A Change in Prayer

I have found myself thinking a lot about prayer lately, and I've come to the realization that I've been thinking so much about it because of the guilt I feel because of my prayer life. I'm going to be honest and say that the extent of my prayer life lately has been saying a few words to God before I fall asleep at night. Sometimes I think we get the wrong idea of prayer. We see the Precious Moments pictures of the little children kneeling before their beds at night and that is the image in our head of how prayer is supposed to be. Or maybe we hear ministers prayer an eloquent prayer and it makes us feel as if our own words are inadequate. We have the idea that prayer is the act sitting alone with your eyes closed and head bowed and going through the routine of repentance, confession, and acceptance. Although I believe this type of prayer is entirely necessary, I feel that there are various routes you can take when praying.

A lot of times, I forget to pray. I think that its the times when God blesses us so wonderfully that we do forget to pray. Sometimes I forget that prayer is so much more than just asking for things that we need. Prayer is a simple means of communication to the one who gave us life. Sometimes it seems ridiculous to sit there talking to a God who already knows what your about to say. It sounds strange and Innecessary, but it's not. It's not because its a way to enhance our relationship with Christ by pouring out our soul to someone who will actually listen and not think any less of you. I'm not the kind of person who really likes to talk about myself or my problems. Sometimes my parents think that I don't tell them anything, but really it's just that most things I don't talk about to anyone. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to realize that this is probably not the best thing. But I do feel like if I can first reveal myself to God, then I may be able to reveal myself to others more easily.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I want a change in my prayer life. I want it to be more than just saying a couple of things before I go to bed. I want to wake up in the morning and thank God that for the beauty of the world he created right outside my window. And when I walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I want to thank him for giving me legs to carry myself. And when I get bored I want to engross myself in His word and ask for wisdom to comprehend what I read. I want to finish reading a good book and thank Him for giving people such a remarkable gift of words for me to enjoy. And at the end of the day, I want to fall asleep telling Him about what is going on in my life because that's what I often do with my best friend.

Like I said, I believe it is sometimes necessary to have a rutine form of prayer; but sometimes I think people get so caught up in that and they forget what the purpose of prayer is. It is to give us a personal relationship with our Maker, and I think we should take every opportunity to make that stronger.

~*Elizabeth

Facebook Statuses

I found it very interesting to look at how everyone updated their status's on facebook after Obama was announced president elect last night. Some of these have a good message to them, some are flat out mean, and other's are just flippin hilarious. Don't read these and get angry, read them and laugh. Laugh about how stupid we are all acting right now. Laugh at how so many people think they can do something about it, but can't. Laugh about how, as much as I myself don't like Obama in office, the world is not coming to an end! Laugh at how people are too ignorant to realize that this is all happening for a reason because God would not let Barack Obama in office if there was no reason!

• obama stinks!! just know that!!
• wondering why people actually think it is the government's job to take care of them. How pathetic we have become. Get ready for the cheese lines people.
• is going to quit his job now...that way he can stay at home and let Obama steal from the rich and give to me!!!
• go obama :)
• is thinking saban should run 4 presedent!!!haha
• is accepting the election of Barack Obama as God's rightful judgement on a wicked nation.
• is praying for the best with our new leader....God is in control and knows what is best believe it or not.
• Doesn't have to go to school this spring. Why would I want to become successful? Why work when someone else can do it for me, then share the wealth with me?
• is socialism....this cant be good....
• is glad to see hope triumph over fear
• knows that God will use President Elect Obama to bring glory to His name ~ The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse...
• is a sad day in america as a socialist prick is elected to presidency
• is so irritated at the foolish, blind, ignorant liberals... What happened to "One nation under God..."? What has happened to our country?
• is it's high time Christian stopped being so negative and start having Faith that God is gonna make everything okay
• guesses its no longer called the white house...
• just prays that Obama will be a good president, God bless and good night
• is buying a bicycle!! I would at least have transportation amongst the riots caused by the poor choices of our newest president!!! BLAHH!
• is BARACK AND ROLL--i know das rite
• is saying "I support him...but I'm still running for President in 2028."
• is praying that God has mercy on our country. ]:
• knows that even though they screwed up, it's okay. "...There is no authority not established by God. The authorities that exist have been established by God."
• welcomes you to Alobama, one of the fifty districts within the Federated Provinces of Socialist America!
• knows that this day is a very sad day for the United States Of America... here come 4 years of death, and destruction to all that this country was founded upon
• get ready for hitler the second
• glad there will be no more politcal commercials for 4 more years
• doesn't have to be afraid! Jesus said, "Take heart; I have overcome the world." Have faith in Jesus, my friends! He is God over all, even Barack Obama
• is noo obama whyy....we're doomed..:'(.
• is encouraging ANYONE who doubts Barack Obama to read Romans 13:1-7. God bless America!!!
• is sad that people have voted socialism into America. Let's spread that wealth around!!! IDIOTS!!!
• ..obama is not going to kill us all. we are not going to fall over dead, there's nothing we can do about it..don't freak out.
• wants to remind everyone that is bashing obama because they are "christian" that Jesus said LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
• is reminding people that George Bush is still our President, and until Obama is sworn in, Bush needs our prayers as President every bit as much as Barack
• is getting out his wealth-spreading machine!!!
• can't wait for that government medicine!!! I may even have the ability to die in line for my Obama-paid medicine.

Don't let our country be taken over by malicious words, let it be taken over by prayer and supplication! Whether you support Obama or not, he still needs are prayers. Whether you support him or not, we are commanded to show him respect. I don't know what the next several years may hold for us, but I do know that Obama is our president for a reason. God just doesn't reject millions of prayers for no reason.

~*Elizabeth

With Less Than 24 Hours to Go

In less than 24 hours, many Americans will be going about their daily routine proudly wearing their "I voted" stickers. While that is somewhat a terrifying thought for me, I am actually ready for this election to be over. Personally, I am quite tired of political argument. I'm sick of people getting angry with each other because they don't support the same candidate. There is nothing wrong with calm debate. In fact, I think it's a great thing; but calm debates tend to lead to heated arguments and sometimes heated arguments end in anger or hate towards a person you've always held high respect for. Apparently some people just don't know how to accept the fact that there is nothing wrong with disagreement. Yesterday Mary and I went into Rue21 and when we got to desk to pay the three cashiers were in one of these "heated arguments".(one of the people we actually knew already) Well the two girls were getting all upset because the other guy doesn't support Obama, and personally I found their method of arguing highly annoying. I don't think I once heard them say what they even liked about Obama. All they talked about was how "it's time for change" and "John McCain is so old" and "Sarah Palin is so stupid" or "she doesn't have any experience. Well, yes, maybe John McCain is old, but please tell me why that is going to make him so much worse of a president than Obama. Yes, sometimes Sarah Palin doesn't sound like the sharpest knife in the drawer when she talks, but have you listened to Joe Biden lately? And maybe she doesn't have as much experience as we would like our potential vice president to have; but the only experience Obama has is spending a little over a hundred days in the Senate. These hypocritical and highly ill-informed supporters belong to both of our candidates, but I'm just making the point about Obama because this was an argument I listened to just yesterday.

I guess I am just extremely aggravated by all of this un-needed controversy. During the Relient K concert last week, Matt Theissen made a comment about politics. He said he was probably the only one there who wasn't sick of politics because he's Canadian and can't vote. I found it interesting when he said that the thing he is sick of is all of this hatred between people, because from the perspective of an outsider that's all he notices. So ask you self, "Is this really all worth it?" Is it really worth getting so much into an argument that you find yourself fed up with the person on the other side? Is it really worth dividing up this nation, dividing up these states, these cities, these schools, these churches, and even these families? Absolutely not. Of course it's important to know who you want to vote for and why you want to vote for them, but in the end one person is going to be elected and we all have to live with that. My hope and prayer is that the citizens of the United States will once again become united instead of broken into millions of pieces. I hate to say this, but I feel like there are dark days ahead of us. With the state of the economy right now, things are probably going to get worse before they are better. I believe that the key to getting past this is through each other, and the only way it will work is by being united. Don't let us be separated by our preferred candidate! Don't let your political views get in the way of helping those in need! Love can do things that John McCain and Barack Obama could never do alone. Don't let your personal opinion take over.

