This is something i read.
This world is no stranger to suffering. The last one hundred years--which saw greater technological and medical advances than people living in previous centuries could ever have imagined--witnessed suffering, pain, and despair on a nearly inconceivable scale. Disease and sickness, earthquakes and other natural disasters, war and genocide, poverty and death--a stranger to Earth might be forgiven for concluding that suffering was the defining element of our world.
And suffering in its myriad varieties continues to this day, scaled to fit our everyday lives. We--and people we know and see around us--struggle daily against a world full of pain, a world full of hurts that seem to serve no purpose beyond inflicting misery. Some people struggle to feed and shelter their families; others to understand the loss of a loved one, to find the strength to keep standing beneath the weight of a terrible illness, to lift their eyes to heaven and demand an answer to the age-old question: "Why, God, why?"
I don't know what you're suffering. Maybe it's one of these horrors. Perhaps it's much more personal, more mundane. We each live unique lives with unique hurts, sharing in common an experience of a world that just doesn't seem to work like it should. Each of us suffers personally, in ways that no other person can understand.
Is there hope? Is there an answer to be found? There is, although we may not see it yet. In the meantime, this most important fact remains: we do not suffer alone. That is the promise of God. "... we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:17-8). "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" (2 Corinthians 1:5).
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Sometimes
Sometimes, it’s hard to be loved. It’s hard having people who care about you and care about what happens to you. So if you get hurt, it hurts them too.
Sometimes, it’s hard to be strong. It’s hard to keep smiling when all you want to do is cry. It’s hard to keep moving forward when all you want to do is turn and run away, to hide from the world.
Sometimes, it’s hard to see the good in your life. It’s hard to see all the wonderful things God has placed in your life. It’s hard to focus on the good and not the bad.
Sometimes, it’s hard to focus on now. It’s hard to move on from all the hurt in your life. It’s hard to forget. It’s hard to forgive. It’s hard to look to the future, instead of looking to the past.
But that’s just sometimes. What about the times when those things aren’t so hard?
Sometimes, being loved is the best thing in the world, knowing that no matter what, you have people who care about you, who are there for you, who will support you.
Sometimes, being strong comes easy. When using the strength of God in you, staying strong and
persevering with life doesn’t seem so much of a struggle and it becomes easier to face the world.
Sometimes, all the good things in your life are so evident, that you wonder what you did to deserve them all. You can see the true beauty of the things that you have. And when they’re staring you in the face and are just so amazingly overwhelming, how can you not concentrate on them?
Sometimes, all the other things are so great that they override the bad. Sometimes, you’re so busy loving the life you have now, that for those moments the past hurts don’t matter. Yes, sometimes it is hard to forgive and forget, but as time moves on it gets easier. As the bad is becoming overridden, and becomes to hurt less, it becomes easier to forgive, it may take a while, but eventually it will be possible. And although the memories are still there, they are thought about less and less, as more good things fill your life.
When the sometimes are hard, don’t focus on them. Instead focus of the other times. Focus on the sometimes that are easier, that are good.
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)
And maybe eventually, the good sometimes will happen more often.
Sometimes, it’s hard to be strong. It’s hard to keep smiling when all you want to do is cry. It’s hard to keep moving forward when all you want to do is turn and run away, to hide from the world.
Sometimes, it’s hard to see the good in your life. It’s hard to see all the wonderful things God has placed in your life. It’s hard to focus on the good and not the bad.
Sometimes, it’s hard to focus on now. It’s hard to move on from all the hurt in your life. It’s hard to forget. It’s hard to forgive. It’s hard to look to the future, instead of looking to the past.
But that’s just sometimes. What about the times when those things aren’t so hard?
Sometimes, being loved is the best thing in the world, knowing that no matter what, you have people who care about you, who are there for you, who will support you.
Sometimes, being strong comes easy. When using the strength of God in you, staying strong and
persevering with life doesn’t seem so much of a struggle and it becomes easier to face the world.
Sometimes, all the good things in your life are so evident, that you wonder what you did to deserve them all. You can see the true beauty of the things that you have. And when they’re staring you in the face and are just so amazingly overwhelming, how can you not concentrate on them?
Sometimes, all the other things are so great that they override the bad. Sometimes, you’re so busy loving the life you have now, that for those moments the past hurts don’t matter. Yes, sometimes it is hard to forgive and forget, but as time moves on it gets easier. As the bad is becoming overridden, and becomes to hurt less, it becomes easier to forgive, it may take a while, but eventually it will be possible. And although the memories are still there, they are thought about less and less, as more good things fill your life.
