Made to Inspire #11

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See more lovelies here.

Have a great day! :)

A Short Story...

As I came up over the rise, I slowly pulled Winter to a halt and turned my eyes to my destination. The early morning light cast a yellowish hue on the house, and mist hung over the trees.

I was almost there. I couldn't believe I was almost there.

For awhile, I just sat there on Winter's back staring at the house. The place where I grew up.

I remember the harshness of the walls that seemed to close you in. The early morning routine of feeding the animals. The lonely nights and the fear of doing something wrong to upset him. My step-father.

I don't why Mom ever married him. Every night, he would return home from the club drunk senseless, and demand his dinner. Mom would reluctantly give it to him and try to avoid his iron fist. Though, she's not always so lucky. Neither are we. Whenever he would even get near us, Mom would find some strength in her to tell him to back off. But that's when the yelling and the slamming of doors started.

One day, my brother couldn't take it anymore. So he shut me in the closet at the end of the hall to hide me, and told me not to come out until he came for me and said it was safe. So I did as he said and had to listen to the awful things that happened next.

I remember a time before our step-father. A time when at night when Dad was home from work, he would turn the radio on. It would play lively music and Dad would take Mom aside from her chores to dance to the music. And she would smile and laugh at his clumsy feet. Her eyes would always light up when he was around. Though, his job in the coal mines would eat up all his time. He would be gone from sun-up to sun-down, and when he was home he always too tired to do anything. Though, sometimes he gave in and read me and my brother a bedtime story before bed and then tucked us in at night. That was the time when life was good.

But then, one day, Dad didn't come home from work. Instead, a stranger came and told Mom that there had been an explosion in the mines. Oh, how awful it was to see her cry so. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about the last three years of my life.

When my brother didn't come back, I decided to check to see if it was safe myself. But when I saw Mom kneeling on the kitchen floor, screaming at my step-father as he ran outside to the car with my brother in her arms, something twisted inside of me. I felt like screaming myself.

So I ran out the back door, hopped on Winter, and we galloped off into the distance. Just like that.

But now, I'm back. And a bucket full of memories is washing over me. But I know I can't stay away forever. I need to be there for Mom and help her start a new life far away from here. I need to go home and face my past. I need to be brave. Lord, please help me, I pray. I need your grace and mercy in this dark hour.

And so, taking a deep breath, I guide Winter forward.

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(What an awful place to stop, huh?) ;)

Anyhoo, I feel like an awful blogger! :( I hate that I don't have the time or energy to post during the week anymore or anything interesting. I also hate that I haven't been able to read or comment on the blogs that I follow! :( Ugh. Yes, that is how I feel right now. Ugh - sorry, I won't burden you with my toils and pains anymore. Moving on...

So... how are you guys? Oh, one good thing I have to say is that I joined the Christian Club at school! It was really cool to find out who else is a Christian and was really encouraging! :)

I think I'll go to bed now...

Thanks for reading this (interesting) post. Have a great day! :)

Actions and Reactions {A Sunday Devotional}

Actions speak louder than words...

Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

~ Philippians 1:27 ~

Today's verse really cuts me to the core. It doesn't say when good things happen, or even when semi bad things happen, but whatever happens. No matter what comes about in our lives we need to remember that we belong to Christ, and we are His witnesses! It's like that old saying "actions speak louder than words." The way we conduct ourselves speaks more about our hearts than the words that come out of our mouths. So it's like saying, even if I get an F on a paper I worked for months on and gave my all, I will still act like Christ would want me too. Even when my parents ground me and I can't go to a party, I will still act like a Christian. Even if my best friend starts a rumor about me, I will conduct myself in a way that is appropriate for a believer. That's hard! It's so much easier to respond emotionally, but that's not what Christ wants from us. When Christ was ridiculed, He looked the other way. When He was hanging on the cross, He prayed for those who were crucifying Him. That's something to think about!

Reflection: Are you conducting yourself in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ?

Application step: Today, watch the way you act. Make a mindful effort to act and react in a way that would please Christ.

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Just so you know, I am selling my Nicki doll! She is up for sale on eBay and if you are interested go here. Thanks! :)
Also, my sister's birthday is tomorrow! Happy birthday, Krista! :)
Have a great day! :)

Made to Inspire #10

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I forgot to include this in yesterday's post and Emily asked me about it, so I'll answer the question right here: How come you are going to a public school this year? Well, even though I was very happy with homeschooling and enjoyed all of its benefits, my parents and I thought it would be good for me to try out a public school before college so I know what the environment is like. And to help me come out of my shell a bit. And, it can also be a mission field for me. I can share the love of Jesus Christ with my actions, words, and choices. And believe me, there are a lot of people there who need to hear about Him! But, guess what? There is a Christian Club at the school! I'm really excited to start meeting their every Friday during lunch with my friends and to meet the other Christians that go there. So, I'm excited to see how my next three years there will go and how I can maybe change someone's life. :)

Have a great day!