I'm scared that we are going to let government take over our lives. We are going to invite elected officials into places they don't need to be. Why are we doing that? Isn't that what we wanted to get away from? Isn't that what we fought in countless wars for? We broke away from Great Britain because we wanted our own freedom and liberty. People were tired of Parliament invading their lives, telling them what they can and can't do. Part of the reason we fought in World War II was to free the people from Nazi oppression. Are we going to sit here and let thse be wasted efforts? One day, maybe several generations from now, will that happen to us? Will we be taken over by a power-hungry totalitarian ruler? If we continue to invite the government into our lives that may happen! Will a group of people become sick of not being able to live their own lives and make their own decisions that they will attempt to break away from the United States of America like was done before in the Civil War? Is that what is going to take to get things the way they need to be? I surely hope not.

I just think that the first step towards the road to success is that we put our differences aside and think about what's at stake. Just get over the fact that people have different opinions, and let them believe what they want to believe. I encourage you when we find out who will be our next president that you will just accept it for what it's worth. The voting booths may close tomorrow night, but the end is not yet in sight. Unfortunately, there are still many "I told you so"s to be said. There are still many fingers to be pointed and accusations to be made. When, if ever, will we remember that we have the privilege of liberty? A privilege that many deserving people go without. Take the opportunity to form your own opinion; but, please, don't condemn your neighbor for doing the same.

~*Elizabeth

And That's What It's All About

Lately I have noticed that when I am reading a book I read it not only for the story like most normal people tend to do, but also for the literary content and the message that the author is trying to present. Sometimes when I read a part in a book that really stands out to me, I even mark the page so I can go back later and read it again. I find a story so much more beautiful when you jump in and try to figure out what the author's purpose in writing the story was instead of reading it simply because its a romace novel or an incredible action story. I think it was partially because of this that I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series so much, but I'm not allowed to write about that yet because Danielle hasn't finished the last book.

Right now, I'm reading through the last few chapters of a book called The Host, and I must say it's one of the strangest books I've ever read. It's basically a story about aliens and how they take over earth, but it's not one of those typical sci-fi alien stories. The aliens(souls as they call them in the book) are just little worm-like creatures who have to be inserted into a body in order to function. They are only a soul, useless without a body as a host. In the story, the souls are living basically this perfect life. Hatred and violence doesn't exist in their world, and the only reason they took over earth was because they truly felt like it was the right thing to do. When they look at earth they see people killing each other every day. They see parents abandoning their children. They see hatred, deciet, hopelessness, and despair; and they feel the need to put an end to it. So they do. And then the world is at peace. I remember at one point in the book they were watching a baseball game on tv and there was a converstation between two players that went something like this, "No, I think you were safe." "No, I'm pretty sure I was touched before I hit home plate. It was definatly an out." It was so ironic because, in our lifestyle, the arguement would be completely opposite. The world now lives a Utopian lifestyle where everybody did the right thing. There was no need for money because everybody was honest. The souls didn't have jobs, they had Callings; and everybody did their part.

One part I marked in my book was when the main soul of the story, her name was Wanderer, began to realize what human life on earth was about. She started to see that maybe turning this corrupted planet into a "perfect" planet wasn't the best thing. She said, "This place(talking about earth) was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds--the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions...the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached." This is really when I started to pick up on Stephenie Meyer's hidden meaning in this story. I think she's trying to get the point across that there is a reason for all of this imorality. That's a thought I've always struggled with. I never have really understood why God allowed the fall of man to happen. Why did Adam and Eve have to sin in the garden. I always knew that it was part of his plan, but it never made much sense to me.

It's strange how such simple things such as reading a book about aliens taking over the world can open your eyes up to things you never really thought about before.

When Wanderer spends a great amount of time with the few humans left, she really begins to understand what love is. With the souls, everbody "loved" everybody just simply because hate basically didn't exist. With humans, it was different. These were her thoughts,

"What was it that made this human love so much more desirable to me than the love of my own kind? Was it because it was exclusive and capricious? the souls offered love and acceptance to all. Did I crave a greater challenge? This love was tricky; it had no hard-and-fast rules--it might be given for free, as with Jamie, or earned through time and hard work, as with Ian, or comopletely and heartbreakingly unattainable, as with Jared. Or was it simply better somehow? Because these humans could hate with so much fury, was the other end of the spectrum that they could love with more heart and zeal and fire? I didn't know why I had yearned after it so desperately. All I knew was that, now that I had it, it was worth every ounce of risk and agony it had cost.
It was better than I'd imagined. It was everything."

So that's when I figured it out. Or at least I think I have. The reason we need hatred, the reason we need violence, the reason we need deciet, and all other immoral things is because that is what creates love. If none of that existed, then neither would love. And without love, hate wouldn't have meaning either. And now it seems so obvious to me. Why didn't I think of that before? Without hate, love would be non-existant.

~*Elizabeth

A Generation of Change

I wrote this on my facebook, and I figured I might as well go ahead and post it on blogspot. So here it is...

With all of the events going on in the upcoming election, the subject of change has been a major conversation topic. Most people are looking for a president who will make many changes and alterations in our nation so, naturally, that's what our candidates are offering. Particularly in Barack Obama's campaign, we see the constant emphasis put on this idea of change. If you drive five minutes down the road you will see at least one sign or bumper sticker that says something along the lines of Change: Obama 2008. If you turn on the tv and watch one of his speeches you will constantly hear the term change thrown around. McCain also offers a form a change, but does not really model his campaign after it as much as Obama. I am in agreance with the fact that change is a major thing our country needs, but is any change necesarily a good change?

If you look throughout history, you will see how things are going one particular way for a while until suddenly something goes wrong. Then the people either get angry or get bored with the way things are going so they want something new. Every time, somebody comes along claiming that they can offer this change, and so everyone bends over to let this person step right in. Sadly, through this, we get people like Hitler and Stalin in charge. Its strange and kinda sad to think about the fact that Hitler was ELECTED into office, but its true. People are constantly misguided and are really only told what they want to hear. I'm not saying this because I believe that any of our political candidates are going to be like Hilter, I'm just saying it to point out the incredible dangers any time someone is put in office.

Sometimes I think that people forget we are a mixed government, and entirely too often I think people dont realize that because we are a mixed government our president only has one third of the power. Through our three different branches of government, there a checks and balances to keep all of the powers in line. The President of the United States doesn't even have the right to wage or declare war, yet when we are in a war which people feel are illegitimate, he is the one blamed. Because the president doesn't have unlimited power, half the things our candidates are promising to do are next to impossible. So now back to my original point: this idea of change. I whole-heartily believe that change is a great thing as long as the right changes are made. I have this terrible feeling that we are headed down the road to socialism. Our candidates would never use the term, but when you are trying to put government programs into everything, that's what's going to happen. This is not the kind of change we need. The change we need is to take a few steps back, or maybe more than a few. We need to take it back to the way it was supposed to be, when our Independence was declared and our Constitution was originally written. THAT is the change that I believe is needed.

And you may say that back then people didn't care about the poor and needy because we didn't have any government aid that, to put it bluntly, robs from the rich to give to the poor. Well, this is where the real change comes in. YOU can be the change, not your government. YOU can help the poor and needy, not your government. YOU can reach out to those in need in ways that your government cannot. YOU can give love and affection that no government system can or ever will be able to give. The government can raise taxes on the wealthy and give that money to the poor, but where is the love? It's non-existant. Somehow, I have this strange feeling that God really doesn't care much about works without love. I think I may have read that somewhere...I don't know...maybe the Bible? Yes, I believe that was it. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." I've used this verse as a reference to this very issue before because I think it fits so perfectly. Why can't we just stand up and be the change? Why do we have to rely on government funds that, in the end, are meaningless?

