Friday, September 14, 2007

What I've Been Doing

Maybe this should be called what I havn't been doing- namely, blogging on this blog! I am at www.somethinggreaterblog.wordpress.com and post there very frequently. However, I do like to use this blog too- for more "me" things, lol.

I've been:

-Having tea time everyday at 4. Its fun. I have a cup of tea while reading a chapter of a book on ettiquite, or while surfing a feminine blog. Its so fun!
- Doing school.
- going through many trials. While I don't want to sound full of self pity, it is true. However, God's grace is more than enough, even if He takes away everything.
- Reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, Holiness by Grace by Brian Chappel, Always Ready by Greg Bansen, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. All are good.
- Reading "Humility" again with my girls bible study. Now that we're having small groups again, we're starting to go on "Humility Picnics" after church. Not actually a picnic, but a combination of In N Out, Starbucks, and Panda Express. YUM!
- Growing my hair out. A girl from bible study told me about a girl who's not cutting her hair until the war in Iraq is over. I concluded not to cut my hair until abortion is illegal. We'll see. I'm not too sure if having hair down to my feet is for me. :)
- Studying and memorizing the book of James. Such fun!
- Spending time reading good blogs.
- Sewing and knitting as Home Ec.
- Cooking and cleaning
- Playing piano
- and lastly..watching good movies such as Miss Potter, The Sound of Music, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Pride and Prejudice. All reccomended!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Summer

-We're on vacation- will be back on Monday.
-I love Summer. We're in Mammoth right now, and I've been:

-Kayacking
-Hiking
-Reading- tons and tons and tons
- Writing Bethi a 23 page long letter
- Shopping- at thrift stores, lol.
- Watching A&E Pride and Prejudice.
-Writing 5 blessings everyday.

Friday, June 8, 2007

I love Jane Austen.....

I am Elizabeth Bennet!

Take the Quiz here!




Yesterday, we were at the Huntington Gardens, and in the book store was a huge collection of Jane Austen things- dolls, chocolates, address books, note cards, trivia books, sequels to Pride and Prejudice written by other people- it was amazing.

My two favorite movies are Jane Austinish- Pride and Prejudice, and the Lake House. (In a close third is the 3rd Pirates of the Carribean- so romantic!)

I'm going to read Persuasion and Emma this summer. Looking forward to that!

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

The Summer Experiment

Some of you may recall in Little Women when Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy do an experiment. The girls are tired of cleaning, schoolwork, working, and the like- so they decide to have a period of time where no one cleans. Not even Marmee. At the end of the week, one of life's lessons is realized- All play and no work makes Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy dull girls.

This next week I'm setting out to do a summer experiment. I have decided to do the opposite of the Little Women's experiment. I am determined to take over all household cleaning, cooking, and other responsibilities for the week. I will be responsible for two-three meals per day, along with vacumning, dusting, laundry, cleaning our bird and hamsters cages, shopping for food, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning my own room, and the general tidying up. Everything that my mom normally does, I am determined to do.

So why am I putting myself through such pain and suffering?! :) Well, first I wish to see if I can actually do it. That, if need be, I could be responsible for running a household for some period of time. I also want to serve my family- the most important people in my life. And also, so that I will start my summer with not breeding idleness. Idle hands make way for a sinful heart, or so the Proverb goes.

The biggest reason I am doing this is so that I will start off my summer with the right mindset- that its not about me. I have viewed my vacations so many times as a time for ME to relax, and ME to sleep in, and ME to do whatever ME wants to do- and that's wrong of me.

This summer, its all about the Lord- not me.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Why to Go to Public School...10 Amazingly Good Reasons

Okay, so I found this awesome and had to share.



Why send your kids to public schools rather than home-school? Here are ten good reasons...



10. Skill development: Public schools do a great job of teaching children to sit down and shut up while the teacher engages in crowd control and mindless administrative duties. The ability to put one's mind on hold, sit there and do nothing is a skill that will be in high demand in the competitive marketplace of the future.



