Two Weeks that Changed Me

August 21, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

The summer of 2013 held a special opportunity for me. I attended the Summit Worldview Conference in Tennessee. Even though I’ve written about it before, I want to write about it again.

It’s been a full year since I attended Summit, but it still comes to mind so often. It’s influenced my life more than I think I’ll ever know. This past year I probably wouldn’t have applied myself to studying as much as I did. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the friendships I made with fellow students and my inspiring group leader (who blogs over here). And I most definitely would not be as confident in my faith.

I believe that Summit has changed the course of my life. It’s hard to talk about something so dynamic, but the other day I tried to capture a bit of the Summit experience in this short bit of prose:

Summit

We go to bed early. We get up too soon. We crowd into breakout sessions and sit through two weeks of lectures. Why? Because we are young. Because we are searching. Because we want answers.

We fill our workbooks with notes and doodles. We form friendships. We pray together. Why? Because we love God. Because we love people. Because we love ideas.

We want to reach life’s summit. We want to face the tough questions. We want to change the world. Why? Because we’ve found a glimpse of truth. Because we’ve caught a spark of hope.

Summit isn’t a memory to us. It’s a monument. We will never forget it.

I know there are many that share my sentiments for Summit. The sheer joy of knowing that each summer hundreds of young people attend these conferences makes me feel hope for the future.

Thank you, Summit, for changing my life.

Books, Books, & More Books

July 21, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 4 Comments

It’s hard to believe that there was a time when I didn’t read much.

As a child, I always enjoyed reading, but during my early teen years I lost interest. Children’s books were behind me, young adult books didn’t interest me, and adult books were too mature for me, so I just didn’t read.

And then I discovered the venerable Jane Austen. After watching the five hour long movie rendition of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” I read the classic. It was my first large novel, and I was captivated.

I also discovered the Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke . She became one of my favorite authors as I delved into the genres of historical and Christian fiction.

Since attending Summit last year, I’ve also started reading many non-fiction books. Now my “to read” list is overflowing. I generally add at least one new title a week. For someone who’s not a fast reader, that means I’ve got plenty of happy page-turning hours ahead of me.

Here are some of my favorite books this year, along with short reviews:

Tactics, Gregory Koukl–An excellent handbook to logical thinking and apologetic tactics for defending biblical convictions.

Strawberry Point, Florence Roe Wiggins–A delightfully quaint collection of memoir vignettes celebrating old-fashioned America. Loved it.

Me & Georgette, D.B. Schaefer–A fun, unusual romance combining time travel, Judaism, and Regency England. It’s similar to Jane Austen, so yes, I liked it.

Structuring Your Novel, K.M. Weiland–Informative and easy to read, this book has been a great resource while writing my novel.

What are some books that you’ve enjoyed lately?

Sara Bareilles: Brave

July 10, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

On my flight home from Israel, I listened to a generous helping of music. During one of my many searches through Delta’s selection of albums, I stumbled across Sara Bareilles’ song “Brave.” It caught me from the start:

You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up

Words are truly powerful. Forget the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It’s a lie.

Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you:

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Bravery. That’s what I needed in my writing endeavors–the bravery to say what I wanted to say, instead of struggling with words and thoughts and phrases and fears. I needed to simply let the words fall out and watch them fill up the blank pages.

But the song wasn’t over yet:

And since your history of silence
Won’t do you any good,
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?

Empty words. Those are the worst.

Anybody who has anything to share (which is everyone) has to tap into that bravery of being honest with their words. It takes bravery to let the words fall out–the honest ones, not the empty ones–but it’s worth it.

So my prayer is for bravery.

The will to create comes from the Creator Himself.

And even though I still get scared and my words don’t always fall out easily, He helps me to rise above the fears.

He gives me my brave.

Now it’s your turn. What’s a song that has inspired you?

Revive 2014

July 2, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 3 Comments

This past weekend I was able to attend Revive 2014. It was an inspiring conference. The teachers, the fellowship, and the praise and worship–it was all fantastic.

I was able to spend time with friends I hadn’t seen in over a year, and to meet some new friends too.