I hate using those cliche' sayings that everyone has listed under their favorite quotes on facebook, but I think the best way to sum it up is by saying "Be the change you want to see in the world". My point in all of this is that if you want to see change, then you can get out there and do something about it. The truth is we are living in a era of change, and I don't know about you but I want it to be the right kind of change. I want it to be an affective change, and one that lasts. I don't want this great change to be our nation going even more millions of dollars into debt, I want it to be a change of outreach, a change of care and of compassion. Sadly, I think we're heading opposite of this. And unfortunatly, I don't think we're ever going to get back to the basics. We are too divided, and everyone is headed in a million different directions with a million different hopes and dreams. But, maybe, if we can at least come together with the midset of helping others then we may get somewhere someday. But either way, I do believe we are living in a generation of change, and whether that is a good change or a bad change is up to us. So maybe the change we need doesn't lie in the hands of John McCain or Barack Obama. Maybe it lies upon us, the citizens of the United States of America. What will you do to make things right?

Any thoughts or comments?

~*Elizabeth

Something I Hate

After writing blogs all summer, it is incredibly difficult for me to get back to the style of essay writing.

Blog in the Round: Would I Rather Marry the Ice Cream Man Or the Garbage Man?

What an interesting topic.

I think that if you asked the average person if they would rather marry the ice cream man or the garbage man they would say, "Duh. The ice cream man. You get free ice cream!". Well, if that was really true then that would be awesome. The problem is, its not.

Actually, the ice cream man scares me a lot. At least the only ones I've ever seen have. I think that the requirements for getting that job is to be mean scary looking ghetto man, and know how to rob little kids of their money. I think that these kind of people should be put in jail.

Ice Cream men used to be nice. When I was younger there was a really nice man who used to come every day and even if we were missing a quarter, he would still give us the Popsicle we wanted. Once this guy came in a van. He was selling Popsicles really cheap so I bought like 5 of them. A few years later I started thinking about it and I'm pretty sure that his business was illegal and I'm actually surprised that we didn't die from any kind of poisoning he put in the Popsicles.

Garbage Men, on the other hand, stink. They have been around garbage so much that they can probably never get rid of that smell no matter how many times they shower. However, they always seem to be nice. Whenever the garbage man would pick up our trash, I would wave at him(although, I'm not sure why) and he would always smile and wave back. Unlike the ice cream man, he always seemed very friendly.

If it wasn't for the fact that there is smelly garbage involved, I think I would want to be a garbage woman myself. I mean, who wouldn't want to ride on the back of a truck? Sounds like fun if you ask me.

So I guess the only set back on a garbage man is the fact that he stinks all the time. And most likely he's a redneck. But I'm sure the ice cream man smells like cigarette smoke, so it doesn't really make a difference. So I think that my final answer is that I would rather marry the garbage man then the ice cream man, because honestly I would rather be married to a smelly red neck than a man who smokes weed and tries to steal my quarters.

~*Elizabeth

BITR: Auburn Football

Thanks to my wonderful friend Davis, I get to write about Auburn football this week. I don't think this will be a whole lot of fun because as I'm sure you already know, I'm an Alabama fan. BUT that doesn't mean I hate auburn like a lot of bama fans though. It's kinda hard for me to hate auburn because my dad and brother are auburn fans, and so is my best friend. Some people think it's crazy that our family actually gets along during football season because we are a house divided, but I think thats dumb. Why should a stupid thing like football get in the way of life? I don't think that the reason it took my dad so long to propose to my mom was because he couldn't decide if marriage would be worth it since she is an alabama fan. Or at least I hope not.

But anyway, I'm getting off subject. I think that auburn football is pretty cool. That is, as long is Alabama is doing better than them. Unfortunatly, the last few years hasn't been that way. I found the fear the thumb thing to be a little annoying. I hate obnoxious fans, even Alabama ones. I really like to celebrate when we win, but I'm not going to rub it in other people's faces. So if your an auburn fan who doesn't do that then I will still like you.

But overall, I really like football in general. I can't wait until this season starts, and I especially can't wait until the Iron Bowl. I'm really hoping that this year we will step up our game and beat Auburn. We haven't beat Auburn since I've actually really cared about football(and understood it.) I am most definatly ready for a good season!

This is probably one of the worst-written blogs I have ever done, but sorry I just couldn't put my heart in this one.

~*Elizabeth

Blog in the Round: People That Annoy Me

Here is a list of people that annoy me and why. Some are specific while others are very generic.

• Preachers that yell: If going to church and getting yelled at is your kind of thing, then that's fine with me. Personally, I think that yelling is what you do with your family so it is not very enjoyable to go to a church where a preacher screams at the top of his lungs.
• Teachers that think their class is the only important one: I hate it when teachers think that whatever class they teach is the most important class you will ever take in your life. Therefore, they expect you to put all your time and effort into all of their assignments; forgetting (or maybe just ignoring the fact) that we have 5 others classes to deal with.
• Rosie O'Donnell: Rosie is annoying because Rosie scares me.
• Politicians: Politicians annoy me because they have a tendency to change their "beliefs" according to what the general public wants to hear. Most Politicians are very inconsistent with what they say.
• Jef Park: For the few people reading this that actually know who this is, I think it is pretty self-explanatory. Although Jef(yes, it is spelled with one f) and I get along much better than we used to, he is still way too loud and obnoxious for me to be around for more than a short period of time.
• People who don't know how to shut up: I already wrote a whole blog about this, so I don't think there is a need to say anything else.
• Ryan when he won't just give up an argument: My dear brother Ryan always has to have the last word in every single conversation. In every single debate he has been in, Ryan has ALWAYS had the last word. Even if the conversation has come to an end, Ryan must jump in with his last input. My father has a tendency to do this sometimes too, but I'm not gonna talk about that because I don't feel like getting in trouble.
• People who stereotype things: Being homeschooled for however many years I have been now, I think I would know a lot about stereotyping. Because of course we all know that homeschoolers are dorky kids who wear glasses and braces, don't have a life, read Shakespeare all day long, and always have a sinus infection. We don't know what grade we are in and we cringe when people say words like stupid and fart. Our hobby is planting tomato seeds, and our best friends are our stuff animals. I'm just naming this stereotype because I am very familiar with it, but there are also many more.
• People who actually are the stereotypical homeschooler: Seriously, how hard is it to keep up with what grade your in? I'm counting down the days until graduation(which is still 2 years away), and all you know is that your somewhere between 8th and 11th grade. So please just put down your kazoo, pick up a calendar, and figure out that we're not in 1872 anymore. You give us all a bad name!!!
• People that never admit when they are wrong: My brother Ryan is once again a perfect example of this. Everyone knows that humans make mistakes, so how hard is it to admit when you have??
• People who cut in line: By cutting in line, you are basically saying "I am better than you so I do not deserve to wait like everyone else does". Once I accidently broke in line, and after I realized it I felt horrible! Do you line breaking people not have a conscience or something?
• People like my wonderful sister who don't know how to show anyone respect: I believe that everyone deserves respect no matter how annoying I may think they are. Laura, on the other hand, apparently only cares about herself and it doesnt really matter to her how she makes other people feel.
• Danielle Goodwin: Enough said.

~*Elizabeth

BITR: What Scares the Living Daylights Out of Me

Even after all the talking I did about how I am fearless, I suppose it's time for me to face the facts and admit what I do actually fear. So I've been thinking about it, and have realized that the one thing I fear the most is the unknown. Not knowing what is there, or what is going to happen, or what my future holds does scare the living daylights out of me. While I was on the cruise, I would stand at the balcony and look over into what seems like an endless sea and although I knew that I was safe, it sorta gave me this weird feeling. I really started to think about how we are floating in the dark and who knows whats down there swimming around ready to eat me. I starting thinking about how incredibly scary it would be if I fell over, and how the scariest part would not be drowning but being out there and not knowing where you are or what is around you. That all goes back to the unknowns. I think the reason the unknown is so scary is because we experience a complete lack of security. Its easier to walk down an alley in the daytime because we can see what is there; but at night, when we have no clue, it is much more terrifying.

