retreat

I'm glad I went to the retreat! It was really chill. I had a good time resting and spending time with the people who went. I think I got to know some people I've seen around and others, even more. After spending three days sick and alone in my bed, it was definitely good seeing people! I hate being sick (I mean, who doesn't?) but from being sick I think I learned valuable lessons.

1. I am weak; God is strong.
2. The desperate cry out. I need to be desperate to know God.
3. Sometimes it's just good to rest by doing nothing but eating and sleeping all day.
4. I value quality time more than I thought I did. I need to see people after a certain point of being alone! (Referring back to the Love Language test we took at youth group two years ago, I wonder if your love language can change over the years. I feel like I value quality time a lot more now than I did before. Also maybe I became more comfortable giving hugs because before I didn't like giving hugs. I mean, it depends who it is and I would rather keep my space sometimes, but I guess some people really need to be hugged.)

Looking back on this weekend, it was really fun and I learned a lot in a different way. We didn't have a speaker and a busy back-to-back schedule, but through the retreat I learned:

1. A lot of C words. Community, confusing, communication, etc. These words are really important in building a community. I realized that a lot of times we lack these things such as communication and it soon leads to confusion, then frustration (which is not a C word).
2. One of the best ways to get to know people is to just spend time with them. 
3. Kids are so cute! Even though I'm eighteen, it can be really fun just playing with five year olds, haha. They're full of so much energy!
4. I need to sincerely seek God. Although I didn't get to read much from the Bible, it encouraged me to read more. It seems like everywhere I turn it's like "read your Bible" haha. For Christmas I got a book titled "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" so time to dive into Bible reading!
5. Grumbling against God and your leaders is not good. I learned this from reading parts of Numbers this weekend. The Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron several times wondering why God chose them instead of anyone else, but every time God showed the Israelites that he chose Moses and Aaron to lead them. Moses was such a good leader. He was extremely humble too - "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). God was so close to killing the Israelites off because they grumbled so much, but Moses interceded in prayer for the Israelites several times.

From reflecting on the past year I realized:

1. God taught me about work this year through my key verse Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
2. God opened my heart more to love others, especially people who I found annoying or didn't really like in the past.
3. God taught me more and more about worship through being in the praise team. Maybe I'll elaborate on this one a bit later.
4. God taught me to be more patient with people.
5. Even when I don't see God working in my life, he is!

I really wanted to choose Isaiah 43:18-19 as my new year's key verse, but now that I'm thinking about it again, I think I might choose something else.

"Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not

perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland."

I read Psalm 138:8 over the weekend and maybe I'll choose this instead as my new year's key verse.

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your love O Lord, endures forever -

do not abandon the works of your hands."

Maybe I need to hold onto God's promises for my life this coming year. (:

Overall, I'm glad I had the opportunity to go to this retreat!

last two weeks

This post will talk about occurrences from the last two weeks or so through words and pictures:

• I am so thankful for surviving last week. At points I didn't think I could get through the week. I just wanted to stay at home and sleep, but thankfully God gave me the strength to get through my test and essay!
• I didn't mention this, but this is what my friends gave me for my birthday. My friend, Kristen, made me a photo book and Preethi gave me an ice cream cake and a frame.

• The tripod came in the mail today! Story of the tripod. I really wanted a tripod for a while and I was looking at them and they were really expensive. I didn't even know there were all kinds of tripods. I decided on a one I wanted. It looked better than other ones but then it was a little bit more expensive. So then I prayed - God could you bring the price down? Then I didn't look at tripods for a week or so and then as I was asking my dad something, I decided to ask him to buy the tripod. Then I saw that it was like two dollars cheaper. I was like okay at least it went down a little bit, haha. Then shipping was so expensive at $13.99. Before we were about to buy it, I noticed that amazon was selling the same exact tripod but for $9 cheaper and there was free shipping. So we saved $23! Praise God for answering my prayer! I am so excited for this tripod but now I have so much more to learn. (:

• A few weeks ago I was asking God how I should live and I felt like he was telling me to flip to December 15 in the devotional book even though it was earlier than that. The verse for that day was "He has shown you, O man, what is good ; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). I didn't realize that it was in Micah and that week I was reading Micah and this verse popped out.
• I recently watched a message by Pastor Stephen Chandler and in the message, Pastor Stephen talked about how we have windows of opportunities in our lives. God doesn't give us all the time in the world  to accomplish some things in our lives. We have seasons in life and certain things can only be accomplished in certain seasons. After I heard that, I've been realizing more and more now that there's windows of opportunities in my life. When I look back on my in my high school years, I see how I interact with different people every year (well, except for very few people). Carpe diem! It makes me want to do my best to have somewhat of an influence to the people around me while I have this opportunity. Maybe the little I do can actually impact someone's life. (:
• After our TLC leaders meeting Friday we went to eat dinner at a Mongolian place called Bang Bang. You basically just picked whatever you wanted and they fried it up for you. 

