Do Hard Things

Check out this great book called "Do Hard Things." It is by Alex & Brett Harris. (They are the younger brothers of Josh Harris, the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye)

I'm not done reading this book yet, but what I like about it is that it teaches that we as Christian teens do not have to descend to the low expectations that secular America has for us. We need to rise to the expectations that God has for us. We don't have to conform to the world's standards on many things (i.e. modesty, sex, other inappropriate stuff). We can start doing things to further God's kingdom instead.

I would recommend this book to all teens and their parents, because it's good for adults as well.

Check out the Harris twins website and blog here at The Rebelution.

My dad wrote an article on "Do Hard Things" here, on his Hammer and Nail blog.

Giveaway

UPDATE: The drawing is over.

This is the May give away from Challies.com. You can click on the banner for details or to enter the drawing.

Old Books

Recently I have started collecting old books. I've always loved books in general and one day my mom and I were at a yard sale and I saw some really old books for sale. Now, I have a total of eight books, and I've gotten all but one of them from yard sales. Here is what they are:

1. A 1904 edition of The Leading Facts of American
History by D.H Montgomery. This one is probably my favorite because I love
history so much. Also, in this history textbook there are only 26 presidents, 45
states, and 15 amendments to the Constitution.

2. A 1897 edition of Hints and Helps on English Grammar.There is no author listed; itjust says that it was published by Raub & Co. However, the preface is signed "The Author."

3. A 1939 edition of a math textbook called Practical Shop Mathematics. It is by John H. Wolfe and Everett R. Phelps.

4. A 1942 State of Georgia Trigonometry textbook called Plane Trigonometry with Applications. It is by William L. Hart.

5. A 1937 edition of Five Little Peppers at School by Margaret Sidney.

6. A 1926 edition of The Blue Book of Cookery, by Isabel Cotton Smith. The introduction is written by Emily Post who
wrote the famous book called Etiquette.

7. A 1940 edition o a book called Faces and Places. It is by Myrtle Banks Quinlan. It is basically a learn to read book for kids.

8. Finally, a 1895 edition of First Year in French by L.C. Syms.

So basically, this post was just about books, and mostly because I was bored.

Hinduism and American People

We had a family camp yesterday hosted by Camp Sunshine. Camp sunshine is an organization that host camps for kids that have or have had cancer. At the camp there were some interns that were there getting hours toward their Child Life Specialist practicums. For more info on Child Life Specialists, click here.

Anyway,I was telling one of the interns about how I had lived in India. She asked me if Hinduism was the main religion there and I said that it was. Then, she said to me, "Hinduism fascinates me." And I said, "Why?" Then she said, "Well, just all of the gods and the rituals and stuff." I said, "There's just no hope in Hinduism." She said, "Personally, I think thats a matter of opinion." So I said, "Well, what do you see as hope in it?" Then she said to me, "Well, I don't feel like it's my place to judge what people believe, because if thats what they want to believe then thats fine."

Well first, she didn't answer my question, presumably because she doesn't actually see hope in Hinduism, or she doesn't really know what Hindus believe. Second, what's so sad is that she has bought into this American idea that whatever religion you want to believe is fine for you because in the end they all lead to the same place. Sadly, if you aren't a Christian all other religions do lead to the same place. A place called hell.

Also, another sad thing is that she told me she grew up Methodist. So she grew up in the church and yet she has still adopted this idea that basically, all of the "gods" lead to the same end result.

Something else interesting; my Mom told this girl that Hindus use cow urine in their rituals and that they drink it. She didn't even seem fazed by this. It really is sad what people will believe.

Just Stuff

So, I haven't posted in forever. I apologize to anyone who looks at this blog, which is pretty much nobody.

Anyway, my birthday was in February, and I got an iPod nano. It is really nice because before my b-day I just had a walk man CD player. My iPod looks like the silver one above in the picture. Basically, I transfered all of my music on to it. It is great because now I don't have to switch CDs repeatedly. So, I like my iPod.

Celebrate Tossmas with Me

Check out the video of "Merry Tossmas" above. Originally my grandmother sent it to me and we watched it and liked it. After you have watched it you will understand the following:

We got an email for a "Holiday Huge Sale" at JCPenney, and we said "Merry Tossmas!" Also, the incorrect grammar in the phrase" Holiday Huge Sale" got me. Couldn't they have just said "Huge Holiday Sale"? Even if they had, I still would have said "Merry Tossmas!"

We got a "Holiday 2007" catalog from The Popcorn Factory and we said "Feliz Navitoss!"

What is funny is that most of these supposed "Holiday" catalogs all say something like "Order by December 21, 2007 for delivery by Christmas." Couldn't they have just said "Order by December 21, 2007 for delivery by the Holiday"?

Also,the above message is great because we need to understand that while companies try to make it sound like they are being nice to us they really just want our money.

Maybe they are supposedly trying not to offend people of other religions (i.e. Jews and Muslims) but if you don't want to offend them, send them catalogs for Hanukkah and Ramadan and send us our catalogs for Christmas.

Merry Tossmas!!

Jeremy Camp Concert

Hey, I haven't posted on it yet, even though it was almost two weeks ago, but I decided to write about it now.