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and there was one line in the book that really stood out to me. Harry and Dumbledore are crossing a lake at night and Harry is afraid when he sees a dead body floating in the water. Dumbledore offers these words of encouragement, "There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness. Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees. But once again that reveals his own lack of wisdom. It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."

So I suppose that gives the answer to why we fear the dark, why we fear death, why we fear the middle of a deep ocean, and why at times we fear tomorrow. It is because it is all unknown and we can't stand not knowing. But I guess that's what faith is, isn't it? Having courage through the unknown. As Christians, we live in a world of unknowns. There isn't much of an explanation to many things that happened in the Bible, and I think that's what turn a lot of people away from Christianity. They have a fear of not fully comprehending what they believe. At times, I think we all do. But without the unknowns, where would faith come in? If we knew everything then faith, one of the key essentials to being a Christian, would be meaningless in itself.

Tony Snow was a television commentator who later went on to become President Bush's secretary. In the midst of his terrible fight against cancer, he shares his testimony. I read it, and found a lot of it to be encouraging. He is staring death in the face, the ultimate unknown and that's when it all makes sense to him. Here is a paragraph of his testimony:

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change.
> You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious,
> and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
> of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful
> caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger,
> shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing
> though the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed
> the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not
> about the morrow, but only about the moment.>

Faith being the evidence of things not seen may not be an answer that will get us very far; but if that's all we really have to lean on it. Lean on it and allow it to hold you up until we leave this world of unknowns and realize that maybe what we come to know doesn't matter as much as we once thought it did. We know what we need to know and nothing more, so what is there to fear? I don't really know. I just know that I do, and it's most likely because of the fact that I'm human.

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.
Psalm 23:4

~*Elizabeth

BITR: What Annoys The Living Daylights Out of Me

I guess it's about time I write this blog...

There a lot of things that annoy me. In fact, it seems like every day I find new things that annoy me. I, like most average people, am annoyed very easily. So you would think that when it came time to write a blog about something that annoys the living daylights out of me it would be easy. Wrong. I spend half my life complaining about all of these annoying things, and then when it comes time to write about just one of them I draw a blank. I actually considered writing on that at one point. About how I think of things all the time, but can never think of it when I need to. I decided that would be to complicated so I better just think of something else. So I did, and this is what I came up with:

One thing that annoys the living daylights out of me is when people don't know how to shut up. Yes, I know that I am quiet. And you may be surprised to find that I even know how to talk. And maybe people like me annoy the living daylights out you. But it annoys me when people talk constantly. Oh, and it makes it a million times worse when they don't even know what they're talking about. They just talk because they like the sound of their voice or something. It makes me want to tie them to a chair and duct tape their mouth shut so they have to just sit there and listen. For a constant mouth-runner, having to shut up and listen is nothing but pure torture.

I used to work with this lady who I swear told me her life story 20 times over again. At first I found it as a source of entertainment, but after about 3 times of hearing everything from the details of her first marriage to what kind of underwear her 14 year old son wears, I was about ready to slap her.

So that is one thing that annoys me. People who never shut up. Yes, I will listen to what you have to say and if you need help then I will help you; but don't come to me running your mouth about nonsense that you don't even know what your talking about.

~*Elizabeth

Why I believe in Jesus(the new and improved version)

You know all that other stuff I said about believing in Jesus? Well, forget that. This is that real reason!! HAHA

Blog in the Round: My Purpose in Life

So this week my blog topic is to discuss what I think my purpose in life is. Of course, the typical Sunday School answer would be to say that my purpose in life is "To live out God's will...to love others as I love myself...to serve those in need" and so on and so forth. Although this is true, I think the real question is "What is God's will for my life". My answer to this is that honestly I have no clue. So I'm probably not going to write this blog in the way ya'll want to hear it, and it may be kinda long and boring. Instead, I think I'll just be honest with myself and others and write about some things that have been on my mind for a while now.

I have no clue what I'm doing. I have no idea where I'm going. I really don't know what the plan is, and that bothers me. In my 15 years and 11 months of life, I have yet to find one thing that I really enjoy. Something that I am passionate about. For a while I have told myself that that is ok because I am young. It's ok because I still have two years of highschool left, and then (possibly) a few years of college. And while in a way I still hold on to that mindset, I sit back and realize that I am living through the years of my life that molds the shape of my entire future. And then I look around at other people who know exactly who they are and what they want to do. Their gifts and talents shine though so brightly. So I look at myself, and I just have no idea. I don't know what it is that I should be doing, because I don't even know what I want to do. So I just keep waiting, hoping that God will show me what path I need to take. And I keep praying that he will give me the wisdom to take that path. Yet, I still have no idea. Don't get my wrong, I'm not saying I've lost my faith in God. I still whole-heartily believe that he has a plan for me, I just get discouraged because I don't know what that plan is. I realize that this is part of life and everyone goes through it, but I feel like I'm missing out on something. As if, maybe, it's right before my eyes and I'm just blinded my own selfish thoughts and desires. But that, too, I don't see because I'm not quite sure what my own desires are.

I try to be the kind of person who is always happy even when there isn't really anything to be happy about. I'm happy just simply because there is nothing to be sad about. After a while, though, that gets kinda old. I'm a middle-of-the-road, mediocre girl; but that, too, gets old. I'm tired of settling for mediocrity. I'm tired of apathy because there just really isn't anything to care about. I need something exciting. I need something to live for. I need something that I know in my heart I am supposed to do. This was a lot of our discussion Wednesday night. We talked about how everyone has different gifts and abilities and we are supposed to go out and do that and that only. If we try to do what someone else is supposed do, then it just doesn't work. Well, I'd love to do what I need to do. But first I have to figure out what that is.

My brother, Ryan, is going to attend Samford University this fall. Last week he had orientation and I guess that got the wheels in his head turning because the next day he writes a blog about college. It was one of my favorite blogs he has written in a while because it actually made perfect sense to me(and rarely his blogs do). He was talking about how people put too much pressure on teenagers approaching college age to know what they want to do. I'm pretty sure I'm doing this to myself. I think sometimes I forget that next month I will only be turning 16. I forget that this year I will only be in my junior year of high school. I guess I'm just tired of giving the answer "I don't know" every time someone asks me what my future plans are. I really just want something that I am good at and something I have a passion for. Andy made what I thought was a very good point when he said that you shouldn't go to college to find a job, you should go to college to further your passion.

I've been spending all this time searching myself through and through, trying to figure out what is really in my heart and just follow that, and it got me thinking about things a little bit differently. Maybe, as of now, I am barren. And maybe this whole time that I've been looking for something within myself, there really just isn't much to find. So I'm thinking there is a possibility that instead of finding myself, I should begin creating myself. Creating myself to be the kind of person that God wants me to be. A person who is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, and self-controlling. And that may be the key to open up the next door. A door that has my own passion inside and takes me down the path of the rest of my life. And There I go with the Sunday School answer, but I suppose that's really all I have to start with.

Again, this is just life and life isn't always easy. Life is full of decisions. Sometimes you make the right ones, and sometimes you don't. Life is full of both encouragements and let downs. So all I can really do is go out into this brutal world realizing that the sun doesn't always set in happiness, but tomorrow there is always a sunrise. Giving hope and a promise of a better day ahead.

So maybe the answer to the question "What is my purpose in life?" is right around the corner; but as of now my answer will continue to be that I really just don't know. As of now God is really the only thing I can hold on to, but for some reason I want more. I feel like that is wrong though. Is it wrong? Is it wrong that I want something more than just knowing He is there? I guess I what I really want is to see Him played out in my life. But I will continue to wait; because, somewhere, I know it's there. And waiting is what a majority of life is comprised of.

~*Elizabeth

BITR: Who Would I Marry?

I mean the guy(James Marsden), not the girl. Oh and of course this is set to Lifehouse music.

A Defense For Twilight and Harry Potter

If you know me well, then you probably know that my two favorite book series right now are Twilight and Harry Potter.(although twilight does beat h.p.) These two book series are very controversial among Christians because of their content. Harry Potter is all about witches, wizards, and of course magic, while because Twilight is also a love story it has been described as "Harry Potter with sex appeal". If a Christian thinks is wrong to read these books I can see where they are coming from, BUT I, of course, disagree. Let me tell you why.

I will start off by saying that the Twilight series changed my whole perspective on reading. Before reading the books, reading was pretty much only something I did because I had to. It wasn't that I absolutely hated reading, I just didn't really enjoy it. Once I started reading them, I couldn't put them down. I read all three of them in about 2 weeks and they are between 500 and 600 pages each. After this, all I wanted to do was read so that's when I picked up Harry Potter. After just a few weeks, I'm on the fourth out of seven books. Then I started actually enjoying the stuff I was reading in school. The last book we read was To Kill a Mockingbird and it is now one of my favorite classics. So my point is that before these books reading was boring, now I even enjoy required reading for school.

Since Harry Potter is better known, I will start with that. Legalistic Christians would argue that Harry Potter is bad because it teaches that magic is real and it can overpower anything. Well, maybe it does, but so what? Its called fiction, meaning that it isn't real. I read the books, but it hasn't changed me to think that there is no God and our world is really just full of magic. So as long as you don't let yourself fall into that stupid way of thinking, then you'll be fine. Also, it contains good literature. If you pay attention to the details, then you could find a lot of symbolism. The scar on Harry's face is major, because it symbolizes Voldemort's presence. Book three, which is so far my favorite, has a lot to do with animals and the different animals symbolize the different characters of whom they represent. Also, there are a lot of things in Harry Potter that can represent the Christian worldview. I could go on about this forever, but I'm not going to bore you. I did, however, find a website about this that I thought was interesting. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-amandah01.shtml

Now, on to Twilight. This is a three book series(soon to be four) full of action, romance, and suspense. There are two major things in this book that many people find to be bad. The first is the fact that it is a book about vampires and werewolves, hence the magic. I guess people think that any kind of fantasy thing with magic that isn't real is inherently bad. Of course, I tend to disagree. I think that sometimes reality gets a little boring, and our minds and souls need something to focus on every once in a while to bring us back up to speed. This probably doesn't make any sense, but just bare with me. I don't think there is anything wrong with getting emotionally involved in fantasy stories, as long as you know it's not real in the end. Again, I think there is a lot of symbolism in these books too. Even Christian symbolism. In the story, the Cullens are a family of vampires. They are not what you think of as the typical vampire though, they stand out for something different. The don't feed on humans, which in the story is kinda a big thing. The Cullen family in the vampire world is kinda like Christians in our world. They are fighting against their own nature to stand out for something different. Something they believe in, which is morality, and not killing humans. It is the same for us. We are fighting against the world, which tries so hard to pull us in. But we resist and do our best to fight the temptation. This is hard for the Cullens, because it really is their nature to live off the blood of humans. But to the best of their ability, they don't.

Another major argument in Twilight is that the romance is a little too graphic. I can defiantly see where this argument is coming from, but the thing to remember is that it is done the morally right way. Edward has this whole thing about saving Bella's morality, therefore, they will not have sex before marriage. So, although it is talked about a lot, I think it's talked about in a good way. It doesn't encourage anything bad, in fact, it looks down on it. Morality is a key thing in Twilight. And I don't mean throwing your morality down the drain, I mean preserving it. Living life out the right way.


So if you think that Harry Potter and Twilight are evil because of their magic, then what about all the fairy tales we watched when we were little. Almost every one had magic, and they also had witches and all that kind of stuff. What about the Little Mermaid? Mermaids aren't real, magic isn't real, witches aren't real. But when I was a little kid, I remember to a certain extent actually believing in this stuff. Oh, and then there is the love. The love was pretty screwed up if you ask me. Cinderella met Prince Charming at a ball one night and suddenly they were madly in love. Umm....that doesn't seem like the real idea of love. If you are a Twilight/Harry Potter hater, then I challenge you to look at it from a different light. You get out what you put in. So if you go in thinking that these books are bad and they go strictly against Christian beliefs, that's what you will get out. But if you go in thinking that there might actually be something more to these books, then that is what you will get out.

~*Elizabeth

We Wear the Mask

This was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar(whoever that is) and I really like it because I think we all kinda wear a mask.

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtelties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Chrsit, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Blog in the Round: The Basement

So here I am writing a blog on yet another controversial topic. Most likely, it will end then same and some people will agree with what I say while others disagree whole-heartily. But that's ok, not everybody has the same views. When Davis first gave me the topic, I really wished that he hadn't. I kinda wanted something dumb like Wal-mart or Jeff Roberts, but no, I got The Basement. I thought of a couple of different routes I could take on it. Andy suggested that I use this blog as a time to bash Matt Pitt. I thought about it, but I really don't know Matt Pitt so I decided that wouldn't be the best way to go. I thought about writing about my actual basement, but I decided that was pretty dumb and it sounded like something Jeff would do.( I love you Jeff Roberts) Then I really just thought I would do something very out of the ordinary for this topic and actually states my opinions on The Basement. So here goes nothing.

I would like to start out by saying that I have never actually been to The Basement. So maybe your thinking that I am not entitled to have an opinion if I've never actually been, but I think that The Basement is one of those things you hear about so much you know pretty much what its like without going. Of course, I've never experienced it first hand; but I still think I can somewhat form my own opinion on the issue. I haven't not been to the basement because I think its full of a bunch wanna be Christian heathens. I haven't not been to the basement because I myself am I heathen. And I haven't not been to the basement because I don't have a life and I never leave my house. Actually, I think the reason I haven't been is because everyone loves it so much, because I get tired of being "basement witnessed", and actually just the response I get when I say I haven't been. To me, being basement witnessed is kinda like chain letters and forwarded messages. Sometimes I run across one that I actually like and I plan on sending it to a few people. That is, until I read 47,000 times how you have to send it to 16 people within an hour. I hate that. Maybe I'm just being some kind of rebel or something, but it's almost like I don't want to do it just because it says to do it. Oh and then is the part where it tells you that you are being cursed if you don't send it on. That makes me wanna delete the message and then go shoot the person who sent it to me. This also reminds me of basement witnessing. It's almost like these kids are brainwashed to think that your some horribly sinful person if you don't go. But let me tell you something. I do in fact attend church regularly, and just because I don't go to the basement and "get crunk for Jesus" every Tuesday night, doesn't mean that I am any less of a Christian than you.

Moving on to the next issue. Even if you haven't been to the basement, I'm sure you know that they use rock and rap music as a lot of their worship. Do I think this is necessarily wrong? No. But one thing that does bother me is how they take secular rap songs that are full of terrible lyrics that pretty much slap every Christian moral right in the face, and make it a song to supposedly glorify God. God tells us to be in the world, but not of it. In my opinion, this is trying to make all of Christianity a thing of the world which is not something it should be. Singing songs like "Jesus is my rock star" and "meet me at the basement, its going down" do not really sound glorifying to God at all. In fact, it sounds pretty degrading to me. Most rock stars are just a bunch of drug addicts who sing about immoral filth. I mean, I'm not one of those people who thinks that any music besides Christian music is bad; but I don't really think that kind of music belongs in church. I think that people in this world are supposed bring God/The Bible into their lives, but it seems to me like the basement is doing it backwards. They are bringing the world into Christianity. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not fall into the ways of the world". We do that enough ourselves, and when church events bring us more into that I think it's just making it worse. I know that all of this is really just a way to bring outsiders to Christ, and I think that's great; but I also don't think that are really getting what Christianity is all about this way.

