...that it's time to get down to business.

Well, well. Here we all are, at the beginning of August. And no matter where you live, this time of year is known for one thing.

Yes, people. It's time that kids like me go back to school.

It's impossible to avoid. The signs of it are everywhere- the commercials on TV, the supplies in stores everywhere, the schedules and letters arriving in the mail, the doomed looks on the faces of ninety percent of the kids you encounter, and the overjoyed looks on the parents faces that their kids have a safe place to go from eight to three.

Well, this blog is for all involved in school at all- the students, the teachers, the parents, and anyone else.

Now that we're going back to school, we have the perfect place to spread the love of Jesus!

Ha, ha. Big stereotype- I'm aware.

My youth pastor has said repeatedly that every summer, youth pastors just like him all over America dread the school year, because that's when they have students sit down and say, "I did something very bad this summer. I fell in with some bad people, and we were bored, and so we decided to..." You get the picture.

Well, these are the very people who need us the most- the ones who feel trapped by the bad choice they made. Even if they were Christian before their great mistake, we still need to support them and show them the love that we all need.

I know it gets hard. It's so easy to judge the people who make these choices, and it's even easier to write them off as bad people. It's second nature to us, because we feel like we would never do anything like that. But let's not forget that's our human nature- to mess up. So we can't treat them badly. We have to love them like Jesus loved us, in spite of our sins.

I know this is probably all stuff that you've heard before, but that just means it's important. And it IS. It's so important to love them. Because don't forget- one day, that could be us.

So get out there and get your love on, people.

(And please don't judge ME for that last line. I know it was cheesy. Sorry.)

...that God is SO great.

Please, no comments on the fact that it's been a really, REALLY long time since I've blogged. I've been a little...well, less than responsible on the topic of keeping up with this blog. I'm hoping to turn that around.

Anyway, I just got back from camp, and I had the most AMAZING time! I made several new friends-some of whom (whose names will not be mentioned- BEN) seem to enjoy causing me pain- who I'm really glad I got the chance to get to know, made some awesome memories, and really grew in my walk with Christ. One of my favorite places to be (and most of my friends can testify to this) was the lake. Whether going on a waterslide into it, swimming in it, splashing in it, or just sitting by it and thinking, this lake is by far my favorite place on Earth. And while sitting by Crystal Springs Lake and spending some time with my Savior, I really got a glimpse of His great, awesome glory.

I have a friend (whose name really will go unmentioned) who accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior this week. It was so wonderful to see this friend after he came to know Christ. On one instance this week, he and another friend were down by the lake before our night activity, and as I walked by, I was asked to take a picture of them. After I had, he proceeded to show me an amazing picture of him looking out over the lake while the sun set. It was quite possibly the most beautiful picture I had ever seen. It really gave me a glimpse of the side of God that I think I love most- His majestic side.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I spend WAY too much time caught up in technology, friends, and other distractions, and I forget to just take in the awesome power of our God. And it's not exactly easy, in a world full of crime, sickness, death, and sin, to always see the true glory of Jesus. But whenever I get the chance, I always try to sneak away from the world and just admire God.

I'm just so overwhelmed, I can't even begin to tell you how five days of God and I one-on-one have changed me. It's amazing to see even a glimpse. I won't even try to describe it, because there aren't any words. I really encourage you to try and get alone every day and just praise God for His exquisite love and beauty. It really gives you an appreciation for Him and everything He made. And it makes you feel so at peace! I haven't been this calm for a long, long time.

Trust me- praying for and about things is good, but it's always good to praise God for how awesome He is.

You'll love it if you try it!

Please? Just once. It's good for you (and not like eating your vegetables is good for you- good for your soul.)

Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?

...that we need to slow down and take things a little more seriously.

I have a problem.

My dad, being the smart person he is (no sarcasm there- he's really smart), gave my sister and I the responsibility of some chores around the house. Now, this is in preparation for the day when we have our own houses and will have to do these chores ourselves, and I am grateful to know how to do these important things.

That is not the problem.

The problem is that almost every week, I go too fast when vacuuming and don't do a good enough job. It's quite disappointing for both my dad and me.

Now, in real life, this doesn't really make too big of an impact. You just go a little slower, and everything get's picked up, right?

When you're officially in high school, it makes a difference.

My friends and I were celebrating the arrival of summer vacation earlier today, when it hit me: I AM A FRESHMEN IN HIGH SCHOOL! (Yes, I am still attending classes at a middle school, but it all counts towards high school, so it counts.)

