Practice What You Preach

     Today I was talking with someone who is very much for gun control.  She mentioned a group of people that were coming together with the sole purpose of openly carrying their legally owned firearms.  At the end of all this, she wrote, "Get a life, people!"  This struck me as a little odd.  This same person is very vocal in her support of gay rights.  She preaches tolerance, acceptance, and love, regardless of a man or woman's personal choices. 
     Also, this comment was in response to these people going out on one day of the year to stand up for something the believe is important.  Because of this, she insinuates that they have no life and nothing better to do with themselves.  In contrast, she sees nothing wrong with going out on Black Friday to fight over sales items.  It just baffles me.  I don't understand how someone can preach tolerance and outwardly act and intolerant.
     I find it appalling that there are still people with this mindset of, "Everyone should be tolerant and accepting of everyone else...unless I think that a person's opinion is stupid, and then I can make whatever assumptions about them that I want to."  When I confronted her about it, she simply said that it was a matter of opinion.  However, anyone that speaks out against gay marriage or anything else she supports is not simply "expressing their opinion," but they are stupid, ignorant, bigotted, narrow-minded, hateful, and any number of other things she deems fit to call them.
     I understand not agreeing with someone else's point of view.  What I can't see is why someone people can't handle when other people disagree with their own views. 

Bringing In the New Year!

Yesterday I went over to the Born's house for a New Years Party and it was amazing. We played Apples to Apples, Spoons, Dutch Blitz, and Fantan. Christa and I sat around for a really long time and just talked about what God was doing in our lives, which was awesome. Quote of the week; "You can't use mans power to accomplish God's work. It doesn't work." We played Apples to Apples, Spoons, Dutch Blitz, and Fantan. After staying up until well after 4 a.m., we finally decided that it was time to get to bed. I was staying over at the Born's, so we all went upstairs and changed into our PJs before heading to bed. I woke up the next morning (well, technically it was the same morning) at around 11. Seeing that Claire was gone, but that Jenny and Hannah were still asleep, I quietly went downstairs, where I found Claire and Mrs. Born watching TV. We sat together until pretty much everyone got up and the house started moving. John's older brother came over with his wife and 3 kids, Ellie, Ezra, and Kaleb. I colored with Ellie for a little while before going into the kitchen to hang with Jeff, Hannah, Claire, Jenny, Hannah, Mrs. Born and Patrick and his wife. After the kids left, I went upstairs to get my things packed and get ready for Sara to pick me up. She came and we took pictures and chatted for a few minutes before heading to the Justice house for some food and fellowship with them before Josh had to go back to Verity. When we got there, we greeted Mr. and Mrs. Justice, Josh, Micah, Evan, and Josh & Micah's grandparents. It was good to see them all again, and as I have not been to their house in a while, the visit was long overdue. We had a great time playing Dutch Blitz (and losing rather terribly to Josh, our reigning champion) and we talked about some deep stuff too :) I realized the importance of journaling in my life as a record of where I've been and where I'm going. It's a way to get down who I am and who God is shaping me to be. The pages of my journal are my "soul-catchers". Which is actually a phrase I came up with while at Josh's house this afternoon. Ahh, life is good right now.

~Rachel

Quick Update

Well, lately things have just been...up and down. There have been a lot of fears and a lot of doubts. But for every fear and doubt, there has been a joy and a triumph. I've gotten back to journaling, which I love. It is a way for me to take what I'm feeling and put it down on paper, something tangible that I can look back at. And it's organized, which is not exactly a trait that my mind can brag about. There's actually a lot that's been going on since the last time I blogged and I'm going to try and get it down for you the best I can.