When the sometimes are hard, don’t focus on them. Instead focus of the other times. Focus on the sometimes that are easier, that are good.
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)
And maybe eventually, the good sometimes will happen more often.
Saturday, 6 October 2007
what i'm learning next!!
You.
By: Amena J. Brown
You find me when I'm hiding behind all my disguises
You see me. It takes you to keep me, breathing
You are heart, Passion, Vision, Word Incision
You send me and you bring me close, Close, close, closer
Until when you look at me you see you
You are heavenly, My present and future destiny
You are Father, Creator, Sustainer, Life changer, Pride breaker
You are yesterday today and forever, You are pleasure
You are worth, Reason, Present in every season
You are worship, Devotion, You are the reason for all my commotion
You are the one that I pray to, You can tell that I'm nothing without you
So awesome that I can pray to you about you, To know you, To sense you
To believe you more, To love you more, To obey you more, To give you more of my heart
Oh God search me, Know me, See me, Examine me, Test me, Love me, Watch me, Protect me, Show me, Investigate me,
Be pleased with me, Question me, Keep me, Change me, Have me, Correct me, Take me, Help me, Create in me,
Break in on me, Be my reality, Sustain me, Decrease me, Decrease me, Decrease me, Decrease me,
Until there is no me left, Only you, Only you, Only you
You are light, Are true, Are you, Are hope, Are love, Are strength, Are escape, rescue, safe
You are peace, You are belief, You are advance and retreat, Of what, to what, to whom can I compare you?
You are my all things new, You are my place of refuge
You are my fortress, My rest, My creativity in the strength of your words to me
You are my ability to see, hear, feel, move, live, breathe, be,
You are life and death all at the same time
You are friend, You are believer, savior, redeemer
You are today tomorrow and the next day, And the next day, and the next day, and the next day
You are truth, You transcend old age and youth,
You are timeless, priceless, lightness in darkness, greatness, goodness, sinless
And in a mess like my life you see righteousness, You leave me speechless
You... alone.... are God.
By: Amena J. Brown
You find me when I'm hiding behind all my disguises
You see me. It takes you to keep me, breathing
You are heart, Passion, Vision, Word Incision
You send me and you bring me close, Close, close, closer
Until when you look at me you see you
You are heavenly, My present and future destiny
You are Father, Creator, Sustainer, Life changer, Pride breaker
You are yesterday today and forever, You are pleasure
You are worth, Reason, Present in every season
You are worship, Devotion, You are the reason for all my commotion
You are the one that I pray to, You can tell that I'm nothing without you
So awesome that I can pray to you about you, To know you, To sense you
To believe you more, To love you more, To obey you more, To give you more of my heart
Oh God search me, Know me, See me, Examine me, Test me, Love me, Watch me, Protect me, Show me, Investigate me,
Be pleased with me, Question me, Keep me, Change me, Have me, Correct me, Take me, Help me, Create in me,
Break in on me, Be my reality, Sustain me, Decrease me, Decrease me, Decrease me, Decrease me,
Until there is no me left, Only you, Only you, Only you
You are light, Are true, Are you, Are hope, Are love, Are strength, Are escape, rescue, safe
You are peace, You are belief, You are advance and retreat, Of what, to what, to whom can I compare you?
You are my all things new, You are my place of refuge
You are my fortress, My rest, My creativity in the strength of your words to me
You are my ability to see, hear, feel, move, live, breathe, be,
You are life and death all at the same time
You are friend, You are believer, savior, redeemer
You are today tomorrow and the next day, And the next day, and the next day, and the next day
You are truth, You transcend old age and youth,
You are timeless, priceless, lightness in darkness, greatness, goodness, sinless
And in a mess like my life you see righteousness, You leave me speechless
You... alone.... are God.
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
it got me thinking......
The upcoming showcase has got me thinking about i61 and why i go. Here's what i've come up with!
i61, church in a pub, what's that all about? Introduced to it by Cherie i came for for the first time, not really knowing what to expect, but having the image of the traditional church in my head, well....i was wrong about that! Everyone was so friendly, it was strange, strange because people wanted to know who i was, i wasn't just there, not being noticed, i was welcomed into it. I loved the worship (and still do!) it wasn't singing hymns from hymn books, it was modern and it was great. A new church for the new generation.