It's getting pretty serious right now.

I can't just slack off anymore. It's not just between me, my parents, and my teachers anymore. Anyone who wants to employ me, or have me attend their school, or just know about me in general, can and will see these grades. It's scary.

In this fast paced, high-maintenence world that we live in, it's easy to get caught up in the world's fun and games. It's easy to lose sight of the prize while still in the running for it. We need to start paying more attention to ourselves and what we're doing. It is so incredibly simple to forget whose we are and the way we need to live in order to show the world the same love God showed us.

Like my vacuuming skills, we can all develop the practice of slowing down, taking our time, and doing it right.

...that I'm not ready.

Well, well, well. Here I am, with one week of 8th grade left. I have finals this week, my team Olympics, I have to fly an airplane that I built, and there are a ton of open houses to attend for all of the graduates my family knows. Busy, busy times. So it was quite enlightening to hit Dairy Queen last night.

While inside of the fabulous establishment, we ordered. My mother, not knowing the event that was about to unfold, started to pay. While in the middle of a bite of my delicious Rasberry Truffle blizzard, we recieved our total:

$6.66.

Creepy, huh?

With all of the madness about the world ending, this was not very refreshing. Combined with this and the fact that the river that runs through my city is at a terrifying height, my blizzard was much less enjoyable.

But all of this gets me thinking...

...yes, folks, it's time for another one of Julie's apocalyptic blogs!

Hey- don't blame me for being obsessed with Revalation. Not my fault it's fascinating.

But seriously. It's time for more of my thoughts on Doomsday.

I'm seriously peeved about that guy who keeps telling the world that we're all going to die. He's basically just saying, "Hey, I'm smarter than God, because I figured Him out! I know when He's coming back for His true believers. Hey, let's go freak out humanity and spread news of their death!"

I feel quite strongly about this, in case you haven't figured out. It really pushes my buttons. Let me tell you why.

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." -Mark 13:32

TAKE THAT!!!! HA!!!!

God won't let us know exactly when He's going to come back, because we don't have him figured out. We don't know His ways or the infinite purposes that He'll come for when He does. And to be honest, we are tiny little specks compared to the glory of God. We shouldn't know when He's coming back. I don't want to be expecting it, because that ruins some of the divine reason that He came back in the first place. I will not be ready for Him to take me hime until it's in His plan for me to go home. And I will not be satisfied with some human prediction of my Lord's intentions. I want the real deal. Maybe that's selfish, but I just want to see Him face to face on His terms, not someone else's. And I have a lot left to do in this life that He still wants me to accomplish. I can't be done now- I'm not even out of middle school yet. (Well, one more week, technically. I'll still be at a middle school, but it all counts towars high school, so...)

God's still got plans for us here on Earth, and He's not done with us yet.

So get out there, and don't worry about when He's coming back. You'll be ready.

...that camoflauge is a sign of weakness.

Well, I haven't blogged in a while, have I?

Sorry. It's been a busy couple of weeks. My godfather got baptized last week, so we went out to see him. I apologize.

Anyways, lately I have had a game on my mind. The game is not a game you should play around valuable objects, with small children, or in small, compressed areas.

I have been thinking about paintball.

Ever since our youth group played, I have been quite into the game. It may have been the most interesting experience I have ever been a part of. I was the only female playing, and I actually did get a couple of guys out. By the end of the game, I had built myself a shelter and was waiting excitedly for my next chance to shoot. That's when my mom came. But the only problem I encountered was this: While the experienced guys were all wearing camoflauge, I was dressed in a bright green sweatshirt. Not my finest moment. But as I discovered, if you want to be very actively...involved with the game, it's not such a bad thing to be wearing a neon color.

Now, you ask, how does this relate to the Christian values I blog about?

I answer.......

Well, before anyone comtinues, I will say this: I DO NOT THINK YOU ARE WEAK FOR WEARING CANOFLAUGE!!!!!! THAT'S NOT WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY!!! IT'S A METAPHOR!!!!

Sorry.

In a spiritual game of paintball, the teams are us (the Christians) against them (the ones who will try to bring us down. In other words, the world.) The teams are VERY uneven. And right now, it might look like we're losing. But raise you hand if you want to be wearing neon green, fighting on the front lines, ready to risk your ability to fight for Jesus here on Earth because you love Him so much.

I know I want to be.

Trust me, the game will leave scars; bruises; pain. But in the end, it's all worth it.

Until next time....

