Stages

So life consists of many stages for each actor. Different actors have different training, and each proves his own worth during that stage. A child, for instance, is either in training, or has been forced to begin performing without sufficient instruction. Training is generally applied by a parent or guardian, but sometimes the child draws training from those well-seasoned veteran performers that seem to be sprinkled evenly throughout the world's population. Regardless of the method of instruction, a child's background will bring a uniquely colorful interpretation to the overall act.

Obviously this analogy has holes, but I challenge you to examine your own life in these terms and evaluate your personal contributions to this play.

I will now endeavor to share my humble view of the Family Stage as obtained while visiting a town that sits a great way beyond my own.
Those in the Family Stage know that:
-the word "no" makes up the greater part of the household vocabulary.
-"blue" is a legitimate flavour.
-privacy is something read about in books.
-necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
-frequent showers/baths/loads of laundry/etc. are an inseparable part of life.
-man was born with a sin nature.
-true love requires what only God can give.

This observation may be flawed and is most definitely incomplete. What would you add?
You cannot always choose your circumstances, but you can change your efforts. You cannot choose where your life will end, but you can choose what leads it. You cannot make people love you, or stay with you, or even trust you, but you can love, and stay close, and trust. These are things I know but have not perfected.

There is a fine line between being outgoing and being obnoxious. "As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, . . . so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart." " . . . a brother is born for adversity."

That is probably a sufficient amount of random rambling for today. Please have a wonderful weekend.

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30
Psalm 19:14

Hello Seattle ♥

Hola mis amigos!

Today has been full of new and exciting activities just as every day before here at the Henson house in Port Orchard, Washington. God has blessed this house. I pray He will continue to. Every morning I wake up to the sound of my little kiddy cousins running around. Almost every day is filled with some sort of project or goal - anything from cleaning the house to taking a trip to someone's house for a play date. Somehow this full yet flexible schedule makes me very happy.

The Legislative Building from the church's field trip to the capitol.

I have ceased to be a novelty here, however. My friends at church are starting to be just that - friends - instead of fans. ;-) There have been so many opportunities to get to know them better during this trip. A friend named Benjy had a birthday party and a workday for his Eagle Scout project. Both of those were unexpectedly gratifying. The birthday party included grilling out and singing around a campfire followed by an opportunity to sing with my friend while he played his guitar. The workday consisted of many many tangled roots, thorns, and tree trunks which were pulled, hacked, yanked, and hauled away to make a beautiful path through a bit of forest to make room for a nice picnic area. Being covered in dirt at the end of the day felt awesome! I was even able to help haul logs from a tree they had felled! Of course, watching the men devour the cookies we had made was enjoyable too. ^_^

Becky has enabled me to experience a multitude of "firsts" during my first month here. Transporting Sarah and Benjamin in a minivan on the highway to their piano lesson while Garth and Becky and Ruth took Rachel to the doctor to have tubes put in her ears was definitely a "first." Becky had me go through a drive-thru, which I had never done before. She taught me how to mow a lawn, iron a fancy shirt, and cook a bunch of different dishes. I am learning so much! I changed a diaper for the first time, and now I have a job watching two little boys (ages 4 and 18 months). Their mother has asked me to help with some computer jobs as well. I was even more pleased when she told me that I could do the computer work from college.

I really believe that this is where God would have me for the summer. I have no idea if I am truly as much of a help to my cousins as I hope to be, but God has some lessons here for me. Having a constant church again has impacted my relationship with God in a positive way. I had been struggling a little with that. Also, since this area is made up of so many families, there is almost always help needed, even if it is something small. It is nice to be needed. He has been teaching me a lot about families as well, but that is a subject for another post. ;-) It really feels like home up here. I have seen a wedding, a funeral, a baby shower, a graduation, a recital, and many birthdays. God is SO GOOD! Every day the cloudy sky boasts of his beauty. The snow-capped mountains point up to Him. The very flowers and inlets and bays scream of his wisdom, intelligence, and lordship. There are many more lessons for me to learn, and I am more excited now than I was before I came. He has a plan for me. I will trust Him.

*~FUR~*

Proverbs 31:30

Psalm 19:14

Learning is a...Learning...Experience...?