So why did i keep going? well, there was something different about it, and i don't just mean the music or the fact that it was in a pub, there was something else. So i kept going, getting to know more of the people who went, interacting more with the things that they were doing, and i loved it.
i61 isn't like the other churches, like, when someone has a problem in their lives, Steve and Gill don't just give them the Bible and tell them that they'll find the answers they need in there, they find the answers for them, they make it more personal, they connect with all the people. i61 reaches into the community, not to find the people who are already christians and have been for a long time, who go to church regularly and whose lives are great, no, they reach out to find the people who are lonely, who need guidance, who need to be told that they are loved, and they become their friend, they show them the way through things and tell them time and time again that they are loved by God.
i61 is more than just a church, it's a family, everyone cares about everyone else, and just like being part of a family, it's a great thing to belong to. I'm proud to say that i am a part of the greatest church around, and the greatest family too!!
i61, church in a pub, what's that all about? Introduced to it by Cherie i came for for the first time, not really knowing what to expect, but having the image of the traditional church in my head, well....i was wrong about that! Everyone was so friendly, it was strange, strange because people wanted to know who i was, i wasn't just there, not being noticed, i was welcomed into it. I loved the worship (and still do!) it wasn't singing hymns from hymn books, it was modern and it was great. A new church for the new generation.
So why did i keep going? well, there was something different about it, and i don't just mean the music or the fact that it was in a pub, there was something else. So i kept going, getting to know more of the people who went, interacting more with the things that they were doing, and i loved it.
i61 isn't like the other churches, like, when someone has a problem in their lives, Steve and Gill don't just give them the Bible and tell them that they'll find the answers they need in there, they find the answers for them, they make it more personal, they connect with all the people. i61 reaches into the community, not to find the people who are already christians and have been for a long time, who go to church regularly and whose lives are great, no, they reach out to find the people who are lonely, who need guidance, who need to be told that they are loved, and they become their friend, they show them the way through things and tell them time and time again that they are loved by God.
i61 is more than just a church, it's a family, everyone cares about everyone else, and just like being part of a family, it's a great thing to belong to. I'm proud to say that i am a part of the greatest church around, and the greatest family too!!
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
evolution of dance
why post this video, you may ask? the answer is simple, coz it made me laugh!! and every one can do with something to make them laugh now and again!
Saturday, 4 August 2007
Monday, 16 July 2007
Spree weekend
I was on a spree weekend thing this last friday, saturday and sunday. It was really good, and we had loadsa fun! Me, Jenna and Serena went majorly hyper on the cups of tea! (we came to the conclusion the old guy who was serving us was putting something in them!!)
We took part in a 'just for fun' talent show, and i think we were pretty good, do you agree?
We are definately looking forward to the next one!!
We took part in a 'just for fun' talent show, and i think we were pretty good, do you agree?
We are definately looking forward to the next one!!
Saturday, 7 July 2007
looking for responces
ok, so i was just wondering about people's responces to these, and would love to know what you think of them, just your first responce!
"Love is something better. I have been challenged and changed, reminded that love is that simple answer to so many of our hardest questions. Don Miller says we're called to hold our hands against the wounds of a broken world, to stop the bleeding. I agree so greatly."
AND
"We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home."
AND
"We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life. It is unspoken and there are only a few of us, but we will be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms."
AND
"We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love."
"Love is something better. I have been challenged and changed, reminded that love is that simple answer to so many of our hardest questions. Don Miller says we're called to hold our hands against the wounds of a broken world, to stop the bleeding. I agree so greatly."
AND
"We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home."
AND
"We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life. It is unspoken and there are only a few of us, but we will be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms."
AND
"We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love."
Friday, 29 June 2007
The mask i wear poem
I found this and in honour of the next daughters meeting i thought i would post it. It was written by a psychiatrist in Calafornia.
The Mask I Wear
Don't be fooled by me.
Don't be fooled by the face I wear
For I wear a mask. I wear a thousand masks-
masks that I'm afraid to take off
and none of them are me.
Pretending is an art that's second nature with me
but don't be fooled, for God's sake, don't be fooled.
I give you the impression that I'm secure
That all is sunny and unruffled with me
within as well as without,
that confidence is my name
and coolness my game,
that the water's calm
and I'm in command,
and that I need no one.
