Resolution

Happy Second Day of Twenty-Eleven! How was your first day? Did you notice the date?

1.1.11

I thought that was pretty sweet, but then again, I'm easily amused.

This year, I have a lot of little resolutions, but in general, my goal is very simple (and not particularly original): be myself.

I go through ups and downs in "being myself." 2010 was not an especially good year for being myself. It's not that I lied or was fake or tried to be someone I wasn't, it's just that...I was being the wrong parts of myself and not looking at the big picture.

Of course, 2010 was also just a growing year. I might not have been completely myself, but I did a lot of experimenting and learning and stretching. I learned what works for me and what I'm like and where my limits are.

You know, when I think about like this, 2010 really wasn't that bad. I'm not upset to say goodbye, but it actually wasn't a bad year. I had lots of Firsts (and several Onlys) and discovered that I love eyeliner, hate chemistry and can, in fact, tolerate guys screaming in movies (which will come in handy with the Harry Potter movies, I think).

Long story short, while I wasn't as successful at being ME in 2010, I did make a lot of discoveries about who I am that should help me become more the person God wants me to be in 2011 :)

More on that later.

~Kendra

Christmas Story

I wrote this last year for Christmas. I read over it, and while I might do it a little differently now, I decided to keep it...for now. Maybe I'll start revising it a little every year or something, to see how my writing style and perspective changes...dang...that's a good idea...why do I always have those late at night...

"So, There Was This Teenage Girl" by Kendra Logan, December 2009

So, there was this teenage girl.

She was a good Christian. She was kind and gentle and loved God (she was probably really fun, too, because all real Christians are! XD). She was also a virgin, and her name was Mary.

(Fun Fact #1: "virgin" in the Greek can sometimes just mean "young girl", but in this case, it means, you know, an actual virgin ;D)

Mary was engaged to this great guy named Joseph, who was also a good Christian. He was pretty awesome actually. Really fun, caring, Christian, even brave. They were pretty excited about getting married.

But then God just had to throw a curve ball.

One night, an angel suddenly appears to Mary. *freak out* And the angel said, "Do not be afraid" first.

(Fun Fact #2: We don't know much about angels, but we know one thing for darn sure: they are scary. Every time someone sees an angel, they're panicking so much the angel has to calm them down. Haha, I can see the angels getting impatient now, "*rolls eyes* GOOD GRIEF, WOULD YOU GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF? Oh, I mean DO NOT BE AFRAID.")

So, back to Mary and the angel. The angel says, "God is so proud of you! You're doing great!"

...

...thanks...

Guess what? You are pregnant."

*blink*

O.O

Imagine how Mary must have felt. I know I would have been absolutely panicking. I mean, I wouldn't have doubted it or anything--if an Angel of the Lord says you're pregnant, you're pregnant--but I would have been really scared. And I wonder if Mary was afraid she had done something wrong, you know? I mean, I would have been like, "OH MY GOSH, is there something I've...er...missed..."

The angel went on.

"You are to name the child Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

>insert awkward silence<>insert awkward, ANNOYED silence<

Joseph: "Okay...well, you see, my wife is pregnant, and the baby is expected any day now. Isn't there anything you can do?"

The innkeeper directs Mary and Joseph to the stable.

I'm not even gonna go into what Mary must have been thinking at this point. But anyway, Mary and Joseph head on over to the stable and try to get as comfortable as they can.

(Fun fact #4: most of you probably already know this, but back in the day, stables weren't little barns like we have now. They were usually caves!)

So, Mary goes into labor, and now we will graciously switch over to what is happening with the shepherds.

Now, let's get something straight about shepherds. They weren't really considered important. They were kind of like today's garbage men. You need 'em, you'd miss 'em if they were gone, but it's not exactly what every kids dreams of becoming or anything. For the shepherds to be the first ones God had told (aside from the baby's parents) was definitely ironic to say the least.

That's another thing I love about God: he's got a great sense of humor.

And here comes the part we all know. Say it with me now ;)

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

Then tons more angels joined them and sang praises to God!