9. Lack of ability: I could not teach my own child, I do not know how. After all, anything meaningful in life can only be taught by those properly trained and certified to do so.



8. Financial aspects: We cannot financially afford to home-school. Without the school based health clinics, how could we afford to keep our children supplied with birth control?



7. I want my children to learn all the correct stuff: Given how fast history changes, I want to be sure they are up on the most recent version.



6. Scheduling benefits: Staying on the same schedule as everybody else has its benefits. That way, when we go to Disneyland, we can make sure that we spend our time waiting in lines rather than wasting it on all those rides and attractions.



5. Close friendships: I like the fact that my children are spending so much of their time with people not in their family. I would much rather my children's closest friendships be outside the family rather than within.



4. Separation of church and state: As long as we keep church and state separate, then the more time I can keep my kids under the control of the state, the less time they can possible be under the harmful influence of a church.



3. Socialization: What possible better way could there be to give your children the social skills they will need as adults than to stick them with children their own age all day. Besides, the best influence on your child is the one randomly assigned to the seat behind him or her in home-room.



2. Class size: Learning cannot occur in groups of less than twenty students. There is nothing quite like being lock-stepped through material (with thirty other students) to really develop (within a person) that true love for learning.



1. Class pace: I want my child to know how to learn at the proper pace. If a child cannot keep up with the class, then it serves that child right to be left behind in the dust. If the child is learning too fast, then he or she needs to learn to slow down. And besides, what gives any child the right to assume that he or she can learn things he or she wants to learn rather than what the board of education decides should be taught for any given grade level. Anything learned at the wrong time might just as well be left unlearned.





LOL. This completly appealed to my overly sarcastic (working on that!) sense of humor.

Friday, May 25, 2007

A Cloud of Witnesses

This week, I've been having major troubles with doing devotions. I truly desire to be in the Word! I love my morning time with the Lord. It just seems that every morning- I fall back to sleep.

So, today I decided that I needed some inspiration. I slept until 7 today, though my alarm goes off at 5:30. Today I turned my light on, sat on the floor, and still managed to fall back to sleep!

To inspire myself, I read through several different "threads" on the Rebelution forum. I also thought about my dad- how he's probably read through the Bible at least 100 times. I thought of my Grandma- how every afternoon she prays for our whole family, and our friends, and her friends, and spends time reading her "Seniors Devotional Bible." I thought about how I love reading through the Bible- currently I'm in Joshua and Ephesians (my sidebar needs to be updated.) I thought about how much I love my pink pen- as I read I mark passages on being a godly women.

And now, I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning. Though its a Saturday, there will be no sleeping in for Tashi. At 6:00 AM, I want to be up and in my favorite place- on my knees with the Lord.

So, if you need encouragment, look at your cloud of witnesses. Who inspires you in reading the Word, and persisting even when its tough?

Monday, May 21, 2007

Is It Well With You?

In So Much More, Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin ask : "Is it well with you? By this we do not mean "Do you have everything that you want" or Do you have no problems"; but are you generally content and at peace and filled with joy?" (I paraphrased a bit.)

I've thought about this many times since I first read that page. Of course, the Bible tells us to "Honor our father and mother, that it may be well with us...." So, if we are honoring our father and mother, it will then be well with us. By honoring our parents, we bring joy to God, to them, and to ourselves.

Almost daily I ask myself "Natasha, is it well with you?" On days when I am not honoring my parents, or bringing them joy, it is not well with me. Those days are filled with strife, anger, frustration, and tears. But the days that I am honoring my parents, those days are wonderful. They are filled with joy, rejoicing, true happiness, and many other blessings.

So, dear reader, now I ask you. Is it well with you?

Thursday, May 10, 2007

I Remember When

I remember when.....this is my favorite line from "I Will Praise You in this Storm". I wrote Bethany a long list of memories today- most of which are too personal to post on here. But right now my life is changing a lot- and its great to look back and see where God carried me through when times were rough.