God:

As far as spiritual things go, I would say that I'm learning a lot. I've come back to the place where I am content to sit at God's feet and have Him teach me. For the longest time, I was playing Martha, so busy bustling around and trying to make sure things got done, that I lost sight of why I was working and who I was working for. God is teaching me now what it's like to come to Him in times of need, to lean on Him for my comfort, and to just trust in Him no matter what. It's a beautiful experience. <3

School:

To be quite honest, nothing much has been happening with school because 1) we are out of school for Christmas break and 2) even if school was supposed to be in session, we'd be considered snowed out. But before I left for Christmas, there were a couple awesome things going on. First off, my US History class is getting easier. I have a quiz the day I come back, though, which I'm not looking forward to. My speech class got our bucket-fillers (nice stuff that we all wrote about each other and were then gather, sorted and delivered anonymously , and they were absolutely amazing. Some of the stuff that I read on those feel-goods made me cry :'). The FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) was planning to do an assembly, which got cancelled due to snow, but it's still awesome that we got it approved. Who says God isn't allowed in schools? And lastly, interims had just come out and I was very excited about the grades on mine :)

Driving:

I only have 6 hours of driving left until I have my full 45 hours that I need to get my license!! This is, of course, good news. The bad news is that it doesn't look like my dad will be willing to take me any time soon. We'll see how things go.

Friends:

Right now, one sentence will sum up how I feel about most of my friends. I miss them. Some are farther away than others, some I'm closer to than others, and some I've seen more recently than others, but between missing church, school being out, and being snowed in, the majority of my friends I have not seen in a while. I miss them, and I hope to see them all again soon.

Writing:

My novel that I was previously working on, Ella's Will, is on hold at the moment. I can't say right now if I will ever get back to it. It's not that I didn't like what was happening or that I didn't know what to write next, I just am not in a place where I feel capable of finishing it. Maybe I'll come back to it, maybe not. Everything else, though, is going on just as normal. I have written some new peoms and lots of short stories. If anyone wants to read them, just comment on this post with your e-mail and I can get them to you :)

If I haven't mentioned something here, it's probably going along just as normal. I hope to be posting more often now, but I make no promises. In any case, I wish everyone the best for the new year!

~Rachel <3

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So, wow...the past couple of weeks have just flown by. School started and so my life has felt kinda rushed ever since. Anyway, in the weeks that have gone by, a lot of important things have happened, not all of them good. First of all, I am doing much better with homework this year than I have in previous years. Second, I'm not doing so well with tests and quizzes. It's kind of a trade-off and I'm not sure if it's better yet...guess I just have to stick with it.

A lot of stuff has been going on at home as well that's not exactly happy. A lot of stuff has been coming at me lately. Difficulties at school, with friends, at home, and just in general. However, I've learned something from these trials. God uses all of these things to bring me closer to Him. I'm afraid that for the most part, I have failed these tests. But never once has God drawn back. He has stayed with me, offering the choice to follow Him or to walk on my own. I am claiming the power of God, that I will be able to overcome these temptations that the devil has given me.

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

~Psalms 23

God bless,

~Rachel <3

Truth vs. Fact

In this day and age, people often use the words truth and fact to mean the same thing. However, there is a distinct difference between them. All truth can not be dimmed down into powerless facts, and fact can be overcome by truth. That is to say, the Truth can change the facts. For example, the facts can say that someone is sick, but the truth says that by His stripes we are healed. (But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:5) Fact is, I'm a sinner; Truth is, I am made clean, I am made worthy, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Anything that is real in this world is fact, but fact is temporary and will one day fall before the ultimate Truth, which is our Lord, the one and only God. (For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." ~Romans 14:11)

Fact is how things appear now; Truth is what has been, what is, and what always will be for the rest of eternity. (And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ~1 John 2:17) Let us not dwell on that which is passing away, but dwell in that which is eternal. When you are presented with "the facts" and find yourself anxious or depressed, look at the Truth. This is the only way to see how things really are, is to look at them through the lense of truth. (And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ~John 8:32)

Camping Fun!!

So this weekend was the 29eleven campout, and it was so much fun. We left the church at around 2:30 or 3 and headed down to Pocahontas Park in Chesterfeild. After getting there and getting everything settled into our cabins, we came back outside for games and devotionals. Dinner followed shortly and then there was lessons and singing around the campfire. Saturday, we went to the waterpark and had a blast. There was devotionals and then we finished the afternoon with rolling in chocolate, chimp races, water balloons, and of course showers (Praise God for hot water!!) Sunday morning, we went hiking down a trail to a waterfall and had a sermon on God's grace. I think this was probably my favorite part of the campout, because I really felt God's presence right then and there. From the waterfall, we went straight back to the pool for some fun in the sun before heading home. It was a great way to spend the weekend and a great opportunity to get to know some of the people that are in the youth group, and even some that weren't.