There are many things one expects to learn at college - math, English, music, art, science, etc., and some would even include things like how to do laundry, how to make an efficient schedule, the most profitable way to study, etc. At Bob Jones, one also (hopefully) expects to learn more about the Bible and its Author. All of these things I am learning here at BJU, but there is so much more here than that. God has placed me here for a reason. Every day there is another instance where I see this, and it still surprises me! It is SUCH an encouragement to see how God uses the events in your past to help illustrate the lessons you are learning today. He is truly all-wise.

Today, I was able to experience another such instance. In my counseling class this morning, someone asked what the teacher thought of a family's prayer to heal one of its members, then having to bury that member soon after. The student pointed out a passage we had been looking at (James 5:13-18) and was somewhat confused. The teacher responded by asking what his initial prayer request for the cancer person was. The student replied "for healing". The teacher paused for a moment, then asked the class if they thought this was a good prayer request. Most people were silent. Another brave student raised his hand. This other student stated that nothing was wrong with it, and that he was wondering about verse fourteen as well. Something was not making sense here...then one young lady seated toward the front raised her hand and quietly answered, "We never know how God may use something such as cancer. It may have been that He was using that situation in someone else's life. It was not in His perfect plan to heal that one on earth, though they are eternally healed now. When we pray, if our goal in life is God's glory, we should pray that His will be done, not that our will be done, and praise Him whatever the outcome." Again, there was silence in the room as each mind contemplated this idea that had been introduced. The teacher agreed, and continued to expound on this idea. 

After discussion about HOW we should pray, he then addressed the confusion about verse fourteen. He suggested a better way to read the word "sick" in that particular instance as "weak", "discouraged", or "afflicted". Here is the passage in question:

¹³Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

 ¹⁴Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

 ¹⁵And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

 ¹⁶Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

 ¹⁷Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

 ¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 

The teacher explained that this passage was addressed to a people who were being "afflicted" for their beliefs. According to him, this passage was intended for people who are severely discouraged or afflicted - people who were weak and needed help. He added that it made no sense for people to come straight to the elders for a physical ailment, when the elders were not trained as physicians. When you view the passage "as it was intended", it makes perfect sense for a weak, discouraged, and afflicted person to come before his fathers and ask for help. "Healing" that affliction with "anointing of oil" begins to make much more sense, and naturally fits.

As he was talking, I understood what he was talking about. There is no doubt in my mind that someone can be so discouraged, so weak, so afflicted, that they need the support of their "elders". Someone can become so discouraged that it makes them literally weak and even "sick". It is not a very pretty sight. I am firmly convinced that being constantly spiritually discouraged can be even more addicting than worry. From personal experience, I KNOW that when you come to a point where you yourself have lost hope and feel like you cannot pray, you need to go to those who are there to help specifically with your spiritual life (or lack thereof). They come around and pray for you, and also "anoint you with oil" or as the teacher put it, they help you "wash up". When someone becomes discouraged and loses hope, they tend to become slightly disheveled and unorganized. These people come around to help "put you back on your feet". 

This passage made sense to me. I agreed with what he was saying, and yet some in the class begged to differ. Though ashamed of my sin that messed me up and put me in most of my "hard times", I am so thankful that God walked me through them. He is working here. He is most definitely working here...

*~FUR~*

Proverbs 31:30

Psalm 19:14

p.s. Please let me hear stories from you! I want to hear how God's working in your area. ^_^

Sugar-Induced Speech

Happy Un-birthday, my friends. At least, to my friends on the east coast. ^_^ Being 19 will not feel very different from turning 16, in my opinion. Birthdays are still a great cause for celebration, however! May you all have a wonderful Christmas filled with family time, good food, and praise to God for "His unspeakable gift." 

I'm spending Christmas break in Washington state. It's amazing what time with family will do for you. It provides refreshment for a slightly withered heart. It provides sharpening for a slightly dulled mind. What miracles God provides for us! Even the smallest details of a family point to Him. Watching a child learn to obey reminds me of God. How our whining voices must grate on His nerves, yet He is never impatient. He is always just, and always loving. He is so perfect. Why me? Why did He choose to save me??