Although I said I was not going to use this blog to bash Matt Pitt, I do think it is necessary to talk about him. Like I said, I do not know Matt and I do not know what is in his heart. I do not know this from experience, but I have heard that he is notorious for not quoting the Bible correctly. Like with anybody who preaches to you, I think that you should listen to what they have to say but not necessarily believe everything they say until you really get the chance to think about it and back it up with scripture. We are all humans and are prone to mistakes, and by accepting every word that comes out of a preachers mouth you are bound at some point to hear something that is not fully the truth. This is a problem I see in a lot of people who go to the basement. It's almost like they seem to look at it as "Matt's infallible word" instead of God's. I've heard people talk about how Matt Pitt changed their life, and I don't really think that is right. Matt Pitt didn't change your life, God did. Maybe God worked through Matt Pitt to make a difference in your life, but Matt Pitt did not change your life. So if your going to the basement because its about Matt, then I think you need to change your motives.

I think that whether you go to the basement or not you should still have a home church that you attend. I have heard that Matt does a good job of making that a major point and that is something I can respect in him. I've heard all the way from "Matt is one of the greatest and most Godly men I know. I look up to and respect him a lot." to "Matt is a stuck up arrogant jerk who really doesn't know anything about the Bible." I am not going to side one way or the other because I've never talked to the guy, heck I've never even heard him preach. Because of this, I don't think I am in the right position to judge his character either way.

To a certain extent, I think the basement has almost lost its dignity. It's lost its fire that it used to have. Now, its really just a place to hang out. They call it "club Jesus". I once heard someone describe the basement as just like a club but it's with Christians. Well, think about what goes on at a club and should church events be anything like that? I think not. My friend told me that she was talking to someone who went to the Basement for the first time and when she asked if he liked it he said "Oh yeah, I thought it was great! That is, until I went to the bathroom and some guy tried to sell me drugs". I find this sad. As Christians, we are supposed to be out in the world fighting against these kinds of things, but instead these things are coming into our churches and are fighting against us. Again, we must not fall into the ways of the world.

Now that I've said all of this, and I've probably offended some people I would like to say that I think The Basement ministry is doing great things. I find it amazing how thousands of people across the nation are coming to Birmingham, Alabama for this one church event. I find it amazing how more and more people are coming to Christ through this ministry. And I find it amazing how Christians no matter what denomination are coming together as one. I think that Christian fellowship is a great thing and I think there should be more of it. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching". So although I've stated my disagreements with the basement, I think the ministry has a lot of great things going for it and I hope that it can continue to bring more people to Christ.

So who knows. Maybe one of these Tuesday nights I'll make it up there. Maybe one night I'll feel like staying up until 1:00 to watch it on tv. But until then this is my opinion so take it or leave it.

~*Elizabeth

BITR: I Were Gonna Die Tomorrow

If were walking down the street one day and I heard God's voice say to me "Elizabeth, you are going to die tomorrow" I would want to give my life something worth living for. I would want to be known as more than just 'that girl' or 'whatshername'. I would want to be known as "Elizabeth Hampton! She's the girl who 'risked her life' doing ____". But before doing something extraordinary, I would first fix the little things. I would work out all broken relationships and tell all of my family and friends how much I love them. Also, I would right my will which would be something like this:

• First I would ask that my funeral would be a festive celebration of my life. There will be dancing and the guests will be served taco bell and hot pockets in which Andy will say a very heart-felt and touching prayer over. My dear brother Ryan will write a song in my memory and Danielle and Matt will sing it together while Timothy plays the violin.



• My little sister Laura will receive my iPod and cellular device(because you know its worth so much money and everything)



• My older brother Ryan will receive my bed and my 13 inch TV(because of course they are very expensive too. haha)



• My mom and dad will get all of that sentimental stuff and they can sell whatever they don't want.



• Danielle gets my car and laptop that I don't have. She will also take my place on the cruise and July and she will inherit my bazooka.



• Matt gets my blogspot and he has to write my blogs every week and make them sound like me.



• Andy gets my Bible, because I think he needs one.

Now I would take a trip to the bank and empty every penny out of my account. With that money I am buying a one way ticket to Nagashima Spaland Mie, Japan. Your probably thinking, why Japan? Well let me tell you. Nagashima Spaland Mie, Japan is the home of the world's longest roller coaster. I like roller coasters. I think they are fun. And I think that riding the largest roller coaster right before I die would be pretty much awesome.

Now comes the part where I do something eventful. Japan is a nation of only 0.8% Christianity. 95% of the people there practice Shinto and Buddhism. Pretty much, they hate Christians and you will be killed for speaking of it. For being a country with such desperate need for missionaries, very few are able to spread the word there because they have a severe threat of getting killed. If my life is the most I can lose(besides my soul, which is already safe) and I'm already going to die, then what do I have to risk? Absolutely nothing. So in those few hours I have left I will share what I know and hope that possibly in the slightest chance it may save someone Else's life. This is how I will most likely be killed. Maybe I'll be beheaded, maybe shot, or maybe burned but what does it matter if I'm gonna die anyway.

What little I have for political views

[I really don't like politics at all, but with the upcoming election me and Danielle have been talking about it a lot and we decided to voice our opinions. So hear are my thoughts, you can agree or agree to disagree and it won't offend me. In fact, I'd like to hear your opinions. Maybe I'm an idiot and havn't thought this through enough. Who knows? So here goes nothing.]

I have come to see that the main reason a person would support a democrat is because democrats are known for "helping people". You know, like forming government programs to help the poor, or disabled, or just anyone in need. Well, that sounds great on paper, but in the long run is it really whats best? Most of the programs such as FDIC and Social Security were created by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. These systems may have helped our country a lot at the time, but I think that it just made things worse for the future and may possibly cause another depression.(which is a thought that scares the crap out of me)

Of course I want to help those in need, and I think that most decent people do; but I don't know if government programs are the best way of doing this. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. "
In order to be able to fund these programs, there must be a lot of money. Therefore, with every new program taxes get higher and higher. I honestly don't know of anyone who writes their taxes out of love. And while we're doing this, our country is falling more in more into debt. I think there has to be a better way to help people. The solution to this, I believe, is through the church. The church is not only somewhere you go to learn about God and worship, but it's also supposed to be a ministry to reach out to those in need. If people used the money that would be their tax dollars for these "aid programs" and gave it to the church instead, I think we would be in a lot better position. Of course, this is a lot easier said then done; but I'm just saying I think that's how it should be. Truthfully, I don't have a better solution for the Great Depression. Maybe what FDR did was the best thing at the time, but at this point I think that all of these government programs have gone to far.

Now, the war is another major issue in the upcoming election. It's something I have a hard time with, because there are two ways you can look at it. From one perspective you could say that we are in a pointless war in which we are accomplish nothing. From another perspective you can look back to the day of the attack and remember exactly what happened. Remember all those innocent victims who lost their lives, and think that maybe some thing are worth fighting for. I think I tend to come more from this point of view. Our country was attacked by terrorists. That is not something you can just brush off like it never happened, if we do then I think that we would be attacked over and over again. Sometimes I try to think about what position our country may be in if we weren't in this war, if we didn't stand up for our well-earned freedom; and part of me thinks that we would have lost more lives than what we are in this war. A threat for nuclear weapons is a major thing. If they dropped a bomb on us, we are ALL gone. And if you sit back and look at it, America is at more of a risk for a nuclear bomb than most other countries are. Most other countries hate us and think we're all rich spoiled brats. Also, the first and only atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. to end WWII. I bet there are a lot of people out there who want revenge. So, although I think that a lot of the things we are doing in this war is a waste of time, I believe that altogether war was the best option. We have people(or better put, heroes) who voluntarily laid down their lives for our freedom, and if we elected someone who would pull the troops out then the lives of all those people would have been wasted.