I have to give a big thanks to Mrs. McCray, our wonderful youth leader; Mrs. Patti, our magnificent chaperone and camp mother; Mr. Taise, our excellent cook for the weekend (even if he did make us all fat :P); and Tony, who was willing to come out and spend the weekend with a bunch of crazy kids and make us even crazier ;) Love you guys!!

~Rachel <3

This is what it means to be held...

Two months is too little.

They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hand opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

	Various - Held - Natalie Grant .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Pictures!!! :D

So, yesterday Claire, Christa, and I braved the sweltering heat and occasional sprinkling to take photos. Having never done anything like this before, I was a little nervous. But the pictures look great!! So, I've decided that instead of keeping them all to myself, I should upload some of my faves :)

All the credit for the photos goes to Claire Born, she did a wonderful job and was a very nice director :)

~Rachel <3

Take Every Thought...

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."

(2 Corinthians 10:4-6 ESV)

Lately, I've been focusing a lot on spiritual warfare and our place in it. For years, I've heard the phrase "take every thought captive to obey Christ" but didn't know the context of the verse. I looked it up last night, and this is what I found. Though I was initially excited by the fact that it specifically talked of spiritual warfare, I realized when I looked closer that several things can be learned from just these few verses.

1) First, it talks about our weapons. As Christians, we don't carry around guns or knives or anything like that to fight off Satan's attacks. What we do have is a divine power, granted to us by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us. This power gives us the ability to break free of Satan's hold on us.

2) Second, it talks about how we are to come against the lies that people will surely bring up. It doesn't say that we are to come against them with our own intelligence, our own insight, or our own opinion, but we fight them by taking all of our thoughts and bringing them to God for Him to discern.

3) Lastly, verse 6 talks about us being "ready to punish every disobedience", but by no means stops there. It goes on to say this, "when your obedience is complete". To me, this points clearly to the fact that of our own strength, following our own ways, we have no power to do anything. However, when we lean fully on God, and we completely obey Him, we gain the "divine power to destroy strongholds" that makes us "ready to punish every disobedience".

So anyway, I guess that the main point I got out of this is that God has all the power, and the power that we have comes from Him. Quite frankly, I'm glad that this is the case, because I would hate to imagine what would become of this earth if we, as sinful humans, had divine power. Just something God showed me that I wanted to share.

~Rachel <3

Oh My God is So Good!

Well, over the past week or so, God has really opened my eyes to show me what He wants for my life. I feel that He is calling me to step up and live my life loudly for Him. When telling one of my friends about this, he asked, "So does that mean that God wants you to go preach on street corners?" and to this, I have to answer...I'm not sure. If that is where God leads me, then I will do it (though first I would have to find a street corner within walking distance of my out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-house lol), but for now, I just want to live my life in a way that shouts God's name and His glory in everything that I do. His name will be on my lips, my hands will do His work, my feet will go where He leads. I will constantly lean on Him, and I know that I will fall sometimes, but I trust His promise to pick me up again. I'm learning what it is like to have passion for Christ, and to come to Him boldly with our praises and prayers. I love Him :)

~Rachel <3

And The Fun Continues!!

Wow.

So it turns out that the birthday celebrating wasn't quite finished. Today was the last day of VBS and normally, on the last day, all the guides go somewhere to eat and celebrate the ending of a great week. Well, this particular night, we decided to go to Luca's. I didn't object and we went through the day just like normal. When it was time to leave, we all piled into the car and headed to Luca's. Sara led us all into the room in the back and I followed without really questioning. As soon as I stepped into the room, my friends and family all yelled, "SURPRISE!!" I was totally shocked, and I never saw it coming. We partied for a long time, had pizza, cake, presents, and TONS of good times! It was simply amazing!

So tonight turned out to be pretty awesome :) I love my friends and family and all the great times we have together.