Today I finished a book on sin. I highly reccomend "The Enemy Within" by Kris Lungard. (Bethi was so kind to let me borrow it.) I loved it. I think I've developed a better attitude towards sin. Lately, I've been swinging on a pendulum: letting my sin control me, not caring, then caring and asking for forgivness, OR, hating my sin, not sinning during this time but fighting it really hard and then sinning and wishing to be in Heaven where no one sins.

A little mood swingy eh? But here's the thing- I don't want to sin. I should fight my sin as hard as I can. But there's a secret- though I shouldn't dwell to much on this (well, no, I should, but it shouldn't be "YAY forgivness! I can sin!" It should be- Yay, God's grace will help me NOT to sin, but will always forgive me if I do) - God is going to impart His grace to me, because of the death of my Savior. So, when I do sin-though, like Paul, I don't want to- I am forgiven.

I hope that makes sense, and no one thinks I've gone off the deep end into some sort of Rick Warren doctrine! Ahh my. But sin. Its an interesting subject. Grace is even more interesting. I'll think about that now, and telly ou all my oh so deep thoughts later!

Love Jesus More.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Books

I write about books a lot it seems.

But I love them!

I am going to read 30 Books this Summer! My goal is not to be idle- idle hands invited the devil...or something like that! I'm taking up knitting, embroidery; I plan to cook, sew, garden, walk, read, write...everything!

Here's my summer book list:

1. Before You Meet Prince Charming- Sarah Malley
Bethany and I are going to be reading this together and discussing it.
2. When I Don't Desire God- John Piper
Looks really good, and John Piper always is a good read.
3. Living the Cross Centered Life- CJ Mahaney
I love CJ Mahaney. He is one of my most favorite authors EVER.
4. Total Truth- Nancy Pearcy
One of my dad's favorites, its on worldview, and I'm reading it just cause I know he would like it if I did.
5. God is the Gospel- John Piper
My dad's favorite so far this year, and as mentioned, John Piper is a favorite of mine.
6. Always Ready- Greg Bahnsen
Recommended by Alex and Brett, and we own it. Looks good for learning to defend the faith.
7. Twelve Extraordinary Women- John MacArthur
Looks good, and my Grandma liked it.
8. Pilgrims Progress- John Bunyan
Of course I've read this before, many times actually, but its been a while.
9. A Path Through Suffering- Elizabeth Elliot
I bought it several months ago, and never read it.
10. The Valley of Vision

I'll post the next 20 later.

Friday, May 4, 2007

'Cause Its May

Okay, first of all, Bethany and I have a new blog which is www.somethinggreaterblog.wordpress.com we started it in April, and we are currently finishing up a series on Femininity. It is a blog for young ladies, and I hope "you all" (which is so little people!) will check it out.

Secondly, its May. On Tuesday I went outside, at about 8:00 AM, and I walked up "The Hill" and it was foggy, and of course, I had my iPod, and I listened to "Far Away" by Nickleback, and it was a lovely way to spend 10 minutes. And I went to the park and went on the swing.

What else have I done to celebrate May? Today I'm going over to Bethi's. We'll go in the spa, and paint our nails, and watch Pride and Prejudice, and celebrate.

I also wore a long pretty skirt yesterday, cause its May!

'Cause its May everything is beautiful.

Monday, April 23, 2007

I Know Nothing...

....but I also know everything. I don't know a lot of things. Spanish completely boggles me. Algebra 1 completely hates me, and the feeling is mutual. I don't know so many things about the Bible, and I strive to learn more and more. But I do know one thing. Just one. Uno. And because of it I am the most blessed person in the world.

I know that Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. I know this, and better then knowing it, I believe that. I believe that, and I base my life on it, nothing else. Isn't that the greatest thing in the world? I know the "good news", the Gospel, as Pr. Ardo said yesterday. Why did I get the privelege to know this from practically birth? I don't know. Why do so many people not know this, or believe this? I don't know. But I do know this one thing.

I just thought of that on my way to the librarey (person from 168, I think I have finally spelled this correctly? Maybe? :) because me and Bethany were struggling (in other words, debating/thinking) about a number of topics on Saturday. So yeah.