So, with that, the shepherds decided to go and see what the angels had been talking about. And they went into Bethlehem and found the stable, and WHOA! There *is* a little baby here, just like the angels said! (Shocker, right? ;D)

I can only imagine what Mary was thinking now. I'm sure she was overjoyed with Jesus, and I really don't think she minded having random shepherd guys show up at her "doorstep". I do think she might have been a little frightened, though. I mean, having your first child is supposed to be MONUMENTAL already, so imagine the huge burden it would be to have the SON OF GOD. The random shepherds showing up was probably a whole 'nother level of eye-opening to Mary. She was holding the Son of God in her arms, only a few hours old, and already he was drawing people to himself.

It’s a beautiful story, is it not? It has everything a good story should: love, adventure, realism, excitement, irony, and even a little baby. But not just any little baby.

The baby that grew up and saved my life.

But that's another story ;)

~Kendra

Childhood Choices

When I was little, I wanted to be a famous singer (as well as the first woman president, an orphanage keeper, and an artist). The "famous" part was very important. I would bring CDs of songs I wanted to sing to church. After the service, I would play the CD through the sound system and use the microphones to live my dream.

I stared a singing group called Triple G (God's Girls Group) and made sign-up sheets for it and put them on the Information Desk at church. Members of the group came and went a lot, mostly due to the fact that I was what you might call a Bossy Little Snit at times XD

Although I wasn't singing to God for the right reasons, I learned a lot through all that. I learned that you can't treat people like crap and expect them to do what you say. I learned that true friends are the ones that will still love you even when you're being a jerk. I learned that not ALL grown-ups take people 2ft. shorter than them as a joke. I learned how to make things happen and persevere. I learned a lot of good Christian artists.

I recently rediscovered my #1 favorite artist of my Triple G club years: Rebecca St. James.

I must admit that even as a very strange child, I had pretty good taste in music. When I decided to go back listen to some of the "Transform" CD, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. But I still love some of the songs! They remind me of awesome times, and the sound is really cool. "Reborn", "One" and "Lean On" are still my favorites.

I also discovered that I freaking love Rebecca St. James' sense of style. Dude. I really picked a good singer to look up to.

~Kendra

To Pierce or Not to Pierce? Biblical View

Wow! The feedback on To Pierce or Not to Pierce was great! Y'all are so awesome :) Thanks for giving me your opinions. It's helping me make my decision.

There was one particular comment I want to address specifically. One person wisely suggested that I turn to Bible for the answer (always the best place to start). A few verses this person suggested:

Leviticus 19:28
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

Deuteronomy 14:1
"You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead."

Genesis 35
"And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Lots of information there! I have trouble knowing where to start XD

First, I'd like to point out a pattern in the verses (well, one of them): They come primarily from the Old Testament. Why is that? Well, it's because back then, there were TONS of rules to follow to make Christians "clean". It's unbelievable! If you read those early books of the Bible, it's staggering to see the lists of rules the Israelites were expected to follow. You might even say it was impossible. Why would God give people so many rules that were so difficult to follow?

I think one of the biggest reasons is simply because it's impossible. God wanted the Israelites to realize how impossible it was to be perfect, how much they needed God and his forgiveness.

For years and years and YEARS it went on like that. People tried to follow all the rules (even the ones about clipping your beard, braiding your hair, and piercing your ears) all the time. Then something cool happened:

Jesus came.

Jesus wiped away all the rules but two:

Love God.
Love your neighbors.

(If you follow those two commandments, the other Ten Commandments kind of naturally follow anyway.)

This is one reason why Jesus made people so angry.

WHAT??? This trouble-maker says we don't have to wash our hands before every meal. HOW DARE HE?

Etc.

See, when Jesus came, HE was the perfect sacrifice! By dying for our sins, he took away the burden of trying to be perfect. We don't have to follow all the Old Testament rules to be good Christians. Jesus took care of that burden for us :) It's all good.

There is one verse from the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

I really like this verse. But I don't think it means that piercing your ears is wrong. Piercing ears does not dishonor God. It's simple a fun way to show your personality. To show who you are, how God made you, a way to express yourself! We should always honor God with our bodies, but I see that as more what you physically do. Honor God by opening the door for people. Honor God by not reacting in sudden violence. Honor God by using your hands for His glory. Things like that :)

The Bible is the best place to look for answers. It's our instruction manual, our map for life, God speaking to us! But it's also really important to make sure you understand all the details behind the text.

