My view of an imperfect but wonderful life

Thursday, April 30, 2009

REvisiting 2/2/08 post

I put this up on February 2nd of last year, and thought I would repost this cuz I LOVE this song! So here goes again! For all you single women out there!

A Few Good Men

1:
What we single girls could use is a willing man of God
Who dares sometimes to use his brain and works without applause
A man who has a decent face and patience to endure
Whose love is tough and gentle a man who is secure

2:
We wouldn't mind an orator who knows just what to say
But then we want authority to reason him away
He really needs humility to guarantee we win
We just need a few good men

Chorus:
Men full of compassion who laugh and seldom cry
Men who have maturity and won't tell little lies
Men who don't like freedom and always say "Yes Ma'am"
We just need a few good men

3:
We don't want a derelict with many debts accrued
We want the ones who have some strength, reject all the uncouth
If these stringent lines you meet, we may want you as kin
We just need a few good men!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Did you know??

I used to be really into looking up the "did you know?"s for our youth bulletin, so I thought I would start putting some of those up randomly in my blog too lol here goes for today's "did you know?"!

Did you know that most car horns honk in the key of F?

Did you know in Texas that it is illegal to graffiti someone else’s cow?

Did you know that Daniel 4:37 contains all the letters of the alphabet except for "q"?

Did you know that the longest word in the Bible is a name, Mahershalalhashbaz (18 letters) and is found in Isaiah 8:1

Friday, April 24, 2009

Let Your Light Shine

I wrote this a while ago (as in years), and just ran across it again today. I figured it would be a nice break from the usual "CAPTAIN ME PLANET" that is normally posted here :). For clarification, this is a true story, many of you from back home may know exactly who I am talking about, as I changed the names. Hope you enjoy it!

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

California is a land of desolate beauty, where the lonely vegetation desperately cries out for water. The beauty of the mountains, Hollywood, casinos, the night life, the glamorous lights all have magnetism to them. However, it is an empty endurance. The beauty is only surface deep. The unfaithful friends, the teen pregnancies, the horrible reality of it all. There is no hope for the young people of this generation, until they come to the realization that they themselves have the ability to change their future. Until they finally see a light in this fake, dark world.

Stephanie, an 18 year old woman, goes to a public college. Stephanie’s parents are backsliders, so she was not raised in church and had no idea as to what true freedom really is. Her uncle attends a Pentecostal church, however he was dis-fellowshipped from the family and Stephanie was forbidden to talk to them. Stephanie had a social life that held her captive. The parties, the drugs, the alcohol, the sex all around her; all of these chained her down, even though she had little or no part in them they still had an effect on her, and left no room for an escape. There were nights she cried herself to sleep because of the disparity and darkness her life held. She felt she had no way out.

Stephanie attended school out of necessity and the desire to be away from home. One day, in her math class, she noticed two girls who looked different from everyone else. Both had long hair, both wore skirts, and were very modestly dressed. She started sitting closer to them, and one day overheard one telling the other about a church event she had attended and how much fun it was. Stephanie leaned over and started questioning the event and found out the girls’ names, Amanda and Crystal. After that, Stephanie sat right next to the girls and Amanda, who genuinely liked her, kept inviting Stephanie to her church. A friendship between the two was forged. Finally one day near the end of the term, as Amanda was leaving class she handed Stephanie a business card. On the card, was the phrase, “Got hope?” The letters were white with a black background and an invitation to a Youth Explosion service. Stephanie felt something she had not felt before, serenity, and a confidence that she may have found her way out. Stephanie immediately called Amanda, and got directions to her church.

The night of the Youth Explosion service, Amanda nervously paced the foyer an hour before service, waiting for Stephanie to show up. Finally, Stephanie’s car rolled into the parking lot which was beginning to fill up. Stephanie was excited because she learned that her cousins from a neighboring church would be attending this service. Stephanie found a seat by them while Amanda worked her way to the platform to praise sing. Stephanie did not remember much about the service, she told Amanda later that she was ever so anxious for the time that she could go to the altar. That time came soon enough. Stephanie was the first in the altar, she almost ran to it, and after a beautiful filling of the Holy Ghost, she and Amanda were the last to leave it. After Stephanie was baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus, she could not stop talking about how happy she was. She finally felt she had a reason to be alive, a hope. Amanda warned her that the devil would try to persuade her that nothing had really happened. Unfortunately, as is the way in all newborn Christian’s lives, it happened soon enough. But Amanda assured her that she would be there for her. And to this day still is.