This Christmas, while being insanely awesome, has been somewhat hard as well. I wish that I could honestly say to someone that I loved them without it being taken wrong. Has the word lost its meaning? How does one repair a friendship when words have been taken the wrong way? When one mistake crumbles five years of iron-hard credibility, how does one correct the mistake, or else rebuild? Would that I had the answer. God's working here. I do know that. Jesus, a man whose words were truly understood by no one on a daily basis has my utmost respect. There is a lesson to be learned there.

Life can be cruel. Men pick women based on a list of qualities similar to those of a good race horse. Something tells me that method will miss some important attributes. Why is this issue such a thorn in so many of my girl friends' sides? Good women longing to have a family of their own...willing to sacrifice of their lives to raise children for God...willing to sacrifice of themselves to serve a husband...willing to put in the time and effort to resolve problems with him and remain loyal regardless of feelings...good women like these, if godly men seek those qualities, should have no problems, right? Granted, it shouldn't be a cause for them to worry, for God IS all-sufficient, but I wish that for them. I wish them the joy that that particular life-situation brings, and the grace to get through all of the trials it entails. And what trials they are! 

God can heal the broken family. God can melt the most stubborn heart. God gives grace (and even JOY) to those struggling with grievous burdens. PRAISE GOD! May all praise be given to Him, for He is worthy of it, and no one else. Praise Him.

*~FUR~*

Proverbs 31:30

UPDATE!! ^_^

So, college has swallowed up all of my time, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, right? There are so many things going on here. Here's a brief rundown!

Living in the dorms has allowed me to see even more clearly how different I am from most people. Some things I just don't quite have together yet, and other things (which most have problems with) I understand. It's thrilling to be able to learn from other people, though. God certainly has placed me in the middle of a GREAT group of young men and women, and I would not be any other place right now. Every day proves again that this is god's will for my life at this exact moment, and that makes getting through each day much easier.

As far as petty drama goes, there is little to none of that. There have been a few flare ups (one involving the Lion), but it has been pretty quiet on that front. Of course there always has to be a little drama when you "like" someone. **sigh** Such is life.  Patience was never my strong point...at least when it came to myself.

It seems like so many people have become ill or even died this semester. So many people are sad and searching for something desperately. I wonder if I am just seeing these things more, because I am older, or if it is because people my age that I know personally are beginning to fall into the usual paths of man. Would that men would see how life could be in the will of the all-powerful, all-loving God!!

That's basically all. Jamie Yow is an amazing roommate, and I shall miss her next year. I miss my best friend Ben and all of my other friends in Anderson, but it can be fun to make new ones. There is another guy up here who is candidate for best-friendship whose name is also Ben, and that makes me laugh. We'll see how long it takes him before he cracks and cannot stand me any more. ;-p I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! God is SO GOOD! It's said many times, but it really is true! A whole life of praise is still not enough. good thing He's given us eternity to try and make it up!

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30
Psalm 19:14
I Corinthians 13

Give me You eyes for just one second.

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that i keep missing.

Give me Your love for humanity.

Give me your arms for the brokenhearted,

The ones that are far beyond my reach.

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.

Give me Your eyes so i can see. 

Crush...?

Good evening, cyberworld. ^_^ It's late, and i have a ton of questions running through my head.

What is it exactly that makes one person like another person? How do you define attraction. I don't mean the dictionary. I mean you personally. So many girls I have talked to like someone because they are cute, or because know they would benefit from having a relationship with that person. What's up with that? Since when was that a great basis for starting a relationship with someone? One of my friends told me that guys weren't as shallow in college...that they actually were looking for young women of substance. Another friend told me that they are pretty much the same as in high school...some are shallow and some are trying to be pretty good guys. Which do you consider it to be? A teacher once said, "What you get a guy with is what you keep him with." and that has stuck with me for all these years. What exactly draws "the right kind of guy" then? Are there any left? Is it normal for a girl like me to wonder if there could possibly be anyone out there who would take damaged goods even if they could get past the shoddy wrapping? Hhhhmmmm...my adopted brother has always told me that he loves my personality and that some guy will be very happy some day to enjoy that too. He's a great encouragement. Even though most people consider him to be a normal rebellious or idiotic teenage guy, he's actually taught me a lot about life, and I hope that he finds a good woman to help him out in life. ^_^ Where was I? Oh yeah...there are so many philosophies about how a girl should act in these situations nowadays. Some people say it's alright for a girl to start showing interest in a guy. Others say that under no circumstances should a girl initiate anything. This confuses me thoroughly. It's natural to like someone, but should a girl ever...EVER...do anything about it? (this coming from the girl who had to be taught how to flirt by her best guy friend...well...ex-friend?...ish...?) I suppose that is why they call them crushes. Does anyone have any good ideas for making one go away? Maybe not thinking about it at all and just focusing harder on schoolwork and responsibilities would do it, eh? :-\ (not really) As I sit here in this cold main entrance house, I reflect on the buckets of fun I have had with new friends here at Bob Jones.