~Kendra

Pool Faith

Hey! Well, so far, there are some AWESOME family stories!!! Y'all, this is EXACTLY what I had in mind! You guys are freaking amazing! :D I laughed out loud. Your families are pretty awesome XD

For any sad souls who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm having a crazy family stories contest. Read this post for details!

Today the sermon was cool. Our pastor compared the different styles of faith, to the way we play in the pool!

Are you the kind of person who jumps right in?
Or are you one of those people who steps in one step at a time?
Or maybe you're someone who just sits on the edge and dangles their feet in the water?

That's how it is with faith and God. Some people just want to dive right in! They want all of God, more of God, they're so excited!

Some people are more slow-moving. They don't take things all at once, they like to ease in and explore God little by little. They're more cautious.

Then there are some people who only want a very little bit of God. Just enough to keep them headed to Heaven and away from Hell. They don't necessarily want God all up in their business, but he's a good hobby. They just want to feel the cool pool water, but not much else.

The first and second styles are just different, I think, but there's something to watch out for in the third. We don't want to be those people who want "just enough" of God. We should want to dive in, or at least eventually be surrounded by God's power!

After all, when you look around the pool, who's having the most fun? The jumper-inners, or the foot-danglers? XD

~Kendra

Take Heart!

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~ John 16:33

There's almost something mystical about that verse, isn't there? Maybe it's just me. But doesn't it sound like something a fantasy hero or God out of a book would say? Something fantastic and eye-opening and magical. Something important the hero's mentor tells him, or something the heroine finds written on an ancient stone. Just goes to show you, God is so much cooler than our coolest creations.

I just sit here and read that verse over and over. It's so powerful. Think of all your troubles. All the little ones, all the big ones, all the secret ones, all the public ones. Can you beat them? Maybe not. Can you fix them? Maybe not. Maybe you can't overcome them, maybe they're overcoming you. But guess what?

TAKE HEART! Jesus has overcome the world!

That doesn't mean you'll never have trouble. It means that you can be sure that whatever your trouble is, Jesus is bigger.

Anything that bothers you here and now is okay. They might be real troubles, things that are worth being troubled over. But Jesus has already defeated them. He's Jesus. He's GOD. He's got your back--before you even need it.

So next time you're stressing, next time you just know there's nothing to be done, think about this.

TAKE HEART! Jesus has overcome the WORLD!

~Kendra

Finally

Y'all know I've been having kind of a rough time lately. Well, these past few days have been just what I needed :)

Sunday:
Play practice went great! My dad took me and we talked a lot in the car. I love that. I don't really talk to him like I used to, and I miss that.

After play practice, I came home and just sat in the living room with my mom and dad :) Sometimes it's nice just to be around. We watched some TV and I colored XD [Shut up. You're never too old to color.]

After dinner, my dad and I walked down to the lake to feed the fish. The sun was shining just right and you see the little swarms of gnats near the water. A boat motor made a loud sound and all the gnats JUMPED! It was the funniest thing! My dad wondered if you could make them jump with your voice. He said "JUMP" in a low voice and...

They did! It was really weird, and equally hilarious.

We went back to the house and Daddy watered the grass while I kicked the soccer ball and played basketball. When he was done, he played with me. I got six shots in a row, which was good for that night. I was missing like 80% of all the shots I took XD

I picked daisies for my mom.

It was a great day.

Monday:
Memorial Day!
"I'm proud to be an American, Where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, Who gave that right to me."

We can't forget :)

To celebrate Memorial Day, we went down to the lake! My friend Brianna and her little brother Michael came over, and we went down to the beach. Before long, lots of other people had joined us. A few hours into swimming and having fun, a thunderstorm came up! We got a canopy up just in time.

I love thunderstorms. And this one was cool. Not the most amazing one ever, but it had a giant crack of thunder that made me grin.

Some of the kids, including Matt, were actually in the water when lightning struck nearby. Matt said he felt like someone had kicked him in the chest. I wasn't in the water when it happened. I was jealous XD

The whole day was just amazing. Hanging out with friends, doing random things, I even got to DRIVE MY DAD'S CAR. In the neighborhood, but still, with just me and Brianna in the car. Please don't have me arrested.