But don't believe me. Please!
My surface may be smooth but my surface is my mask,
My ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.
Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness.
But I hide this.
I don't want anybody to know it.
I panic at the thought of my weaknesses
and fear exposing them.
That's why I frantically create my masks
to hide behind.
They're nonchalant, sophisticated facades
to help me pretend,
To shield me from the glance that knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation,
my only salvation, and I know it.
That is, if it's followed by acceptance,
and if it's followed by love.
It's the only thing that can liberate me from myself
from my own self-built prison walls
I dislike hiding, honestly
I dislike the superficial game I'm playing,
the superficial phony game.
I'd really like to be genuine and me.
But I need your help, your hand to hold
Even though my masks would tell you otherwise
That glance from you is the only thing that assures me
of what I can't assure myself,
that I'm really worth something.
But I don't tell you this.
I don't dare.
I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid you'll think less of me, that you'll laugh
and your laugh would kill me.
I'm afraid that deep-down I'm nothing,
that I'm just no good
and you will see this and reject me.
So I play my game, my desperate, pretending game
With a facade of assurance without,
And a trembling child within.
So begins the parade of masks,
The glittering but empty parade of masks,
and my life becomes a front.
I idly chatter to you in suave tones of surface talk.
I tell you everything that's nothing
and nothing of what's everything,
of what's crying within me.
So when I'm going through my routine
do not be fooled by what I'm saying
Please listen carefully and try to hear
what I'm not saying
Hear what I'd like to say
but what I can not say.
It will not be easy for you,
long felt inadequacies make my defenses strong.
The nearer you approach me
the blinder I may strike back.
Despite what books say of men, I am irrational;
I fight against the very thing that I cry out for.
you wonder who I am
you shouldn't
for I am everyman
and everywoman
who wears a mask.
Don't be fooled by me.
At least not by the mask I wear.
I really like this poem, it describes alot of how i feel.
The Mask I Wear
Don't be fooled by me.
Don't be fooled by the face I wear
For I wear a mask. I wear a thousand masks-
masks that I'm afraid to take off
and none of them are me.
Pretending is an art that's second nature with me
but don't be fooled, for God's sake, don't be fooled.
I give you the impression that I'm secure
That all is sunny and unruffled with me
within as well as without,
that confidence is my name
and coolness my game,
that the water's calm
and I'm in command,
and that I need no one.
But don't believe me. Please!
My surface may be smooth but my surface is my mask,
My ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.
Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness.
But I hide this.
I don't want anybody to know it.
I panic at the thought of my weaknesses
and fear exposing them.
That's why I frantically create my masks
to hide behind.
They're nonchalant, sophisticated facades
to help me pretend,
To shield me from the glance that knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation,
my only salvation, and I know it.
That is, if it's followed by acceptance,
and if it's followed by love.
It's the only thing that can liberate me from myself
from my own self-built prison walls
I dislike hiding, honestly
I dislike the superficial game I'm playing,
the superficial phony game.
I'd really like to be genuine and me.
But I need your help, your hand to hold
Even though my masks would tell you otherwise
That glance from you is the only thing that assures me
of what I can't assure myself,
that I'm really worth something.
But I don't tell you this.
I don't dare.
I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid you'll think less of me, that you'll laugh
and your laugh would kill me.
I'm afraid that deep-down I'm nothing,
that I'm just no good
and you will see this and reject me.
So I play my game, my desperate, pretending game
With a facade of assurance without,
And a trembling child within.
So begins the parade of masks,
The glittering but empty parade of masks,
and my life becomes a front.
I idly chatter to you in suave tones of surface talk.
I tell you everything that's nothing
and nothing of what's everything,
of what's crying within me.
So when I'm going through my routine
do not be fooled by what I'm saying
Please listen carefully and try to hear
what I'm not saying
Hear what I'd like to say
but what I can not say.
It will not be easy for you,
long felt inadequacies make my defenses strong.
The nearer you approach me
the blinder I may strike back.
Despite what books say of men, I am irrational;
I fight against the very thing that I cry out for.
you wonder who I am
you shouldn't
for I am everyman
and everywoman
who wears a mask.
Don't be fooled by me.
At least not by the mask I wear.
I really like this poem, it describes alot of how i feel.
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Friday, 22 June 2007
Cup game!!
Sarah taught us the cup game and i love it, i can do it pretty good and i have been teaching a few of my friends.
