Wonderful

     "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ~Isaiah 9:6

     I say the word "wonderful" pretty frequently. However, I've decided to start using it with more care. Though I have been hearing this verse for as long as I can remember, I actually just realized that one of the Son's names is Wonderful.
Meaning? Inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous. A few synonyms are superb, magnificent, and glorious.

     How perfect. The Child that was born, the Son that was given, the Lamb that was sacrificed, only He is truly Wonderful.

     In a way, I feel like the word "wonderful" is a bit like the word "love". We say we love a movie, we say a pair of shoes is wonderful, but what we are doing is devaluing the words. Would you give your life for a movie? Or compare shoes to the Prince of Peace? It's a little hard for me to consider not saying things are wonderful because I think a lot of words have just lost their true meaning and we need to resort to stronger words to express ourselves. I will probably continue to say things are wonderful because words like "good" and "nice" just don't sound excited enough. But, it's something to think about. How often do I say "wonderful" about something that couldn't possibly compare to Jesus?

     On another note, I was just thinking about how Christmas is now "over". The excitement has waned, the presents have been unwrapped leaving little scraps of brightly colored paper around, and it's now time to finish up with the Christmas music and start thinking about putting decorations away. My question is, is Christmas really ever over? Why do we need to confine celebration of Christ's birth to December 25th? (We don't even know for sure if He was actually born on that day...) No, we won't give and receive gifts every day, and yes the music will fade out eventually, sorry. But, Christmas was never about the gifts and music...right? It was about Jesus humbling Himself and coming down into our pathetic little world to save a bunch of pathetic sinners because He loved us. 

     The Christmas holiday and "season" are over, yes. But, the Christmas meaning is eternal.

     And, it's Wonderful.

'Tis The Season. . . To Be Thinking

Remember that cute blog post from like, 6 years ago, in which I promised to try and become a better blogger? Hah, that was funny.

I guess I'm just not a blogging person. I mean, I enjoy it, I'm just not cut out for post-every-week or at least post-semi-regularly thing. I'm sorry. However, there are occasional times when I have something I really feel like sharing with the cyber-world. Such as the fact that lately I haven't been listening to sermons at church, I've been practicing with a bunch of kids for the Christmas play, Arrest These Merry Gentlemen. Basically, I've been spending every Sunday for the past month or so goofing off with Maryah and other friends singing fun play songs, learning the hand motions that go with them, listening to a bunch of kids younger than me practice their parts, practicing my own part with the rest of the shepherds, and recently, learning a simple dance with some other girls to the chorus of the song "He Is The One". It was actually Maryah's idea to participate in the play this year, and though I miss listening to the sermons, I'm glad we're doing it.

It's funny, though, how easy it is to think of it as just another kids' Christmas play. Just another bunch of nervous kids singing songs, reciting the lines they've worked so hard at memorizing, making the audience laugh with their pun-filled lines, and just retelling the classic Christmas story we all know--wait a minute. 

I admit, I have thought that. It was actually one of the reasons why I was apprehensive about being a part of the play. However, when I really stop and listen to these songs I'm singing, I realize that while it is a retelling of a classic story, it's one we should retell over and over!

One song I particularly like goes:

When you find yourself alone
Lost and on your own
Don't worry the Lord is by your side
Always faithful He
Will be the light you need
To guide you safely through the night

And another:

Share the news with the restless
Love has come, God's only Son
There's is hope for the hopeless
Share the news with everyone

It can be easy to miss amid the catchy tunes and the hand motions, but these songs actually have a pretty deep meaning. Always faithful, hope for the hopeless, love has come? That's some good, true encouragement there. Isn't it amazing how He is always there for us, always faithful, even when we're not?  How He's the Hope for even the most desperate? The truest Love any lonely, searching person could find?

I don't know about you, but I feel like December really crept up on me. Oh yeah, Thanksgiving gave a bit of a warning, but it's still crazy that Christmas is this month, and this year is almost over. Anyway, I think that I go into the Christmas season thinking less than I should be of what it's truly for and about. (Not that I'm thinking about presents, for myself, that is.) I just feel like I don't focus enough on what Jesus' birth means to me. And, I should. I should wake up Christmas morning and think about how Jesus loved me so much that He humbled Himself to be born as a helpless, human baby, all while knowing that later He would die the most excruciating death possible so that I can know Him and be with Him in Heaven when I die.