Tuesday:
I slept late and just kind of chilled around the house. My mom and Lizzy are at a practicum, so it's just me and Daddy at home. We went to this new frozen custard place, which was awesome. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get stuff on a massive list I had just made XD I also got CHEAP CLOTHES! Who doesn't love cheap clothes? I got a skirt and a shirt for a grand total of $9.70. Alriight XD

We ate at Subway.

Play practice went amazing. I'm learning the dances better than I thought.

Daddy and I watched episodes of The Office :) I love that show.

Today:
Another sleeping in day. It felt great.

I laid outside in the sun for a while. It felt soo nice out. I'm not really one of those girls who can just "go out and tan". I get really bored really fast XD But I'm pale. So, I took notebooks, books, and my iPod and managed to stay quite happy for about an hour. Then I got up and played basketball until I satisfied myself with a beautiful three-pointer.

After dinner tonight, a thunderstorm blew up. It was so beautiful. Daddy and I went out on the screened-in porch and watched the bright lightning and listened to the thunder. I love those peals where you can hear where the crack starts, and then follow it as it rips around the sky :)
Daddy had to go to band practice for our church, but I stayed outside and listened to the storm. God is so cool, you know? I think thunderstorms are one of his finest ideas :) It even inspired me to write a little. A beginning of a story that will never go anywhere, but hey, I like it.

So basically, I've been having an amazing past few days. It's finally starting to seem like the best summer ever.

~Kendra

School

Cavender says I hafta post ;P And we talked a lot about this subject today, so he suggested I post about it. Way to open the door for a Kendra Rant, Cavender XD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whether your thoughts are on summer being so close you can taste it, or exams beating you over the head with a 2x4, school is most likely on your mind this time of year.

I'm one of those people who hates school, but loves learning. Every once in a while I can step back and agree that school is really important and it gives you a great foundation for the rest of life.

But some people just plain hate school. They don't see the point. You know what? I don't think that's their fault. I think it's the school's fault.

Schools these days aren't giving you knowledge, they're teaching to test. They're teaching you exactly what you need to know to pass. They don't expect you to understand. They don't expect you to know how to think. They don't expect you to be able to apply what you learn. In my opinion, that's robbing you of half your education.

School should be directly related to life. I'm not saying that it is, I'm saying that it should be. Teach us how to think, not how to spit information back at you. Teach us to read, understand, and be able to communicate ideas. Teach us history so this next generation won't make the mistakes we've repeated for centuries.

You know what I think? I think school is not supposed to be about fitting yourself into an academic box and making good grades. I think school is supposed to be about empowering ourselves with knowledge. Giving ourselves a solid foundation of numbers, logic, history, English, biology, physics, art, music, current events, and public speaking. We go to school to get a foundation that we will use for the rest of our lives!

Every subject we learn is integrated! Our Creator did not just make a bunch of independent subjects to be studied! He made everything fit together in beautiful and delightful ways! He left behind all this knowledge, just waiting for us to soak it in and see how it all works together. When we don't embrace our education, we're cutting off part of what makes us in God's image.

School should not be where our parents shove us because that's just what you do. School should not be about becoming popular because a full social calendar is what it's all about. School should not be where our curiosity and creativity are squashed to promote class efficiency. School should not be a place where we are brainwashed because that's how we're supposed to think.

School should be where we go to soak in the knowledge that God has created for us to learn! School should be about making strong friends who will help you become who you're supposed to be. School should be where we're encouraged to ask questions and be our own person. School should be a place where we're not told what to think, but given the tools to draw our own conclusions.

School should not be about facts or about grades. School should be about gaining life skills in specific areas and learning to think. Because when it comes down to it, understanding HOW to think is a lot more useful than being told WHAT to think.

~Kendra

Pure in Heart Award

Rachel B tagged me as a girl who's Pure in Heart! Cool :) Thanks, Rachel!

"Rules:"
1. Post about the tag.
2. Pick 8 bloggers who deserve this award.
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded.
4. Answer the questions along with your post.

