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

"Be Still and Know that I am God"

The other day I started thinking. It seems like every time I start thinking about something I end up writing a blog about it. But anyway, I was thinking about pleasure and emotion. If you really think about it, what is the purpose of pleasure? I know I find pleasure in a lot of things. I find pleasure in beauty, pleasure in people, pleasure in food, pleasure in a lot of things; but it's really hard for me to define exactly what this pleasure is. I mean, it doesn't seem really neccissary at all. Life would still be possible without it. All it really does it make life a little more worth living.

Even if food didn't have a taste, we would still eat it because we know that we have to eat to stay alive. So why do we have the ability to taste? Even if the world was dull and gray, we could still continue to live in it because its beauty doesn't really affect whether or not we can breathe or whether or not our heart still beats. So why did God create the world with so many beautiful colors when he could have left it plain and simple? If we never felt any emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, joy, or excitement, then live could still go on. Yet he did give us emotions and the abilty to feel things for ourselves. But why?

My answer(which may not be right) is this: He gave us the beautiful sky, the colorful flowers, the pretty trees, the abilty for something to taste satisfying, and just flat out pleasure in anything so maybe once in a while we will stop our busy lives and just remember where it came from. I think that pleasure is a gift of inspiration given to us maybe simply just to bring a smile to our face when we remember where it came from. And however big and powerful God is, that thought just shows me how personable he can really be.

I think that pleasure is an a privledge and is sometimes taken advantage of. Think about it. If it wasn't for the fact that food tasted so dang good, then I think there would be a heck of a lot less overweight people in our world. Also, I think sex can be another example of this. The only real purpose of it is to reproduce, but God made it pleasurable. I'm not going to go into detail with this, but I think you and I can both agree that it has been taken advantage of a lot.

So I think God gave us those beautiful summer days, that amazing transition going into fall where the leaves are all different colors, a gorgeous sunset, the delicious taste of food, and clear-blue ocean just so every once in a while we will be still and know that He is God. So maybe we will forget everything else and just take that in for a minute.

Something that tells me that our world didn't come out of a giant egg are the intangible things in life such as emotion. Again, emotions are not a vital thing, but we still sometimes feel happy and sometimes feel sad, feel angry, jealousy, joy, or excitement. I don't see how that is something that could have evolved. Apes don't have emotions, but if I evolved from an ape then how do I suddenly end up with emotions? It's a hard thing for me to explain, but try to understand what I'm saying.

I honestly don't understand how someone can feel love, can feel happiness, can feel anger; and how someone can look around at this beautifully complex world and then tell me that there is no God.

~*Elizabeth

Blog in the Round: Justin or Lee

I was recently asked a very strange, awkward, and highly complicated question. If you know Justin or Lee, then you know what I'm talking about. The question was this: If I had to be either Justin Gilbert or Lee George, who would I choose.( Thank you Danielle for slightly altering my topic. The original was for me to choose who I would rather marry) So to make my decision I decided to think about what I knew of the two guys and decide which I would rather be; even though I was already pretty sure of my decision. I will begin with Justin.

Justin: Oh Lordy, Justin. Where do I begin? Well I think I should start off by saying he is one of the loudest people I have ever met. About a week ago I was standing in line at the Skillet concert waiting to get my tickets when I heard a very familiar yelling sound way off in the distance. I knew immediately who it was and when I turned around I saw Justin yelling at someone standing 5 feet away from him. If you haven't figured it out already, his loudness leads to his obnoxiousness. Umm...he tries to play the guitar...also very loudly. That gets kinda annoying too. I think he dated Leanne, although few guys haven't. I think there is probably more to Justin than meets the eye, but I don't know him personally so its hard for me to really say exactly what that is. But I guess with his guitar playing he has gotten better in the past few weeks. I remember how horrible it sounded the first time he tried to play a song, and now when he plays I can actually tell what song it is that he is playing. So I guess that shows that he's a hard worker and if he puts his mind to something then he can do it. He's still not great, but defiantly better than he used to be.

Lee: Lee is the hairiest man I know. If you ever meet Lee then I can bet you money that the first thing he will say to you is "How old do you think I am?". This is because Lee does look much older than he actually is, and I think he's been told this many times. I remember when I first met him he was only about 13 and I thought he was like 18. Lee is the kind of guy you have to love, and his presence brings a smile to your face. Sometimes I feel bad for Lee though. I remember this one time he came up to me and Danielle almost in tears because he said people were making fun of him. Lee is the kind of guy who gets made fun of a lot. He lost his mom a couple of years ago, and he told me that the kids at school said that he can just go cry to his mamma's grave. I don't really see how anyone could have the heart to say something like that to him. But Lee has never hurt anyone; or if he has it was only an accident.(For he is a rather large man) A couple of months ago I read John Steinbeck's book Of Mice and Men, and came to the conclusion that the character Lennie reminds me a lot of Lee. If you haven't read the book then you should read it, and I'm pretty sure you will agree with me. He gets excited very easily, and that is something I can admire in Lee. After all he has been through, he still gets excited about life and excited for Jesus. To nobodies surprise, Lee raised the most money for the 30 hour famine. This is because he's the kind of guy who can talk to complete strangers about God and never feel ashamed or embarrassed.