That's what I should be thinking about during the Christmas season. The gifts for my family and friends, the plans, and the events aren't so important that they should draw my attention away from the best gift I ever received: the gift of eternal life. 

It took the kids' Christmas play to help me to realize that. 

So, even if I do write another post this month (though I wouldn't count on it), that's my Christmas encouragement to you. Everyone loves this season, and everyone recognizes it as special. For those of us that have the Blessed Hope, let's take some time to remember and dwell on why it's special.

And, let's watch (or participate in) the kids' Christmas plays with a fresh perspective. I'm looking forward to the manger scene. <3

In Which Holly Keeps Her Promise

Alright then, time to catch you up on the past month of my life!

August 14-17 I went to our church's youth camp. I was on team Purple, along with half of the other teens in my church, including Maryah. =) At camp, we played games, got to see friends from past years, memorized passages from 1st John,  had amazing worship, and listened to mind-blowing sermons. It truly is a beautiful time of deepening relationships with Christ and fellowship with friends. This year, a main theme was love; God's love for us and how that love should spill out into our relationships with others. It was incredible to learn so much about His love for us...the measures He took to show it to us are astounding. Here's my favorite passage that we memorized one of the days:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest to us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, he abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

This really spoke to me, and its been wonderful having it always in my mind and heart. Memorizing scripture is so beneficial; I would strongly advise it to anyone who hasn't yet tried it. 

After I came back from camp, it was straight off to the beach with my family and...Maryah! For those of you who don't know, we go to a beach in Delaware every summer and stay at a house that Rachel's (my oldest brother's wife) uncle owns. It's such a blessing, and this year was particularly nice because of the great weather we had during the whole week, and the fact that my best friend was with me. We got to see my two oldest brothers and my wonderful sister-in-laws, and my nephew! Gosh, that kid is cute. And he's walking now!! =D Maryah and I enjoyed spending our days swimming, laying in the sand, taking the surf board out nice and far, walking half a mile into the ocean in water only up to our knees--it was a huge sandbar--reading, going on walks, building sand castles, cooking, eating, listening to music, and taking pictures. And, we also ate a lot of carobs. Cause we're cool like that.

The Monday after we got back from the beach (which was actually the day after), I had my first session of Classical Conversations. This is another one of those things that I really should have written a separate post on.

Classsical Conversations (or CC) is a homeschool co-op sort of thing. It meets once every week, and there are levels for all the grades. I'm in Challenge 1, the first year of highschool level. We had heard about CC from a family we've gotten to know this past year (the Osgoods) and I was interested right away, but after my parents checked it out more, we found that it was beyond our price range. But, God through His goodness has provided everything I needed and I am doing CC! I've had two classes so far. (They're technically called seminars but I want to call them classes or sessions....so I will.) It has been very different, to be sure. I will admit that I am not used to an actual deadline. Also, I never used to do school on the weekends. Never. And, for another thing, I'm learning Latin. And debate.

But, that's all okay. Because, I love it. Yes, I know that the novelty will wear off and it'll get hard and maybe I won't love it anymore. But, I am determined to at least not hate it. (Weeeeelllll, maybe I'll hate math. But that's it.) So, if I ever forget, and write a post about how hard it is and what was I thinking when I enthusiastically agreed to a whole 30 weeks of this, just remind me that I do, in fact, like it. Thank you, in advance.

Sooo, that's pretty much it! I've had a very full and wonderful summer, and I'm all ready for this school year. The wild pears are falling off the trees, the days are getting noticeably shorter, and I'm wearing socks. Some people are sad that summer's over and it's time to get back to work, but I'm enjoying it. For now, anyway. =)

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 

Blessed be His Name! 

Promises

Okay, I have come to a conclusion. Do you want to know what it is? Well....

I've decided that I'm a horrible blogger. Honestly, I thought this would be easy... "Yes! A blog! I love writing, and I do a lot of it. This should be a cinch!" thinks Holly one rainy day in April as she creates her new blog.