1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? Well, bananas do this weird thing to my throat, but then it's basically a tie between apples and oranges. I really love eating orange slices at soccer games though, so oranges win :)
2: How many siblings do you have? Biologically, one: 13-year-old Lizzy. But if you count all my unbiological, might-as-well-be siblings you have to include Matt, Katie, David, Daniel, Jordan, Aaron, Cassidy...
3: How old are you? Sweet 16
4: Do you live on a prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other? Other. I live in a small town. I absolutely love it :)
5: Scissors or glue? Scissors >:)
6: Describe your dream house. :O I've never gotten this question on anything before. This is awesome. Okay, hmm...First, the yard has to be big with lots of trees (pine trees SO do not count -_-) and preferably some small woods in the backyard. The house itself I want to be big, but not HUGE. Two or maybe three stories, four bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, playroom are all important. I'm more into modern styles. THIS rather than THAT. Of course, I don't want my house to feel like a museum, I want it to feel like home, so we'll see.
7: Is your room clean? Uh...It's actually not that bad :O
8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Hmm...Maybe Eowyn.
9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? Ireland. But of those, Greece. Italy and France are close behind.
10: What denomination are you? Kind of nondenominational.
11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!!!!) Why yes, yes I do. Charles the Pilgrim Bear and Happy the Hippo, who doubles as an extra pillow. (She's getting a little flat...)
12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Normally gum, but my jaw has been doing this weird thing lately and chewing gum is no fun anymore -_- I also hate jellybeans. So, chocolate.
13: What is your favorite book? Oh wow, this is sooooooo hard. The Farsala Trilogy, and the Mortal Instruments are probably the closest. Probably.
14: Favorite ice cream flavour? GREEN mint chocolate chip and cookie dough.
15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Pasta.
16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? Speed skating. Apolo Ohno ftw :) And I really like gymnastics and diving.
17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do ( note, I am NOT a fan)? Uh. I don't know. I would hate it though.
18: Describe yourself in three words. Sarcastic. Persuasive. Crazy.
19:What do you hate? Stupid people XD
20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? "Hey, buddy, you have that pointed backwards. Turn that around--there you go."

I know tag...
Hannah
Emma
Cori
Nicole
Earwen
Bethany
Moonshaw
Abby

~Kendra

New Thoughts

Modesty.

I’m starting to see this in a new light. You know, modesty isn’t just about being modest. It’s about being considerate of those around you. What might actually be pretty decent clothing can still make some people uncomfortable. Specifically, guys.

Before, when people would say things like this, I would just roll my eyes. “I’m not immodest, okay? If your mind goes there, that’s your problem.”

While I still sort of believe that, it’s kind of mean when you think about it. Sure, guys need to be able to control their minds, but we don’t need to make it harder for them! Guy and girl minds work differently. Basically, guys are just more physical, and their instincts are more physical. The strongest, most amazing Christian guy is going to struggle sometimes. It’s not fair for us girls to parade around, leaving the self-control to all to them. It’s just not fair.

As nice people, not to mention Christians, we should try our best not to make others stumble and fall. Guys try really hard, y’all. (Well, most of them.) How fair is it if we don’t try at all?

This has never really been a personal thing for me, but I feel like it is now. I’m seeing this issue in a whole new light, and it’s incredibly eye-opening.

I’m not saying girls should dress only in long sleeves and skirts. Not at all. I’m also not saying that the responsibility of keeping minds pure rests completely on girls. Not at all. I’m saying it should be a joint effort. Guys, don’t go there. Girls, don’t lead them.

Be considerate, okay? Be fair. Be modest.

The word is taking on a whole new meaning for me.

~Kendra

People Pleasers vs. Fixers

My sister is a people pleaser. I have never been a people pleaser. I've always been sadly selfish and not easily guilted into things. However, there is a not-so-distance cousin of the PP that I'd like to introduce to you:

The Fixer.

A Fixer is different from a PP. A people pleaser tries to please everyone at once. They do what they're asked, and spread themselves too thin. Fixers are the Type A version of that.

Fixers are out to, well, fix everything. They feel like they should be able to do everything themselves, and not only solve their own problems, but yours as well. While people pleasers feel unhappy when the people around them are irritated, Fixers just get frustrated--more often than not at themselves.

I'm a Fixer. I like to play supergirl. I'm mostly good at it, or at least I used to be. Not as much anymore.