~Rachel <3

Happy Birthday To Us!! :D

So, yesterday was my sweet sixteen, and I celebrated it like this...

On Wednesday, after VBS at my church, Sara dropped me off at the Born's house. I was greeted by Hannah, Claire, John, Mr. & Mrs. Born, along with Krista Brown, who was also spending the night. We had cake that Mrs. Born made for mine and Hannah's brithday (She's my 10 year twin, you know) and sat around talking for a while. After that, we went into the living room to watch Mary Poppins and snuggle. At midnight exactly, John turned and wished Hannah and I a happy birthday (The first person to do so on our actual birthday) and we had another small celebration that involved hugs and more snuggling. Mary Poppins ended and Hannah and John made their way to bed (Claire had gone to bed earlier) while Krista and I stayed down to watch Ever After before bed. The movie went on, but I have to say that most of it went unwatched. Krista and I started talking and before we knew it, the movie was off and we were still talking. We talked about God and his plan, the spiritual battle surrounding us, and biblical teaching in our everyday lives. We talked about some really deep stuff and my eyes were opened to some of the things going on, not in our world alone, but in the spiritual world as well. It was such a great evening, and we got so caught up in talking that to our surprise, before the conversation was at an end, breakfast was ready and everyone was waking up! Without even meaning to, we'd stayed up all night! We joined the Borns for breakfast and Hannah and I opened our presents. Soon after, Krista took a nap on the couch, and Hannah and John left for DC so that Hannah could spend her birthday there with a friend. Claire left a little while later for work and to take Krista home. I went to lay down on the couch and Mrs. Born came to talk to me until I fell asleep. Claire got me up later in the afternoon and I went to keep her company while she cleaned her room. We didn't talk all that much, but it was nice to hang out with her anyway. Near 5:30, Claire and I got ready to leave so that I could go to VBS and she could pick up Krista and go to bible study. Claire dropped me off at the church after chatting in the car for a few minutes and I spent the rest of the evening with my kids. When I finally got home, my parents wished me a happy birthday and I opened a few more presents from family members. I talked to Sara some, wrote in my journal, and then drifted off to sleep right around midnight. It was a wonderful sweet sixteen :)

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!

~(a now 16 year old) Rachel <3

Out of all the voices...

"Voice Of Truth"

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

	Casting Crowns - Voice of Truth .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Boredom, boredom...

Ahh, boredom, a wonderful and yet necessary part of Summer vacation, I do believe you've finally arrived at my doorstep. I would ask what took you so long, but to be honest I'm not really interested. For now, I will only politely ask that you stay as little time as possible before being on your way again. Don't even bother unpacking just yet. For you see, I'm going to have to kick you out for a night, because I have a sleepover planned tomorrow and you are not invited. I doubt we'll even see you lurking by the window tomorrow night, no sir, I don't believe that I'll be seeing you for a while. However, as is expected, you came today, stayed a while, even sat down and got comfortable for a few minutes sometimes. And with all of that boredom behind me, I can now confidently say that I enjoyed our time together. It gave me some time to rest...now get out.

Love,

Rachel <3

Close as Sisters...

So my friend from Maryland has been staying with me since Saturday and we've been having a blast. I can't begin to explain how awesome it is to have someone there who is like a sister to me be there all the time. I don't know how I'm gonna feel when she leaves, but I'm really going to miss her. For now, I think I'll just enjoy the time we have :)

Love you, Sierra <3

Days Like Those...

So yesterday was amazing, but not the kind of amazing I can describe with words. Matt came up from Texas and we went to Sebera's with John and Sara, then to the park to hang out before church. Though not a whole long went on, it was really good to see an old friend again, and the conversation that we did was pleasant and sometimes very amusing lol. Church also was fun, and we got to play with the kids some as well as with our own age group. Despite almost having my arms pulled off, amoeba was an awesome game with lots of laughs. After class, Matt and I talked by his car and looked up at the clouds which were extraordinarily pretty yesterday. We said our goodbyes and we both went home, but I don't think I'll forget this day soon :)

Just thought you should know...

