I am not of this world's

*edit: I just reread this post and it's jumbled and difficult to understand...but I'm posting it anyway. If you can make some sense of it, then good for you.* :)

Hey. So yeah. It's been 46 days since I posted, and I'm reallyyyyy sorry. I've been a horrible blogger. It would be fun to update you on what's been going on in my life, but that'll be the next post, because I have something else I want to talk about first. :)

Do you know what freedom is?

I think I do. Don't take my word for it, but recently I totally got an idea of what not being free is. Not in a physical way, but spiritually. I spent the night at a friend's house, and at about 4:30 in the morning the radio started going off. There was a radio show on, and it was

1. Shallow
2. Stupid
3. Shallow
4. Pointless
5. Shallow
6. Made me want to cover my ears with my pillow

Well, I'm not going to say what it was about exactly, but it involved clothes and women, and it made me think, "Wow. Could the world get any more shallow?" (And yes, I'm aware I've used that word four times now, thank you, it fits this post very nicely.:)

So the world sees a woman's body, not her heart. Do they care what's in her heart? Nope. It's like, "Hey, if she's hot, that's all that matters."

I'm having trouble to convey what I'm talking about...what I mean is, the world is bound in chains of depravity that they're perfectly content to lounge around in, but what happens when God comes in and the chains are broken?

Freedom.

Sometimes it seems like, as Christians, we don't have the so-called "freedom" of non-Christians: we gotta dress a certain way, act a certain way, be "good." And it can look like our non-christian friends are having all the fun, living however they want to, not held back by any restrictions.

But hey. That's not how I want to live. And I never will want to live that way. Because those without Christ are bound up in chains too, just like the world. Chains that they don't even know are there.

Christ came. And he broke away each chain, each shackle, and each manacle binding our wrists. He used love and sacrifice and forgiveness and grace. He turned what was rotten into something that is blossoming.

And he gave us freedom. Freedom to love him, live for him, embrace beauty, and to want to cry because he's just done so much for us that we can't even fathom.

Our chains are gone. We've been set free. Christians, we are not of this world. We may be sinners and we've made mistakes every single day of our lives and we will make mistakes every day onwards, but we do not belong to the depravity and shallowness of this world. We are Christ's.

Listening to that horrible radio show talking about something as stupid as "should women dress provocatively for job interviews" made me want Jesus. It comforted me to know that I had a reason not to listen to that junk, that I was set apart from it, and that I had someone to run to. I am not alone in this world. I am saved. What the heck, I'm not perfect, and here on this earth I never will be.

But my chains are gone.

Even as I'm writing this I'm feeling a bit hypocritical. It may sound here like I'm some amazing super Christian who's got it all together and lives a perfect Christian life every day. I'm nowhere near close to that. I can't remember the last time I sat down one morning and had devotions. I've told God I want to do better and live for Him and I haven't. Sometimes I feel so shallow and inadequate and concerned with worldly things that don't matter.

My friends, let me ask you: What is that battle worth? What is worth to fight for something like looks or popularity? 'Cause even right now, I'm thinking, That's not what I want. I want a life lived for Jesus. A life that in the end is going to mean something. God is waiting for us and how many times have we turned him away in favor of things that will pass away? How many times have I done that? I can't even count. I can't count how many times I've done that in the past month.

So I can live a life in chains and bondage and slavery, in a world that will only pull me down and fill my mind and heart with shallow, stupid talk. Or I can fall at the feet of Jesus and beg for forgiveness and cry and thank him, again and again and again, that he saved me from the world. Saved me. Rescued me. Redeemed me.

Dear Lord,
I understand what it means to be in the world but not of it. You are a great and amazing God and I want to cry out to you and fall at your feet with tears from what you saved me from. I don't have to stumble aimlessly through life alone in a world that hates You. I don't have to die and be separated from you for eternity because your love was greater than my sin.

God, I don't want to be just another random person living for the world, not now or never. I've been set apart for You, for Your Glory and Your Kingdom. For an eternity WITH you, not without you.

I can't even begin to fathom the depths of Your Love.

And that is perfectly okay with me.

My life is your's, Lord. Not mine and definitely not the world's. You hold my heart, and I pray you always will. I love you.