Now, this is usually the point where I would turn this post around and tell you that being a PP or a Fixer is not the way to go. I would normally tell you that it's just exhausting and unrealistic. You can't please everyone. A smart leader doesn't please everyone, they just decide who they need to please. You also can't fix everything. You can only change yourself, not other people, and some things will just plain have to wait for God's timing.

This is usually where I'd say that, but I'm too ticked off that I can't Fix everything to turn this into a lesson.

Oh, wait...

P.S. Please pray for Cavender's ankle. It's sprained, or maybe broken.

Perfection vs. Perseverance

I have a confession to make:

I am a perfectionist.

What? You already knew that? It's painfully obvious? Oh. Okay. That's cool, too XD

Being a perfectionist has its pros and cons. Unfortunately, it has mostly cons. As humans, we're always going to fall short of perfection, and beating ourselves up about it isn't a good way to live.

Sure, when you're a perfectionist you are always (well, mostly XD) striving to be perfect and do your best. That's a good, right? Doing your best? Absolutely! God calls us to do our best. He wants us to use our minds and bodies and talents to the best of our ability to serve Him. If we don't use our gifts, we're like the servant in the parable who buries the money he's entrusted with. That's really poor stewardship of what God has given us. So, doing your best is good.

But then there comes a point where it's just too extreme. And that's where I am most of the time. Lots of times, I get to the point where my line of thinking is "If I can't be perfect, I won't do it at all."

You can imagine how many things I've passed up, decided not to go for, chickened out of, and otherwise refused to try, all because I was afraid of failing. That's when perfectionism goes too far: when it stops us from trying things altogether, simply because we might not excel right at first.

Like all opposites, "perfection" and "failure" go hand in hand. You can't really know one until you've experienced the other.

Making mistakes is going to happen. Failure is going to happen. Failure twice at same thing will probably happen. The real honor is not in never failing, but in trying until you do get it right. That's not perfectionism, that's perseverance, and that's really twice as good!

Next time you're hesitating to try something, remind yourself that it's okay to fail. Perfectionism is for the temporarily lucky, perseverance is for the strong at heart.

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Church vs. Building

Trick question: is this a church?
No. It's not. This is a church:
Lots of times, people get confused about this. What is church? It's not the building, it's the people. When God talks about "the church", he is not talking about four walls, but the Christians who meet in them.

Why is this an important distinction? You know, I'm not a Bible scholar. Not even close. But I'm going to take a stab at this. I think it has something to do with focusing on the spiritual rather than the worldly. People get distracted when they care more about the building than what God's doing in peoples' lives.

Having a place to meet is great, but often people mistake the building itself to be holy. That's not true. It's just a building. Four walls with tons of chairs, a couple of bathrooms and sound equipment. It doesn't matter how fancy or expensive or state-of-the-art your building is. The important thing is the church--the people! The love and friendship and spiritual growth and wonderful things God is doing.

This distinction between the Church and the Building has always been very clear to me and most of the kids at my church. Why? Because we've moved a lot. Until very recently, my church has never owned real estate, and our pastor didn't want us to. We've met in ten different locations over the last ten years, but our church has always been the same, no matter where we were meeting.

Places We've Met
- My house
- The school cafeteria
- A nursing home
- The school gym
- Another church building (the church met on Saturdays, so they let us use it on Sundays)
- The new building of that church ^
- Matt and Katie's house
- A humongous garage
- The Long House
- The new building, "Connection Point"

Today, my church packed up all its chairs, tables, shelves, music stands, paper towels, trashcans and couches and moved out of the Long House and into Connection Point. Who moved all the stuff? The Church. Not the building, but the amazing people in it. Today seemed like a good day to remind everyone what's what. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, not build million dollar buildings with elevators and fancy carpet.

Just keep that in mind. As always, Jesus doesn't care about putting on a show or having a building, he cares about our hearts, he cares about the people, he cares about the Church.

Record

Dudeeee.

It takes real talent to screw up every part of my whole life! Yay for me! I beat a personal record of sucking!

Ignore me -_- I'll get over it.

~Kendra

God Day

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

God's New Year's Resolution

The New Year is here, and with it come all those fabulous new ideas to make us, our lives, and our futures better.

AKA, New Year's Resolutions.

