Pictures!

First off, I apologize for not posting much in the past couple weeks. Been really busy lately, and from the looks of my calendar, things really aren't going to slow down much. Maybe we'll have some free time in July, if we don't end up scheduling something then too. Lol!

Anyway... I decided to post some pictures of our day trip on Memorial Day. We got together with my aunt's family and went hiking to some water falls. We didn't go very far, because it was raining off and on and we didn't want to get stuck in the rain, but it was still fun and VERY pretty.

So, without further delay...



















Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture.

Recital & Summer

The music recital went well last night. Some of my teacher's students weren't able to attend, so it was a rather short program. But everyone did great. Even those who had only been taking lessons for a couple of years sounded really good.

My performances went fairly well... The first song I played on violin was a Celtic piece called "The Butterfly." I didn't really make mistakes, necessarily, but I didn't play it as well as I did when practicing at home. Oh well. The next song I did was a hymn, "Come Thou Fount," which was accompanied by my teacher on the piano. It's one of my favorite hymns, and I knew it well, so it wasn't too difficult. Though, since I was doing it by memory I was kind of hesitant on some of the notes so they came out shaky.
I played guitar on the last song, and my sister played the melody with her flute. It's a worship song called, "No Sweeter Name." (An awesome song - you should look it up if you're not familiar with it.) My sister did great, despite the fact that my strumming wasn't always in perfect rhythm, and I accidentally played the wrong chord at one point. Oh well. :-) It happens.

Anyway, now that both orchestra and the music recital are over, I can start working on other things... like learning different styles of vibrato and working on my bowing, etc. I'll also have an opportunity to learn new songs just for fun. So I'm looking forward to doing that this summer.

What are you all doing this summer?

A Young Maiden's Daybook

Today…
May 18th, 2009

Outside my window…
Sun is shining! A very welcome change from all the rain we've been getting.

I am thinking…
of my music recital tonight!

I am thankful for…
my violin/guitar/piano teacher. :-)

I am wearing…
Jeans, a white long sleeve top with a dark blue short sleeve shirt layered on top.

I am reading…
Matthew, Proverbs. Inside Prince Caspian, by Devin Brown

I am creating…
I've been taking photographs with my new camera.

One of my favorite things…
...my new camera. :-)

For education this week…
Home Ec, English, Spanish

A keeper at home skill I am using …
Sweeping the floor.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To be flexible and not have to do things my own way all the time; to seek God and follow the plan HE has for me.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Agape love

Scripture I of the day…
Matthew 18:4-6 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. (NASB)

I am praying for…
That everyone in the music recital tonight will perform wonderfully and not be nervous.

For the rest of the week…
Hopefully I'll find time to blog. I'm working in the 5 year old class at church this Wednesday, if I remember correctly. The last day of P.E. on Thursday, music lessons, volunteering at the library... Next Monday I may not get to blogging because we're going out of town for Memorial day to visit family. :-)

A picture I’d like to share…

A picture of honeysuckle I took in the woods near my aunt and uncle's house. It isn't the best picture because we were walking in the middle of the day there, but I still like it. :)

A Young maiden's Daybook

Today…
May 11th, 2009

Outside my window…
It's cloudy, wet, but nice out.

I am thinking…
of how faithful God's promises are.

I am thankful for…
My wonderful mom!

I am wearing…
A white sweater (yes, it got cold here again!), jeans, and socks.

I am reading…
Inside Prince Caspian, Isaiah, Matthew, Joel.

I am creating…
Um... just a blog post at this point in time.

One of my favorite things…
Giving my sister birthday presents... actually, keeping the gifts a secret until her birthday is also rather fun. :-)

For education this week…
Spanish, finishing up English, Home Ec.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Cleaning even when I don't feel like it.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
to obey God's voice even when it doesn't seem reasonable.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
"Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." - Phil 4:5

Scripture I am memorizing…
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me," declares the Lord.

I am praying for…
Healing

For the rest of the week…
Dentist appointment, P.E., celebrating my sister's birthday.

A picture I’d like to share…

Devotional Thoughts

I've been reading through 1 Thessalonians and I thought I'd post some thoughts on what I read today.

5:5 "for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness"
I didn't post the first four verses because I didn't go over those today in my study time. But by all means, feel free to read them so you understand the context in which these verses were written.