To all my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, little children and best friends in the world, to all of you that I have come to call my family,

I love you <3

"True or False: It's the little things in life." "True"

*Sigh* Sometimes word's just don't explain the joy, the love, and the comfort that you feel inside. Tonight was absolutely amazing. I got to go swimming with one of my favorite families and had an amazing times there. While I was there, I got to relax on a hammock with my sissy and read some of her school notes (believe it or not, this is fun for me). After that, she took me home and I made dinner for the covered-dish dinner at church (Macaroni and Cheese, yumm ^_^). We got to church and I spent almost all of my free time hanging out with some of cutest and most fun kids on the planet. We had a wonderful dinner, which included Caramel Apple Pecan Pie (calling it plain old Apple Pie does not do it justice, Michael!), then headed to the playground for our normal playtime until class started. However, the playground, when we arrived, was swarming with bees and so we weren't allowed to play there. Plan B turned out to be hide and seek in the back lawn of the church.

Now, let me first explain that the back lawn of our church is virtually open aside from 2 or 3 sheds to hide behind. This never stopped the kids. We ran and ran and ran in a game that was half hide-and-seek, half tag, and we kept running until it was finally just a free for all running match! But oh, the fun we had on that little open patch of grass. We had some falls, tumbles, and the occasional bumped head, but we all made it out alive and headed into our classes.

Once everyone had gotten into class and settled down, we played a trivia game and started class. There was something different tonight about the opening prayer. Almost everyone had something to say and they all seemed to be very open, including myself. I learned about people from the way that they prayed, and more importantly, I learned things (or rather, re-learned things) about God. I can't say right yet exactly what happened in that moment, but I know that it was a good experience, and one that I really needed.

When class was over, I picked right back up where I left off with the McCray girls...we went onto the front lawn and really just walked for a little while. At one point, I was standing with Faith and Marissa, the older two girls, and Abby, the youngest at 3, started wandering out into the empty parking lot. I called her name repeatedly, but she didn't even acknowledge that she heard me. She just kept staring off at something in the distance. I finally went after her and asked her why she didn't answer when I called her name. She looked at me, looked back at the sky, pointed up, and said, "Look! The moon's following me!" That was just about the cutest thing ever.

A few minutes later, I delivered all 3 girls back to their parent's van, and Abby says, "Will you come home with us, Rachel?". When I said I couldn't, she gave me this look that just made me want to cry. Little ones can sure be persuasive when they want, can't they? lol I gave her a hug goodbye and waved as I walked back to my truck to head home with the family. I will fall asleep happy tonight and dream wonderful dreams, this I am sure of. ^_^

So, indeed, it is the little things in life...and sometimes even the little people ;)

~Rachel <3

Today is the first day of the rest of my week!

Hey all! Just wanted to write a post saying that I am not going to sit around and waste today. First off, I'm going to start back on my novel that I've been trying to finish since November. Second, I'm going to work in a time today to go jogging around the neighborhood. Third, I'm going to upload pictures on to facebook (this may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but I'm a real procrastinator in this area). Anyway, the point is that I am going to make this day count for something. Maybe it will help in the long run and maybe it won't, but either way, I'm going to go to bed tonight with no regrets about today.

BYL!

~Rachel

Truer words were never spoken...ok, well maybe :P

Love Like Crazy

by Lee Brice

They called them crazy when they started out
Said seventeen's too young to know what love's about

They've been together 58 years now

That's crazy

He brought home 67 bucks a week

Bought a little 2-bedroom house on Maple Street

Where she blessed him with 6 more mouths to feed

Now that's crazy

Just ask him how he did it

He'll say, 'pull up a seat,

It'll only take a minute

To tell you everything..."

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse 'I love you'

Go to work, do your best,

But don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy...

They called him crazy when he quit his job

Said, 'Them home computers, boy, they'll never take off.'

Well he sold his one-man shop to Microsoft

And they paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it

He'll tell you faith and sweat

And the heart of a faithful woman

Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse 'I love you'

Go to work, do your best,

But don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy...

Always treat your woman like a lady...

Never get too old to call her baby...

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy...

And love like crazy

They called them crazy when they started out

They've been together 58 years now

Ain't that crazy?

	lee brice - love like crazy.mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine