Originally Unoriginal

Wow!  My Spring Break went by super fast.  I had a great time in DC, but it was extremely tiring!  We walked for miles seeing the city, but by the end of each day our legs were killing us.  A bunch of wusses , I know.   It was amazing to stand in the exact spot that Martin Luther King stood when he gave his "I have a dream speech ."  It was inspiring to walk through the Capitol's Rotunda where Presidents and Congressmen have walked.    It's not just someone else's history...it's my history. I got home about midnight Friday Night/Saturday Morning.  I did laundry all day Saturday and was working on our New Church today.  (It is official, the new church is ours.  The guys started sheet-rocking the walls of the Sanctuary today!  Soon there will be no more rented buildings!  YEAH!)  So I can't say that I've really rested up and am ready for school tomorrow. This week is another busy week for me.  I'm going to the Chris Tomlin concert on Thursday in Lit...

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle. 2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. 3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? All This Love -- Boys II Men WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Who Knew -- Pink WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Only Grace -- Matthew West HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? There's No Place That Far -- Sarah Evans WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Again I Say Rejoice -- Israel & New Breed WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Indescribable -- Chris Tomlin WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Dreaming With a Broken Heart -- John Mayer WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Pop Bottles -- Baby Featuring Lil' Wayne WHAT IS 2+2? Do the Rock Man -- Montana Da Mac WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Love Song -- Sara Bareilles WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Battle -- Colbie Caillat (Ain't that the truth!) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Stay Beautiful -- Taylor Swift WHAT DO YOU ...

I praise sing at my church every Sunday if I'm there.  This Sunday it was just me, Mr. Guitarman and Mr. Drummer, as the other musicians and praise singers were out of town.  Well, we were doing our thing this morning, just an acoustic guitar, a little drum for rhythm and our voices.  We got to the last song, "When I Speak Your Name."  I didn't even make it through the first verse, and I began to cry. My mind went to the only other time I had sung that song in an actual service.  It was a Wednesday night youth service.  Before that particular youth service, I had a tiny melt down that no one really knew about.  There have been tough times in my life, but I never remember feeling what I had felt that afternoon.  I was lying on my mom's couch after dinner and before church.  It had been a bad day at school, I was facing some financial difficulties, and I was having my first issues with Mr. Amazing.  I can only describe it as the worst spirit of fear that I'v...

Here's some music to tide you over while I try to talk myself into not avoiding the same thing I've been avoiding for weeks! :)

I don't know if I want to be more than friends either, but I'm really sick of that being everyone's excuse lately...What about taking chances?? I don't know much about your life I don't know much about your world Don't want to be alone tonight on this planet they call earth. You don't know about my past And I don't have a future figured out And maybe this is going to fast Maybe it's not meant to last But what do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing if there's solid ground below Or hand to hold Or Hell to pay..... What do you say?

I Got Nothin ' Left from the new Celine Dion CD! Anybody ever tell you that you're not whole Hollow shell of a man without a soul Never ever felt your warmth cause you're always cold Only thing that makes sense is letting go Anybody ever tell you that you've got nerve Treated my love like just another word Tired of giving love to you that you don't deserve So this is my way of saying it's over Cause I got nothing left I got nothing left I got nothing left I gave you my best and you treated it worthless So I've got nothing Anybody ever tell you that you're gonna learn Trust and respect are two things you must earn When it came to loving me you just weren't concerned You never gave a damn so I guess it's my turn Cause I got nothing left

Rap music is dumb. Ok, not all rap music is dumb, but a very large majority of rap music is dumb. I realize that most of the music is about beat not lyrics. I'll even admit that there are several rap songs I like. But when I sit and listen to the lyrics I shake my head. Take for instance, Kanye West's "Stronger." Now Kanye considers himself the cream of the crop but that new song is dumb. The verses have nothing to do with the chorus. The main part of the song is "that that don't kill me can only make m stronger." Then the rest of the song talks about getting on some girl. You would think if the main part of the song is about overcoming and making yourself better, the rest of the song would follow. Nope. He turned what could be a positive message into something about sex. Yeah, I realize that sex sells, but shouldn't someone be demanding more. I realize that teenagers don't know better, but am I the only one just shaking my head over this?

Here's a video of me and my students learning about...culture??

I shot a real gun for the first time in my life yesterday afternoon. I didn't like it at all. I hate guns now just as much as I did before. I didn't get any cool rush of adrenaline. I got a shaky feeling inside from the kick and loud noise. I felt like a scared, little girl. DS , I do appreciate your concern for my safety, but really...guns aren't for me. I guess there IS a girl in my somewhere! Our Remix Youth Band had our first paying gig yesterday morning! A new local church that we have fellowshipped with several times invited us over to do the worship set for their youth service. We were definitely not looking for money, but it kinda made us feel like a real band. We just had a great time worshiping with them; it was a really good experience for us.

I'm feeling much better...thanks for asking! :-) The new Rascal Flatts CD came out today, and you all know I'm a HUGE fan. I haven't listened to the whole album yet, but I'm enjoying it immensely. There is just something about Gary, the lead singer's, voice that makes me melt. I could listen to him all day long.... This is a video of a worship song at my new church, Grace Apostolic Fellowship. It's very amateur, very basic, but you'll get an idea of our new set up! Enjoy!

Last night at REMIX, our Wednesday night youth services, one of the other youth leaders was giving a devotion. He was refreshing us on the importance of quiet time with God. He really broke it down for everyone, including ways to become more disciplined and overcome time robbers. I really took what he said to heart, as I have slacked majorly on my quiet time. I know there is no good excuse, but with school starting, I just haven't made the time available to sit and commune with God like I should. Thankfully, God is patient and more understanding than myself. So as I was driving to school today, I was reviewing the aforementioned lesson in my head. I decided to turn on the radio and do a little praying on my way to work. I ended up having an awesome time of praise and worship while driving. Barlow Girls version of " Enough " was playing, and I just worshiped God and sang along. The lyrics to the song had great meaning this morning as I realized that God is enough for me. M...

Make up your mind take me or leave me I'll be doing fine with or without you I'm wasting my time letting you deceive me The truth is in your eyes but I deny what I see Time and time again I let you get back under my skin I let you break me down again I let you get close way too close But I see through it You gave me that smile and I gave in And you knew that I would Time and time again you pulled me in Just to give me up, gime me up again What is a dream if it doesn't come true I believe I'll find love but will it be with you I never would have thought such a pretty little face could offer me so much and take all that I had Well I want it back I let you get back under my skin I let you break me down again I let you get close way too close But I see through it You gave me that smile and I gave in And you knew that I would Time and time again you pulled me in Just to give me up, gime me up again Time and time again you pulled me in Just to give me up, give me up, give me ...

I attended a Tye Tribbett concert last night, and it was phenomenal. There were some problems with the sound, so while they were trying to fix it, Tye took it upon himself to preach. And boy did he preach! Here's some of his thoughts... The bible tells us that God is great and greatly to be praised. God can take care of the first part, but we must take care of the second part of that statement. We have to praise a great God, and to effectively do so, we must understand just how GREAT He is! If we realized how great God is, we would see how corny the devil is. If we are made in God's image, and God is great, then we should realize how great we are! Why would someone bind up a weak man who couldn't escape? Why would someone bother to control someone who was not causing a problem? The devil doesn't try to stop a weak Christian. No, we are attacked by the devil because of how great we are, because of the greatness inside of us! So the harder we are attached, the greater God...

For whatever reasons that are not important, my pastor has decided to clear off the platform. In our main services, we have no live music. All our music is coming from CDs , and everyone is invited to have worship time in the altar. For typical APs , it sounds bizarre, and many would question the action. However, I can honestly say we had 2 of the greatest services this weekend as a result. We haven't gotten past worship service. He invited us down to the altar, we all started praying and the next thing you know people we've NEVER seen before are getting the Holy Ghost! It's been phenomenal. I saw people who haven't really prayed in years, fall to their knees in the presence of God. I know that a lot of people are apprehensive about the change, but honestly, I think it's for the best. It's nothing permanent of course, but it's given a chance for some who hide behind their instruments to be an active part in worship. Some people won't accept it, and refus...