I also know something else! No where near as important, but I love May. It is the best month of the year. One day I, Lord willing, will get married in May. I'm getting baptized next month- in May. I'm ending school, kind of, - in May. In May it will get warmer so I can wear light, airy, frilly skirts. I can ditch my coats and sweatshirts- in May. I want to name my daughter May someday. Or Mae, like the band and Beth's middle name. Emma Mae. Very pretty. (Emma- Jane Austen. I'm going to start reading that- in May). May. May. May! I love May!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Vision Forum

I love Vision Forum, and since I want to post- but have no time- I encourage you to check out these two links:

www.visionforum.com or www.visonforum.org (Not sure whether it is an "org" or "com"!)

www.veritaspress.com

The second sells homeschooling curriculum. I currently do non-Christian curriculum, however, I am growing more tired of learning from a non-Christian worldview every day, so we may switch next year to Veritas Press, or something similar.

Blessings!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Gaurding the Heart

I was reading on another blog about how an article talks about how girls that "give their hearts to there fathers are less likely to search for love from a guy." I believe that's true, to an extent. When I seek attention from a guy its not because I don't feel cherished by my dad. I love my dad so much, and I know he loves me more then anything! (Except God, and my mom!) But that doesn't stop me sometimes from desiring attention from a guy.

But, the reason I try to fight wanting attention, is not because I wish to gaurd my heart for my future husband. Yes, that would be great. The main reason I desire to guard my heart is because I know that is what God requires of me, and it will help me to love and glorify Him more.

We've all read many articles and books, I'm sure, on how to guard the heart. I do not wish to add noise! However, I hope that we all consider the motive for guarding out hearts.

I know its hard to guard our hearts. But lets think also about the rewards:

- We know it is glorifying to God, and hopefully our motive is to serve and love Him more.
- We can be an encouragement to other girls who are struggling with this.
- We can live up to God's standards for us as women, thus being a precious jewel to our father or possibly husband. (Titus 2- pure!)
- (This is the lowest reason to me.) If we are ever married, we will have a beautiful heart to give to our future husband, one that is guarded and kept only for him. That is wonderful, and worth striving for.

Pray for a guarded heart girls! Let's strive to have this quality exhibited in our lives.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Been a while...

I've been busy.

1. I got myself organized! I am using my planner..which is spiffy...and its nice to have everything written down. I was inspired by Alex and Brett's post, on the Reb., and today I wrote down a really good verse in it. Its about how God and His grace are sufficent, and it was fantastic. I read it throughout the day.

2. I've been babysitting so much! Last Friday, yesterday morning, tonight from 6-7 with one person, and then 7-..., tomorrow morning, Friday again all afternoon, and lastly, next Wednesday.

3. I've been reading a lot.

Too tired to write.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Books

Okay, so I thought I'd use this post to talk about the books I'm reading.

On Friday, I bought "Raising Maidens of Virtue" by Stacy McDonald. It is fantastic looking, and me and my mom are going to start reading it together every Tuesday night. I'm excited for that.

And, the books I am currently reading alone are:

The Bible- Exodus and Acts
Jesus Freaks
My Utmost for His Highest
A Woman's High Calling (Highly reccomended!)
Let Me Be A Women

And other assorted stuff.

I am usually reading a ton of books at once, and apparently a lifetime of doing this is rather inspiring. My father and I have decided to write a book! It will be on something about fathers and daughters, and we are quite excited to begin outlining it today or tomorrow! We hope to combine our brains to use them for the glory of God.

Ah, I did not actually talk to Mr. Mahaney, but I did SEE him. *Laughs*

I must go, I hope to finish my schoolwork and work on a sewing project!

Friday, March 9, 2007

The Shepherds Conference

I'm kind of excited! The Shepherd's Conference has been going on at Grace Community Church all week- my former church, which is about 30 minutes away from our house. About 500 pastors all gather there for fellowship and hearing the word. (Plus, getting free books!) My dad didn't go this year, as he thought to register too late, however, we will be going tonight for an alumni dinner. (My dad is a graduate of The Master's Seminary.)

