Band

Today in band my teacher gave us music for the spring concert. We'll be playing The Simpsons, Baby Elephant Walk, Fantasia on an Irish Hymn, Holy Holy Holy, The Incredibles, Narnia, George of the Jungle, Pink Panther, and I don't remember what else. Today we played Baby Elephant Walk, The Simpsons and Pink Panther. These are really hard songs, so wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!

Some of my favorite verses...

Well, as the title says, these are only SOME of my favorite verses.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(I like that one because of the song Michael Card did based on it.)

Esther 4:14
And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
(I am not sure why I like this verse so much--maybe because I love Queen Esther so much.)

Psalms 56:4
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
(The last part of it is so encouraging!)

Psalms 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
(Everyone has to have heard this one.)

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
(A lot of people like this one.)

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Really speaks to you about having trustworthy and Christlike friends.)

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 43:1-2
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine....When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 45:3
I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
(This is very cool.)

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
(This I love so much! It speaks volumes.)

Jeremiah 33:3
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
(This is God telling us to call to Him, and He will tell you things you wouldn't ever have known!)

Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I could go on and on and on...but if I did that, no one would read this post because it is so long...So I guess I will go.
-Ellie

Bible verses I found (Inspired to look these up by a debate in class)

Sometimes I wish I talked more. During debates I don't say anything, but I have some arguments... in my head. I just looked these up a few minutes ago though. I couldn't during class because I accidentally forgot my Bible.

Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Favorite Verse

My favorite verses are:

I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
Psalm 3:6-7

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:1-5

Amazing Student

This is amazing...

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christensen, a
studious man who taught at a small college in the western United
States.
Dr. Christensen taught the required survey course in Christianity at
this
particular Institution. Every student was required to take this course
his
freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christensen tried hard to communicate the essence of the
gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the
course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most
students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christensen had a special student named Steve. Steve was
only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto
seminary
for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an
imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the
school
football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christensen asked Steve to stay after class so he could
talk
with him. 'How many push-ups can you do?' Steve said, 'I do about 200
every night.'

'200? That's pretty good, Steve,' Dr. Christensen said. 'Do you think
you
could do 300?'

Steve replied, 'I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time.'

'Do you think you could?' again asked Dr. Christensen.

'Well, I can try,' said Steve.

'Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I
need
you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you
do
it?

I need you to tell me you can do it,' said the professor.

Steve said, 'Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it.'

Dr. Christensen said, 'Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me
explain what I have in mind.'

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the
room.

When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No,
these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the BIG, extra
fancy
kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.

Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the year,
and
they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in
Dr.
Christensen's class.

Dr. Christensen went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
'Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?' Cynthia said,
'Yes.'

Dr. Christensen then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do
ten
push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?

' 'Sure.' Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve
again sat in his desk. Dr. Christensen put a donut on Cynthia's desk.
Dr.
Christensen then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, 'Joe, do you
want a donut?'

Joe said, 'Yes.' Dr. Christensen asked, 'Steve would you do ten
push-ups
so Joe can have a donut?'

Steve did ten push-ups! , Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the
first
aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their
donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christensen came to Scott. Scott was
on
the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very
popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, 'Scott do you want a donut?' Scott's reply
was,
'Well, can I do my own push-ups?' Dr. Christensen said, 'No, Steve has
to
do them.' Then Scott said, 'Well, I don't want one then.'

Dr. Christensen shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve,
would
you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?' With
perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, 'HEY! I
said I didn't want one!'

Dr. Christensen said, 'Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks,
and
these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.'
And
he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed
on
the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up
and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out
around
his brow.

Dr. Christensen started down the third row. Now the students were
beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christensen asked Jenny, 'Jenny,
do
you want a donut?' Sternly, Jenny said, 'No.' Then Dr. Christensen
asked
Steve, 'Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut
that she doesn't want?'