All my love, which is nothing compared to all of yours,
your daughter,
Caroline

Life that's new

I really don't like posting now that my blog is private--I can reach so fewer people, and it's a hassle commenting on blogs that don't have access to mine. Anyways. :)

I'm really excited for 2011. This year, which will end in one hour (one hour! eep!) has been a good one. It's had its ups and downs. My grandfather passed away three days before Christmas. I won Nanowrimo. Grandpa was in and out of the hospital numerous times. There were trials, big ones, for my personal walk with Jesus. I could almost feel Satan shooting his fiery darts at me. It hurt. A lot. But Jesus, being the good Savior that he is, helped me get through it--and learn from it. I can't say it was enjoyable (I mean, come on; when is it ever?) but I think I'm stronger because of it.

I made friends this year. Two girls who have become two of my best friends, and I hope they'll truly be my friends forever. I met Katelyn in March in a writing class, and we got to know each other after a few months. Sadly, she spent the entire summer (grr!) in New Jersey, but she came home (yay!) and we've become really strong friends. Hey, we're both writers and photographers and bloggers and Christians and homeschoolers. How much more alike can you get? (Ok, we don't look anything alike. At all. But that's alright.) God has blessed me so much, and I am so thankful for a wonderful Christian friend like her. Love you, girlie!


Then, in April, from this lovely little website we call Blogger, I met Shaynie. I was just blog hopping and happened to find her blog (I have no idea where I found it) and man, am I glad I did. We always got along well, but towards the beginning of fall we started chatting/emailing with each other, and we started to become really good friends. Shaynie completed Nanowrimo like a week and a half before it ended. I, on the other hand, was struggling with a word count that was pretty behind. But this girl pulled me through. She wrote me an incredible pep talk and I pulled through and won that horribly painful writing contest (note to self: don't do Nanowrimo next year...possibly...). I didn't want to dissapoint Shaynie, so I had to kick Nano's butt. Now, two months later, we're close friends, and definitely friends for life. :)

And then there's Miss Molly. I can't say she's one of the best friends I met in 2010, since I met her in 2009. But then, last New Year's, I didn't know Molly nearly as well as I do now. I am so thankful for this friend. We may be as different as day and night, but we're Peanut Butter and Jelly, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, Spongebob and Patrick, Shawn and Gus. (I had to fit all the best friends I could think of.XD) We really are sisters, buddies, amigas, and Robin Hood and Merlin fanatics forever.:)

photo credit to Pixel Paige

I am thankful for my life. My friends. You incredible on Blogger, cause you make my day. My family, because that's what keeps us together. My grandfather's life. And I'm thankful for new life, and how Jesus can turn an old year into a new one full of hopes and promises and any amount of dreams that can come true. That may sound really cliche, but as Molly once told me, sometimes the cliche phrases are really the most true. Anything can happen, because this is life, and when you put in God's hands, you're in for a wild ride. One that will take you to places you never expected.

I want to write this year. I want to push myself to my limits and make the volleyball gold league. I want to save my money for a camera, I want to eat healthier, I want to run, I want to draw, I want to cook.

But what I really want is Jesus. I fool myself into thinking I need the above things (Ok...you really do need your health XD) but when it comes down to it, what's left? Is it the camera or the volleyball or the sketches? Nuh-uh. It's Jesus, and it all comes down to him. So give him the glory, because in the end, it's his anyways.

{MY picture, but I didn't put a watermark on it, so don't steal}

I wanted to share this verse that was a huge comfort to me during my struggle:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." --Ephesians 6:12 (and typed from memory, too ^_^)

Satan doesn't want us to live. He wants to weigh us down with how life can be hard sometimes. And while it can be, that's not the point. Because Jesus came to give life, and he certainly did give it. So it's the least we can do to honor him by living it.

It felt good to write this, even if no one else sees it until tomorrow or the next day. I need to get my thoughts out. :)

So thank you, Jesus, for Molly, for Katelyn, and for Shaynie. Thank you for Lorna and Olivia and Julianna and Alyssa and Christina and Stephanie and Guin and all the people you've blessed me with. Thank you for my family. For my best friend/sister (no, really, she is my sister) Paige. For my parents, my grandma, my nana on the other side. For life, writing, volleyball, water, music, health, laughter, swimming, jumping, hyperness, and everything else I love.

Bring in 2011. Bring in new beginnings, new stories, new laughter, quiet days, and a chance to begin again. Let yourself really live. I know I want to!

favorite photo taken of me in 2010...thanks Livia!

O Come o come Emmanuel...

