AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! Whatever you think about his views, it’s unarguable that we’re divided right now and we’re in serious need of unity as a nation. I pray that in the future, racial tensions lessen and we become more united.
Love this quote from the article
“According to Jesus and his posture – Black lives matter, white lives matter, Hispanic lives matter, Native American lives matter, Asian lives matter, according to Jesus all lives matter!” Haley proclaimed, “All white people aren’t racist, all people of color aren’t criminals, and all cops are not bad, we are one by the blood of Jesus.”
Hey everyone! I hope you had a good Thanksgiving yesterday! Since yesterday was a pretty big holiday, and since it’s ushered in another holiday that we all know and love (You know what it is!), I decided to do an update on my Thanksgiving and the aftermath of Christmas decorations that is happening even as I type.
Both for your enjoyment and for the further advancement of my writing career.
Yesterday, I woke up, immediately grabbing a a leftover biscuit, in all of it’s soft and buttery goodness, and sat down to watch the annual Macey’s Day Parade. I enjoyed the performances of Carole King, Mariah Carey, and MercyMe. Immediately after the parade, my family got into my dad’s truck and headed to my grandparents house. There, we ate a pretty big feast. And, I had a slightly nontraditional meal of spaghetti, being that I’m a vegetarian. But, I did have stuffing, which was awesome.
Once we got home, I retreated to my room to digest and work on a novel. I sent out a mass text, and heard back from a friend that I haven’t talked to in a long time. We texted for a little while, catching up on old times, and lastly, I watched a couple of TV shows before bed.
Today, I composed a song that I wrote on my acoustic guitar, ate lunch, walked on the treadmill, and worked on some homework. Following that, the decorating begun! We put up the manger, Santa and Mrs. Claus, a Christmas Winnie The Pooh, and a Precious Moments Christmas village. Currently, my dad is stringing the Christmas tree with lights as Christmas music plays cheerfully from the radio.
To set the mood for the holiday season, I decided to conclude this post with a Christmas song.
I’ve always loved this song, and it’s a great reminder of the true reason for the season. 🙂
My name is Courtney. That’s all I’m saying about that because, well, this is the internet.
I start singing Christmas carols months way too early and will start dancing in the middle of a store if I hear a song that like (Yes, this happened once)
I consider myself myself somewhat nerdy but cannot really do sci-fi other than Star Wars
I like both small towns and city lights
I can go from serious and philosophical to crazy in 2.0 seconds
I consider myself a tomboy, yet love chick-flicks like Sweet Home Alabama and Raise Your Voice.
Basically everything I watch on TV is a decade old or even older than that
I have never seen the Hunger Games or Twilight (Gasp!).
Technically I’m a teenager, but I often feel more like a mix between a preteen, a young adult, and an elderly person.
But you know what? We weren’t created to be normal. We were created to be us. Differences and quirks are part of what makes this world interesting. God created each one of us, and as an old saying goes, when He made us, He broke the mold. So, if you’re “not normal” you’re in good company, because none of us are.
“If you’re lucky enough to be different, never change.”- Taylor Swift.
Hi everyone! Since Thanksgiving is on the horizon, I decided to do a post about some of the things that I’m thankful for.
Grace-Where would any of us be without God’s amazing grace? Because of His death and resurrection, we have the opportunity to be forgiven and spend eternity with Him in a place of everlasting joy and peace. Furthermore, we never have to walk this world alone because God is always with us. Who could ask for more?
Family-Family is an awesome blessing from God. I’m thankful both for my immediate family and my extended family (And, of course, my cat Precious). I’m also thankful that most of my family lives in the state, so I get to them fairly often.
Friends-As always, I’m super thankful for the crazy, quirky, awesome friends that God has brought into my life. Many have become close enough to be like brothers and sisters. I’ve learned so much from the friends that God has blessed me with.
Church-I started attending a new church this year and I really love it there. The messages are great and I’ve grown a lot. In coming months, I’d love to get more involved there.
Classes-Another thing that I’m thankful for the classes that I’m in, where I’ve met a lot of my closest friends. As I’m getting older, I realize how little time that I have left before college. I know that I’m really going to miss all of the crazy, off-topic discussions in english lit and the hilarious moments in theater when I graduate.
Great opportunities-This year, I’ve had a lot of really great opportunities, such as singing a song that I wrote live, acting in Our Town last spring, becoming more vocal about a social issue that I’m passionate about, and starting a blog. I’m very thankful for these things and I’m sure I’ll have more great opportunities in 2016.
Books and written word-I am seriously grateful that we can speak, write, think, and feel. Think about it, without communication, we would all be walking around like a bunch of cavemen/cavewomen. We wouldn’t get to appreciate conversation, stories, or song lyrics. The world would be far different without communication.
Food, water, and shelter-I know, I know, this is one that I think most of us take for granted, but many people around the world go without these basic needs. To simply have food, water, and shelter is a great blessing.
Freedom-I’m thankful to live in a country where I’m free to voice my thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I’m also thankful for the brave soldiers who fight for that freedom that we enjoy.
The small things we take for granted-I know there are a lot more things besides the ones that I listed, such as trees, animals, music, seasons, etc., etc., etc. I’m also thankful for all of these things.
I’m sure that you have some great blessings that you’re thankful for too. Feel free to post them in the comments section, I’d love to see how God is working in your life!
“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”
― Billy Graham
Some years back, I saw the iconic movie, Freaky Friday. A lot of you may have seen it, but for those of you who haven’t, it’s about a mom and daughter who don’t see eye to eye. When they go to a Chinese restaurant and read their fortune-cookie-messages, they wake up the next morning as the other person. As they live in each other’s bodies for a while, they learn things about each other that they did not previously know, and find that the other person has a lot more challenges than they would have suspected. Aside from being an awesome chick-flick, I believe that there’s a a lot we can learn from this movie. While it is highly unlike that any of us will ever wake up as someone else, it can be helpful to try to see life through another person’s eyes.
Oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in our own lives, and not see what life would look like through a different lens. But, what would it be like to actually take the time to put yourself in someone else’s shoes who is different than you? It can be easy to judge a person based on what we see, but what if we tried to understand people beneath the surface? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t use discretion in who we choose to hang out with, I’m merely saying that when we try to understand another’s life, we’re almost always going to gain compassion from it.
One of the biggest stereotypes of Christians right now is judgmental. I find this very sad, considering that it’s God’s job to judge, not ours. We cannot change the attitude of every person, but we can change our own. What if, every time we are tempted to judge another, we instead looked at their circumstances and tried to understand them. We don’t always have to agree, but we ought to always see people for who they are.
Fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator.
Just because someone has a different struggle than we do, doesn’t make them any less of God’s masterpiece. John 3:17 says “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” If Jesus himself did not come to the world to condemn it, than we certainly aren’t in a position to do so. We’re called to love others as He did, which often means taking time to try to understand them and their situations. And, it always means cultivating compassion for our fellow humans created in His image. 🙂
Hey guys, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. I promise to post another article very soon. Nonetheless, I’d like to take the time in this post to ask you to pray for the families who lost loved ones and people living in fear in Paris. Two days ago terrorists killed so many lives and it was very heartbreaking to hear about. I believe that through times of tragedy, God is with us, and let’s pray that the people in Paris feel His presence through all of this.
1 Timothy 4:12 Girl 