...that He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

I trust that you are all celebrating this momentous holiday. Well, if you're not, I won't hold it against you. But in my house, Easter is one of two big Christian holidays. The only competition is Christmas. But we still get cinnamon rolls on both holidays, so I love them almost equally.

Just kidding. But the cinnamon rolls are a very yummy and delicious tradition.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little game I have for you:

Start a competition with your friends or family members to see who can get the most "He is risen indeed!" responses to "He is risen!" As it's only eight in the morning as I type this, I have only gotten three, but as the day progresses, I willl probably rack up to about 50.

Do we really savor the truth of these words- He is risen indeed?

I try to. After watching "The Passion of the Christ" a couple weeks ago, I have had a little taste of the brutality of the price He paid for us, but today, the final scene of the movie rings in my head: You see the tomb, and Jesus stands and walks out. You can clearly see the holes in His hands.

It makes me want to do two things:

1) Get tattoos of scars on the palms of my hands,
2) Raise my hands and shout for joy.

Because He's ALIVE!!!!!

(Insert joyous scream here)

Now, as a loving individual, I need to politely scream at you (virtually of course):

GET OFF OF THE INTERNET AND CELEBRATE THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OUR SAVIOR!!!

Love you all.

...that animals are smarter than they appear.

We're dogsitting this weekend.

Of course, with our bird in the house, I figured that this was going to shape up as an adventure.

I was RIGHT.

She has gone to the bathroom on our carpet, played numerous games with us, and whined when we left her for a previous engagement. All typical. But something was not to be expected.

Mozart (the bird) and Daisy (the puppy) have made friends. IT'S BIZARRE. She just spent about 10 minutes just staring at her little buddy. He is trying to call her back now that she is out for a walk. They're totally friends now, and it's kinda freaking me out.

But this has me thinking on animal behavior.

You know the way that animals follow the people around them? Yeah, you know what I'm going to say next: That's how we should follow God. Yes, I am predictable. It's who I am. But anyway, we should. And as Easter approaches, I say to myself, "This will be a fun topic to write about, since this is the time of year that animals are beginning to be born, and soon they will be following us around like they are totally dependent on us (which they are)."

So, to be clear: God is the owner, and we are the animals. Ever notice that when a puppy runs away from the house of a friend when they're staying there, they try to make it back to their home? Last year, when we watched a different dog for friends, he ran away and tried to make his way back home. Except things didn't end up that way.

I don't want to talk about it. He's alive, thankfully, but he got hurt.

Bottom line: It's time to start thinking about sticking at God's heels, no matter what. It's going to go more smoothly. Trust me.

What I still don't understand is how a dog and a bird can coexist without one trying to kill the other. I'll add that to my list of questions to ask God when I see Him.

Enjoy Palm Sunday.

And the YUMMY breakfast that I am helping prepare, if you attend my church.

Now go out into the world (on God's heels), and SPREAD THAT GOOD NEWS FAR AND WIDE!

...that loss helps us find ourselves.

I know it's not tradition for me to post on a Tuesday, but I need to get this out somewhere.

My grandfather died this morning.

We'd been expecting this for a little while, but it was still really sad. My dad's having a hard time with it, my sister and I have to miss school for the funeral, and my birthday was postponed. (No telling about my birthday.)

But this has me thinking. My grandfather was not believed to be a Christian when he died. (Look back to my post on being ready for more about my thoughts behind this.) I never wanted him to spend an eternity...down there, but it's keeping me on my toes for right now.

I'm a little scared for us all.

All of us Christians say we're in it, but are we really? I've been having some moments lately, and I realized...

...if I was the one to die today, I might not be in heaven.

Now, let me offer this as a rebuttal:

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

I was less than thrilled.

We need to realize where our priorities lie, and how we treat people. Our priority should be to model a Christ-like life, and we need to treat everyone like they're the beautiful creation of God that they are.

I know this was short, but cut me some slack- I'm grieving.

Just something to think about. Consider it.

...that music can be wise.

I absolutely LOVE music.

I especially love rock music. There are certain lyrics that just come to mind, and today I want to share with you some that I've been thinking of:

Something's missing in me- I felt it deep within me. Yes, love has left me to bleed alone. (Flyleaf- Missing)

Isn't everyone pretending they're all right? Isn't everyone about to fall? Isn't everyone playing beautiful tonight? Isn't everyone about to fall? (The Wrecking- About To Fall)

I'm just a step away, just a breath away from losing my faith today. I'm falling off the edge today. I am just a man- not superhuman. I need a hero to save me now. I need a hero to save my life. A hero will save me just in time. (Skillet- Hero)

Well, I don't know about you, but these songs hold a lot of meaning for me.