But i'm using a bottle in this!!
But i'm no way near as good as this:
I think we should all practice and try it!!
But i'm using a bottle in this!!
But i'm no way near as good as this:
I think we should all practice and try it!!
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Every one has problems in their lives, especially when your a teenager, all your emotions are everywhere and you tend to make a big deal out of something that isn't even worth worrying about!! And teenagers deal with their problems in different ways, some take drugs, some go out and have sex with alot of people, some drink alcohol and some probably do all three. The thing i used was alcohol. I started with asking my parents to buy me a big bottle of lambrini when they went shopping and stupidly they did, and i kept asking every week. Sometimes i would have 2 bottle a week, each probably lasting only 2 days. I would just sit there in my room at night watching TV and guzzling down lambrini. Then, the next day i would have some before school and i would even take some with me in a plastic bottle. After a while i started drinking cider as well and i would do the same with that. I started going out on the weekends with people from my estate and we would just sit around at night drinking, just beer and cider to start with, then i started filling up plastic bottle with vodka that was in a cupboard in my house and we drank that. And then, things really started getting to me alot and i just wanted them to be blocked out and what i was drinking then wasn't doing much because i still went home pretty much sober, so i took a bottle of white rum (it was only 1/3 full) from the cupboard, filled the rest of it with coke and went out on the weekend. Nobody else wanted any of it, so i sat there drinking the whole bottle on my own while they had cider or something. I can just about remember finishing the bottle and then smashing it on a rock (dont know why i did that), but after that i don't remember anything else. Afterwards i found out that i had been taken onto a hill by the people i was with so that they could try and sober me up, i had been dragged down the hill by my dad, i had run home (just about) and locked myself in my bedroom and then thrown up all over the floor and my bed. I had also fallen over everywhere and had various cuts and bruises all over my arms and legs, and i had also said things about one of my friends, which when i heard them i knew that i didn't mean them, but i had no control over what i was saying, or anything else.
Looking back on all of this now i can see how stupid i was and i know that it didn't help at all. There was something that i need in my life to help me with my problems and at the time the only thing there was, was alcohol, now that's different. Now i have God in my life and i can turn to him instead. If only people my age knew that there was another way, a better way to deal with things. If only they could see that the other ways that they are using aren't helping them. If only they knew that there is someone who cares about what they're going through and that He can help.
So this week i'm praying for Jesus to enter the lives of people my age, to help them with their struggles and for them to realise that there is another way.
Looking back on all of this now i can see how stupid i was and i know that it didn't help at all. There was something that i need in my life to help me with my problems and at the time the only thing there was, was alcohol, now that's different. Now i have God in my life and i can turn to him instead. If only people my age knew that there was another way, a better way to deal with things. If only they could see that the other ways that they are using aren't helping them. If only they knew that there is someone who cares about what they're going through and that He can help.
So this week i'm praying for Jesus to enter the lives of people my age, to help them with their struggles and for them to realise that there is another way.
Monday, 21 May 2007
Random
I didn't know what i could blog about so i thought i would just post this. I used to love this song when i was younger!!!
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Paris
Well where shall I start?
It was absolutely amazing!!! I had been counting down for 250 days and now I have finally been!
We left at 3am on Friday and travelled all day on a coach, stopping at various service stations and getting a ferry at some point as well. When we got near where we were staying, we got caught in traffic, and by this time everyone was really fed up about being stuck on a coach for hours on end! Then, when we finally arrived, at about 6pm, it was pouring with rain and there was thunder and lightening! So it wasn’t a good start, but that was only day one!
On Saturday we went to Disneyland all day! We had so much fun. Me and Amy (my friend) didn’t go on many rides, because we spent most of the day taking funny photos and then shopping! We had our pictures taken with Mickey Mouse, Belle and the Prince (Beauty and the Beast) and Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee and The Mad Hatter! They were so cool!!
When we got back to the château where we were staying, we had a disco and karaoke; it was really funny because all the teachers sang! And I did as well, which was scary but really good at the same time, everyone was cheering and singing along and then afterwards they were saying that they were surprised because they didn’t think that I was ‘the singing type’, but they said that I was really good, and a lot of the compliments came from the most unexpected people, so that was cool!