"For you are all sons of light and sons of day." What does it mean to be a son of light and of day? Well, first off, what is light and day? In the physical, it is the time in which we are awake and active. Light is what helps us see so we can be active without hurting ourselves like we would in the dark. In the spiritual sense, God is light. (1 John 1:5) He shows us who we are when we look into His Word. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we become the adopted son or daughter of God and are transferred from darkness into God's marvelous light. (1 Pet 2:9) Now what? We need to act like a son or daughter of light so that unbelievers can see a difference in us! So that they can see what God is like, and therefore desire to become a Christian as well (and hopefully become one!). Since we are sons and daughters of light, we are not of night or darkness anymore. What is night and darkness? Read on.


5:6 "so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober (self controlled)."
Because we are now of the light and day, we need to be alert and sober, or self controlled as the footnotes in my Bible say. In other words, we need to be alert and not caught off guard when we are tempted. We need to be self controlled when we are tempted, and do what God wants us to do instead of what seems good. We need to be alert as to what God is saying to us through His Word and His Spirit. And we need to be self controlled enough so that we obey Him instead of doing what our flesh wants.


5:7 "For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night"
And here it tells us what people of the night and darkness do. Sure, we should get physical sleep at night. But this is talking about spiritual sleep. As stated in verse 6, we need to be alert and sober. I heard a preacher once say that drunkeness in the Bible could also refer to being drunk with the flesh. What does that mean? Giving into what your flesh wants to do. Each time you disobey God, it becomes easier and easier to disobey Him. It prevents you from being alert to what God wants you to do. It influences you to sin and keeps you from being self-controlled, like being drunk in the physical sense would. Instead of continuing in sin, repent and get right with God! Sin is a road to destruction, and if you continue in it too long, it could end in your destruction, or someone else's.

5:8 "But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."

How can we stay self-controlled? We need to put on the breastplate of faith and love! The two work together. The greek word of "love" is agape. It is unconditional love, unending love. The love God has for us, and the love we need to have for God and all mankind. (See Camden's posts on love for more info about what it is!) Why is it called a breastplate? I believe that when we "put on" this faith and love and keep it on, it is a protection against the enemy. For instance, when we have faith in God, we trust in Him and that He will keep His promises. When we combine this with love, every action taken in faith is not for ourselves, but for others. When we do things for ourself, it's easy to not step out in faith. We think, "Oh, I don't think I should talk to that person about God. I'm not brave enough. And I'm not a great speaker. They'd laugh at me." But when you obey God out of love for Him and others, then you see that this isn't about you, but about others. About showing them God's love. When we do this, we overcome temptation to not do what God's told us to do. When we walk in love, we are walking in obedience to God, and therefore are under His "umbrella" of protection.

5:^{9 "}For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

The greek word for "wrath" is orge (pronounced "or-gay' "). It means impulse; passion or any violent commotion of mind; indignation, anger, wrath, desire for vengeance, punishment. God has not destined us for this!! Realize 1. God is not waiting to pour out his wrath on you! You are his child! He doesn't want to hurt you! Every good and perfect gift comes from God, who is good. Nothing bad comes from Him. Everything bad comes from the devil, who comes to kill, steel and destroy. (John 10:10.) Point 2. We need to not have this attitude toward people, either. Show others the same mercy and love God has shown you! If you boil up with anger against other people, wanting to give them "what they deserve," this is NOT love. This is acting as a child of darkness, not of light. It doesn't matter what they did to you, or what they're doing. Forgive them. Pray for them. Don't harbor bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart. 3. God has destined us for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ! Salvation means wholeness; lacking nothing. God has done so much for us to bring us salvation. Let's do our part and really act as the children of God we are.

5:10 ^"who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."

Jesus died to bring us salvation. He gave His all. He sacrificed everything so we could have fellowship with Him. We should not treat this lightly, but always be in awe of what He has done for us!

5:11-13 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. ¹²But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, ¹³and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another."

Encourage each other with what you learn from God! And keep excelling in it. Don't ever think you've reached a point in the Christian life where you can stop excelling.

Be sure to give honor where honor is due. Be respectful to those who "have charge over you" - which includes your parents and pastor. Appreciate them, thank God for them, and do things to show your appreciation. Respect them, and obey them! Even if you don't always agree with them, keep esteeming them very highly in love! Don't be at war with them. God has placed them in your life for your protection. To help you grow. You'll never be in a place in your life where you can quit growing in the Lord. Part of maturity is showing respect for those God has placed in authority in your life. Anything less is immature.

5:14-15 "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

I think these last verses are self explanatory, so I won't say anything more about them.