Weekly Wrap-Up

I'm back! :)

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Moments #2: School

The Good:

~ Going to school with my BFF and other friends :) ~

~ Getting back into a schedule since I got really lazy over the summer ~

~ Not too much homework... yet ~

~ P.E.! Unlike a lot of people, I actually like it because if I didn't have P.E., then I would never work out ~

The Bad:

~ Waking up at 6:00 every day ~

~ Cursing, and lots of it :P ~

~ Boring and easy classes so far (because of homeschooling I feel ahead of everyone else) ~

~ Lots of kids in my class don't even want to be there or don't care ~

~ Having classes with none of my friends :( Well, except Spanish - my sister is in that one so that's good ~

~ They are looooong days and I'm always so tired when I get home ~

~ Walking to class can be kind of crazy ~

~ Heavy backpacks! ~

~ Locker rooms! :P It was really overwhelming since there are so many girls and kind of weird having to change in front of them, but I'm sure I'll get used to it... eventually. And, my locker is like right by the OPEN door! :P Also, I couldn't open my locker since I wasn't putting the combination in correctly so someone else had to do it for me. How embarrassing! :P ~

~ We don't eat in a cafeteria - we eat outside wherever and standing up. I don't get why. :P ~

~ Lots of girls who dress inappropriately ~

~ Weird teachers ~

~ Scary older kids ~

Other notes:

~ On the first day of school I was so nervous! But now that I know what school will be like, I'm not anymore :) ~

~ It's a big campus! There's the classroom buildings, library, old and new gym, auditorium, school office, football field, baseball field, tennis courts, swimming pool... There are a lot of places to walk too ~

~ School colors are navy blue and white! Go Mariners! :) ~

~ P.E. clothes are not as bad as I thought and are actually quite comfortable! And I love my new running shoes! They are bright blue. :) ~

~ Every day, I walk down the big hill after school with my sister (and sometimes cousin) where we get picked up at a church next to the road. Since their are always so many cars and it takes forever. ~

~ Crazy, loud, but kind of fun school assemblies and pep rallies ~

~ School dances... :P I've never been to one, but I don't really want to because of what goes on there - and I'm not dating yet ~

~ Mondays and Tuesdays are regular days, Wednesdays are half days, and Thursdays and Fridays are Block Days. Which means that on Thursday you would go to your first period, then tutorial (study hall), break, period four, lunch, then period five. The classes are extra long that day. On Friday, it would be the same except for Periods 2, 3 and 6. It's kind of confusing. ~

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Wow, that was a lot! So that's pretty much my school and how my first week went. Yeah. Do I wish I was still homeschooling? I'm not sure yet. It's different, but I generally like my new school even though sometimes I find myself missing the freedom I once had. But, I'm sure it will get better. :)

Thanks for reading this (long) post and have a great day! :)

The First Day of School!

Ahh! I can't believe I'm about to start my first day of 10th grade at a public high school. :O

My first day of school outfit...

Ugh. I look like a zombie since I had to wake up at 6:00. :P My mom always likes to take a picture of us on the first day of school. It's kind of a tradition.

My new backpack! I love it!

Well, I need to leave soon, but I'll tell you all about it when I find the time. Because I probably won't be able to post as often as I have been. I'll have to see how much homework I get. Though, hopefully I'll be able to still post on the weekend with Weekly Wrap-Ups, Made to Inspire, and Sunday Devotionals. And you'll always find me on Six Faraway Friends and occasionally on Pure Lovely.

I hope you all have a great start to the school year! I'll be praying for you and I hope you pray for me. It's kind of scary being the new girl, even though three of my good friends go there.

I'll sign off with a smile. :)

Glory {A Sunday Devotional}

 It's all about me... or is it?

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 ~

When you accomplish something and people praise you or thank you, how do you respond? Do you respond by saying thank you so much, or I know it turned out great, or do you respond with saying, God is so good, or I couldn't have done it without Christ?

Today's verse takes it even a little bit farther, it says whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. If I were to have a guess at what your whatever would be I would say, whether you do your homework, or hang out with friends, do it all for the glory of God. Whether you clean your room or help your mom with chores, do it all for the glory of God.

When we do things we first need to think if they will bring glory to God, and then when it is finished, we need to remember that it was done for the glory of God and give Him accomplishments, or being selfish with our time and actions, wouldn't it be better to do what glorifies God? Then when we make that decision, do we have any right to steal that glory from Him and keep it to ourselves?

The real credit goes to God.

Reflection: Are you taking credit that rightly belongs to God?

Application step: Today when someone thanks you or congratulates you, give the glory to God.

Have a great day! :)

Made to Inspire #9

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