So in case you haven't already figured out my answer, which I'm sure you have, then it is that I think I would rather be Lee. Even though Lee is a goofy kid who gets made fun of a lot, he's the kind of guy who you have to be a complete jerk not to love. He stands out and is unforgettable. He will shake a man's hand 30 times in a 2 minute period. He's probably a really good defensive lineman. He gives big sweaty hugs. He loves Jesus. He always brings a smile to my face. No matter who you are, he will never be embarrassed to talk to you in public. If he gets made fun of a lot, then I think in the end he is persecuted for righteousness sake.

BITR: If I were a food...

There comes a point in every persons life where we must ask ourselves this one very important question: If I were a food, what would it be? I have recently asked myself this question, and I searched through the depths of my mind and soul trying to find the answer. It is not an easy answer to find. In order to find it, food must be personified. So after much thought, I finally came to a conclusion. If I were a food I would be a pecan. You may be thinking "A pecan? Why in the world a pecan?" Let me explain.

Pecans are delicious nuts that come in a hard shell. Like a pecan, I come in a shell that is pretty hard to crack. I'm not the kind of person who just opens up easily to let the whole world know who she is. You see, some people are like a bag of chips. So easy to open, but once you do its just half a bag full of fatty salty chips. With me, you have to work a little harder to get me open but once you do it's worth it in the end. Once you open a pecan you have an all-natural, God-given snack. There are no artificial flavorings. There are no preservatives. There is no added fat. Just a simple little pecan. I'm not the type of person who needs to be like everyone else. I don't neccissarily need to change to please others. That kind of person would be a coke. You have regular coke, diet coke, caffeine free coke, cherry coke, vanilla coke, coke zero, etc...I do not need to change to please the needs of others.

And like a pecan, you never know what your going to get with me. My dad uses the "Elizabeth is like a box of chocolates..." quote with me all the time. Its kinda like that, sometimes you open the shell of a pecan and its rotten inside. Other times you open up a pecan and it tastes so good you think "I would rather have a pecan more than anything right now".

So there you have it. I'm a pecan. It's simple, and actually kinda boring; but its natural. Nothing really interesting has ever happened in my life before. I remember my grandparents had this pecan tree, and every year when I was little me and my Papa would take a basket and fill it up with pecans. Thats why they always tasted so good. Because it was a tradition. I don't even really like the pecans you buy in a bag at the store, but those pecans we picked up from the front yard were delicious. I digress... But I'm just gonna keep on being the same ole me because pecans don't change either. They just fall off of trees every year and when we pick them up and eat them they will always taste the same.

~*Elizabeth

I painted a pretty picture of a butterfly!

About a month or so ago my mom, my sister, and I were looking through a box of old things that we had written when we were little. I think there were about 482 birthday/Christmas/mothers day/fathers day/valentines day/every-single-flippin-holiday cards that my and my brother and sister had given to my parents. I remember how we used to get so excited about every birthday or holiday that would come so we would gather our supply of crayons, construction paper, scissors, and glue and we would use our imaginations to create a masterpiece. And then when the project was complete we would be so proud of what we had done and run to our parents to show them how good our coloring was. Of course now I look at it and think what a horribly un-talented child I was; but back then we actually thought it was really good. And then there was the poetry. Oh Lord, the poetry. None of it even make sense, but the thing was we thought we were doing something special and somehow our parents actually liked it.

That's the thing that sticks out to me the most about being 6 years old...the excitement that I would feel about the little things. And then now, being 15, life just lacks excitement. And then you have those people who try to do things that make "the important things in life" exciting for teenagers, but it never really works. For example, my Algebra teacher last year, who was a very nice lady, somehow got her hands on a bunch of books titled "How to Make Good Grades and Have Fun with it" so she decided she would give one to each of us for Christmas. Of course, I put that book on my bookshelf and haven't read a word of it. When we were in elementary school it was easy for the teachers to find things that make learning fun, but now that we're older it just doesn't work. I think the older you get, the harder it is to get excited about things.

I think this is kinda what Jesus means when he tells us to be like the little children. He doesn't mean we should go around acting like immature idiots, or crying like little babies. He wants us to feel that enthusiasm for life, that enthusiasm for Him like we did when we were young. And even though most things we do on earth are almost meaningless, they mean something to Him because we did it to the best of our ability and we were actually happy about it. In the same way that my stupid little poems or drawings meant something to my parents, anything we do out of love means something to Him.

I think that's something that's really hit me lately. I know I'm only 15 and I (hopefully) still have a lot of life ahead of me, but sometimes I just feel like I've lost all the good times and I will never be able to really feel excited about life again. I think sometimes I try too hard. I really just need to sit back and realize how wonderful life really is and try not to let it just pass by me.

Ok. Enough rambling for now.

~*Elizabeth