Their lyrics relate to so many people- including me. I do feel like I'm missing something. Sometimes I feel like love has left me to bleed. I am always pretending I'm all right, playing beautiful, and about to fall. And I certainly need a hero to save my life.

And then you have those whose albums center on sex, drugs, partying, and drinking. Wow. People don't really think about the words that their teenagers are listening to. I'm glad my parents have Christian music playing in their cars and in our home. I'm not knocking on secular music- some of it is okay. It's just the ungodly things that make me a little queasy.

Try this: when you listen to music, ignore the beat and the rhythm and just listen to the words- absorb their message. Take some time to go through the music you listen to, and reflect on if they're really what you believe. If you're listening to the radio, I recommend tuning in to K-Love and Air1, because they play music that is totally uplifting and most of the songs sound totally like the secular music you hear on the non-Christian stations.

I would also recommend staying on your toes when you're listening to music that's outside of your control. When you're out with your friends, try to pop in a CD that's at least not based on sex or partying. In restaurants, try to go out with a friend so that you can talk and not have to listen to the musical choices of the restaurant (unless they like Christian music). And avoid school dances and night clubs at all costs unless you go to a Christian school.

Bottom line: Be careful. Music is one of the easiest way for the devil to reel you in because his music is everywhere. Just try to expose yourself to positive tunes.

...that we need to stop jumping out of the fish bowl.

My friend had a story to tell me in Health class the other day.

She had a goldfish. The goldfish apparently either didn't like her very much or just wanted something more, because what this incredible goldfish did is quite fantastic.

The goldfish decided to jump all the way out of its bowl, where it proceeded to flop around until it...well, let's just say it went to the big aquarium in the sky.

This reminded me of humanity.

We are the goldfish, and God is the bowl of water. We want something more, and so we jump out of the bowl. God giving us free will means that He won't stop us, and we wind up dying outside the bowl if we don't find a way back in.

I know what you're thinking: Fish are stupid. I would never be so dumb as to just ditch God when I'm looking for something more. We were created to be WAY smarter than any old goldfish.

Really?

I'm not calling you stupid- I just have seemed to pick up the signals that we only go back to the fish bowl of God when we're dying and need to be restored, and we just hop out again once we're fine. We only pray when we want some unnessecary piece of temporary junk or when something isn't going okay. Not a lot of people seem to want God very much when it's all fine, even though He's the one who made it all fine in the first place.

Temptation is tricky- Satan likes it that way. Life outside the fish bowl looks enticing from the inside, and it lures you out. And it's pretty hard to get back in once you're out.

The good news? Satan can't dwell in the fish bowl- there's no possibility of wreaking havoc. There's too much love in there for him. But he can and WILL do everything in his power to get you out and keep you that way.

My advice? It's pretty simple: When you're looking out of the glass walls of this immense fish bowl that is God, just remember that the image is distorted- your eyes are playing tricks on you. Life is always better with God. Fish are always better off in the fish bowl.

I only wish I could have told the fish that.

...that we need to be ready.

I have a theory.

My theory: quite simple, really. It's not really mine, because a lot of other people share it. But here it is:

JESUS IS COMING BACK SOON!

I could be wrong. The Bible did say that when the Son of Man returned, it would be like a thief in the night. But the Good Book has also given us a LOT of evidence suggesting that our Father could be coming any time now. That makes me...conflicted.

I know that heaven is going to be a lot better than our temporary home of Earth, but I can't stop thinking about people I've grown close to who won't be saved. And I can think of a great many. It's kind of depressing. But it's their choice, right?

Well, I'm no expert at spreading the Good News, but we need to be helping those people along in any way we can. That doesn't mean we need to be throwing them up against a wall and shoving God down their throats. That will only push them further away from the truth.

I know this girl. She will remain unnamed. I used to go to school with her, and she is probably the most Godly person under 20 that I have ever met. She's kind, smart, funny, and everyting she does just screams, "I'm so incredibly happy and it's all because of God!" This girl was like a light in a pitch black room with no doors or windows. I couldn't believe how strong her faith was when we were surrounded by so many people who didn't believe in God.

That's the kind of people we need to be. The kind that just light up the room when they walk in. The kind that make people say, "What is it about you that you are so happy all the time?" The kind that are sprinklers of the love of Christ. I know that's who I want to be. It's what I pray for every night.