• We went to see the lights at the National Zoo yesterday! More pictures will be up on facebook, but it was hard to take pictures because it was dark.

Monday

This weekend has been  rough, being sick and all, but I got through by God's grace! Eighteen. I really didn't feel much older turning eighteen. Isn't that strange? I think I felt older when I turned seventeen than when I turned eighteen. I'm still recovering from this stomach virus or whatever I had, but I do feel so much better. I would say being sick on your birthday has its pros and cons. It sucks because you feel terrible but then it also made me realize how much my parents love me because they looked after me.

Today is one of those days where I don't know how I'm going to get through but it's all-the-more reasons to see God working through my weakness. I read Psalm 127 this morning and it was so good:

"Unless the Lord builds the house, 

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat --

for he grants sleep to those he loves."

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord's presence is in my life, everything I do is in vain. People do good and great things in life, but if it's not for the Lord, it's in vain because our lives were created to glorify God. A thought came into my mind today. I am sometimes a perfectionist, which is sometimes bad and sometimes good, but then I was reminded that God doesn't demand perfection from me. That's a good thing because I am not perfect. I can try to be, but I never will be perfect on earth. However God demands for me to do whatever I do for His glory. He wants me to try and do my best, but in all, he doesn't demand perfection. He wants my heart to be aligned with his and to love others with the compassion He has for me. And I'm thankful God doesn't demand perfection. Being weak and tired today, all I can do is my best to study for my physics and lit test tomorrow. Then leave it all up to God.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday! In between all that, I need to find time to edit pictures...

surprises

On Monday morning, I asked God to surprise me this week and then on Monday:
1. My AP Bio test got moved from Wednesday to Friday.
2. My Latin teacher said he wasn't going to be here from this Thursday - next Tuesday.
3. My sketchbook homework that was due on Wednesday is now due on Friday.

I realized that God has been and is continually teaching me about worshiping him. He deserves my everything. I've been watching a few videos here and there - Pastor Stephen Chandler's message & Bethel videos and it kind of clicked. Over the past few months God has been showing me that everything really does point to him and he deserves all of my worship. And what I learn in school shouldn't be a distraction from not spending time with Him, but it should make him worship him even more. We're learning about all the small details of a cell right now in biology and it amazes me how God created everything and how it all works together. While I'm living, there are thousands of reactions going on in my body - hydrolysis, movement of organelles, cells, etc. and everything works together well. Isn't it amazing?

WARNING- SPOILER ALERT: If you never read Candide before and you don't want me to spoil the ending, you should skip the next few paragraphs, but if you don't care, you can read it, haha.

We just finished reading Candide by Voltaire in lit and at first, it was difficult to get accustomed to the style and the pace of the book, but it has been making me think. Questions I was thinking about the other day - What is hope? What is optimism? Is there a difference between the two, and if there is, what is it? Is it possible to have hope but still be pessimistic? (Feel free to comment what you think!) I was asking a few of my friends and we all seemed to agree that there is a difference from hope and optimism abut how they were related seemed debatable. I think it really depended on how people defined hope. One of my friend defined hope as a wish, but I think it's more than just a wish. Another of my friends said - "Optimism is thinking everything is good and looking at the good in everything while hope if believing that something good will happen one day. I think most optimistic people have hope but you don't need to be optimistic to have it." I think these definitions somewhat limits what hope is. It makes it seem like there is no actions as a result of hope and I think it's the opposite of my friends said. I think most people with hope have optimism. I actually don't know. They're so intertwined. Anyways, that was just a thought.

I also found the character Pococurante very interesting. Candide was so certain that Pococurante must be happy because he had everything. "I've been told about a senator named Pococurante who lives in a beautiful palace on the Brenta and always gives strangers a courteous welcome. They say he's a man who's never known sorrow or trouble" (p.98). His "palace was an architectural triumph" and he had everything in abundance. However he made a comment about all his source of entertainment that although they were entertaining at first, they all ended up boring him. "The noise may be amusing for half an hour but if it lasts any longer it bores everyone, although no one dares to admit it" (p.100). I found that really interesting because it really shows us nothing in this world can really satisfy us. It can entertain us for a while, but eventually it can't so we search for more entertainment elsewhere. Then, isn't that depressing? Yes, but there is someone who can satisfy us and that's God himself! Nothing will satisfy us in this world, but God can and will. Then everything, including my studies points back to God again.