Another thing that is and has been a major issue in elections for a long time is that of abortion. Personally, I don't see how one could make the argument that abortion is not murder. I guess the argument would be that when a baby is first conceived, it is not yet living. But my question is this. If life does not begin at conception, then where? You can't just mark a line and say "it begins here, exactly __ weeks into the pregnancy". That's just making a blind guess when it clearly makes the most sense that life begins at conception. I'm not trying to sound like I don't care, but if a girl ends up pregnant before she intended to then that's her fault. Murder is NEVER the answer, and I believe that abortion is murder. I also don't understand how someone could possibly have the heart to do that to their very own child. I know I couldn't. So the first solution, I believe would be to reach out to the troubled women who get themselves in these terrible situations. Show that there are people who care about them, so they won't get desperate and result to having sex with someone who probably doesn't care about them at all. This is another place the church should be. Reaching out and loving those who are in need. Of course, this does not eliminate all unplanned pregnancies but I think that it will reduce the number. And if the result is a woman baring and unexpected child that they know they will not be able to care for properly, then this is where adoption agencies come in. The government should use the money spent aborting babies and send it to orphanages and adoption agencies. Way too often people get themselves into terrible situations, and to get out the take what they think is the easiest road. I would argue that there are other options. There are other ways to deal with an unplanned pregnancy other than abortion. That child, as tiny as it is, still has rights. It has a reason to live. If it didn't then God wouldn't have put it there. We are told that He knows everything about us even before we are born. That child has a future, and abortion destroys everything about it.

One more thing I wanted to throw out is that even though President Bush might not have handled everything in the best way, and even though he may have done some stupid things; he is still our president and we are still supposed to respect him. Jesus tells us to respect those in authority over us, whether we like them or not. I think Bush has done some good things and I think he has done some bad things, but altogether I still try to show respect for him and not constantly put him down. If someone else who is elected does worse things, then I hope that I will be a big enough person to show the same respect for them.

So that is why I would not support Obama or Hillary. Not because I think Obama is the anti-Christ, and not because he is black. And not because Hillary is a woman. And honestly, I don't think that McCain could do a much better job then either one of them. I really don't care for politicians in general, or politics at all for that matter. But I think I'm just gonna stick to what Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers said: "Government that governs least, governs best".

That ended up much longer than I intended.

~*Elizabeth

BITR: Why I Believe in God(and you can't quote scripture)

When first given this topic, I thought it would be really hard. While attempting to write on this topic, I still think it's hard. And I think the reason it's so hard is a lot of what Christianity is. Because, to put it simply, God is so indescribable. Or, better said, a true relationship with God is indescribable. Sometimes it's hard for people to have a relationship with God because often when you try to talk to Him you don't feel like there is anyone there listening, or anyone there to talk back. It's almost like there is just a brick wall. And I don't think there is anything wrong with us feeling this way, even the strongest of Christians feel this way quite a bit. And I think that's just it. God doesn't sit there and scream all of life's answers in our face. If he did then it would have lost its dignity, and would be meaningless. Instead, when we have had as much as we can take, when we're down the the last straw, or when we've come to the end of the road; he always shows us the way.

Its seems like every time I find myself very frustrated with life, I read something in the Bible or I talk to a friend and I honestly have no doubt that God sent that person or that verse into my life for a reason. That is why I believe in God.

Our God is intangible. He's not like some statue or idol that we can touch. He is nothing man-made. But he is still there, I can feel that he is there. And that is why I believe in God.

I was raised a Christian, and I was raised in church, so I guess that has a lot to do with why I believe in God. Because for so long I really didn't know anything different. But it wasn't until I had the ability to chose for myself, and make my own decisions that my relationship with Christ excelled. When I was younger, I guess I thought that everyone was a Christian and I didn't really see how you couldn't be. But as I've grown older, I've seen for myself that Christianity isn't the only choice. People make that other choice every day, and seeing how their life turns out is a perfect example of why I believe in God.

I know it's a "small world" and I know that a lot of things are coincidental; but LIFE is no coincidence. Science can't explain love. Science can't explain beauty. Science can't explain compassion. Even science can't explain the complexity of this world we live in. Nothing else can explain the fact that we don't have to think to breathe. Nothing else can explain the fact a man falls in love with a woman. Nothing else can explain the fact that miracles happen every day. Nothing else can explain the fact that millions have people have left an easy life of sin to pick up their cross and follow Him. Its not because humans are stupid and gullible, and it's no conspiracy. That, my friend, is the work of an Almighty Creator. So maybe God doesn't bluntly speak to us everyday. Maybe he doesn't tell us every move to make in our life. And maybe sometimes we even feel like he's not there at all. But I don't see how anybody can walk outside and look around at this beautiful world we live in, how somebody can feel their own emotions, how somebody can see the power of prayer daily and say there is no God. And that is exactly why I DO believe in God.

I think C.S. Lewis said it pretty good: "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

~*Elizabeth

My Greatest Fear

When I think about it, I actually have a lot of fears.
I am deathly afraid of jellyfish.
I am afraid of someone invading my home while I am there alone.
I am afraid of a giant tick sucking all of my blood.
But I think my biggest fear is getting old.
Not dying, just getting old.
I hope when I go to bed tonight, Peter Pan comes and takes me off to Neverland.
Then I wouldn't have very much to fear.
Except of course the ticks and the jellyfish...

BITR: Reality TV

Reality TV is an oxymoron

That is all I have to say

The end...

~*Elizabeth

And they call this love?

I think that love is a word, emotion, thought, or whatever that is used way too loosely. I mean, in one way you could say that you love everyone which is fine; but that's really just a general love. I'm talking about an 'I'm madly in love and I want to marry you' kind of love. I think that sometimes love and lust are combined together as one and what is really lust people will justify by saying it's love. Seriously, how many teenagers have you seen who maybe just decide someone is cute or hot or whatever and next thing you know they're dating or going out. But was there really any real connection there or did they just do it because maybe they were bored with life and thought having a boyfriend/girlfriend would make things a little more interesting? I can speak on this because I am a teenager, and I have other friends who are teenagers and I've seen my friends go through relationships that maybe last for a week because it was a stupid idea that should have never happened in the first place or maybe it lasts for months and in the end it just doesn't work out. But in the end, are any of them really happy? Do any of them feel like they've benefited from the whole situation? In the end, do they end up as friends or hating each other? Usually, the result is not the best. And they call this love?

I think that people judge by looks a lot more than they say they do. And I say this for myself too, not just the people around me. Its a sad reality, but I think its true. There are a lot of people(like myself) who have every intention of judging by what kind of a person someone is, rather than how they look but in the end its only an intention. I started thinking about this last year when I was taking dance class. The guys had to come and ask a girl to dance, and I remember cringing when some ugly, nerdy, fat, or weird looking guy would come and ask me to dance. I hate admitting this because its really mean, but its true. And I know I wasn't the only one. I heard other girls talk and they felt the same way. I find this kinda sad, because God made us all equal it just so happens that some people look better than others.

I find it odd how its so much easier to be "in love" with someone who is good looking, rather than someone who isn't. The way people look can make us do crazy and flat out stupid things in our life. The story in Mark 6:14-29 is an example of this.
Basically, King Herod throws a big party and has a woman come dance for the men. Verse 22 says that when she danced, it pleased Herod and the party guests. So of course Herod was now in love with her. So he promises her that he will give her anything the wants. After putting much thought into it, she comes back to him and tells him that she wants the head of John the Baptist served to her on a platter. Reluctantly, Herod keeps his promise and gives her what she asked for. Actually, it says that Herod even enjoyed listening to John speak; yet he had him killed all because of a beautiful woman who was a good belly dancer. And this was called love?