ANOTHER thing...(I'm sorry to just keep blabbing about myself...I really would like your input)...no girl or woman I have ever talked to (with one exception which shall go unnamed) has ever had the same "weaknesses" as I do when it comes to guys they like. Popular ones are a great smile and good hair and cute eyes...among other things...but that really doesn't matter to me. One guy looks like the next to me. It is their voice, their bearing, their personality which draws me. Rats...I sound like a Jane Austin novel, don't I? :-\ Maybe I'm just too old at heart to be able to have a real relationship. Hahaha. A deep voice that speaks truth in a strong tone of leadership but maybe slightly nervous makes me smile. I have no idea why, but it does. A guy like that deserves an excellent help-meet, however. That's it...maybe I should focus more on striving to be the kind of woman God wants me to be (for He is the perfect Father, friend, and leader). HEY! Novel thought. ^_^ Time to go practice. I hope you all have a wonderful night, and remember that god is SO GOOD all the time!!!!!!!

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30

Thank You

Tonight, I would just like to take the time to acknowledge the services (or lack thereof) of a few groups of people. First of all, I would like to thank custodial and the Bob Jones design team for the beautiful job they have done and continue to do on the Fine Arts bathroom floors. They are a soothing pattern, and they are relatively clean and shiny. They are cool to the touch, which is a good thing when you find yourself curled up in the fetal position for an hour and a half. ^_^ Also, I would like to thank the many young women who passed through the second floor bathroom today and gave plenty of space and silence to the girl in the corner. I'm sure they were too concerned they would break my concentration to come and ask if I were in need of assistance. There was one girl, however, who did venture to inquire as to my current state. Having done her good deed and hearing my answer of, "Ibuprofen......please..." she hurried off to her next class. I'm sure an extremely pale, sweaty, shivering female scrunched on the bathroom floor probably doesn't look like a warm and fuzzy interaction, but there was one girl who eventually heard me and went to get a GA. This GA was so nice! She managed to get some water, ibuprofen (which I couldn't take as I had managed to relocate myself by a great porcelain throne from nausea caused by pain), and supervision while I lay there. In the pauses between my stomach trying to tear itself apart, I managed to find out her name and a bit about herself. I even cracked a joke! :-D Eventually the pain subsided enough for me to relocate once again to the sofa in her office where I was VERY thankful for a comfy couch and a nice fleecy blanket to sleep off the rest of this "episode". At around 11:40, she woke me up and told me the time. I managed to apologize and thank her then headed off to my next class. No one should miss History of Civ. lecture! Next, I am thankful for my group of friends in the Snack Shop who unknowingly provided me with some much needed sustenance of half of a nutella and peanut butter bagel. With the use of one of their laptops, I was able to complete my English homework in time for the tutorial that followed my break. A nap seemed good, and I am so very thankful for the inventor of the alarm clock. It woke me up to tell me it was time for work. I arrived two hours late, however, but I am thankful for an amazing and supportive department who helped me make amends. God bless the crickets...^_^ He painted the sky wonderfully today. It was filled with all sorts of puffy clouds in varying shades of white and grey. Thank God for beautiful music, humour, and the ability to learn. Thank God for the ability to walk and talk without pain. Praise Him for making me a female even if it seems unfortunate at the time. ;-) PRAISE GOD! *_*

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."     -Psalm 139:14 <3