I was trying to think of a more creative title. :) I know I probably don't have any right to post, seeing that I've been a very naughty blogger, but I have a good reason--nobody sees my posts, anyways, so I was kind of like, "What's the point?" until I remember to get permission to make my blog public again. I always forget, meaning I don't post, and when I don't post, I forget...oh, I have a question. Does anyone know why only this and the previous post show up on my page? I don't what I did wrong, and I can't fix it. Please shout it out if you know. :)

Anyways, that be not the subject of this post! I'm here to say, Happy Christmas! Or Merry Christmas, if you like. Getting into the Christmas spirit had been difficult for me this year, but last night at our church's Christmas Eve service, I felt like I truly remembered the reason for the season. You know how you can know these things, but it doesn't sink in? Well, last night it did. :)

Christmas isn't called Christmas for nothing...where do you think the "Christ" part came from? ;)

So, to all of my lovely blogger friends, who are reading this or not, a very Merry Christmas to you and your family! Tear open wrapping paper with glee, decorate sugar cookies, try on your new herringbone newsboys cap a hundred times. (Someone didn't get one of those this morning...no, not at all...) I love all that stuff, but let me join the chorus of everyone else reminding us what Christmas is all about.

Thank you, Lord, for coming down to earth and dying for us, and giving us the privilege of spending eternity with you. Everyday you save me, and I honestly don't know how I would get through life without you. Thank you for loving me, and being my best friend.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

This is the end

This is the end...for two weeks, anyway. The blogger Maggie had a very eye-opening post tonight (well, it wasn't eye opening for me since I already knew about it--what it did was help me re-assess my priorities.)

You want the truth? I live in blog posts. I think in blog posts. I do everything, in blog posts. "Hey, would my followers think this is funny?" "Ooh, that would be so good for a post!" or "Hey, drop by so-and-so's blog and see if they replied to your comment". It's an endless cycle of blog addiction that goes around...and around...and around. Sometimes I jump back and think, Whoa! Time to stop, girly. Give it a rest.


But I never do. I always keep going. I push those, You know, you really need to take a break--you're addicted thoughts out of my head and try to back myself up with miserable claims.

And I am sick and tired of it.

I'm being brutally honest with you guys right now. I just...I just don't want to do this anymore. And it hurts to say that because I hate reading that on other blogs. It's sad. But now I'm doing it. Because I have to jump out of this vicious cycle while I can still see the damage it's doing me.

Here's the thought that crossed my mind exactly one week ago: "I don't want to remember ___ (my age) as the year I blogged." Because I have things special to each year: last year, I lived at the ocean, didn't care a whit for photography, and was obsessed with my book Enslaved. The year before that, my family moved to the Midwest--completely out of our comfort zone and a thousand miles away from our family and friends. That's what I remember about that year: at first, absolutely no friends, loneliness, and missing my old friends like I can't even describe. That year in my life sticks out in my mind because of those things, and because of the totally different setting, events, people, and the making of some of my best friends.



I digress, but do you see where I'm heading? The past two years of my life stand out vividly. I'm pretty certain this year will, too. But for a different reason.

This year, I blogged.

I hate that. I can't get over the feeling that I have wasted such a huge portion of this year and of my teenage years. It hurts and it hurts badly.

Which is the precise reason I went to my mom a few minutes ago and said, "Um, I need to talk to you about blogging. I need help." That's the absolute truth--I need help getting away from it, and I can't do it by myself. Not only do I need God's help but I need someone to hold me accountable.

So here it is: No blogging for two weeks. Period. Nada. Zip. Zero. You get the picture.

And after that?

I'm still not sure. I don't lie when I say I've made some pretty amazing friends here on Blogger. I have writing buddies through Blogger. I send 1,500 word emails to my best blogging friend. I care about y'all and what you're doing. You've encouraged me, alerted me, taught me, and made me laugh. It's been a blessing to have meet all of you.

That said, I care about you--but I no longer want to blog.

Ouch. That stings, doesn't it? Well, here's the thing: much as I've enjoyed blogging, my life is hasn't stood still for it. I have things to do and places to go. I have a novel to write and friends to make and a camera to save up for. I want to be the Caroline who writes hand written letters to her friends, who laughs at stupid Robin Hood spoofs on Youtube, who has deep and real talks with her best buddies. Who isn't afraid to write that novel of hers and share it. Who was obsessed with writing and books. Let me tell you something: the 3,592 words I've written so far for NanoWrimo is more than I've written for my novels in three months.

At the end of the two weeks, I'm gonna see where I am and how far I've come. I won't say I'll be gone from the world of Blogger for good. I probably won't be. But now I've realized I can't fit blogging into the rest of my life. I highly admire those who can, but right now, it's not working for me.