So why am I excited? Well, CJ Mahaney, John MacArthur, Al Molher, R.C. Sproul (?), and a bunch of other gifted men are there. (Dr. John Piper was going to come, but with the death of his father, was not able too.) I really, really, really, really want to meet CJ Mahaney! I don't want to fall into the trap of beholding only the glory of man, but I have read many of Mr. Mahaney's books, and am an avid reader of Girl Talk. (His wifes blog.)

And, they have a lot of books for sale in a special book store right now, so I hope to add to my librarey. We leave in a few hours, yay!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Continuing Singleness

After a loong break, I am back to continue writing on Singleness. I read an excellent, excellent book this weekend- Did I Kiss Mariage Goodbye? by Carolyn McCully. While you might think it was about marriage, it is really about godly, single living. It really taught me how to become a single Proverbs 31 women. Read it! Its fantastic.

So, this weekend I was blessed to recieve my grandmother's old Hope Chest. She had bought it when she was single, and I am not quite sure what she used it for. However, it is cedar, and quite quite beautiful. On the way home we had it in the bed of my dad's truck, and made quite a few stops. We all kept on joking about the "bad sign if your hope chest get's stolen!" But, we, and the chest, made it safely home.

I think the reason I wanted a hope chest is because not only is it beautiful, it signifys me getting ready to one day be a homemaker. Whether that home will be made with a husband and children, or with roommates, or even in a small hut in the jungle, my hope chest will have cherished things in it for me to decorate and use in my home. Each time I learn a new skill- sewing, cooking, cleaning, or a "spiritual skill" I plan to put a small something in the chest to remind me of my new found skill.

So, there are a few things I have decided to put in the hope chest, which I thought might be interesting to those of you who are thinking of getting your own chest:

- Christmas Ornaments. Every Christmas I plan to buy one and put it in the chest.
- A Recipe box, filled with favorite recipes from my mom, grandma, and other godly women in my church. Also, at potlucks it is possible to pick up some delicious recipes, so I hope to pick up some there as well. My mom has these lovely wood boxes, filled with pretty index cards and recipes.
- A large, beautiful Bible to be used for family readings. This will probably be a large investment later in my life. However, I think I will like to have a Bible on my coffee table no matter where I live.
- A baby quilt and assorted baby clothes. I've started learning how to quilt, and am working on a quilt for my current room, but I want to make a baby quilt next. And baby clothes? Come on. There are so many sales, and they are sooo cute!

I'm off to work on filling my chest! :)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The Modesty Survey/Happy Valentines Day!

The Rebelution has finally published the modesty survey! There are answers from 1,500 plus Christian guys on modesty. Every godly girl needs to read this survey. www.therebelution.com It is currently on the front page.

Also, Happy Valentines Day! What a great day this has been. My dear loving Daddy got me 4 pink roses, in a bouquet, in a vase, with a small bear hugging the vase. Its so pretty. Then, I got up early (5:00) and made a yummy breakfast of heart shaped pancakes, canned yummy cherry sauce, and berry-pineapple-yogurt parfaits. I set the table nicely, and my mom and dad were so suprised and blessed. Plus, my other V-day gift, the Modesty Survey, came out, so I was blessed by that.

A few more ideas to serve others:

Send your friends an e-card! Daysprings.com has some lovely ones that are perfect for sending to all of your friends.

Offer to babysit for a couple from your church. Yes, its a little late now, but I'm sure they would still appreaciate it greatly, especially if the babysitter has cancelled, or they have not been able to find one.

Put some chocolate kisses on your brother's and sister's pillows before they go to sleep tonight. They'll be thrilled to find it there as a sort of, last valentine of the day type thing.

Happy Valentines Day!

Friday, February 9, 2007

Singleness

I mentioned Valentines Day in my last post, and I've been thinking more about creative ideas for this upcoming day.