This story is true and so real to me; some of the circumstances and the names were changed to keep the characters identities anonymous. If only other young people in our churches today would look around for more “Stephanie”s and realize that there are people searching desperately, just as the trees cry for water, for hope, for light in this lonely, hopeless, dim world. If a young person would just take the time to stand up and step away from the tree which they have positioned themselves behind, they might see the forest as it really is, full of trees with branches reaching for the light. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

In this world of compromise we should, we MUST, let our lights shine. As God’s coming draws ever closer, this is not the time to selfishly hide the hope and the peace that we have been given. Instead, we should let the world know, that they have the ability to change, and to be given the same hope and serenity that Stephanie received. As always, to God be the glory, now and forever. May the next generation keep the faith, and spread the gospel with surety.

Day Apart



Well, last night we were surprised with a little tidbit of information, that the Day Apart that had originally been planned for earlier this semester, but was cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control, was back on! FOR TODAY! So, I was up around 8:30 this morning listening to (what else) WICKED, and then headed down for breakfast a little after 9! Today was so relaxing! And it was an amazing day to be out! Not a cloud in the sky and bright and warm (I have a sunburn to prove it!). No one knew what the plans were until we met in the chapel around 10, and then headed outside. So no one really knew what to prepare for, but we had so many choices! Volleyball, Croquet, Softball, and Football. I played volleyball for awhile... a LONG while since for some reason we went into "overtime" 4 times... I finally just helped lose the game cuz I was tired of the same game! Ha! OOPS! Don't tell anyone I said that! They thought that I was distracted and missed the ball on accident! So, I ate lunch with my lunch buddy and friends, and then headed back out to watch more volleyball and then football! All in all it was a fun Day Apart. Ruined only by the need to go to work, but hey, I turned in my two week notice today! YAY lol that makes it a little easier to handle when it gets boring at work!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Many were quite random! I'm trying to capture as many moments as possible!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Music Festival 2009



Well.. there are very few words that I could say to describe Music Festival.... other than "Amazing, fun, exhilarating, and just plain fantastic"!!!! If you have never been to a Music Festival, I would highly suggest you go to one next year! IBC to me has one of the best Music Program's. I can honestly say that I have learned so much here, and look forward to learning more still. I have had so many great opportunities opened to me!

Back to Music Fest. So, Mom and Dad flew in Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at midnight and we somehow got lost trying to get to the hotel! Bekki flew in Wednesday, we honestly had so much fun. There were concerts Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night, and classes/seminars during the days. So my parents (and both Aunts) left Saturday :( and then Bekki left yesterday.. I so can not wait to be home for the summer! I know I will miss everyone, but it is going to be a good break!

Anyway, here the pictures are obviously from Music Festival, and after! We had too much fun!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Slacker Alert!!!

So.... what has Erica been up to lately??? Well obviously everything BUT checking and posting her blog!!! I am a failure! Full and complete failure! So I will just run through a list really quick of some highlights from the past TWO WEEKS!!!!

-There was a tent revival last weekend that my sign team had to sign for
-I spent most of the week before learning Hosanna Forever (Kirk Franklin) for Tent Revival.
-Last Sunday was the last "Choir Sunday" for the rest of the year
-I have spent every night this week practicing with my sign team/"helping" out for music festival
-I am now at Aunt Carlene's for Easter!

I know there is so much more than just that... But since it has taken me forever to post I have forgotten most everything I wanted to say! I have pictures to post later, so I will add some details to that post as well...

GUESS WHAT???????? Music Festival 2009 IS IN 4 DAYS!!!!! My parents fly in Tuesday night/Wednesday Morning at midnight and Bekki flies in Wednesday around 4!!! I am so excited to have a little bit of home coming for a few days! I will definitely be wearing out my camera taking tons of pictures!