And here we are, September already for goodness's sake, and I have what, ten posts?

Yeah....that's Holly the writer for you. I can think of four things I should have blogged about since August, and for some reason, I just haven't. I've failed miserably. Forgive me. Now that I have reached that conclusion, I've determined to set about being a better blogger.  Haha, that was a funny sentence. =) So, I'm going to write a catching-up post for you all (I promise!) so you know what's been going on in Holly's life (because it hasn't been dull!), but right now, I'm going to write about something that I saw tonight.

I saw a rainbow!

Okay, I know, now you might be thinking, "Wowww, she saw a rainbow. Cool. I should probably get off the computer anyway." Stay with me here! I'm going to be honest...again. (And, if I hadn't seen that rainbow, I probably wouldn't be posting!)

Though I love rainbows, I've never thought seriously about them or what they signify. (Maybe I'm not the only one?) I've seen one or two huge ones at the beach that were incredible, but I'm usually just thinking about how pretty it is, or how much I wish I had a good camera right now. Tonight, I was outside with my little brother picking cucumbers and covering up my tomatoes because it's chilly. It was drizzling, which was fun, and then before I even realized that the sun had come out, Kirk was saying, "Holly, look at that rainbow!" I stepped out of the garden, and, looking past the pear tree, saw the most beautiful rainbow I've seen in my entire life. I really did gasp. In awe.

This picture doesn't hardly do it justice. But at least you can kind of get an idea of how amazing it was. It wasn't the biggest I've ever seen, but it was the most perfect. There were these huge dark clouds to either side of it, and the sunlight was cutting right through them. The drizzly rain was coming down harder, and the colors were vibrant. I stood in the middle of our field and was amazed by rainbows.

Genesis 9:8-17:
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Tonight, God remembered His covenant that He made between Himself and everything that is on the earth. Is it just me, or are you a little blown away by rainbows? They also make me remember God's amazing creativeness. Really, as if clouds, sun, stars, and moon weren't enough, He also gave us the rainbow, His direct promise to us.

There's another promise that God has made that I wanted to bring up. I was thinking a little while ago how amazing it is that no matter how old we get, no matter how many mistakes we make, no matter how many friends or family we lose along the way, we always have Jesus. He says to us, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Isn't that an amazing promise as well? There's no guarantee that our parents or our siblings or our best friends are going to live through tomorrow, let alone our whole lives. But, Jesus says He's here for us until the end of the world, whether that's in the next week or the next century. And not only does He say it, but it's also true. It's a promise that only He can make.

Isn't He good?

The Christian Life: Colossians 3:17

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  --1st Corinthians 10:31

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." --Colossians 3:17

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." --Colossians 3:23

Last night, I woke up randomly at about 4:00 am. As I was laying in bed trying to fall back to sleep, these verses suddenly came to my mind. And, I wondered, what does it mean to do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord/ to the glory of God/ as for the Lord? I do know what it means, but when you really think about it...everything is a lot. Sometimes it doesn't actually make sense, I mean, come on, how can I brush my teeth in the name of the Lord? Or, how do I drink a glass of water and bring glory to God? I'll come back to these questions in a minute; there was something else I thought about as I was considering these verses:

The Christian life is not just about reading your Bible, praying to God, being an example to others or even being a Christian. Newsflash everybody: The Christian life is actually a life! Maybe I'm the only one here who just realized this. But really, think about it. Even the most devoted missionary who's furthering God's kingdom in a rainforest in Madagascar can not live on the Bible or prayers. I mean...well, he could, if God wanted him to, but let's be practical here and say that Mr. Missionary can't. He's a human, after all, and to have the strength to be an example for others, he needs to eat and drink, sleep, brush his teeth, go places, talk to other humans, and on occasion, protect himself from a crazed lemur. And, apparently, he has to bring glory to God even while drawing his scimitar to fight said lemur. Maybe it's even several crazed lemurs.

I'm getting beside the point here, sorry. Moving on.

So, the Christian life is a life. Devoted missionary or not. We all have our own lives, we all interact with people, have jobs, hobbies, and pursuits. We engage in multiple different activities in a day, speak hundreds of words, and consume food and drink several times. And, God is commanding us to live every minute of every busy day in His name.

Now, back to my previous questions.

I don't think anyone I know is going to pick up their toothbrush and say, "God, I am doing this for You, in Your name, to bring glory to You." No. But, we can thank Him for the simple piece of plastic that hundreds of people all over the world have never had. Not that we have to say a long prayer of thanksgiving every time we brush our teeth or take a drink, but just saying "thank you" to God for what He has given us (which, by the way, is everything), is a step in the direction of living the Christian life.

There's a verse in Psalms that has always stood out to me: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." I used the KJV because neither the ESV or the NIV say "God is not in all his thoughts." That part really made me think, "Hey, God should be in all my thoughts!" I believe that when God is always in our mind, living in a way that pleases Him--doing everything to the glory of Him--will not only be easier, it will become natural. Of course, I struggle with both; I'm a sinful human being. But, as my relationship with Him has grown, I've found it becoming easier to live for Him. After all, it's all about love. When you really love someone, you'll do almost anything for them. So, the more I grow and fall in love with in Him, the easier it'll be to do everything as unto Him.

We have a book called "In His Footsteps". It's about a bunch of members of a church who pledge to take an entire year asking themselves, "What would Jesus do?" before they do anything. They suffer a lot, most of them lose their jobs or even homes and one person dies from an angry mob, but in the end, they're all changed in ways they never would have imagined. I read the book when I was quite young, and it made such an impression on me; I always wanted to try that. I don't know if I ever would do exactly that, but several times in a day, I'll ask myself what Jesus would do were He in my position. I know it can sound cliched, WWJD and all, but it really is a good question to ask yourself. It puts everything in perspective.

In conclusion, God wants you to live your everyday lives for Him. He wants you to mimic Him, and ask yourselves what He would do, give thanks for everything, and do everything in His name.

Even brushing your teeth or fighting a pack of crazed lemurs.

He Knows Everything

I kneeled in my garden, pulling up tiny little weeds and singing "I Will Cast My Cares". Then I dug a little hole and settled in the flourishing tomato plant that I've grown from a seed, piling the rich dirt in a little mound around around the base. I finished up by giving it a cool shower from my tourquoise watering can.

I'm like a tomato plant.

I used to be a dry little seed. Nobody even knew I existed--wait, no, somebody did. Before my seed had even germinated, Somebody was planning for me. My Gardener was ready for me, He knew me, and He had a plan for me.

Before winter was over, I was already planning for my very own garden. And I knew I'd be putting tomatoes in it. Before Jesus even created the first man, He knew who I was, and He loved me. He knew what my favorite color would be, what my hair color would be, and how tall I'd be. (Which isn't very tall, I know, but I'm okay with that.) And the same goes for you, too.

Here's my point: Jesus knows everything.

It's so easy to get stressed out, or worried, or overwhelmed with the cares of this world, and to wonder if God knows what He's doing. It's so easy to ask "why?", to be upset, and to forget that all things work together for the good of them that love Him. Perhaps you've been struggling with big problems lately, or things don't seem to be working out how you'd like them to. Jesus knows what's going on in your life. And not only that, He planned it, He loves you, and everything is going to turn out okay.

Those words, "everything is going to turn out okay" often mean nothing because the person saying them has no proof that they're true. But I do, or rather He does. The proof is Christmas, the cross, Easter, John 3:16, Romans 8:28, and you.

He loves you. He's there for you. He's in control. And, it really will be okay.

A Week to Remember

I just got home yesterday from a week at Maryah's house.

It was the best week of my life to date.

For one thing, I lived with my best friend and her wonderful family for a week. So, that was pretty fantastic by itself. But, we also went to Dance Camp, which made everything like, 20 times better. For those of you who don't know, Dance Camp is an annual outreach that the Christian Hope Center does for girls. 227 girls from 1st grade to college age came this year. We all learned a dance in our age group, and then had two group dances.

Every morning, Maryah and I woke up early and read our Bibles together, then went downstairs and made our breakfast. We would get ready for a day of dancing; pick out matching outfits for the day, do our hair up, and tie on our jazz shoes. We spent three hours each day with our wonderful teachers and class, growing in our relationships with Jesus, and learning dances that glorified Him. The day would begin with everyone gathered in the sanctuary for prayer and a talk from Mrs. Bowman about being God Girls, and from there we all went to our classes. Maryah and my teachers were Miss Mary and Miss Mariah. They taught us the dance to Surrender by Flame ft. V. Rose, prayed for us, talked to us about serious subjects, made fun of us, and made us laugh. I really love them.

During our week, Maryah and I cooked all our meals together (we make such great food), ate almost a whole container of melted carob chips, practiced our dances, went on long walks, used and lost lots of bobby pins, drank tea, played BananaGrams (hah, I won!), had some interesting miscommunication, went shopping together, and took lots of pictures. And, in case you were wondering, we never got in any fights, and I don't think I ever got even slightly annoyed with her. Hopefully she can say the same about me. =)

The theme of Dance Camp was God Girl. That song was one of our group dances. I've been learning how to be one this week, and I've realized that being a God girl is a privilege. Not every girl in the world has something to smile about, even at the hardest of times. Not every girl in the world has a Father and a Lover who will never, EVER disappoint her, or hurt her in any way. Not every girl can be a tool to change the world, and not every girl is going to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. I honestly can't believe how blessed I am. I have been hand picked by God. He wants me. He loves me. And I'm special to Him. I want people to see that I'm a God Girl. I want them to notice the way I smile, the way I talk, the way I live, and say, "That girl is different." I want to be a literal light for the Lord.

This week has really made me see things differently, my life, and other people's lives. It's shown me what I can be and how to be it, and I've grown closer to Jesus and the people who I love. It's definitely been a week to remember.

I'm a God Girl, that's who I be, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet! I can't deny it, can't even try, I'm Your Girl for the whole wide world to see. <3 

Spring

I love this time of year. The air is perfumed with wild roses and cut grass. The whole world is alive with color and life; everything is singing to its Creator. After so many days of rain, the sun seems to shine brighter, and the sky is bluer. The creek is roaring, and the ground is still a little muddy. Spring, I've waited a long time for you. ^.^

My Mom loves clematises. =)

Our creek. (This was taken a few days ago, so it's rushing a lot more now.)

A swallowtail butterfly that I got to hold!

I love our road. 

The Untitled Post (because I don't have time to think one up.)

Recently I've seen two very good movies: Patriot and The Great Escape. They made quite an impression on me, as most good movies do, and I decided to share some of my thoughts about cinematic entertainment with ya'll...

1) I wish movies could count as school. 

2)  Most violence doesn't disturb me very much. I'm not insensitive to it, but it doesn't usually make me feel sick or anything. I wonder if that's a bad thing?

3) It's kind of depressing how all the cute guys in movies have to die. 

4) One of the most annoying things that can happen while watching something is when the phone rings. People talking can be bothersome, too, but at least you can tell them to be quiet. Phones are just like: RINGGGGGGG....RINGGGGGG...(is it done yet??)..RINGGGGGG...RINGGGGGGGG...(okay, NOW it is!!)...RINGGGGGG...RINGGGGGGGG...(when will it end?)

It's just irritating! 

5) Eating carrots or celery reduces the effect because of the anticlimactic crunch.

6) During an intense scene in which a character I like is in danger, I find myself praying for his or her safety. (I hope I'm not the only one....c'mon, somebody else has to do that!) x-)

7) Movies always make me want to be an actress.

Can anybody relate? 

I'm Perplexed

I get confused a lot. By math, why God created mosquitoes, if black is really a color or just the absence of color, and and why Greenland is all ice, and Iceland is all green--these are only a few of the things that I ponder yet can't entirely understand. But, I think "perplexed" is a better word for what I'm going to write about. "Of something complicated or unaccountable, cause someone to feel completely baffled." <- definition for perplexed.

Yes . . . I am definitely baffled by the complicated topic of abortion.

Do people seriously not know that an unborn child is a human being? Why is it that they have no protection? How come they're not considered babies until they're born? What if one day, everybody realized what they're doing to these little people?

6 months, or 24 weeks is the legal age limit on abortion in several states. But at just 22 days old, a baby has a heartbeat. At 5 weeks his eyes, legs, and hands have started to form. By two months, all his organs are in place and forming, he has fingerprints, and he's able to hear. At three months, he has tiny fingers complete with fingernails, he can turn his head, and hiccup. At four, he'll be sucking his thumb, his mother will feel him moving around, and he can dream in his sleep. By five, he's half as long as he will be when he's born, and he has eyebrows, and by six months, all his organs are complete. He has a newborn baby's face, his body is catching up in proportion, and his hearing is well developed; he can recognize his mother's voice.
Maybe he has blue eyes. Maybe his hair will be curly, and maybe his favorite color will be orange. Perhaps someday he'll have a puppy, run around outside with a kite, or love to play tennis.
Oh . . . never mind. His mother doesn't want him. He was a mistake, he'd just be a nuisance, you know how children tie a person down. The doctor doesn't care. The law says "yes". So, time to put mama under and get rid of him for good.

"It is a poverty that a "child must die", so that you may live as you wish." --Mother Teresa. But, why must a child die?

As most people know, there are several species of animals that are protected by law. You could get a large fine or even go to jail for killing a certain type of animal. Yet, so many people get a salary from killing a person.

What's worst about all of this, is how terribly sorrowful it is to God. He hates it. It's not only brutal murder, it's also the shedding of innocent blood, and destroying a work of God. Abortion devalues human life. God made each and every one of the millions of babies in the world in His image and for a purpose. And killing them is not just an abomination to our King, it's an attempt to destroy His perfect plan for that person.

I believe abortion is horribly wrong. I know lots of other people do, too. But, what can we do about it?

We can pray. Pray for our leaders and for the people of the world, that they'll come to know God and turn away from sin. That the fathers and the mothers' hearts will be changed. And, we can pray for the unborn babies everywhere, that they'll have lives to glorify God with. God is the only One who can really do anything about this. He's in control and He is powerful enough to change the world. Let's bring it to Him.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb; I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, and I know that full well."

Learning and Realizing

"Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him." 

Lately, I've been feeling like God is calling me to trust Him more, to put my life entirely in His hands, and to make Him my life. I thought I was, but then I realized that I've been taking the focus off Him, and putting it on something that I thought was my life. My family, my friends, where I live, what I want to do when I'm older, it all means a lot to me and is important, it's just not as important as Him.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." 

Jesus Christ is really the only important thing in my life. And my life should be all about Him, because He made me to know Him and bring glory to Him, and He died for me so that I can. I've always known this, but now...it's like I realize it. I'm on earth because God wants me on earth, to serve Him, and to delight in Him. To praise Him with every ounce of my being, and live every day for Him. To tell the world about His great love and to shine like a lamp in the darkness for Him. This is what I was made for. 

"And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." 

It excites me, to think about this. I long to be used to further His kingdom. I love Him, and I want the whole world to know it! 

And, I can't wait to be with Him, finally, to praise Him without stopping, and to rejoice in Him forever. 

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory." 

The Great Far Out Beyond! (a.k.a. the sunset)