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students
were
beginning to say 'No' and there were all these uneaten donuts on the
desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these
push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat
on
the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red
because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christensen asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the
class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten
push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work
for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was
so
Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christensen started down the fourth row. During his class, however,
some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the
steps
along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the
professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there
were
34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to
make it.

Dr. Christensen went on to the next person and the next and the next.
Near
the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was
taking a
lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr Christensen, 'Do I
have
to make my nose touch on each one?'

Dr. Christensen thought for a moment, 'Well, they're your push-ups. You
are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.' And Dr.
Christensen went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room
and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice,
'NO!
Don't come in! Stay out!'

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said,
'No, let him come.'

Professor Christensen said, 'You realize that if Jason comes in you
will
have to do ten push-ups for him?' Steve said, 'Yes, let him come in.
Give
him a donut.'

Dr. Christensen said, 'Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the
way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?' Jason, new to the room,
hardly
knew what was going on. 'Yes,' he said, 'give me a donut.'
'Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?' Steve
did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered,
was
handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christensen finished the fourth row, and then started on those
visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each
push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By
this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no
sound
except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both
cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christensen went to Linda, the
second
to last, and asked, 'Linda, do you want a donut?' Linda said, very
sadly,
'No, thank you.' Professor Christensen quietly asked,
'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she
doesn't want?' Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow
push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr Christensen turned to the last girl, Susan. 'Susan, do you want
a
donut?' Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. 'Dr.
Christensen, why can't I help him?'

Dr. Christensen, with tears of his own, said, 'No, Steve has to do it
alone. I have given him this task, and he is in charge of seeing that
everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.
When
I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade
book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade.
Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered m e inferior
work.

Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he
must
do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party
unless
he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your
sakes.'

'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?' As Steve
very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he
had
accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups,
his
arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christensen turned to the room and said. 'And so it was, that our
Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, pled to the Father, 'Into Thy hands
I
commend My spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything
that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of
those
in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.'

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically
exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

'Well done, good and faithful servant,' said the professor, adding 'Not
all sermons are preached in words.'

Turning to his class, the professor said, 'My wish is that you might
understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that
have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior
Jesus
Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us
all,
for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to
accept
His gift to us, the price has been paid.' 'Wouldn't you be foolish and
ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?'

Share this with someone. It's bound to touch their heart and
demonstrate
Salvation in a very special way.

Hmmm...

Okay, I know this is off-subject, but I need opinions. This is from my book, "The Chosen Ones". PLEASE tell me what you think. I can't decide to put symbolism, or have God directly mentioned in it. Any suggestions?

The familiar darkness washed over me. I despaired, as did my thoughts. Throbbing…my arm…ow! Where am I? I was afraid, and my arm hurt terribly. Seconds later my pain and fear evaporated as a blinding light eradicated the darkness. Then, a great Presence seemed to approach. Peace came over my entire body, and I relaxed. Then, the Presence, which to me seemed much like an angel, spoke.
“Elwyn of Naibara, fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, Elwyn, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
And then the vision faded. I came to...

The idea is that she just blacked out in this little cave, and then she has this vision and wakes up in a different world. It is confusing, but I like it. Her name is Elwyn (Ellie).
-Ellie

An Email forward...Kinda funny, and very true

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes sir," the student says.

"So you believe in God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God's good."

"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

"Yes."

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment.
"Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good...!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

The student remains silent.

"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

"Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

"Er...yes," the student says.

"Is Satan good?"

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."

"Then where does Satan come from?"

The student falters. "From God"

"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"

"Yes."

"So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."

"So who created them?"

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
"Who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."

The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"

"No sir. I've never seen Him."

"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"

"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

"Yet you still believe in him?"

"Yes."

"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"

"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."

"Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

"And is there such a thing as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's cold too."

"No sir, there isn't."

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

"Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't darkness?"

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word."

"In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

"It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.

"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir."

"So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"


Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll have to take them on faith."

"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life," the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."


To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.