So this month of November, I'm gonna write that 50,000 word novel. I'm gonna save my pennies for that elusive camera. This Friday I'm going to Katelyn's, and we'll have an awesome time taking pictures, painting nails, giving each oatmeal face masks (I think...). All I want to do is have an awesome time with one of my besties that I haven't seen in over a month. I don't want blogging to be on my mind. I don't want to say something and think, "Hey, that's going on my blog later!" And I want to buckle down and do my schoolwork when I need to, not when I feel like. I want to call my friends on the phone, finish making that music video with Molly, laugh with her over inside jokes and dance in the rain and drag her across the kitchen floor. And I plan to take chilly walks across the golf course, and tomorrow night go to a youth group I've never been to before, and write in my diary all the things that I think could go on my blog.

Do I do many of these things anyways? Yes. But I want to do them without being a blogger for two weeks.

You guys, you're awesome. I'm not gone for good, and this blog won't be deleted. But I am serious when I say, even if I come back after the two weeks, I might not blog anymore. Maybe sporadically. But I'd rather like to live a life apart from blogging.

I already have many of y'alls email addresses, but if you'd like to email me, then leave a comment with your email which I won't publish. NOTICE: I WILL NOT BE PUBLISHING COMMENTS UNTIL I RETURN IN TWO WEEKS.

So after then, I'll return your email. :)

My dears...this is hard to write. And I think it will be hard to stop this. But what's one thing I love to say?

Life has got to be lived.

I intend to live it fully and wholly for Jesus Christ. I hope you will, too.

So for now I say, adieu, and God bless you in your journey!

Life is good!

100 blessings

Olive Tree started this at her blog; go check it out!

Once a week, I must list 25 reasons of how I am blessed. We all need a reminder of that sometimes, don't we?:)

1. Jesus is my Savior
2. I can go down to the pantry and get a snack whenever I like
3. I live three hours away from the ocean. (last summer I lived five minutes away from it...but that's a different story.)
4. I have this laptop, even if it is slow, to write to y'all on.
5. One of my very best friends in the whole world is also my next door neighbor.
6. I now have an iPod--it may be an iPod Shuffle, but it still plays music!
7. I've moved to so many different places in my life and have been blessed in each place I've been in.
8. I have parents that love me more than anything in this world, and I have a sister who thinks I'm a dork, but she didn't think that, what fun would she be? (but really, she's right. I am a dork.)
9. I have a bookshelf in my room with many of my favorite books on it. Whenever I want, I can go pull one out and get lost in its magic.
10. Junior Mints exist.
11. Some of my old friends have fallen away, but God's replaced them with new and even better friends.
12. I'm homeschooled and loving it!
13. I can play volleyball at the local community center. I positively adore that sport more than any other in the world.
14. I have a beautiful blog design from Olive Tree!
15. Eoin Colfer wrote another Artemis Fowl book.
16. I have the love of writing.
17. I have an entire wardrobe of clothes, while people in other countries have only what's on their backs.
18. It's still summer, and I pity anyone who says it's not.
19. There's a pool less than a mile away. With a diving board. And you know how I feel about that...
20. The BBC made Robin Hood (best show EVER!!!!!) and Merlin.

21. I have the freedom to read my Bible and openly proclaim Jesus.
22. I spent eight days with two of my best friends, Ellie and Olivia, whom I only see once a year.
23. The sun shines.
24. I got to see my extended family, whom I hadn't seen in 3 years, last weekend.
25. Jesus loves me.

This is my mission.

I just dug an important piece of paper out of the trunk in the corner of my bedroom. And I couldn't resist sharing it.

I wrote these few sentences, this one paragraph, for my writing class back in March. It was just the class assignment; and if my teacher hadn't given us that assignment, I might never have written this.

My mission statement. Copyright to Caroline K., March 2010.


To love selflessly, live like Jesus lived, face each new morning with a positive attitude, and be a messenger of Christ. To be exemplary and brave in my faith, loyal to my friends, and honest in my words. I want to keep my heart and mind pure for God and for my future husband. I want to strive to love my family, write with passion, and follow God wherever and whomever he leads me to.

As I copied this out from the piece of paper sitting next to me on my bed, I realized how much I have failed and fallen short of every single aspect of this statement. I have been selfish. I haven't lived like Jesus. I wake up grumpy with a bad attitude. I don't talk about my faith in public. I go with the flow. I've favored some friends over others and haven't been a good example of the word "friend." I haven't always been honest. Yes, physically I am pure, but what about when I point out and sigh over every cute guy that crosses my tv screen? I've shoved my family to the back of my mind and down on my list of priorities. Most days I put off writing, telling myself, "I'm not inspired today. I'll do it tomorrow." (can you tell that I procrastinate?)