1. My first suggestion is to make a special dinner for your family! You could make a salad with bright red cherry tomatoes, maybe a quiche of some sort that's heart shaped, potatoes cut into hearts, and then a bunch of yummy deserts. Set the table really pretty, with tablecloths and candles. What a great way to serve your family, and maybe while you and your siblings eat your parents can have a nice evening out together.

2. Make valentines and send them to your grandmother, or other elderly ladies. I've heard of some gentleman that get a single red rose for both there grandmothers. I find that very sweet, and good preperation for the future. :)

3. Write a letter to your future husband. I plan to do this, and have all ready picked out the perfect valentine for him. I'll listen to some romantic music and write my heart out on Wednesday.

More to come..

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

The Gift of Singleness

I'm sure someone (or most people!) will groan when they see my title for this blog. Yes, I know it is overused. I know its annoying to hear when you are longing for someone to love. I know its annoying when Valentines Day is approacing in one week. I understand that. And I know this subject is talked about a lot, often by married or "in a relationship"people. I'm single! However, I have really begun to appreciate the gift.
But really, singleness is a gift. For the next few blogs, I'm going to be telling why.

First off, the single women is (hopefully!) "obsessed" with the Lord. A healthy obsession, where God is the one she thinks of when she is alone, working, and going about her daily tasks. There are no worries such as raising children, serving a husband, cleaning up after others, or any other things that can distract her from the Lord. Her focus is serving the Lord, and growing in her knowledge of Him. As a single women, you can get involved in so many ministries! I am going to start helping out in the meals ministry at our church, so I can practice my cooking skills. I also plan to start working in the nursery. I'm involved in the outreach ministry, where we do various things. I have a large amount of people in my life to share the gospel too. My married mother on the other hand, does not have all these opportunities. She focuses mostly on serving me and my father, keeping our house organized (no easy task!), and other things of a married women. (She also works part time.) I in no way want to put down being a mother, for it is a wonderful and high calling, but as a single girl, I have a lot more opportunities.

So ladies, get involved! Figure out what your gifts are, what your good at, and then figure out how to serve with it. Maybe serving for you looks like just staying home with your siblings. Learn to love them, spend time with them, and serve them. Do things for no reason. Or maybe you have an elderly neighbor- go hang out with her! Bring a plate of cookies. For those of you who have easy acsess to transportation, there are many opportunities. Take advantage of them. Cherish the time you are single. Do Hard Things.

Love In Christ,
Natasha

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Die to Christ

As you know, I have been reading Jesus Freaks, published by Voice of the Martyrs. It is really great, and absolutly insipiring. But what I've been thinking about lately, is today, if I am living as a godly person, I will be dying to Christ today. I will be dying to Him in my sinful wants, dying to Him in my temptations, dying to Him in everything that is ungodly and unbiblical.

I wish to die to Christ in everything. I wish Him to reign and not me. I wish that my desires would align perfectly with His, however, that does not always, or often happen. Me dying to Christ will not ever happen without His beautiful, beautiful grace. I would be so, so, so lost. Christ's beautiful, tender, loving grace. Readers, we should feel that we can, nor are we expected to, go about anything alone! The Lord gives us the grace to die to Him.

I feel that so many times we don't give God enough credit. We feel that it is up to us to follow all biblical commands. And if we don't, well, we might as well give up. We don't understand that this is not for us to do alone.

So readers, pray. Pray for God's grace to show through you. Pray that you will accomplish all that HE wills for you. And pray that you will die to Christ.

Oh, just a note, today is my first spiritual "birthday". Praise the Lord for one wonderful year spent with Him!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

College

College. What seems to be the most important thing in deciding what to do with your life-college seems to be the first point on actually "having a life."

I read a very long post today on The Rebelution about girls going to college. It was very interesting, and I would post the link, but you have to be a member to read, so I won't. But there were many different views.

Personally, I've been struggling with the idea of college for a while. I don't know whether or not God wants me to go to college. All I know is that right now I'm striving to get the best grades possible, and keep an open mind and heart.