I had the wonderful privilege to go to a Jeremy Camp concert. I went down to Calvary in Savannah with my Youth Pastor and a couple of other youth. It was really cool. A newer band called Mainstay opened for him. They were actually pretty good, but during one of their songs I could hear the drums more than anything else. Of the songs they played, I liked "Hang On" the best. This is the first verse and chorus:

I don't know how I got to where I am
All I know is that I want to go back
to the moment when I fell in love with grace
and I hear You whisper

Hang on, I know your hope seems gone
Hang on, sometimes the heartache makes you strong
Remember the first time love turned you around

You probably get the general gist of the song. After they opened, Jeremy Camp sang with his band. It was AWESOME! I've always like his music, but live it was so much better. I do have to say that his pianist is an amazing pianist. The piano can be heard so much better in concert that off a CD. My favorite songs of his are definitely "I Still Believe" and 'Walk By Faith." Here is the first verse and chorus to "Walk By Faith":

Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see it
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

It was a great concert. I enjoyed it so much!

For more info on Jeremy Camp, click here.

For more info on Mainstay, click here.

Saddeningly Strange

Last night we went to dinner at the church before service or, in my case, youth group. Two girls that Mary know from GAs were sitting with us . Let's call them Sarah and Morgan. As we were sitting there eating, Sarah looked over her shoulder and saw Morgan's parents eating together at a table like anyone would do. She seemed mystified by this. Sarah looked at Morgan and asked, " Why are parents sitting together?" Morgan looked at her strangely. "Because they are married," she replied. "Oh," Sarah said, "they are?" Morgan looked at me and back at Sarah. "Yeah, cause it would be bad if they weren't."

I couldn't figure out why on earth Sarah hadn't realized that Morgan's parents might be married, until she said, "Well, my parents almost got a divorce." I suddenly realized that Sarah might not be used to her parents sitting together and speaking nicely to each other. I felt really sad for her.

Recent Stuff....... (or Youth Group Fear Factor, NC & VA trip, and Upcoming Church Stuff)

Two weeks ago my youth group hosted a "Fear Factor" for all of the teens. It was really cool. Our youth pastor told us all about it and said he would give $50 to whoever won. So, I went over there just expecting to have some fun. After we did some really gross stuff, we had to drink this disgusting concoction of over-ripe banana, vinegar, baby mac & cheese, garlic, tuna fish, and baby food chicken and rice casserole. We were told that if we threw up we were immediately disqualified. It was me versus 7 other people. Everyone but me threw up, so I WON! And I got 50 bucks. It was awesome!

Last weekend, we drove up to Wake Forest, NC to see our church family. It was really nice to fellowship with all of them. Saturday we drove down to Wilmington to see one of my friend's football game. Sunday we had church and then we did Lord's Supper at one couple's house.

Thank you everyone at Messiah Baptist!!

After hanging around all afternoon, we went on up to Yorktown, VA to see my aunt and uncle and cousins and some of our friends. We got to go to the Jamestowne Settlement. To see my Dad's post on this, click here.

Wednesday we drove to Richmond, VA to see some more friends, and Thursday we drove home. Wow! We had a lot of driving in one week. (To Wake Forest, to Wilmington, back to WF from Wilmington, to Yorktown, to Richmond, and finally home. Whew!)

On October 18th I get to go down to Calvary in Savannah (it was Calvary Baptist Church) and see Jeremy Camp in concert. I'm really excited. My youth pastor is taking any of the Youth Group that want to go. Yeah! (Of course we did have to pay for tickets. Thank you Daddy!!!)

On the 20th of Oct. we have a Youth Group Fall Festival and on the 31st we have "Hallelujah Night", which is a night for the kids as an alternative to Halloween.

So, we have had a lot happen in the last month, and we have a lot that is going to happen in the next month.

Remember 9/11

Remember 9/11 and the 2,974 lives that were lost. Don't forget.

Today I'd like to remember the thousands of people who died on September 11, 2001. 2,974 people went to work that morning or boarded a plane with no knowledge of what was to come. And they died. But when you look at the numbers of people who called in sick to work or missed their flight it truly is amazing. For example: Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania was carrying only 37 people. That type of plane could carry (I think) more than 150 people. I'm not saying that to make it sound more "pretty" or anything. That day was terrible. Here are some fatality numbers:

World Trade Center (both towers and on the ground): 2, 603
On the four airplanes: 264
Pentagon: 125

Among these were 341 FDNY personnel, 2 FDNY paramedics, 8 ambulance personnel, 23 NYPD officers, and 37 Port Authority Police Department officers. The 19 hijackers were also killed.

In the North Tower alone, 1366 people died above the impact zone of the airplane. (The airplane hit between the 93 and 99 floors).

Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. was an investment bank located in the 101st through105th floors of the North Tower (or 1 WTC). Cantor Fitzgerald alone lost 658 employees, much more than any other company.

Also dead as a result of 9/11 were 8 children on the airplanes, ranging from ages 2 - 11. The youngest victim in the towers was 17 years old.

So please remember 9/11. Remember all the people that died that day. How many of them were Christians? How many of them weren't? We will never know.

Remember.