Yes. I wrote down these words but did I mean them? I shoved the paper with the statement on it to the bottom of my trunk and basically forgot about it. "Assignment over; I can go back to real life now."

Dear Lord, make me realize the value of these words. Make me realize they aren't something I typed for a class assignment but are the vision for my life. Give me the boost I need to stop sitting and waiting and help me to get up and start doing. Make me honest, make me real, make me vivid. Let me live to the fullest, not fretting over tomorrow. Don't focus my eyes only on the moment I'm in now but on the future and the choices I make. Show me the true meaning of purity, in body and soul. Help me to love others when I want to turn my shoulder and wake away. Show me what it means for me to be loyal. Make me your messenger, proclaiming your holy Name. Make people wonder about what I have that they don't. Take my fears, my hopes, my dreams--and let me be, before all things, my King, Your servant.

Amen.

Remember who you are

You are a child of God, created in His image.
You are beautiful. On the outside, too.
You are loved.
You are my friend.
You are talented.
You have a gorgeous smile.
You make me laugh.
You are an example of a true friend.


I am blessed to have met you.
I don't care if you wear the make-up or not.
I think quirkiness is awesome.
I don't know what I'd do without you.
I want to be the best friend I can be.


Whether I've met you in person or not doesn't matter. My friends... you are loved.


"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." --1 Corinthians 13:2

Christ-modeling loyalty

So over the next few posts, I am going to take one character element and study it, then list some characters it applies to. This is going to be fun for me because to me, characters are the heart of the story. Once, I voted on an online poll that asked: Which is the most important element in the story? Plot, setting, characters, or writing? I voted for characters of course. One person commented and said (mind you, I'm paraphrasing here, I don't remember exactly what she said): "Think about Seinfeld. The show is about nothing, yet the characters are what make it so popular." I believe this is very true. What say you? What is the most important element in a novel?

So let's kick off the character study! Starting with...

1. Loyalty and rejection.

What is loyalty? I think the true loyalty I see with characters mirrors Christ's loyalty to us, his people. He stuck by us even when we didn't deserve it. In the same way, I can think of at least three characters who are steadfast even when their friend rejects them and pushes them away.




The first character I'm thinking of is Sam from Lord of the Rings. You know the scene. Gollum's just accused Sam of dropping all their lambas (sp?) off the cliff. Frodo is obviously being swayed by Gollum's twisted council and says, "Go home, Sam." And when the tears spill from Sam's eyes, that's when I want to yell at Frodo, "YOU FREAK!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???!!!! So Sam goes. But he comes back. He kills the giant spider (yuck) and saves Frodo's life and their quest. Though Frodo pushed his friend away, Sam could see past that and was willing to go against his best friend's will to be loyal. And when they're on the slopes of Mount Doom, and Sam says to Frodo, "I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!" and he picks Frodo up... this is my favorite movie/tv show scene of all time. I want to cry each time. I want to be that loyal to my own friends. That's the kind of friend I aspire to be.




The second is Much from BBC Robin Hood. In one episode of the first season, it's startling how much Robin and Much are like Frodo and Sam. I don't remember what Robin said, but Much goes, "You know, a smaller man would be insulted. A smaller man would take offense." And Robin says, "You are the smaller man, Much. Go home." (or words to that effect) It's funny, but it's also really sad. Robin rejects Much, his best and most loyal friend, and you can see how much it hurts Much. But Much never sways in his loyalty to his master, remaining right by his side the whole time. As he puts it, "How do I prove my loyalty to you? I'd chop off my own arms for you. Well... I'd chop off one arm, because after that I wouldn't be able to chop off the other."

(this is a pic of Ben Barnes that I think looks like Finn)


The third is Finn from Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern (The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born). Finn is in love with Enna, another main character, but Enna is very stubborn and can be a bit feministic, as I've mentioned. Time and time again Finn jumps into a fray to save her and Enna flatly pushes him away. Finn never gets angry with her, never yells at her. When Enna rejects him he still remains steadfast, always there for her. I think Finn is the kind of person I want to marry. He's what I should be praying for in my future husband.