Now, I don't want to generalize this too much; maybe some of you actually DO follow through on your resolutions. Maybe some of you actually stop cracking your knuckles, lose weight, make healthier choices, finish your novel, and train your puppy. Maybe it's just me that does wonderfully for two or three weeks and then forgets all about her promises.

Or maybe some of you know what I mean ;)

We as humans fall short of perfection, and so naturally, our goals and determination will fall short as well, but...

...what if God were like that?

What if God had led the Israelites out of Egypt, but then after a few years of mess-ups on their part decided that it was too much of a hassle to keep an eye on them?

What if God had originally intended to forgive us all, but somewhere around WWII figured it was all hopeless and just gave up?

What if God had really meant to stay with us through thick and thin, but then...well, he just got tired?

:) Aren't you glad God isn't like us? Aren't you glad our God is an awesome god? Our god is not glorified humanity. Our God is divine, perfect, and King of Kings. God doesn't make promises he can't keep.

God's New Year's Resolution for 2010 is the same as it has been since the beginning of time: "I will always love you, I will always be with you, and I will never give you what you cannot handle."

God Day: My Relationship With God

EDIT: You didn't think I was going to let a follower go by without proper recognition, did you?? XD Thank you SO MUCH for following, Libby! Wow, ninety followers. I seriously never (EVER) thought I'd see the day. :O

This is going to be sort of a personal-experience post, so...yeah. LOL, just wanted to say that. This isn't a big revelation or anything, just some stuff that I've been thinking about.

So, I'm not really this amazingly spiritual person. I only pray at night, I never confess my sins individually, I forget to forgive, and reading the Bible is something I do only when I need advice. Mostly, I kind of suck. Mostly, I don't care as much as I should. But lately, that's started to change.

I don't know what happened, or when, but I can almost feel God pulling me. He doesn't seem so far anymore, even though I've only just started to try in our relationship.

I have a really weird relationship with God, okay? It's not your normal "weird" relationship either. It's not that cliche sometimes-he-feels-so-far relationship, or that I-don't-understand-how-he-could-love-me one. My relationship with God is just really on and off. Like a switch.

There will be weeks at a time where I cuss in my head all the time, snap at my sister, roll my eyes at my mom, read things I shouldn't, and don't do my school work.

Then, the next day, I'll decide to pray, and immediately, God and I are great again. I can feel him with me, I get stuff out of the Bible, he gives me good ideas, he makes me laugh.

What. The. Heck.

I know, right? I don't get it either.

Here's the other thing that I'm almost afraid to admit for fear of sounding self-righteous:

I don't have a problem hearing God's "voice".

*bites lip* Do you hate me now? I hope you don't think I'm bragging, because I really don't want to come across that way. I just...well, whenever I pray sincerely, God answers me.

Now, this is advice I'm talking about. It's not like God just dumps piles of hundred-dollar bills under my bed or magically gives me that older brother. It's just that whenever I pray to God to help me understand something or show me what to do, he...well, he does. And it's really, really nice

This time around, I want to make a conscious effort to stay close to God. None of this floating away, I want to have this all the time. I've been praying about something for a few weeks now, and today God revealed to me what to do, clear as day. I know what to do, but I think it might be...hard.

*gasp*

What?? God's challenging me?? XD

One thing our youth leaders always tell us that I think I'm learning more and more:

Be careful what you ask God, because he'll show you, and you better be ready.

What's God asking you to do? Whatcha waiting for? Go carpe your diem and ask him.

13 Christmas Legends

First of all, let me draw your attention to the poll on the right! Can we get all 80 followers to vote? Well? CAN WE? Yes or No? ;)

The Open House was today! Lots of goodies and even more friends! Wow, I had a great day! We had an amazing guest band at church called "Ember". (Ironic and awesome, right, all you FF?) The band was made up of kids ages 15-college freshmen. Boy, were they on fire for God! When I see people like that, it gets me so excited! I wanna be like these people! The lead singer/lead guitarist used to play the drums for my church a few years ago; that's how we know them. Yeah, he's super talented. He plays the drums, guitar (acoustic and electric, obviously), piano, bass, and he sings! He might do more and I just don't know about it, haha! But anyway, that was a great start to a great day.