One reason that stuck out to me was that a women is supposed to be a wife and mother. She is called to be a keeper at home. Someone argued that spending time learning to do that is better spent then going to college. Also, they suggested that learning is perfectly accomplished at home. It's possible to learn a great many things with the Internet and a librarey.

Another thing is that a daughter is supposed to be under her father's protection. Of course, if my dad still lived here, and worked at TMC, then I would probably still live at home.

So anyway, I'm still saving money and getting good grades in preperaion. Pray for me if you think about it, that God will give me wisdom and guidance, and that I will trust him.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Just Do IT

The famous Nike logo. Just Do It. Its amazing how this can apply to our Christian life as well.

I know in my own life and the people I know, we read our Bible's. We read many Christian books. We pray. We go to youth group, church, and spend time with our Christian family's. In any situation we face, we know what we should do. We know what it is that God wants us to do. But, in our own sin, we don't do it. Whether it be laziness, sin, or whatever, we don't do it.

My challenge today is to just do it. Just do it with a good attitude. Just witness to that person. Make yourself do it, whatever it is that you're not doing. Pr. John was preaching a few months ago on how when we read a command in the Bible we should just do it. Pray. Evangelize. Repent of that sin. Whatever it is, just go out and do it.

"Whatever we do, whether we eat or drink, do all for the glory of God."

-Natasha

Friday, January 12, 2007

Be a Rebelutionary

www.therebelution.com

This is the blog by Alex and Brett Harris, Joshua Harris's younger twin brothers. Its an awesome blog, complete with forum and many great links. I HIGHLY encourage you to check it out.

I've been feeling very convicted today about time. More like, wasting time. And multitasking. God doesn't call us as Christians to a life of slowly accomplishing our mediocre tasks. He calls us to make the most of every opportunity. How will we have an opportunity to do anything unordinary if we have a huge to-do list in our hands?

Practically, I know what this should look like for me. I should arise at 5:45 and go straight to devotions. By 7:30 I should head down stairs, dressed with my room clean. My school work cna and should be done by 1:30. Then I would have a half hour to blog, read my forums, and check my e-mails. At 2:00 I would spend an hour reading. By 3:00 I could help my mom around the house. After that I could read, write, clean, or learn a new discipline. (Knitting, sewing, singing, guitar, photography) After dinner would be spent with my family, and then a period of reading before bed.

(Wow, I just made myself a great new schedule, lol.)

But seriously, think of how much we could learn and do if we would do one thing at a time- read w/out having a computer in front of us, cleaning our room w/out talking on the phone (ouch, that'll be a hard one for me!) and other small things like that.

In all we do let it be our aim to glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Blessings,
NV

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

randomness

Happy Birthday Anna! I looooove you!

I want to take some pictures. More like, I want a camera that takes black and white photos. Those are wayyy cooler. I'm almost positive mine doesn't. I dunno, (Anna, maybe you could helps me on this)

I've been reading in Genesis lately. Its really cool. All these people had so much faith, and cooler then that, they got to talk to God. Well, we do to, but God talked to them. They didn't have the Bible though....

well, g2g.

l8ter

Monday, January 8, 2007

Tashi's Terrific Times

I wonder what it would be like to live all alone in a foreign country without knowing the language, or anyone who lived there. Terrifying. But God would be there.

If you know me well you know I hate being alone for more then a few hours at a time. Its like, torture for me. Lately, I've given up a lot of my hobbies. School has been out, and most of my friends have been busy. Needless to say, I've been pretty lonely. But its been great! I'm learning to depend fully on the Lord. To be content with talking to Him and reading about Him and just learning to live fully for Him. Its amazing, and thrilling.

I've also been reading a really good book. Jesus Freaks. Read It!!!! These people died for Christ. And they didn't die pleasantly either. I havn't had too many opportunities to have my eyes gorgued out for Christ lately. But, I can die to self everyday. and live for Christ. Be My Escape comes to mind. To truly and fully live we must give our life away.

Let's go out and live for Him!