Think of all the people who know you. Now think of all of them who still don't know who Jesus is or how much He loves them. The day is coming soon when they won't have any more time to choose and they will have to spend eternity in...well...not heaven.

We don't know when He's coming back. It could be tonight, it could be tomorrow, it could be in 100 years, or even later. But I want to be ready. And I want a lot of others to be ready too.

Don't you?

...that joy comes in many forms.

I have these friends. These friends of mine are a family who listened to a call from God and decided to adopt a baby girl. They recently went overseas to get her. She's home now, and it was decided that she would come with her mom and siblings to church on Wednesday nights. You know, to get acquainted with the people who she would probably grow up around. So I was wandering the halls after youth group, and who should I stumble upon but this family and their new baby.

Let's just say my heart melted immediately.

She's an absolute beauty. She has gorgeous dark skin, a beautiful smile, and the cutest hair on the planet. She was playing catch with her brother, and she would often stop to run back and give her new mom a big smile and even bigger hug.

The absolute joy on her mother's face was like none I have ever seen, and that is the subject of this new blog.

Coming from a girl who's middle name is joy, I can tell you that joy is definitely not the easiest emotion to come across these days. With the ecomony being down, war raging across the Middle East, and prices of basically everything skyrocketing, it's a little hard not to be distracted by the havoc that Satan is wreaking all over the globe. Even optimists are having a hard time putting a positive spin on recent events, and pessimists like me certainly aren't seeing the peace in the midst of these struggles.

Let's take a little verse from James and find out what God's got for us.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -James 1: 2-4

You heard the Word- pure JOY. Now, I'm not saying that when the going gets really tough, as it probably will here in the near future, to think that God is going to drop Himself out of the sky and personally handle all of your problems for you- that wouldn't help you grow. Believe me, I've wished more than once that God would step out of heaven and come to wave His magic wand and make it all better. But at the end of the day, I really just want to look up and say, "Bring it on."

In church last Sunday, another friend of mine spoke some words that I think are an excellent way of living. He said, "I'm not sure if I want my problems to end, because I have never been as close to God as I am now."

I couldn't agree more. And that's pure joy.

...that fear is best handled by the one who created it.

While in the car today, my sister proceeded to tell about her hatred of clowns. She said that their make-up was stupid, that they weren't funny, and that they were just plain creepy. I've always hated clowns, but even I found this to be incredibly harsh. This got me thinking. I really thought about everything that I'm afraid of (and trust me there's a LOT), and how messed up I get whenever I think about them. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a scaredy-cat, but I am ashamed of the thing I'm about to write.

Believe it or not, I have not surrendered my fears to God.

Well, I'm sure that many people out there are probably going to be surprised to hear that. So many people see my seemingly perfect side, and to be honest, I really don't like having to say to the people I'm close to that I haven't totally surrendered. What's even more sad is that I have no excuse. I can't say that I'm just a stupid teenager who doesn't know what's good for her, because I've been paying attention in church for almost 14 years now. I can't say that I'm new at this, because I grew up in a Christian home and asked Jesus into my heart at the age of seven. And I can't say that I don't have experience living for Him, because I've already been on a mission trip and have been trying to live like He would for the same period of almost 14 years.

So what's wrong with me?

Personally, I think it's just a human nature thing. I'm not trying to defend myself- I just really think that we as humans believe that we need to just put a good face on for the rest of the world and then keep our problems and insecurities to ourselves. We are always worried about how our fellow humans see us, instead of how our Creator sees us. I know I am.

So why can't we give it all?

We are control freaks as well as perfectionists. We have to be able to control our enviornment- people actually kill themselves because they feel like they have lost all of their control over their lives. That's why teens rebel, that's why little kids want to do everything themselves, and that's why adults don't help each other out with half of what they could. We all are looking for that sense of power- we were built for power, in a sense. But that power we were built for is supposed to go to God. He's supposed to be the controller, the one who composes our lives, weaves together the threads that make us who we are. He needs control of our fears, or He can't do His job.

Believe me, I wish that I could hop up on that pedastal with God and be the co-pilot. I wish that I could just handle my fears myself and not need anyone else. But I can't. That's the way it was when this all started, that's how it's going to be right now, and spoiler alert: that's one thing that's never going to change.

Kind of stinks, doesn't it?

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. " -Romans 12: 1-2

In other words,

I say...

to just give it all up, and see what happens. It might not get better, but you'll feel a whole lot better inside.