Today was one of those exciting days that I said I hoped I would have. Why? Because, I spent it--and am spending it--with my bestest friend Maryah. Now, before I go quite further, I need to introduce Maryah.
Reader, this is Maryah. She says hello. "Hello!"
Here is where I would usually give a description of her, but that's not necessary because she's in my picture. If you don't know who's me and who's her, then I'm sorry, but I don't know you...meaning, you won't understand what I'm about to say next.
Here is where I would usually give a description of Maryah's [amazing] personality. But that's not necessary either, because: if you know me, you know her. 
And that's my Maryah! Get used to her, because I will most likely mention her very, very much, as she's a very, very big and important part of my life. Not that she herself is big (HA, nooooo), she just occupies a very big part of my heart and life. So, now that we've been properly introduced, I shall proceed. Back to my our day.
I woke up at 6:20am because I was going to prayer meeting with my Mom. I love waking up early, by the way. By about 8:10am, I was sipping a creamsicle roobois tea with Maryah, standing outside of Heavenly Cup trying to let the warmth of the sun make up for the chilly wind. We actually didn't stay outside very long, because once our tea was finished, we started being silly with the empty cup and decided that it was too cold and we needed to throw away the cup. Poor thing...may it rest in peace.
We ended up sitting in a comfy armchair together (Heavenly Cup has quite a few of the comforts of home), reading many different parts of the Bible, from Job to Romans then Psalms to Samuel, while trying not to let a super adorable little boy and a rather noisy lady next to us be too much of a distraction. Presently, prayer meeting was over and my Mom was ready to leave with Maryah and me. We went to Wegmans for lunch--and a fantastic lunch it was, too--and then headed to the Rawleigh's house where we were to surprise a friend with a baby shower. Perhaps the best part of that great shower was playing with the many balloons with two sweet, little girls, trying to keep all ten of them in the air at once, and jumping over them all together, holding hands. Fun times. =)
Target was next (who doesn't like Target?), and there we splurged all our money on studded high heels and makeup. ACTUALLY, we walked around pretending to be shopping for sundresses. Which was way more fun. Even though we didn't buy them. But that's okay.
Once home, we fed my rabbits and Maryah held TobinButtons (my Netherland Dwarf and her favorite of the seven) for the first time. Then we went down to the creek. That was lots of fun, but then again, what isn't when I'm with Maryah??? We took pictures, carried Dulcie (my dog) over a few deep ditches, and considered making a very daring jump across the turbulent waters.
Yeahhh, we didn't do that. We deemed it unwise considering the fact that we were not being chased by a slave  hunters and were not, in fact, in any danger of having our child being sold to said slave hunter, so were unlikely to have that special power and energy that is lent to only the most desperate. (I'm reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. Just so ya know.)
Bzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz. Our cell phone rang--it was Kirk, my little brother, calling us in to dinner. Yayyyyyy, we were hungry. (Hey, my dog is heavy--it was a workout!)
We had dinner--it was just as fantastic as lunch, in case you were wondering--and then did the dishes, and ate strawberries and pecans in melted chocolate, which, sadly, was not dark. Ah well. We ate plenty of carobs to make up for that.
And here we are! Tomorrow is Sunday, for those of you who don't know the days of the week, and we have to scurry now because there are more dishes to load up in the dishwasher. And, all the carobs are gone. Which means, we have to get up and do something to get our minds off of that sad fact...*Holly and Maryah peer sadly into the tiny carob container that now contains only teensy little crumbs*
On that happy note, we shall say adieu.
ADIEU!!!!!!!

~Holly and Maryah

So This Is My Blog...

   Hello world!

This is my blog. Obviously. I'm just stating that again.
I've never had a blog before. During the course of making it, I stared for considerable periods of time at the formatting, templates, fonts, and titles of several of my friends' blogs. And I still don't really have any idea of how it all works. That said, I will now continue on to a few preliminary subjects of interest and all that. 

I've always wanted a blog, but I never made one because I thought it'd just be something else to tie me to the computer, and I didn't know what to write about. Well, tonight I had different thoughts. 

Thought #1: I was bored. Yes, you read that correctly; about 45 percent of my motive for making this blog was boredom. Moving on.

Thought #2:  I'd just been reading some other people's blogs, and I wondered for the hundredth time why I didn't have one. And for the eightieth time, the tying-me-down-to-the-computer reason wasn't at all satisfactory. Like...really. I spend so much time on the computer anyway. Why not spend it doing something useful?

Thought #3: For goodness sakes, I just want a blog! And tonight I made one! So there. 

And there you have it. The birth of my blog! Now that I actually have it, I plan to use my blog to write about life, my thoughts, and I don't know what else. It's a work in progress. Bear with me here. Please and thank you. 

As for the title, that's because it's currently raining, I love rain, I love windows, and I needed an inspiration. The title may or may not stay. It depends on if I get another, better inspiration. But for now, I think I like it quite a lot. 

That's all I have to say for the time being. Hopefully something exciting will happen in the next few days so I can write a post about it! =)

~Holly