...are causes of much happiness. :) [did that make sense...?]
Yesterday, I had half a donut in piano class....didn't think it'd do that much, [just a half, right??] but I was insanely hyper...then I discovered that my favorite movie company of all time, Sherwood Pictures, is making another movie!!! ::squeal::
View the "trailer" here =D ::dances::
THEN, today is Halloween. We don't celebrate halloween, but Spirit 105.3, the local Christian radio station, is playing Christmas music all day for their "halloween costume" which is just...way cool. I think Matthew rubbed all this Christmas excitement off on me, because now I'm psyched about Christmas...and it's only October!!!!
You can listen to the amazing Christmas music here =D
And...ooh, did I mention I had a brownie last night? Wait, maybe it was 2....And I'm just all around happy right now, which is odd...and weird...but, it's a nice feeling. and I love Christmas. I'm thinking about changing my blog background for Christmas early. =P
Plus I've been having the most amazing time with some of the most amazing people getting ready for the recital mentioned in the post before.
Saturday, October 31
Friday, October 30
Book One Recital, here we come!
So, over the past few weeks/months, we've been working on a big recital/play - here's a sneak preview, and after the recital I'll have more pictures and a story! :)
Tuesday, October 27
Tuesdays
Tuesday has to be my least favorite day out of the whole week. It used to be Monday, but I believe Monday is just because of the getting-up-at-6-am-bit that I don't like. Tuesdays are always stressful because I seem to end up with 2 math assignments and 2 hours of piano to complete in 3 hours. And because I know I'll never get it done, I don't do it for the first 2 hours and then freak out in the last hour.
I think something's wrong with my brain. I've been doing this since school started, and still haven't learned.
But every week, God has always given me grace. Like, merciful piano teachers and time to finish my math. And a clear, somewhat focused mind.
It simply amazes me that God continually gives us all this grace when we keep failing at the exact same thing. And not only that but we keep telling God we'll change tomorrow and we don't. It's just...amazing how God could love me. Really, really amazing.
I think something's wrong with my brain. I've been doing this since school started, and still haven't learned.
But every week, God has always given me grace. Like, merciful piano teachers and time to finish my math. And a clear, somewhat focused mind.
It simply amazes me that God continually gives us all this grace when we keep failing at the exact same thing. And not only that but we keep telling God we'll change tomorrow and we don't. It's just...amazing how God could love me. Really, really amazing.
Friday, October 23
Love
One afternoon during Omnibus [history/literature/theology class], when I was in 7th grade at DMCA, Mr. Purcell asked us what the opposite of love was.
Of course, we all answered "hate" – which, much to the surprise of our 7th grade minds, was incorrect.
Pride. The answer is pride. This took awhile for me to reason through, at first. But I understood it more as I thought about it, and as God has been teaching me through 1 Corinthians 13, and other passages, I understand it even more.
Pride is not just stuck up people. Pride is wanting the glory for yourself. And by "glory", I don't mean "worship", or "regal honor" like some people see the word glory.
We see these huge contrasts in Christian movies, books, and devotional stories. There’s the obvious “sinner” who says, word-for-word “I want to WIN. I want to be in the center of attention!” And so we think “That’s what I’m not supposed to be like. Okay, easy. I don’t do that. No pride? check.”
And, we basically write ourselves off as pretty good Christians who do the right things.
But there are so many little things. Pride is anything that puts you before something else. It’s what satisfies your wants and desires. If you are putting anything that makes you feel comfortable, happy, and satisfied when there are things you could be doing for others and for God, that’s pride.
No, I don’t mean things like eating, sleeping, taking medicine to make pain go away, etc. I mean things like, reading a book instead of doing homework. Doing things you want to do instead of what you should do. That’s pride. Because you’re putting your wants first.
Love, on the other hand, is selfless. It thinks only of God and of others. It reaches beyond any emotion, or even the selfless love of friends for each other. It is selfless to everything.
1 Corinthians is screaming that in every verse.
Verses 1-3: No matter what kind of possession, ability, or anything that we have – if we’re not selflessly using it for God, if we’re using it to satisfy ourselves, to make us feel good – we’re Nothing. [and what makes us do it for ourselves? Pride.]
Verses 4-7: If you look at each one of these words [suffering long, kindness, not envying, etc], each of them requires you to put someone besides yourself first. ANY need/want/desire that you have…it doesn’t come first. You have to forget that.
Verses 8-13: If you have your focus on anything else, you will fail - because those things will pass away. But Love Never Fails.
I know if I write out each verse and talk about it, you'll quit reading, as this post is already rather long. But I encourage you to go read 1 Corinthians 13, and see what God teaches you. It's amazing.
PS - if I what I'm saying isn't right or something, please tell me. =)
Of course, we all answered "hate" – which, much to the surprise of our 7th grade minds, was incorrect.
Pride. The answer is pride. This took awhile for me to reason through, at first. But I understood it more as I thought about it, and as God has been teaching me through 1 Corinthians 13, and other passages, I understand it even more.
Pride is not just stuck up people. Pride is wanting the glory for yourself. And by "glory", I don't mean "worship", or "regal honor" like some people see the word glory.
We see these huge contrasts in Christian movies, books, and devotional stories. There’s the obvious “sinner” who says, word-for-word “I want to WIN. I want to be in the center of attention!” And so we think “That’s what I’m not supposed to be like. Okay, easy. I don’t do that. No pride? check.”
And, we basically write ourselves off as pretty good Christians who do the right things.
But there are so many little things. Pride is anything that puts you before something else. It’s what satisfies your wants and desires. If you are putting anything that makes you feel comfortable, happy, and satisfied when there are things you could be doing for others and for God, that’s pride.
No, I don’t mean things like eating, sleeping, taking medicine to make pain go away, etc. I mean things like, reading a book instead of doing homework. Doing things you want to do instead of what you should do. That’s pride. Because you’re putting your wants first.
Love, on the other hand, is selfless. It thinks only of God and of others. It reaches beyond any emotion, or even the selfless love of friends for each other. It is selfless to everything.
1 Corinthians is screaming that in every verse.
Verses 1-3: No matter what kind of possession, ability, or anything that we have – if we’re not selflessly using it for God, if we’re using it to satisfy ourselves, to make us feel good – we’re Nothing. [and what makes us do it for ourselves? Pride.]
Verses 4-7: If you look at each one of these words [suffering long, kindness, not envying, etc], each of them requires you to put someone besides yourself first. ANY need/want/desire that you have…it doesn’t come first. You have to forget that.
Verses 8-13: If you have your focus on anything else, you will fail - because those things will pass away. But Love Never Fails.
I know if I write out each verse and talk about it, you'll quit reading, as this post is already rather long. But I encourage you to go read 1 Corinthians 13, and see what God teaches you. It's amazing.
PS - if I what I'm saying isn't right or something, please tell me. =)
Wednesday, October 14
I think I rather like October...
Letting the cold nip at your nose...because it's a sweet, wintry cold - not a biting, bitter cold.
Smelling someone's bonfire as you walk down the sidewalk... [a smell I absolutely love]
The occasional random raindrop - but not raining, nor even drizzling...
Clomping along outside in my amazing blue polka-dot boots [even though the ground is quite dry]...
Mild excitement of turning 16 in less than a week...
Smells of people's dinner being cooked as you take a walk - an especially nice smell when your neighborhood is filled with cooking-obsessed Asians, like mine is. =P
Trumping through leaves with my half-crazed dog as he chases a soccer ball...laughing as he nearly crashes into a tree.
Finding tons of books to read that are actually decent and staying up till 11 reading them.
Somehow finding an thrill in practicing my tediously difficult Chopin cadenza.
Saturday, October 10
Jesus, bring the rain
My eyes have never been so dry from crying all the moisture out. Plus one eye is considerably worse than the other, or else has something wrong with it, resulting in a very skewed view of the computer screen.
It's 11:00. Normally that wouldn't feel that late, unless you got up at 6:00am, spent all day at an awana conference that wore you down emotionally, convicted you spiritually, and tired you out physically...not to mention eating sawdust cookies and sitting through classes about New Age something you have no idea about.