On Sunday we went to the Musée Du Louvre and we saw the statue of Aphrodite (Vénus de Milo – who was supposed to be the image of the perfect woman!) and the Mona Lisa. After that we went to the Eiffel Tower and it was amazing! It was really funny too, because while the teachers were getting the tickets to go up, we were waiting with our tour guide, Paula, and she got us all to sing this Tarzan song, with actions, really loud! So we were standing there, all 46 of us, at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, with loads of people around us, probably looking really silly, but it was so much fun, people were even taking pictures of us and clapping at the end!!
The view from the top was breath taking, it was just so beautiful! I had waited so long to be there and believe me it was worth the wait!
At the château we had something called the have a go show, which involved us doing different challenges, people had to do some funny things, including bum writing! By the end of it most of us (including me) were covered in yogurt or water or both!!
On Monday we went to a huge hyper market and then travelled home, I was so tired! The ferry on the way back was horrible, the water was really rough and I felt so sick! We got back at about 11:30pm and I went to sleep at about 1am, and then had to get up to go to school in the morning!!
We sang loads of songs on the coach it was funny, the teachers said that we were the best group that they’ve taken and our coach driver loves us to bits!! He had so much fun too!
It was all so fantastic and it was sad to have to come home! I can’t until I’m in year 12 when I get to go again! There is only one word to describe the experience, Inoubliable, which means Unforgettable!!
Check out my photos!
It was absolutely amazing!!! I had been counting down for 250 days and now I have finally been!
We left at 3am on Friday and travelled all day on a coach, stopping at various service stations and getting a ferry at some point as well. When we got near where we were staying, we got caught in traffic, and by this time everyone was really fed up about being stuck on a coach for hours on end! Then, when we finally arrived, at about 6pm, it was pouring with rain and there was thunder and lightening! So it wasn’t a good start, but that was only day one!
On Saturday we went to Disneyland all day! We had so much fun. Me and Amy (my friend) didn’t go on many rides, because we spent most of the day taking funny photos and then shopping! We had our pictures taken with Mickey Mouse, Belle and the Prince (Beauty and the Beast) and Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee and The Mad Hatter! They were so cool!!
When we got back to the château where we were staying, we had a disco and karaoke; it was really funny because all the teachers sang! And I did as well, which was scary but really good at the same time, everyone was cheering and singing along and then afterwards they were saying that they were surprised because they didn’t think that I was ‘the singing type’, but they said that I was really good, and a lot of the compliments came from the most unexpected people, so that was cool!
On Sunday we went to the Musée Du Louvre and we saw the statue of Aphrodite (Vénus de Milo – who was supposed to be the image of the perfect woman!) and the Mona Lisa. After that we went to the Eiffel Tower and it was amazing! It was really funny too, because while the teachers were getting the tickets to go up, we were waiting with our tour guide, Paula, and she got us all to sing this Tarzan song, with actions, really loud! So we were standing there, all 46 of us, at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, with loads of people around us, probably looking really silly, but it was so much fun, people were even taking pictures of us and clapping at the end!!
The view from the top was breath taking, it was just so beautiful! I had waited so long to be there and believe me it was worth the wait!
At the château we had something called the have a go show, which involved us doing different challenges, people had to do some funny things, including bum writing! By the end of it most of us (including me) were covered in yogurt or water or both!!
On Monday we went to a huge hyper market and then travelled home, I was so tired! The ferry on the way back was horrible, the water was really rough and I felt so sick! We got back at about 11:30pm and I went to sleep at about 1am, and then had to get up to go to school in the morning!!
We sang loads of songs on the coach it was funny, the teachers said that we were the best group that they’ve taken and our coach driver loves us to bits!! He had so much fun too!
It was all so fantastic and it was sad to have to come home! I can’t until I’m in year 12 when I get to go again! There is only one word to describe the experience, Inoubliable, which means Unforgettable!!
Check out my photos!
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
mask
A mask to cover all true emotions, a mask to cover all real thoughts, a mask to cover how much we hurt, and it's a mask i wear.
I know it's there, but i can't take it off, if something is said about how i'm really feeling, i just make it into a joke, but it's not! and the frustration that comes from that is almost unbearable.
"You can trust me" they say,
"We can talk anytime",
But i can't or i won't i just keep it inside.
Keep it to myself,
I'm not a burden or a worry
Someone asks "are you ok?"
I say "yes" in a hurry.
I can't say "i need help"
I can't ask "can we talk?"
If someone gets close i just know that i'll walk.
