Well, I know it's been awhile since my last post, & yes, I know I'm kinda slacking on this whole, "I'm gunna write a blog!" thing. But hey, you can't blame a girl for trying, right? Well, let's just say, that since my last post, a lot has happened. I didn't win Miss AL, or Prom Queen, but I'm quite frankly okay with that. Though it may have crushed any high school dream I had ever had, I ended up with a smile on my face by the end of the night, though prom night was a bit iffy & a little bit on the rocks and & edgy, I still ended up smiling. I however, did get the chance throughout the end of my high school career the chance to sing several duets with my boyfriend & his guitar, I love nothing more than performing with him right next to me. I was blessed enough to be award the Outstanding Female Vocalist Award in my school's choir, the one award I work so hard for, for four long years. It shows that hard work, dedication, & determination, along with several Division I ratings pay off. I was blessed this year. I was also able to reconnect with two of my best friends, Emily and Melanie, before we head off to college, on the way to our TJ class that we started off hating, but in the end, ending up loving, it's amazing how things work like that, don't ya think? We made some great memories, some very inappropriate, but some that we would love to share!
I recently, as in yesterday, got back from a small camp in Kearney, NE, from a camp session that is most commonly known as No Rules Camp. {Or Leadership Camp, which most people would refer to it as, but we all know the true name.} I spent half a week with 16 other campers & 8 adults talking about the leadership opportunities that God calls us to do. This half a week left us with late nights, long talks, great discussions, & LOTS of laughs.
Sitting at campfire the first night we got there, Sunday, we all had the opportunity to say something that has recently been on our minds, especially since we were all stuck in solitary confinement for two full hours as soon as we arrived at the camp. Slowly as our musical praises to the Lord started to wind down, my dear friend, John, decided to start the group off with what was on his mind, & after that, no one wanted to follow, because what he said hit all of us hard. I'll give you all a short recap of what he said to all of us that left us all speechless. John had recently returned from a mission trip to Ecuador, by recently meaning he got home Saturday at noon and was at No Rules Camp by 5 o'clock on Sunday. He talked about the simplicity of life that he experienced while down there. Saying that the people have only what they need & what they have extra of, they give away. Simplicity. John proceeded to say that he realized it was possible for people to live without hot water or indoor plumbing, they didn't need cell phones or electricity. They had the hearts of givers & showed love with their actions. Don't get me wrong, I am so blessed to live in the USA and to have all that I do, yes I do know it is way more than I would ever need, {as I type this, I also have several other tabs pulled up on my personal laptop screen, ones connecting me to Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, & Pinterest, not to mention, I'm texting my boyfriend} but I like the idea of living in a simplistic way.
I feel like if God took away all the distractions of today's world, then we would be able to spend more time worshiping & honoring Him daily. John got me thinking this week. I started thinking: How should I be using my time? Is my time management self centered or Christ centered. Am I being selfish, or selfless? All these answers I started coming up with, were not what a Follower of Christ should be proud of. I spend the vast majority of my day staring at a screen. Heck, I spend more time sitting on a toilet than I do with God. Daily thoughts that cross my mind consist of: "Man, I have to poop." "When is he/she going to text me back?" "What should I eat now?" "Wow, you really need to stop talking." Those are just the few examples. Do those sound like Godly thoughts? I'll answer that, NO. We have been put on a mission to be examples & role models, no not to be perfect, but to love, to give, & to serve. Jesus was not only a teacher, but a friend. & if I can serve others by being a friend, then I should use that to bring glory to my Lord. Simple acts of giving love & help. We are all missionaries for Christ, but where you live doesn't make you a missionary. It's the mission you are on that makes you a missionary. How will you serve?
Peace & love.
B.
