The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 13: Strengths & Weaknesses, Part 1

Prompt: 5 weaknesses you have.

No one likes to admit their weaknesses, but it's often healthy to do so, and helps us reflect on how they can ask God to help them change their ways.

1. Procrastination
Ah, yes. Even the pastor's kid and the principal's daughter can struggle with the common student issue: procrastination. It's a bad habit that I have yet to completely conquer.

2. Stubbornness
This can be a weakness and a strength, but currently it's been a lot more of a weakness.

3. Worrying too much
Whether it's the fact that plans might not go as expected, or if I might not make it through tomorrow, or if people think bad about me, I worry way too much, and forget that God is with me.

4. Disorganization
Now, I might be quite the organizer at school, but when it comes to my room and keeping up with laundry, I don't know how my parents put up with me.

5. Fear of change
So often now, I am coming to the realization that I can't stay with the same old bad habits forever, because it won't be long now until I'll be going off to college and having the entire world of responsibility on my shoulders. So, usually I deal with the temptation of being afraid to try, because I don't really want things to drastically change.

Question for the Reader: How do you overcome your weaknesses?

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." --2 Corinthians 12:9

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 12: A Day in the Life (As Promised)

I promised that I would publish a "day in the life" blog post as a result of a poll I did a few months back....and I never got around to it. But today, I have no excuse, thanks to the 30 Day Blog Challenge! 

Prompt: Describe a typical day in your life.

5:30am--I wake up and roll myself out of bed, because at this hour I am really, really tired. I then go and wash my face, because it helps me wake up.
5:40am--I try to wake my sister up if she missed her alarm. I grab my Bible, journal, and a pen, and start studying the word. Currently, I've been reading a lot of the Psalms, Isaiah, 1 Corinthians, and a few chapters from the Gospel of Matthew. After I read the word, I pray about what I studied that day and ask God for His companionship in my life as I do my best to apply His word to my daily life.
6:00am--Basically, after devotions, I make my bed, eat breakfast, get dressed and ready for school. 
7:00am--If we're on time, my brother, sister, mom, and I all load our stuff into the car, and drive to school.
7:25am--We arrive at school, and my mom gets set up for work (she's the head of the school), and my siblings and I entertain ourselves until 8:15 when we have to go to our classrooms.
8:15am--I say "bye" to my brother as he goes upstairs to his fourth grade classroom. My sister and I walk to the upper school building and set up our desk spaces in the high school room.
8:25am--Morning assembly with teachers, middle school & high school students. We pledge allegiance, pray, sing a hymn, and listen to important school announcements.
8:30am--Middle school students go to their homeroom class, as us high schoolers take our lunch orders and get ready for study skills DVD lectures and free work time. Since it's not September yet, we prepare for free work time instead of a high school devotion class which will likely start on the 6th.
8:35-10:35am--Free work time (Reading, art projects, planning) and/or study skills DVD lectures
10:35-10:45am--Break with Middle School & High School Students/Eat a healthy snack
10:45am-12:20pm--Continue free work time
12:20-1:00pm--Lunch with Middle School & High School Students
1:00-2:25pm--Finish free work time/DVD Lectures
2:25-3:15pm--This block depends on the day of the week. If it's Monday or Wednesday, I have a live art class that I attend. If it's Friday, I attend a community service class period. If it's Thursday, more free time! 
3:15-4:00pm--I pack up my stuff and get ready to come home.
4:00pm--Depart from school, and head home.
4:30pm--We all arrive home from school, and I unpack all my stuff and spend a few minutes in my room to organize my stuff or get comfortable. Sometimes when I come home and dinner is not happening soon, then I'll take the opportunity to grab a snack if I'm hungry.
4:45pm--Help with dinner, whatever homework I may have, or chilling in my room
5:00-6:00pm--Dinner with my family
6:00-7:30pm--Family time/finishing homework/music practice/chores
7:30pm--Start preparing for tomorrow's school day by ironing clothes or packing a lunch
8:00pm--I say "good-night" to my brother and parents and go to my room to hang out with my sister until we go to sleep at 10:00pm. Sometimes we'll watch videos until 9 and then read or play a board game until 10.
10:00pm--Turn off my lights, straighten up my room, charge my phone, set my alarm, and I go to sleep.

My days are pretty easy going since my online classes have not started yet. When I get into my class routine with electives and core classes, I will definitely have a lot more in my day. Maybe when that happens, I'll make another day in the life post.

I hope you enjoyed a tidbit of my everyday life! :)

Question for the Reader: What does your day typically look like?

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." --Colossians 2:6-8

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 11: Today's Theme Music

Prompt: 5 songs on your playlist today.

1. Crazy Love by Mindy Gledhill
This is a cute song by an artist I really like. Her opening line is my favorite part: "Nobody knows that I am a secret spy..."

2. Piano Concerto No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich
I love this piano piece because it sort of reminds me of a fairy tale. If you've ever seen Disney's Fantasia 2000, then you probably know what I'm talking about. (It fits The Steadfast Tin Soldier perfectly.)

3. Hot Air Balloon by Owl City
This is one of my favorite songs. It's on my playlist for today because my sister and I actually saw a maroon hot air balloon right early this morning. :)

4. Symphony No. 5 "The Reformation Symphony," Movement 4 by Felix Mendelssohn
I love how majestic this piece is. It's almost as if Mendelssohn had the ability to compose God's power into a symphony, especially towards the middle and end of the movement.

5. Your Hands by JJ Heller
This is one of my favorite Christian music songs. It's a great, soft acoustic song about God's love and our security in Him.

