You're it!

 Nehemiah tagged me. Thanks! Here goes:

1. Favorite Sport: I'm not sure... I like informal basketball. If you don't know how to play basketball, come play with me. But you'll probably still win. :)
2. A Good Name for a Dog: I don't know, I guess it would depend on the dog. A good name for our dog would be something like Fleabag or Bonerack. :)
3. Favorite Animal: I like dogs. Or horses. Or bees. Or hairless cats. You know, the usual.
4. Favorite Subject in School: Hmm... either reading or art.
5. Favorite Drink: Water. I like lemonade too, but that has water in it, right?
6. Last Song You Heard: I think it was Stars and Stripes Forever. Or possibly the Thomas theme song.
7. Do You Like to Make People Laugh?: Yes. It makes me feel like I'm actually funny. :)
8. Favorite Color: I like all colors. Green, yellow, and blue are a bit higher on the list than others.
9. Favorite Hobby: Making jewelry. And playing with clay. That sure sounds unprofessional. Playing with clay. :)
10. School Grade You are in: 9th grade. Only three more grades to go!

I tag:

Leah
Bethany Joy
Erin

And if you want to steal this, you can too.

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

beautiful

{via}

...We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
    2 Corinthians 10:5

A post about my favorite bird (at least one of them)

{not my picture}

 I have always loved crows--er, excuse me-- ravens. They are mysterious, kinda creepy, and beautiful. I love their curved beaks and their big feet and claws.

{not my picture}

Yes, I know a group of crows is called a murder (hmm... does the crow in the above picture somehow seem like a murderer in a black cloak? He looks suspicious). But they're pretty, and smart (think about the fable, The Crow and the Pitcher). I also like Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven ('Nevermore'). They've always been one of my favorite birds. What's your favorite bird?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Random (for lack of a better title)

I hear: Thunder, and the voices of my siblings.
I feel: The computer keys.
I smell: Nothing right now.
I see: The words on this screen, and the swelling storm clouds outside.
I taste: Nothing right now.



What do you sense right now?

So, after reading through 1 Corinthians, I was thinking about having something where we read through a chapter every day, and then post our thoughts on it. (in this chapter, Paul's thoughts on marriage, head coverings, and other juicy topics. :) What do you think? Would you like to do it? Before agreeing, I suggest flipping through or reading this book.


Thanks for reading, and sorry for how short this post is. A longer or better one to follow!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D


God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalms 46:1

A peek into an amateur author's mind...

1. I was riding the subway, bumping around on the seat next to the window, surrounded by random people and their luggage, staring out at the fast-moving scenery and holding onto my sleek black leather suitcase for dear life. I had a cigarette clenched between my teeth, which was odd because I didn’t usually smoke. I also had twelve bullets in my shirt pocket, a pistol in the suitcase, and a cover story in my head. I was a spy. At that moment in time, I was on my way back to headquarters between missions. I was feeling rather sick, partly from the fast movement of the subway and partly from the smell of the people around me. Most of them smelled as if they hadn’t washed in weeks. I quickly squeezed my way to the restroom, just in case I lost my lunch. After the queasy feeling had stopped, I stepped back out and stood near the door. All of a sudden, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a slim, nicely dressed lady carrying a suitcase similar to mine. “Excuse me. Are you… Agent 352?” She asked, consulting a piece of paper. “That depends on who you are.” I replied. She seemed very annoyed, and reached into her coat to pull out a badge. “I’m Agent Smith, your superior officer. I’ve been sent from headquarters to inform you of an important mission.” “Got it,” I replied, and followed her to the luggage room at the back of the train. Sitting down, she motioned to an adjacent chair. “All right, listen up, agent, you’ll only get these instructions once and you can’t write them down. Your life depends on this mission, if you fail you die.”


