Maid of Honor

A few weekends ago my sister got engaged. When I first heard about it I was so excited and just couldn’t wait. I pretty much am still like those but the engagement made me realize that my sister is growing up and moving forward with her life. Which I am excited for her but I hope that doesn’t make our friendship change at all. Obviously it will be different but I hope we are always close to each other even if we physically can’t be together as much anymore.

But I know that we will always be close because we are sisters and have always been close so I’m not that worried. Two weeks after she got engage she came home to do my hair for WPA. She told me to sit on the couch and she came back with a box. On top there was a note that said:

“There is no better friend than a sister… and no better sister than you. I cannot imagine my wedding day without you by my side. I love you. Will you be my Maid of Honor?”

It came with a necklace and nail polish. I was jumping up and down that she asked me in such a cute way. I was thinking she would ask me because we have talked about it before but I thought she would just ask me and not have a sign or anything.

She had me working and talking with her all that weekend. I liked it but I feel like its very overwhelming. Hopefully I can help her as much as I can to calm her down. That is my goal for the next year and a half. If she stresses I want to be able to release that by either taking or helping her with any task. Plus I can help her with prayer. To me that is the one thing I can do even when I’m not directly helping her out.

I love her to pieces so I will do anything for her. She is my best friend and my sister. There is no better combination out there. Even if I am sad sometimes that she is moving on I will smile and pray that she will be ok and that I will be ok too. Because even though I will be right by her side during her wedding, God will be right there too. Every step of the way.

Integrity

“He who walks in Integrity walks securely” – Proverbs 10:9

Integrity is the one of the best qualities to have. It means that you are honest and have high moral standings. This means you don’t lie or cheat.

In golf you have to have lots of integrity because you are your own judge and your own scorer. During meets there is the other girls from the other teams but they don’t always see the shot or the situation. There are many times were you have to rule yourself a penalty or have a bad round that you want to make lower but you just can’t because you have to be honest.

I know that when I first started golf I would miss the ball a lot and have to take a stroke for that. Like it wasn’t like my score really mattered but it’s still hard to do that because no one was watching and it kind of looked like a practice shot. But you have to be honest to yourself and to the people that you are playing with.

There are many times were I play with someone were I have to keep reminding them over and over again if they have counted right. Like obviously its ok if you forgot to count a stoke here or there it is ok because I know I do that too sometimes if we have to wait or if I have so many. But the problem is if it’s over and over again.

So obviously God wants us to have integrity because being honest means everything. If you’re not honest then what are you? If you lie to others then do you then lie to yourself? Because lying to yourself is one of the most awful things you can do because then what is the point of anything. You have to tell the truth to both yourself and to others to truly be someone.

In Proverbs it describes that you have to have integrity to be safe when I think of this I think that you have to be honest because if your not then something could go wrong. Like if you make one lie then it just snow balls. If someone finds out that you are lying then you could get in trouble.

Remember that one small lie leads to another, so do try to minimize lying. It will lead you to safety not having to worry about someone finding out that you lied to them.

Procrastination

Honestly I hate to procrastinate but I also hate to do my work. So it is a mixed feeling. Procrastination is the act of “avoiding” something while doing something else. I find that my phone is the best way to distract me from doing my work. Honestly it’s probably a problem. It is just so attempting to grab my phone and text someone or play a game. Most of the time when doing homework I have to put my phone away but that doesn’t always happen.

I always have a goal of finishing the task in enough time to do something fun afterward like play a game with family or have me time. I honestly think that is what makes me keep going rather then the fact that I have something due soon.

But you have to think this what if Noah procrastinated building the ark. Would God have delayed the flood? Would God have said, “Noah you are not a good person to save”? I have thought about many of the stories in the bible and about what would happen if there was procrastination involved. Some of my thoughts have been really funny. Like what would have happened in the angel procrastinated going to Mary when she was going to have a baby. All these small like funny things make you realize that procrastination in a really bad thing for yourself and for the people around you.

In my opinion I think procrastination is a human function that everyone will have sometimes but if it is minimized then it is ok. Just make sure the procrastination isn’t controlling your life. And also that you are not procrastinating life itself.

Blind Man

Whenever you hear a church song do you every just think how they come up with it? Or how well the words just mess together? Well here is a good example I found about a camp song and where it all came from.

“Blind man sits by the road and he cries (x3). He cries, “Oh, Oh, Oh. Show me the way. Show me the truth. Show me the life. The way to go home.” We all sit by the road and we cries (x3). He cries, “Oh, Oh, Oh. Show me the way. Show me the truth. Show me the life. The way to go home.” Jesus stands by the road and replies (x3). Replies, “Oh, Oh, Oh. Show me the way. Show me the truth. Show me the life. The way to go home.” - Blind Man

I was thinking about where these lines come from. So when you think of blind men in the bible you think of times that Jesus has healed them. So I looked into it a little more and found the story of Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46-52) where he calls out to Jesus when he passes and asks him to let him see. Then I searched for bible verse with showing the way, truth and life and found John 14: 16 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Finding that this song came from more then one verse (well my guess) it really neat. I kept looking and found then a paper that named some songs that we as Christians might have sung and where they come from. Some come from numerous books in the bible.

For someone to be able to write something like this they would first have to be really good at song writing because not many people are and it takes that right person to do that. Second you would have to have a person that is really knowledgeable about the bible. Not just those versus that are known to everyone but those small hidden gems that many people don’t know about. Third they have to have God by their side. With these three aspects they can right something that is so amazing. Kind of with I could write a song but I am just as happy singing them and sharing with others.

Letter of Call

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” – Ephesians 4: 11-13

Today I got my Letter of Call to be a Leader in Training at Camp EWALU. I did it last year so I’m not as nervous. But those nervous are still there. Thoughts of will I get out of my comfort zone more? Or Will I have a fun time and interact?

My goal for myself is to have fun and relax because if I do that then everything is worth it. I get to spend time with kids and learn how to lead them. Plus which is big for me is the fact that it should give me the ability to increase my communication skills and my ability to believe in myself. Because honestly it is really hard for me to get outside my bubble.

So to be able to get this chance to help with that in a very save environment is very rewarding. Safe meaning if I mess something up it really isn’t that big of a deal I won’t get penalized for it or anything. Plus I will get honest feedback, which will be really nice.

Also I am glad I got this opportunity again is because it gives me four weeks to think and to be out in nature with God. There are moments were I don’t have to be surrounded by technology or friends or even family. Yes there will still be people but there will still be those few moments of awesomeness and serenity.

So hopefully I will have another wonderful four weeks at my favorite place in the world. Hopefully I can get outside of my very thick bubble that never likes to budge. Because if I do I know I will be just fine.