Here’s a photo to testify:

I learned many things during that very long and yet far too short weekend. One thing in particular that I was reminded of during the conference is the importance of good friends.

Good friends aren’t just an optional part of our lives. They’re important.

We need good friends.

Good friends aren’t just the people we have fun with–cracking jokes, making memories, and being silly together. As wonderful as that aspect of friendship is, good friends reach far beyond the fun stuff.

Good friends don’t just see our happy profile pictures or read our latest posts.They don’t just dance with us in the sunshine. They stand with us in the storm too. It’s when the thunder rolls and the lighting strikes that they encourage us the most.

Good friends see the tears run down our cheeks. They see the bad hair days. They hug us when we need a hug, and listen to us even when we don’t make sense.

Good friends are the family that we get to choose. (I didn’t coin that quote, by the way.)

Thanks, Revive, for reminding me that we need friends. Good friends. Friends that can encourage us, and somehow we encourage them too.

****

If you’d like a peek at what Revive looks like, check out this year’s promo video. The footage is from the conference I attended two years ago in Jacksonville, FL. (Funny side note: I’m in the video near the end, but you can’t see my face.)

Five Thousand Reasons

June 26, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 4 Comments

The tally is in friends.

I’ve reached five thousand reasons in my thankfulness journal.

That means I’m halfway to my goal. *cheers!*

I’m not quitting, but I am planning on slowing down the pace a bit. As much as I want to be thankful, the 29 reasons a day rule gets a bit overwhelming at times. Take, for instance, when it’s past my “bedtime” (whenever that’s supposed to be), and I’ve yet to write down 29 things that I’m thankful for. That’s always rough.

But I’m still planning on writing down as many wonderful things each day as I can. It’s been a great adventure so far. I definitely don’t want to give up now.

As I shared in a previous post, I enjoy flipping through the journal already. It’s like a diary–a synopsis of the many random, amazing, and hilarious things of each day. I imagine it will get more comical to read (and probably embarrassing) as the years go by. (I didn’t really write that down, did I? *gasp*)

Actually, it’s not that embarrassing for me to read. But like any honest diary, it’s when others peer into it that our cheeks get rosy.

Yep. It’s for my eyes only, that is, unless I choose to share some of my thankfulness with others (which is always a good thing to do!).

So here’s a more recent peek into my half-completed thankfulness journal:

(Note: the brief commentary after each entry isn’t from my journal)

#4,300–Being in Jerusalem–I know…I’m spoiled rotten. It was truly a blessing to visit Israel once again. It is always a life-changing experience. I don’t know how anyone could visit that country and not be affected by it in some way. I haven’t written much about the trip, but perhaps I’ll share more in the future.

#4,721–American Ninja Warrior–We love watching this show as a family. The whole neighborhood has probably figured that out by now, since it gets pretty loud with the seven of us cheering.

#4,825–Josh Groban–This guy’s talent is amazing. I love how he combines classical and contemporary musical styles. Favorite song: Brave. It totally gets stuck in my head like crazy. Good thing I love it.

#4,876–Attacking Punching Bags–After a year and a half of Krav Maga, I finally discovered how fantastic it is to go ballistic on a punching bag. For the first time ever, I wished that the instructor hadn’t called, “Stop.” I was wailing my arms, fists, legs, knees–pretty much everything–at the lousy bag. It was invigorating. Note: I wasn’t even in a bad mood, so go figure!

And to break the halfway mark…

#5,024–The Rainbow Over Jacksonville–There are definitely benefits to rainy days. As we drove through town this past Monday, Dad and I saw a beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky. Dad said it was the coolest one he’d ever seen.

Now it’s your turn. What’s something you’re thankful for today?

Psalm 96

June 16, 2014September 12, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 6 Comments

The day was June 7. It was the Sabbath, and a group of believers from all over the world had gathered at one of the main parks in Jerusalem. Kids ran across the grass and played in the bubbling creek under the trees while the adults sat on blankets in the sun and discussed Scriptures and current events. My dad shared a teaching on the book of Ruth, and then one of the ladies suggested we read Psalm 96.

“I read it last night,” she explained, “It’s such a lovely psalm.”

I tried to remember it, but nothing came to mind.

One of the men began to read it:

(Note: יהוה is the name of God, commonly pronounced as Yahweh)

Sing to יהוה a new song,
Sing to יהוה, all the earth!
Sing to יהוה, bless His Name,
Proclaim His deliverance from day to day.
Declare His esteem among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

It began like so many other psalms, but from the beginning I was captivated by it.

For great is יהוה and greatly to be praised,
He is to be feared above all mighty ones.
For all the mighty ones of the peoples are matters of naught,
But יהוה made the heavens.
Excellency and splendour are before Him,
Strength and comeliness are in His set-apart place.

Perhaps it was within Jerusalem that the psalmist first sang these words. Perhaps that’s what caused them to come alive to me.

Ascribe to יהוה, O clans of the peoples,
Ascribe to יהוה esteem and strength.
Ascribe to יהוה the esteem of His Name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Bow yourselves to יהוה,
In the splendour of set-apartness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among nations, “יהוה shall reign.
The world also is established, immovable.
He judges the peoples in straightness.”

I had memorized those verses years ago.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Let all the trees of the forest then shout for joy,
At the presence of יהוה.

Creation itself was singing. I must join the chorus.

For He shall come,
For He shall come to judge the earth.
He judges the world in righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.

The chapter stunned me. It’s a cliche, but at that moment I felt that the psalm had been written just for me. I had found my life motto. Psalm 96–it was the same number as the year I was born.

The psalm called me to sing for joy. It called me to ascribe the greatness of God. It called me to remember that justice conquers and truth still reigns.

I felt a tugging at my soul to be the singer that God called me to be. He had never explicitly told me “be a singer,” but he had been leading my heart in that direction for many years.

He was calling me to get over my stage fright, and sing praises in the company of others, not just myself.

But singing praises doesn’t just mean singing songs. It means living praises.

How we live is how we sing. Our lives are our greatest songs.

So let us embrace Psalm 96:

Sing to יהוה a new song,
Sing to יהוה, all the earth!
Sing to יהוה, bless His Name,
Proclaim His deliverance from day to day.

***

P.S. Thank you Elise for prompting me to share this story.

Dear Diary,

May 23, 2014March 2, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

There’s something monumental about finishing a diary.

Yesterday I wrote the final entry in a diary I’ve been keeping since last September. I usually try to end each diary with something poetic about life–how much it’s changed and how far I’ve come. This time I scribbled about mortality and thankfulness and then wrapped it up with a paraphrase of the verse on its front cover.

And now these three remain:
Faith, Hope, and Love.
But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13)

I hope that my diary embodied that verse in some way, even if only a little.

Many of the memories in my diary wouldn’t seem momentous to others. A lot of the entries are just about plain old life, people, and thoughts, and trying to sort it all out. But my diary isn’t for others to read (I dread the thought!). It’s personal. And that’s what makes it special.

I sometimes relinquish the task of writing in it. There are times when I either don’t know what to say, how to say it, or even whether I should say it. But somehow my pen always finds its way back to those blank pages. My diary knows more about me than I would like to know about myself. It holds more mysteries than I can solve. It’s not perfect, but that’s what makes it beautiful.

By keeping a diary, I’m telling myself something important. I’m admitting that life is not only worth living, it’s worth remembering.

“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”
–Alexander Woollcott

An Afternoon Vacation

May 6, 2014March 2, 2015 ~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

Last Sunday found my family and me at Mount Cheaha State Park with some friends. Even though we were at the highest point in Alabama–2,413 feet above sea level–it was still a warm day.

It was October the last time I was at Cheaha, so the change in season was even more obvious to me. This time the sun was shining in the clear blue sky and the trees displayed their bright green leaves. Children splashed in the lake. There was no need for jackets anymore. Spring had made its arrival on Mount Cheaha.

We hiked the Blue Trail, a steep one mile trek up Mount Cheaha. I heard the peaceful sound of the gurgling creek running alongside the trail. It blocked the path at one point and we stepped on rocks to cross it. There were many trees down, due to the ice storm of a few months back, but the trail had been cleared well enough.

Despite the canopy of treetops above us, the air was still warm on the trail and everyone was sweaty by the time we reached the top. I kept thinking of my older brother who recently ran a 50K up Mount Cheaha. His race ended with the trail we were hiking. I realized once again how crazy–and amazing!–my big brother is.

The view from the top was beautiful, as always. We could see the rolling mountains in the distance, the lake where we had started, and the vast range of treetops that someone said reminded them of broccoli. We saw the small waterfall that the creek descended from. My dad splashed me with a bit of the cold water. A cool breeze finally swept the stagnant air. That felt good. Very good.

After hiking back down, we chilled out while the kids splashed in the lake and built sand castles on the small beach. Three of us gently swayed on a lovely, but partly-broken bench swing and chatted. The boys entertained us with their castle fights, and my little sister entertained us by acting as the mediator: “Guys! Stop fighting and work on your castles!” But evidently making castles wasn’t nearly as fun as destroying them, so the war raged on.

Time slipped by, and as we finally left Cheaha, it seemed as if we had been on a mini vacation. Just for an afternoon.

Passover 2014

April 15, 2014March 7, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 1 Comment

Last night was a special night.

It was Passover.

The festival of Passover is special in many ways. Not only does it commemorate the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt, but it also commemorates Jesus’ death upon the cross.

It’s a solemn night to remember the Messiah’s sacrifice, but it’s also a joyful night to remember that His death is not the end of the story. He rose again, conquering death and condemnation once and for all. It’s a night to celebrate that redemption.

Several families joined us in the celebration. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, so wonderful that we never even stopped to take pictures. Thus you will have to trust me that I’m not making all this up.

We youth (me being the oldest) were annexed to a table by ourselves for the Passover meal and were soon laughing far too much. Between pranks with horseradish sauce and cracking silly jokes about Bible characters, it was a hilarious time. One of the guys said it was one of the funniest meals he had ever had. Maybe it wasn’t the most reverent way to celebrate the Passover meal, but we definitely embraced the celebration side of the festival.

After the meal, we had a time of group worship led by my sister and me. Hearing the voices blend together in praise was beautiful. The first song we sang was “Passover Lamb,” a song my sister and I wrote two years ago, followed by “Lead Me to the Cross,” “Oh the Blood,” and “10,000 Reasons.”

After the praise time, we took turns reading the account of the ten plagues in Egypt. My mom and dad helped bring the account to life by tossing rubber frogs and Ping-Pong ball “hail stones” in the air, swatting people with fly swatters, and turning off the lights when the plague of darkness was read.

My dad then shared his testimony and we watched a few videos on the importance of Passover. By eleven o’clock the party was over, but for many of us the festival had only begun.

We now have the seven days of the Festival of Unleavened Bread to celebrate and the festival of First Fruits next Sunday. With the house free of leaven, I’ll be baking plenty of flat bread this week.

I suppose we’re a bit unconventional in our celebration of the biblical festivals, but what’s important is that we celebrate them the best we can according to the Bible.

It’s not that complicated.

And it’s a lot of fun.

Sweet Home Alabama

March 14, 2014March 2, 2015 ~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

I’ve lived in Alabama for six years now. Even though I’m not much of a southern belle, I’ve come to connect with my country surroundings. (I even know what okra is now.) And yet, as my mom was driving me through town last night, I saw something I’d never noticed before. I saw rolling hills in the distance beyond our little town. I stared at the view. How could I have missed that every time before?

Sometimes it’s the beauty right before our eyes that can be the hardest to see.This year I’m striving to notice those simple things around me–such as a landscape of rolling hills–that make life so beautiful.

So here are a few blessing from my day:

#1:The Weather

Today was gorgeous. The sun was shining, the wind blowing, and the temperature was a pleasant 65 degrees. My younger brother and I rode our bicycles on a local trail with our home school group. Simply blissful.

#2: Mango and Black Bean Pasta Salad

I came home from being out in the great outdoors today craving this salad. I had already cooked the noodles, so I threw it together and then came outside to sit on the deck and munch on it. Just what I wanted.

#3: The Clouds

And as I sat on the deck, I glanced up at the bright blue sky and saw this gorgeous array of clouds:

Yep, today was a great day to live in sweet home Alabama.

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