So maybe I'm weird because I haven't dated 37 guys in the last year. Maybe my life is a little boring. Maybe I'm missing out on something. But I really just have to look around at other people for me to see that this isn't what I want. Because I am honestly sick of seeing stupid hook-ups that are completely meaningless. I'm tired of having to give my friends the "your too good for him. he was just a jerk. boys are stupid" speech over and over again. I'm tired of seeing people do things that they think will make them happy, but in the end they are more unhappy then they were before it started. I am tired of people being with the supposed love of their life and then hating them in the end. And I am tired of watching people get involved in relationships that they don't need to be in. Every time it ends in hatred, unhappiness, and fighting. And if this is love then I don't want to have anything to do with it.

~*Elizabeth

Evolution: My opinion. Take it or leave it

[before i begin, please realize that I am not writing this blog necessarily to try to prove anyone wrong. honestly, i don't think my words can do that. i am also not writing this to create any tension between friends or between christians because of all things that is NOT what i want to do. I am writing this for myself. i'm an over-thinker kind of person and this has been on my mind so much lately that i know i won't be able to move on and think about other things until i get it out. also, before, i never believed in evolution but i never had a real reason why. now, i have taken the time to study it a little more and find for myself what i believe and why i believe it. thanks!]

Before I jump into this oh-so-controversial topic, I would like to begin with a verse that I am basing a lot of what I say on. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Therefore, I believe that the word of God is infallible and should not be changed, twisted, or altered in anyway. Not that I'm accusing anyone of doing that, I'm just going to throw that out there.

Now, where do I begin? The first thing I do not understand about the whole evolution theory is this: If evolution is so much more believable than the 6-day creation story, then why didn't God just tell us about evolution in the Bible? It seems to me that he could have simply stated that mankind evolved from other animals after millions of years. He wouldn't have to go into any scientific detail and turn the Bible into a science book, but the theory of evolution could have been simply stated. But He doesn't. Instead, He tells us day-by-day exactly how the world came about. Of course, I cannot undermine what God thinks and in no way am I trying to do that, but I cannot comprehend why he would tell us the story in a completely different way than it happened.

That leads me to my next point. One of the major arguments being made is that the creation story was a symbolic and metaphorical poem, not meant to be taken literally. If the creation story really is symbolic, then what is it symbolic of? Nobody has quite given me that answer yet. I know that I've written numerous paper for school where I had to discuss symbolism in a book. If I turned in a paper just stating that a certain number, color, word, etc. was symbolic then I would fail. I have to say why it is symbolic and what it is symbolic of. If the first two chapters of Genesis is poetic, then obviously it is meant to be read metaphorically and by interpreting symbolism. If evolution is really the way God created the world, then there had to be some symbolic reason why God tells us the 6-day creation story instead. I have yet to find that reason. Matt said that you can tell the first two chapters are poetry because it is written to look like a poem, with indentations. But in my Bible, it is written as any other book of the Bible. Other than a few small sections where it does look like poetry, most of it is written in standard paragraph form. How, then, do you determine whether or not it is poetry? It looks and sounds the same as the rest of the Bible.

Now, as I have said before, I do believe that the Bible does contain a lot of symbolism. And I do believe that a lot of things are meant to be read poetically. And I do believe that a lot of things are poetic. Heck, the book of Psalms is full of it! An example of this in Genesis is in 2:24: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Of course I don't believe that man and woman will literally unite together as one. It is completely symbolic. God says that when a man and woman gets married it should be as if they were one body. Also, Jesus was constantly using parables as metaphors of how we should live our life. But I do not find the creation story as a parable or as anything metaphorical at all.

Now comes the part I really don't want to talk about. Science. I hate science and it is something that is pretty hard for me to understand, but I am going to at least try. As many of you already know, I have been raised in Christian education. Last year in my biology class, we had a section in our book that explained scientifically how evolution is not true. So I looked back through that chapter, and it helped a lot. (you know your a dork when you re-read stuff from last years Biology) As I said before, I'm not the kind of person who is going to throw out any science if it is not in the Bible. However, if I believe it contradicts the Bible then I do. I think that science and God's word together is an amazing tool. First off, there are two different kinds of evolution: microevolution and macroevolution. In case you don't already know what these are, I will try to explain these complicated issues in simplest terms I can.

• Microevolution: The theory that an organism, over time, can transform into a more specialized species of that SAME organism.
• Macroevolution: The hypothesis that over a very long period of time, an organism can change into a completely DIFFERENT organism.

Microevolution, on one hand, can be explained scientifically and without contradicting the Bible. God created plants and animals with much variability. As they reproduce, the genetic codes intermix, therefore producing different species of different animals. It is almost the same as having a blue-eyed blond haired mother and a green-eyed brown haired father producing a blue-eyed brown haired child. Microevolution has passed a lot of tests to the point that it is now a theory, which is I think one step shy of a scientific law.

Macroevolution, on the other hand, is a different story. Notice that while micro is a theory, macro is still a hypothesis. In order for macroevolution to exist, organisms must first have an unlimited supply of different genes. Of course, this is impossible. So in order to get an unlimited amount, genes must be ADDED to the genetic code. Darwinists explain this through mutation. The reason this does not work is because mutation results in a LOSS of information, instead of the increase they were looking for. While the mutations do increase the survival advantage, it does not add information to the genetic code. This contradicts the original statement.

Another thing to point out is that changes are constantly being made in macroevolution. Its almost like the scientists realize they are wrong so they come up with a way to cover it up. Years after Darwin's time, scientists came up with the idea of neo-darwinism and punctuated equilibrium. Macroevolution seems to be very contradictory of itself, and the scientists who believe it seem to be a little hypocritical because they are always altering it. There is no data that provides proof for the hypothesis, yet there is a lot of data contradicting it. (i.e. geological column, fossil records, etc...)

I find it a little odd how macroevolution is forced to be taught in public schools and colleges. It seems to me that we should be given the right to consider alternate ideas. Every time a school tries to do this, they are slammed with law suits. If these scientists are so sure that their data can be proven, then why are they so afraid of other ideas being brought to the table? Also, I find it interesting how if a student challenges their professor on the issue, often times, they are publicly ridiculed and humiliated instead of being shown the reasoning behind it.

I think that the reason many scientists today accept the idea of evolution is because it has become the main system in science. If a new scientist takes the time to explore the issue for himself, then it slows him down tremendously in his career path. Instead, they just accept the idea and move on.

Matt made the argument that scientists come to the table with nothing, such as the Bible, to base what they're looking for off of. To a certain extent I think this is true, but not entirely. I think the idea of evolution came up because somewhere along the way, somebody wanted another alternative besides the Bible. In a way, I think they were purposely looking for something to contradict the Bible, so in a way they did have something to base what they were looking for off of.

Whether or not Darwin recanted his theory on his deathbed, I do not know. I'm not going to make a claim one way or the other. The book I got a lot of my information from, which is Christian based and against macro, says that it is a myth. He says that his wife or somebody like that made it up because she was ashamed of what he had done. To me, that is beside the point. Charles Darwin wasn't the only man who studied this stuff.

So my conclusion is that while microevolution has a lot of proven scientific data and does not contradict the Bible in any way(at least that I have found), macroevolution is at best an unconfirmed hypothesis that does contradict the Bible. In order for this idea to be true, it would have taken millions of years for man to evolve. The Bible specifically tells me that man was created on the 6th day.

Now I will go back to my original statement in my first comment on Matt's blog. It is hard for me to put all of my trust in something, like science, that is constantly changing. Dr. Wyle, scientist and the author of my book, said pretty much this exact same thing. "Science is limited and is constantly changing. What we thought were scientific laws less than a century ago are now known to be wrong...You simply cannot put your faith in something as limited and subject to change as science."

I know this was really long, and probably complicated at parts but if you read it then thanks. Feel free to leave me your opinions. Whether you agree or disagree. Unless you are a jerk about it, your disagreements will not offend me in any way.

~*Elizabeth