Why is it so hard for me to ask for help, ask to talk to someone? Too hard for me to ask for prayer when it's something i really need. I get so annoyed with myself because i'm just stuck in my own world, my own problems, and i'm too pathetic to ask for help.
AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
(sorry, i'm just letting off steam, i'll delete it later!)
I know it's there, but i can't take it off, if something is said about how i'm really feeling, i just make it into a joke, but it's not! and the frustration that comes from that is almost unbearable.
"You can trust me" they say,
"We can talk anytime",
But i can't or i won't i just keep it inside.
Keep it to myself,
I'm not a burden or a worry
Someone asks "are you ok?"
I say "yes" in a hurry.
I can't say "i need help"
I can't ask "can we talk?"
If someone gets close i just know that i'll walk.
Why is it so hard for me to ask for help, ask to talk to someone? Too hard for me to ask for prayer when it's something i really need. I get so annoyed with myself because i'm just stuck in my own world, my own problems, and i'm too pathetic to ask for help.
AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
(sorry, i'm just letting off steam, i'll delete it later!)
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Beautiful
What is beautiful?
Being a size zero? having perfect hair? perfect clothes?
A person who covers themselves in makeup and beauty products?
The women you see in magazines, are they really beautiful?
Seeing someone smile. That's beautiful.
The love amongst a family. That's beautiful.
Walking through a park in the summer, surrounded by colourful flowers and seeing the children laughing and just enjoying themselves so much. That's beautiful.
Seeing people who are happy with themselves, happy with the way they look, happy with their life. That's beautiful.
A couple of weeks ago i was at Steve and Gill's house, Christine was taking pictures of them in the garden with Lee, Sarah, Alex and Tara. They were all having a laugh and i could see all the love that they had for each other and it was beautiful.
That's another thing that's beautiful, being surrounded by family and friends.
With all these beautiful things, why do people try to change the way they look to make themselves into what they think is beautiful, which is only an image that comes from the media or people around them anyway.
In the bible it says "You should not use outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewellery you put on, or the clothes you wear. Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.
(1 Peter 3:3, 4)
We shouldn't focus on our appearance, but on our hearts and our spirit. We should focus on the way we are with other people and on our personality. If we have a beautiful heart and a beautiful personality, then we are beautiful, regardless on out outside appearance.
Being a size zero? having perfect hair? perfect clothes?
A person who covers themselves in makeup and beauty products?
The women you see in magazines, are they really beautiful?
Seeing someone smile. That's beautiful.
The love amongst a family. That's beautiful.
Walking through a park in the summer, surrounded by colourful flowers and seeing the children laughing and just enjoying themselves so much. That's beautiful.
Seeing people who are happy with themselves, happy with the way they look, happy with their life. That's beautiful.
A couple of weeks ago i was at Steve and Gill's house, Christine was taking pictures of them in the garden with Lee, Sarah, Alex and Tara. They were all having a laugh and i could see all the love that they had for each other and it was beautiful.
That's another thing that's beautiful, being surrounded by family and friends.
With all these beautiful things, why do people try to change the way they look to make themselves into what they think is beautiful, which is only an image that comes from the media or people around them anyway.
In the bible it says "You should not use outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewellery you put on, or the clothes you wear. Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.
(1 Peter 3:3, 4)
We shouldn't focus on our appearance, but on our hearts and our spirit. We should focus on the way we are with other people and on our personality. If we have a beautiful heart and a beautiful personality, then we are beautiful, regardless on out outside appearance.
Friday, 13 April 2007
Beauty
A memory, memories of days where i wouldn't eat anything and i would be so happy with myself, memories of days where i would eat and then hate myself for it. Memories of a time when i would wait for there to be no one home just so i could run to the toilet and be sick, make myself sick. Memories of the days where i would look in the mirror and see no point in the life of the person staring back at me, because she was so ugly and fat, i hated her. Memories of diary entries with different weights in, all normal healthy weights, but at the time it didn't seem like that. Memories of a bruised stomach from how angry what i looked liked made me feel (and no one ever noticed any of it). I used to look at an anorexic person and think that she was perfect and dreamed that i could be as thin as her........i'm glad i never was.