Next was the Open House. That was so much fun. We teens hung out downstairs until the little kids invaded our territory (lols), and then we were forced out into the freezing screened-in porch. We played LotR Risk! I had no idea how to play. This guy named Jes and Daniel tried to teach me and Brianna how to play. Well, apparently, the colored spaces are divided into even smaller spaces. I didn't know that. (It all seems painfully obvious now.) I didn't really get it, and Jes was giving me Matt Lessons (those I-Won't-Really-Tell-You-What-To-Do-Just-What-You're-Doing-Wrong lessons), and I kept putting my guys in his "territories". Of course this is before he told me about territories.

And then he had to explain how the archers are 1, the cavalry are 5, and the eagles are 10. Well, I started calling the numbers "points", just so I could call them something when explaining them to Brianna, but NOOOOOOO they're not "points", which is apparently very important to Jes and Daniel.

I was about to give up and call it a "boy's game", but I stuck it out and actually beasted up some territories, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I did especially well considering they kept picking on the territories where I had only one lonely little guy. LOLS, the whole thing was just really hilarious, but I think it's a "you had to be there" thing. Sorry for wasting your time, lol!

Then we played charades, with Katie ("little sister") telling us all what to be. I was a house, Rudolf, a window and a book among other things. Haha, someone was a bookshelf, and Katie took it upon herself to be snow. She stood on a chair and launched herself scrunched into a ball. *shakes head while smiling* Ya gotta love that will-be-eleven-in-36-hours girl :)

So then I texted this guy named Daniel (not the usual Daniel) for a while as my family and I ate "real" food and watched Cosby.

The day was awesome. Playing Risk is like the best thing ever. It was really, really, really funny, but a definite "had to be there" thing unfortunately.

Okay, now for what you've really be waiting for: the Christmas Countdown!

THERE ARE ONLY THIRTEEN DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!! OMG!!

Hmm, what should I do thirteen of?

Well, thirteen is supposed to be a "creepy" number, so why not something sort of mysterious? Thirteen Christmas Legends anyone? (The four with the * are the ones I suggest checking out!)

1. The Story of Black Peter

2. The Snow Maiden and Grandfather Frost

3. *Legends of Nature at the Nativity

4. The Christmas Spider

5. *The True Story of Santa Claus

6. The Magi

7. Twas the Night Before Christmas

8. The Legend of the Boar

9. The Legend of the Evergreen Trees

10. *The Legend of Mistletoe

11. The Legend of the Nutcracker

12. *The Legend of Christmas Stockings

13. The Legend of the Candy Cane

MERRY THIRTEEN-DAYS-UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Keep the Focus...

I had an amazing day with Matt ("little brother"), David, Daniel, and Matt's wii sports!! Brothers :) Right after reading and writing, they're next.

I love my church. No offense, but it's the best church in the world ;) Why?

1. The music is amazing. Our drummer is better than most drummers in professional bands. He's a Legend. We end up playing songs until the originals sound bad :)

2. Everyone is on fire for God. There are no lukewarm people. Everyone is close to God, and doing His will 100%.

3. Everyone is like one big family. It's like, I'll tell your kid to stop picking his nose and you'll tell mine not to run in the parking lot. Kids get left at church all the time, and hitch a ride with someone else. Once you hit the church building property, it's all good. You know your kids are safe; someone is watching them.

4. NO DRAMA. Gosh, I hate drama. Lots of churches I know get all wrapped up in lots of "he-said-she-said" crap. We don't do that. At all. Ever. There is 0 gossip at our church. If someone has a problem, they go to that person and DEAL WITH IT. We're about to move into a new building, one that we'll have to design. Guess how we're doing it? Together.

5. No deacons. Um...I'm not really sure what those are to be honest, but apparently they're like "elders" of the church that are great, except when they get stuck in their ways and power hungry...or something...

So, yeah.

And this was the most contradictory, hypocritical post ever.

The entire point of a church is not to be awesome. It's to show how GOD is awesome. But in this ranting post about how great WE are, I think I've missed the point of having a great church. The point of having a great church is not to pat yourself on the back (not that I was doing that, really), it's to glorify God.

Yes, my church is awesome. Why?

Because God is awesome. It's all because of him.

Remember to keep your focus. It's not about you, it's not about me, it's not really about the whole world.

It's all about God.

Home Depot and Us

GOD

Don't forget. He's got it all. We're just here to help.