So there you have it... loyalty. I love each of these characters. As I've said time and time again, they each remain loyal and steadfast when their friend refuses their friendship and help. They're told to go home, to leave, but they hold out. They remain through the tough times, the hardships, and never waver in their loyalties. I think they're true examples of what we, as Christians, should be to our friends--Christian and non-Christian.

It makes me want to be a better friend!

I hope you enjoyed that. Oh, and don't forget to vote on my poll (0n the sidebar) and tell me which blog template/layout you like best!

I'm going again

Hullo, peeps! So I've decided that I totally need another break from Blogger. Like, I need more time to...

1. Talk to God and read His Word
2. Spend more time with my family
3. Talk to and write letters to my friends
4. Write-- and I mean books not blog posts. Real stuff. Not that this isn't real, but books are more important.
5. Have photo shoots with Paige
6. Prep myself for my first volleyball game on Tuesday!
7. Draw, because I definitely don't do enough of it like I used to
8. Work on schoolwork.
9. Get back to emailing people.
10. Take the dog on walks
11. Work on my goal for health class
12. Eat healthier
13. Work on writing class homework
14. Run... sigh. I love sprinting but not distance.
15. Read more. And finish The Queen of Attolia.
16. Talk to God and spend time in His Word (what? I already said that, you say? God is the beginning and the end.)

So basically, yeah. I'll be gone for two weeks. I'll have a lot of catching up to do when I get back, but it'll be worth it. Please pray that I'll have endurance to see this through!

I'll miss ya, but happy blogging and I will see you in two weeks! :D

He is not here, for He has risen!

I'm in a Phantom of Opera mood. I'm listening to the main song right now... oh! Listen to that organ! Amazing! Sing once again with me, a sweet duet... my power over you, grows stronger yet. AHHH. I love it! I actually fell asleep watching the movie, but I'm in love with the music.


I ask you, is this not Razo? Isn't it? It's a pic of Ben Barnes from a few years ago. Or it could be Finn. Which do you think? Finn or Razo?

I've decided that Lucy Griffiths (BBC Robin Hood) is totally Torene.


My volleyball practice the other night was amazing!! I am finally getting my under-hand serve right! There's a lot more team spirit between the girls now, and I think we feel more comfortable around each other now. My first game is on the 13th!

But most of all, more than any of that other stuff... Happy Easter!

Matthew 28:6: He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Yesterday, Good Friday, Jesus was crucified. He didn't have to. He could've let us humans die.

And yet he did have to. Because he had the power to say no, but he didn't. He could have denied everything, but he didn't. He died an excruciating, horrible death, for people who were sinning and angry and had no right to be saved by him.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." --John 3:16

Thank you, Lord. Every day in my life is yours.

I will be seeking first the kingdom of my God... --Natalie Grant, Deeper Life

Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry Christmas to everybody! It's been hard for me to remember this year that Christmas is actually about Jesus' birth, with all the C-mas music and cookie baking and present shopping and looking forward to seeing family. I mean, all that's great, but it's not the real reason for the season! And, in the words of my friend Casey, "Jesus is the Christ in CHRIST-mas!"

"I can tell you what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. Lights, please? '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 sore afraid. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring good news of great joy that will be for all 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 swaddling clothes and laying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men." That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." (that's a mixture of my NIV version Bible and what Linus said in 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.')

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

My best friend

Who is my best friend? I have a lot of really good friends, but there's no doubt in my mind about who is closest to me: Jesus Christ. The one friend I forgot to mention in the last post-- i'm sorry, that was my fault. But to continue-- people who don't believe in God and don't want a God to rule over them astound me. Who wouldn't want a loving, personal, listen-to-all-my-secrets friend who gave his life for you? A perfect friend. Someone who will listen to all of your troubles and guide you in the only right direction. Someone who picks you up when you fall down... again and again and again. But most of all, why wouldn't you want a God who forgave you? Imagine that you have an earthly best friend whom you're super close with-- the two of you are practically sisters (or brothers). But you did something horrible, awful, and it hurt that friend more than words can say. The amazing thing is that your friend still loves you-- but hates what you did. And then, most astoundingly, they forgive you, even when you think it's hopeless and impossible. That best friend is Jesus. Not only did he forgive you, but he endured extreme suffering and pain on the cross for your behalf. And-- get this!-- he wants to be your best friend and know all of your secrets and your joy and your pain and your triumphs. The question is, will you tell him you did wrong (sinning) and let him into your heart?
Basically what I'm trying to say here is that there is nothing and no one else in this world I am more thankful for than Jesus Christ!