I used to hate the way i looked, but now i'm slowly beginning to like myself, although i can see signs of how i used to be coming back, so i need to try and stop that now. If you look in magazines today there are lots of women who are too thin, they're just making themselves ill, and that's no way to live. Everyone is beauiful, when i look at people who are enjoying themselves, enjoying their lives i can see the beauty shining from them. When i see Sarah singing, she is beautiful. When i see Christine taking photos, she is beautiful. When i see Jenna and Serena doing their dance, they are beautiful. Everyday, you see a lot of people and every single one of them are beautiful, but i bet hardly any of them no it. I wish that when anyone looks into a mirror they can go "hey, i'm beautiful" and really believe it.
Actually, get up out of your seat now and go to a mirror, look at yourself and say "i'm beautiful" go on!!! ......................................................................................... now everytime you look into a mirror, tell yourself you are beautiful, beacause you are!
God didn't make us all the same size and He created everyone of us how He wanted us to be, so there is nothing wrong with the way you look, if only everyone could believe that and just be happy with themselves.
In my school there are a group of girls who are like the 'popular' people, and it's weird in class when they're sitting there saying all the things that are wrong with them and the way they look, and i'm thinking "hello! you're so pretty, there's nothing wrong with you!" but i suppose people find it hard to see the beauty in themselves.
Watch this and remember YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!
I used to hate the way i looked, but now i'm slowly beginning to like myself, although i can see signs of how i used to be coming back, so i need to try and stop that now. If you look in magazines today there are lots of women who are too thin, they're just making themselves ill, and that's no way to live. Everyone is beauiful, when i look at people who are enjoying themselves, enjoying their lives i can see the beauty shining from them. When i see Sarah singing, she is beautiful. When i see Christine taking photos, she is beautiful. When i see Jenna and Serena doing their dance, they are beautiful. Everyday, you see a lot of people and every single one of them are beautiful, but i bet hardly any of them no it. I wish that when anyone looks into a mirror they can go "hey, i'm beautiful" and really believe it.
Actually, get up out of your seat now and go to a mirror, look at yourself and say "i'm beautiful" go on!!! ......................................................................................... now everytime you look into a mirror, tell yourself you are beautiful, beacause you are!
God didn't make us all the same size and He created everyone of us how He wanted us to be, so there is nothing wrong with the way you look, if only everyone could believe that and just be happy with themselves.
In my school there are a group of girls who are like the 'popular' people, and it's weird in class when they're sitting there saying all the things that are wrong with them and the way they look, and i'm thinking "hello! you're so pretty, there's nothing wrong with you!" but i suppose people find it hard to see the beauty in themselves.
Watch this and remember YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!
Sunday, 8 April 2007
Easter sunday
Today was great, I was so nervous/scared/terrified and i actually felt phisically sick, Jeff and Christine prayed for me (i think i would have been even more scared if they didn't) and when i got up there to do my thing i felt less scared than the first time that i'd done it (and that was only in front of a few people) and it was the best that i'd done it (which was so good!). When i was in the pool thingy ready to be baptised, my shaking had near enough stopped (or had at least been minimised) and then when i came back out of the water, i was shaking so much, from a mixture of being cold and the nerves i think, it was kind of annoying but i had just been baptised so i was happy anyway!!
Then after all the baptisms we had lots of fun things to do outside and the weather was beautiful, which made it even better, so all in all today was really good, plus i got my face painted woooo!!
Then after all the baptisms we had lots of fun things to do outside and the weather was beautiful, which made it even better, so all in all today was really good, plus i got my face painted woooo!!
Friday, 30 March 2007
Thankyou Jesus
When watching this i cried, it hurt to see the suffering Jesus had to go through, being whipped, beaten and crucified, so that our sins could be forgiven. He knew what was going to happen, but He didn't try to stop it, it shows how much love He had for His father, when Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray, He asked God to take away the suffering that He knew He was going to go through, but He also said "not my will, but your will be done." It also shows how much He loved us, He was willing to die for us, not only so that our sins would be forgiven but so that the relationship with God, that was lost when sin first entered the world, would be regained.
I am so thankful that Jesus died for me and for the love that He has for me. I am really looking forward to being baptised, because it will show that i truly love Jesus and want Him in my life and that if there is something that God wants me to do, then i am so willing to do so.
THANKYOU JESUS!
Thursday, 29 March 2007
new blog
You will all be able to comment now!!
Even though there isn't anything to comment on!!
Oh well, i'll have a brainstorm and try and come up with something!
Even though there isn't anything to comment on!!
Oh well, i'll have a brainstorm and try and come up with something!
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