Approval

It's funny how everything seems to revolve around approval. Humans are social creatures. We need others' approval to feel liked and wanted.

"I just love the dress you're wearing!"

"Why do you have to act so childish?"

"Wow, these look great! You're so talented!"

Comments like these lift us up and dash us down. They make us smile, cry, and go through a whole range of emotions. I love getting a nice comment on my hair or outfit, because it makes me feel likable. Especially on blogging, you want to know people are reading and liking your blog, your words. Can you relate?

Our pastor recently preached a sermon in Galatians. One of the verses was Galatians 1:10.

 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
 Galatians 1:10

Of course, in this verse Paul is talking about how the Galatians were deserting the Gospel, and telling them to get back to it. But still, this is a valuable verse for us. I'll bet Paul didn't care much if people liked him and his beliefs, in fact he got a lot of rejection and disapproval. He didn't care what people thought about him, but God. And that's how we should be. It's so hard, though, not to care what others think of you! 
Even so, we should be thinking about what God thinks of us. We should ask Him to help us not to care what others think. Instead of, "I wonder if everyone liked the outfit I had on?", we should ask, "I wonder how I can please God today?"

Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

The Mindlessly Busy Rut: A Rather Rambly Post

I understand why people aren't looking at my blog much anymore. It's because I've gotten boring. Stale, and unpredictable. That makes sense.
I wish I could have everything figured out in life. Where everything fits: Devotions, school, music, tennis. It's hard to balance all of the busy things that we have to do.
"To the left! Right! Too far! Noooooooo....." as you fall into a deep hole of busyness without any productivity. And as you try to sort it out, blogging gets left on the very bottom as I sink into a daze of mindless internet surfing.
 I think it happens to everyone. To me, that's the dreaded curse: Loss of being productive and helpful.
How do I re-balance my stack? I'm not really sure.

But here's my plan.

This idea is from Preparing to Be a Helpmeet.
Quote:
"Start today going up and down the library aisles and plan to introduce yourself to a new subject each week. Or, if you are computer-oriented, spend your time studying vital subjects rather than idly 'surfing'."
End quote


So that's what I will do, to get myself out of this mindless rut. Is there any subjects that you like that you think would be interesting? I would love it if I could get a list.

Expect to hear about the things I'm learning, as soon as I figure out what to learn.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Oh Look. Abby's Written A Post After Two Weeks...

Well, hello! It's been about two weeks since I've posted, so I've decided to favor y'all with my presence.

*immense applause and cheering*

*holds up hands* Now, now. That's enough. So I had a good idea. It seems that there was a certain blog which had a giveaway a couple months ago (over now). In the comments, a very smart person suggested we write a story in the comments. This was the best idea ever. :) Joint stories are real fun. So I thought we could start one on this post. *edit: This means that one person writes the next paragraph, then another person writes the next one, and so on and so forth. You build on the previous person's paragraph. Make sense?*
Whatcha think? Well, if you want to start it, here is the starting sentence:

 “Are you sure you want to do this?” Lily hesitantly shouted at me. “Perfectly sure,” I shouted back. I was standing on the hill’s edge, paper feathers glued onto my arms, ready to jump. “Nothing could possibly go wrong.”

Just imagine the possibilities of that sentence. :) Anyway, what has everyone been doing lately? Today we made some applesauce. Yum! We have at least two giant pots of it just waiting to be canned. We used a mixture of different apples, including Roma apples, which turned the sauce a strange pink color. :O I'm pretty sure it's safe to eat though.

School has been interesting. We've started a new curriculum, and are currently reading a book called The Flames of Rome. It's about Rome in the time of Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, and others. It's a good book, although there is a lot of killing and sensuality. Math is doing as well as can be expected too. :P We're having a piano recital in December. I'm working on four songs: O Christmas Tree, The Little Drummer Boy, Noel, and Jingle Bell Rock (a duet). How is your school year going?

This concludes this exceedingly interesting and engrossing post (just kidding). I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

good idea?

This is a story idea I had yesterday, and I just got around to typing it up. I'm not too sure what to do with it, though. So I decided to get your advice: Should I continue, or just delete it? And if I continue, do you have any ideas for what should happen next? Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

Every time my sister caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she would stand for a long time admiring her own face. In conversation, her attention was on herself, gazing critically at her nails or smoothing her hair. She would interrupt people or just burst out singing—like the actors in musicals—just for the sake of hearing her own voice. Sometimes she would catch her shadow on the ground, and she’d stand watching it dance back and forth, her slim figure moving on the grass. Once she found a polished silver tray in the kitchen and stood for hours, mesmerized by her face in its smooth surface. Of course, she did have good points too. She wept for days when she saw a bird that had been killed by a cat, or when our old dog died of pneumonia. Our recently widowed neighbor who had seven children was surprised by our sister carrying a big chocolate cake. Some days she would wake up early and make eggs and bacon for breakfast. Her sewing and embroidery were superb. But all this still did not hide the fact that she was abominably vain.

What do you think?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

ps. don't forget to enter Marelle's giveaway!

Here is a cool idea. I got it from A Life of Faith.


An Old Fashioned Ball ( By Beth Ann W.)
You will need:
Fancy or old fashioned dresses
Stockings
Old fashioned shoes or high heels
Ballroom dancing music
Dancing cards (you can make these by writing your name on an index card)
Refreshments (optional)
Invite your friends over and get all dressed up. Get your brothers or fathers to be your dancing partners, or dance with each other! Don't forget to have great posture and manners and to put on airs. Dance for a while, and then serve the refreshments, such as tea, punch, cookies, or biscuits. Then dance again until you're all worn out. Have fun!


Abby

More Ideas?

I need ideas! What have you liked to see on my blog? Should I post more stories? Polls? Tell me!

Ideas?

What do you want to see on my blog? Recipes? Scripture? Ideas anyone?


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