But I did go to this one very encouraging workshop today, called, ironically "being an encourager in a discouraging world" The thing that stuck out to me was this song they shared by MercyMe called "bring the rain"
When...when everyone else isn't there, when everyone you need to see, need to talk to, need a hug from isn't there...God is there. With this quiet, still voice He reminds you that He is the only friend you'll really ever need. God doesn't go off to college or can't be friends with you for awhile. He doesn't go to a different church, or have other friends He needs to talk to when you need it. When you're alone, lost, and in tears...God really, really does have this gigantic, huge, amazing plan for you life. He's using everything in some miraculous way so that you will be closer to Him...and that He will be glorified.
WHY is it so hard to remember that sometimes? Why do we always seem to fail at setting our minds on things above, not on things on the earth?
For we died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God! (Colossians 3:1-3)
We have this need for something we can feel, that we can touch, people we can relate to and sense with our 5 senses. God is so much more fulfilling...when will I learn that? Can we get to a place where we really understand that?
Life is so complicated. I'm so glad I'm not in charge of it. I really don't understand why so many people think power is such a great thing. But then again, maybe they have life a little more figured out than I do. =P
It's 11:00. Normally that wouldn't feel that late, unless you got up at 6:00am, spent all day at an awana conference that wore you down emotionally, convicted you spiritually, and tired you out physically...not to mention eating sawdust cookies and sitting through classes about New Age something you have no idea about.
But I did go to this one very encouraging workshop today, called, ironically "being an encourager in a discouraging world" The thing that stuck out to me was this song they shared by MercyMe called "bring the rain"
When...when everyone else isn't there, when everyone you need to see, need to talk to, need a hug from isn't there...God is there. With this quiet, still voice He reminds you that He is the only friend you'll really ever need. God doesn't go off to college or can't be friends with you for awhile. He doesn't go to a different church, or have other friends He needs to talk to when you need it. When you're alone, lost, and in tears...God really, really does have this gigantic, huge, amazing plan for you life. He's using everything in some miraculous way so that you will be closer to Him...and that He will be glorified.
WHY is it so hard to remember that sometimes? Why do we always seem to fail at setting our minds on things above, not on things on the earth?
For we died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God! (Colossians 3:1-3)
We have this need for something we can feel, that we can touch, people we can relate to and sense with our 5 senses. God is so much more fulfilling...when will I learn that? Can we get to a place where we really understand that?
Life is so complicated. I'm so glad I'm not in charge of it. I really don't understand why so many people think power is such a great thing. But then again, maybe they have life a little more figured out than I do. =P
Saturday, October 3
Going to be gone...
So, I'm going to be off the computer for a week.
The reason is...God's been teaching me a lot lately, one of them is that I keep telling Him I'm going to spend more time with Him, do my schoolwork, not get on the computer, etc, and I don't.
And I've been doing that for like...2 years? It's pretty bad. And God's sort of convicted me that it needs to stop. Because I've been "stopping" for 2 years. :-/
Last night we watched Flywheel - by the same people who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof. As cheesy as some of it was - the quality wasn't all that great - it was sort of convicting. And I realized that if I was going to change anything at all in my life it wasn't going to to happen by getting up in the morning and saying "okay, God, I'm gonna be different today!" It's taking steps forward to literally change things. And God keeps telling me to change the time I spend on the computer - even though I really, really, really don't want to. =P
So...I'm locking my computer up for a week. I would really appreciate prayer right now, that I'll get my priorities straight and not give into the temptation I know Satan is going to put out there.
See you all in a week! :)
~Hannah
The reason is...God's been teaching me a lot lately, one of them is that I keep telling Him I'm going to spend more time with Him, do my schoolwork, not get on the computer, etc, and I don't.
And I've been doing that for like...2 years? It's pretty bad. And God's sort of convicted me that it needs to stop. Because I've been "stopping" for 2 years. :-/
Last night we watched Flywheel - by the same people who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof. As cheesy as some of it was - the quality wasn't all that great - it was sort of convicting. And I realized that if I was going to change anything at all in my life it wasn't going to to happen by getting up in the morning and saying "okay, God, I'm gonna be different today!" It's taking steps forward to literally change things. And God keeps telling me to change the time I spend on the computer - even though I really, really, really don't want to. =P
So...I'm locking my computer up for a week. I would really appreciate prayer right now, that I'll get my priorities straight and not give into the temptation I know Satan is going to put out there.
See you all in a week! :)
~Hannah
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