2. I pulled myself up on the table, my legs teetering and tottering like miniature seesaws. I could feel drool dripping down my chin, but I couldn't wipe it away for fear I'd loose my grip on the table. Disgusting, I thought. All of a sudden my legs bent and I started to fall. In my scramble to grab something solid, I knocked over a house plant and two books and took them down with me. I started to scream in pretended pain, although I really wasn't hurt at all. "Aw, you silly little girl. Did you fall?" My mother came up behind me and picked me up. "And you made a big mess too. Well, into your pen you go, so I can clean this up." She put me in my play pen. Hi! I'm Natalie. As you might have guessed, I'm a baby, nearly eleven months old. I already have two teeth, which I am very proud of. "All right, silly girl, up you go. It's time for lunch." Mother picked me up and strapped me into my high chair. Then she opened a can of gross baby food. "No! No!" I cried. "I don't want that. It's yucky!" Unfortunately for me, all Mother heard was, "Gah goo bee bah!" She smiled, got a bite on the spoon, and said, "Open wiii-iide!" in a sing-songy voice. So I opened wide, and she spooned some carrots-and-peas into my mouth. I managed to swallow, but it was all I could do to keep from spitting it out. Yuck! After I was done with the mushy gunk, she gave me some Cheerios, which are more grown-up, in my opinion. I ate those up really quickly, only gagging once on a particularly hard one, and then it was time for my nap.
Mother changed my diaper and put some yummy-smelling powder on in case of diaper rash. It smells good, but once I tried some and it didn't taste good at all!
Mother laid me in my bed, and put a fleece-y blanket on me, which was very warm and cozy. I don't really like to sleep when there's still light outside, but I was very tired after all the playing I did. So I settled right down to sleep. Good night!

Faith + Deeds

The only thing you have to do to get saved is to believe in Christ Jesus, that He died on the cross for your sins.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Acts 16:31

But if you are truly saved, you will love God and Jesus and want to please them. You love your parents, so you do things to please them. Right? Witnessing and being a good example to unbelievers won't save you. Witnessing to 'save' people won't save you. God could save those people without you. I believe that witnessing is an act of love to God. But at the same time,

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14-17

Believing in Jesus is enough to save you, but if you have no deeds, there will be nothing to keep your faith alive. You do the deeds out of love. Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

(ps. sorry if this is a bit rough. It's been floating in my head for a couple of weeks and I have just now put it onto 'paper'. If you find any Biblical-ly unsound spots, feel free to respectfully point them out. Thanks!)

And the winner of the poetry contest...

...is Marelle! Congratulations! I'll contact you for your prize details. Thanks to everyone for entering. :)

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Me, lazy?

Scenes from real life*

Abby: (thinking) Wow... I just washed tons of dishes. Someone should come dry them.
(waits, staring at stack. No one comes)
Abby: (thinking) Come ON! Now I have to dry them myself?!
(dries them, all the while privately whining about how unfair it is)

Abby: (thinking) This is a great book,
(looks up from couch and bag of pretzels and sees brothers in a headlock, while sisters are in the background studying for tests and Mother trying to cook dinner with a screaming baby in her arms)
Abby: (thinking) Hmm... maybe I should help... actually I won't! I already washed tons of dishes AND even put some laundry in the washer. So I've done enough already.
(goes back to book and stuffs some more pretzels in)


I wish I could be less lazy. As I know from experience, it's extremely hard to get myself to do things. I am a slacker. Do you have any tips on how you became more diligent and hard-working?
Here are some verses I found on biblegateway.com (the best search site ever!) on diligence and hard-working-ness:

Lazy hands make for poverty,
   but diligent hands bring wealth.
Proverbs 10:4

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
1 Timothy 4:15

 If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:8

So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God
Joshua 23:11

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
Romans 16:12

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it...1 Corinthians 4:12

If you skipped those verses, go diligently back and read them. :) So, I think diligence and hardworkingness  should be important character qualities to build. They go hand in hand with discipline (another important quality). If you don't have diligence, how do you get things done? If you're not working hard, how good an example can you set for the Lord? Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D







*except perhaps with a slight dramatization... :)

Please, please, please vote!

 Here are the contestants for the contest. I could not for the life of me pick who wins. So, now I'm asking you, dear readers, to choose yourselves. Yes, it's a vote! So read all of these, decide who you like best, and then comment your vote. I'll be holding the comments till the end of voting, which will be on July 10th. See you then!

Marelle
Lindsey Marie
Leah
Josiphine
Ashley


(And contestants can't vote for themselves. :)