the different voices of the Bible and added music and sounds to put in the background to emphasize the drama of the Bible during those times. And the whole Bible is read word for word with all the meaning that you could ask for today in America where feelings have been entirely desensitized. What a greater life it makes when you can have emotion in you evereday relationship with the Creator?

Rob Bell's Lump Clip

Nooma Site