Question for the Reader: Do you have any songs stuck in your head today?

Praise the Lord. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with timbrel and dancing,

praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

--Psalm 150

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 10: Storytime!

This is a children's story I came up with. Even though the first day of fall isn't until September 22, I felt inspired by the beginning of the school year to write a short story about autumn. I hope you enjoy it.

Prompt: Tell a story.

Alice was quite little, but not little enough to fit under a microscope. Just little enough to where she was the size of a big sunflower petal. As a matter of fact, that's where she grew up: in a sunflower. One day, however, it was high time for her to leave the house, or in this case, the sunflower, and blow away to find a new life for herself. 

So that's what she did. When all the petals blew away, that's when she blew away to a far away land, called Winterville. Now, Winterville was a very cold, white & blue place where flowers never grew, but instead, only icicles and snowflakes were the closest to a flower that anyone could find!

This was very unsettling to poor little Alice where so many big and cold things were surrounding her, when she was so used to sunshine, clear skies, and everything bright. 

Alice asked the mayor of Winterville what happened. He said, "It was a great and powerful spell that fell upon the land. This used to be a place called Springville, but when everything fell cold and white, we changed the name because it was no longer spring." 

Alice didn't know what to do! She simply had to break the spell. Because she was so sad at what had happened, she went to a nearby tree to rest and weep. All of a sudden, when a small tear ran down her cheek and fell to the ground, a tree grew! It had so many gorgeous and vibrant colors on its leaves that she ran around with her special water from her sunflower house and planted all sorts of these trees. 

And that, friends, is how autumn came to be: all because of a little sunflower girl named Alice.

The End.

Question for the Reader: What is your favorite childhood story?

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 9: Note To Self

Prompt: What would you tell your 16 year old self if you could?

...I am sixteen. :)

However, that's not going to stop me from giving myself some advice, because I think I could use it.

I need to practice the beautiful act of thinking about others before I ever think about myself, and listen to the words and instructions of the people older and wiser than I am. Finally, I need to stop worrying about the past and the future, or any problems that seem big now. Instead, I ought to focus on God's plan, and in Him, all worries and troubles fade away.

Question for the Reader: What words of wisdom would you give to yourself?

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 3:12-14

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 8: Passions

Prompt: What are three passions you have?

1. Teaching
Ever since I was little, I've wanted to teach. I love being able to share knowledge or wisdom with people and seeing them realize that the information is helpful to them in their daily lives or spiritual walk. Many people believe that it's one of my spiritual gifts.

2. Writing
Whether it's writing in my student planner, or taking class notes with a pen and notebook paper, or just writing down my thoughts in this blog, I love to write. It's a way to get lost in your imagination, or plan out your life, or keep a record of how God is working in your heart, mind, and soul.

3. Walking with the Lord
If there was one after-school activity that was my favorite, it's church youth group. Why? It's a chance to hear God's Word in a way that relates to the lives of everyone around me, not just my own. One of my favorite habits that I'm starting to develop is waking up early in the morning and studying the Lord's Word. I have always been a child of God, and I am so blessed to be loved by Him and have the opportunity to walk with Him throughout my life.

Question for the Reader: What are your passions?

"Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me." --Psalm 119:133

The 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 7: My Calling

Prompt: What is your dream job, and why?

I have given this a lot of thought, and even though I'm not quite sure what I want to be yet, I'm willing to share a few of the ideas I have right now, according to my current interests.

1. Secretary/Assistant
I don't really know what the real title for this job is, but you get the general idea. I've always loved the idea of sitting at a work desk taking dictation, planning out schedules on Google Calendar, answering phones and e-mails, running errands, and getting coffee for some weird reason...call me crazy. (I make really good coffee with a french press by the way.)

2. Journalist/Columnist
I've always liked the idea of writing a column or article in a newspaper or magazine. I like the idea of a magazine writer better though, because I could write "how-to" articles or interviews by celebrities or something like that instead of the inside story on a local crime or traffic catastrophe.

3. Novel/Children's Book/Christian Book Editor
I like reading novels, christian and children's books and coming up with ideas for them. I also like the idea of going to meetings with writers and publishers, and helping them become great writers and book sellers.

4. Copyeditor
I think this is the job that might be one step down from an editor, but I think I would be happy with it all the same. It's a great opportunity for my spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills to be put to good use, and it might be fun.

5. Professor
This one is really "if-y" because I've never really seen some of my own talents where I find myself saying, "Oh wow! That would be great for becoming a professor!" However, it's a great job to teach the next generation about becoming great citizens and leaders of the world that gets them excited about learning in the areas that they know they want to specialize in.

Now that I have all of the "potential" jobs out of the way, here's a dream job that I have that I think I might be called to do by the Lord. I'd like to become a teacher of English, Literature, Language Arts, the Classics, the Bible, Philosophy, and potentially foreign languages, history, or other areas of the Arts. I would especially like to teach the middle school and high school groups, because they seem to be at the age where they might need the self-discipline to want to learn. I'm also considering getting a counseling degree so that not only would I teach kids academics at the secondary school level, but also counsel them to be mature, intelligent, discerning, and Christ-loving individuals. This doesn't just include kids in the schools of America, but the kids in the church, and the youth all over the world. It would be wonderful to see kids who are my age now, be so excited to love Christ and learn about Him and His world, and receive a great education that prepares their hearts and minds for whatever the Lord calls them to be as His children and disciples.

Question for the Reader: What's your dream job?

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." --Proverbs 16:3