At the end of the book, Pangloss said - "...when man was put in the Garden of Eden, he was put there 'to dress it and to keep it,' that is, to work; which proves that man was not born to be idle" (p.120). This really reminded me of my key verse this year - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he prepared in advance for us to do." Someone in class mentioned in class that Voltaire criticizes religions, but he doesn't question God's existence. I found that interesting. I don't really know exactly what Voltaire's points were through his book, but they're interesting to think about. I also found it somewhat significant that at the end of the novel, "the whole group entered into this commendable plan, and each began to exercise his own talents. The little farm yielded abundant crops." Maybe Voltaire's message to the people of his time was to stop theorizing everything and start working together as people. I like how each of the characters cultivated their talents. I think it's important we do that as a society as well. Not everyone can be one thing.

I made a website! mustardseedphotography.weebly.com
I was talking to my art teacher today and she suggested that I make a website so I just did, haha. She's really good at photography!

kids

These kids are growing up so fast!

update!

Five day weeks are draining, so draining. Two down and two more to go. (: My schedule basically everyday has been - wake up, go to school, try to get as much work done in school, stay after school, come home, do homework, and attempt to sleep early as possible, then repeat.

I guess after going through routines for days, it's easy for me to start losing sight of the promises God has given me in the past. After that, it's so much easier to lose hope and start complaining. As I was starting to lose sight of God's promises, God provided at the perfect time a guest speaker at TLC this week. Preethi really insisted that he wanted this person to come and speak, but the rest of us had no idea who he was.(www.yoursevenproject.com) He used to be a youth pastor but after God called him to missions, he goes to different school in the nation and hosts an assembly. In the day time, they talk about different topics such as drug abuse, abstinence, etc. and then invite everyone to come out again in the evening. He shared a vision that God gave him in reaching out to people to be saved and it really made me think. What am I doing to reach out to these people who don't know they're heading to hell? If I just share one thing, could it make an impact in their life? It made me desire to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He also talked about how he prayed "break my heart for what breaks yours" to Jesus and as he heard stories of abandonment, hurt, etc his heart broke. It makes me wonder - what can I do to love these people? Most of the time it's easier to mind my own business and let others keep living as they do. I forget that simple actions can brighten up people's days. For example some people smile if you just smile at them. (: So since Wednesday the line from Hosanna - "break my heart for what breaks yours" has been on replay in my head.

"Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them." - Psalm 119:140
I read this verse yesterday. At first I quickly read over it but then the more I thought about it, I realized how true it is. God always fulfills his promises and I can always trust him. There's never been a time when God hasn't fulfilled his promise. That says something.

Poetry Slam. I hadn't planned on going to it and honestly I didn't expect much from it. Someone just asked me to photograph the event and so I just went. I didn't really know anyone there very well, but surprisingly I enjoyed it. I feel like there's so many emotions in poems. You get to hear stories you would have never known about and you get to sort of feel what they feel. It kind of broke my heart with some things people went through.

After staying in front of the school and waiting for your parents a bunch of times, you start to meet new people. I was standing outside Wednesday, waiting for my mom and this girly randomly started talking to me, haha. She probably though I was a freshman too.

Anyways,  through these random events, I realized I like meeting new people!

Wedding Photos

This is going to be a short post, but I've been looking at a lot of wedding/engagement photos lately and here's what I have been noticing:

1. Most of the pictures are focused on the bride/bride-to-be with a few solo-shots of the groom.
2. The couple is off-centered, more closer to the edges.
3. Other pictures are centered.
4. White. Most pictures are bright and there's a lot of white!
5. The scenery is beautiful. I feel like engagement/wedding photos are mostly taken in the woods, open grass fields, or churches.
6. They're so pretty.

There must be so much pressure being a wedding photographer. If you miss that moment, you can't go back and rewind to have another chance. The pictures you take and process are going to be the pictures the couple has to look back at their wedding. Actually it's probably rewarding knowing you took pictures that people can look back at and remember. (:

And here's a picture that I took today that has nothing to do with weddings:

Crazy Love

I recently read the book Crazy Love  by Francis Chan. I think the things that mostly stuck out to me were:

1. God is so good. He is so great and beyond anything I can imagine. My response to his greatness should be to worship Him with my everything because he deserves my worship.
2. Though I already knew this, I was reminded that a Christian life is simply being madly in love with Jesus. God's love is perfect; my love is imperfect. Yet God still chooses to love me with unconditional love which is amazing!
3. All the glory belongs to God.
4. I don't remember where, but I remember this one question he said someone asked him - "What are you doing in your life that requires faith?" This has been repeating in my mind constantly for a few days. What exactly am I doing that requires faith? I know that God is powerful, but do I believe in Him that I will trust Him to do impossible things? What am I praying for? Who am I praying for? How will my life be if God was not in the picture? When I think about what God is doing all around the world, it's just so amazing. Our God is so amazing! I don't want to live a life that denies God's powers. I want to see God reveal his power to people through spiritual and physical healing, and etc.

Yesterday in TLC (I keep forgetting today is Thursday, not Friday!) we divided into two small groups and talked about Thanksgiving. We talked about Psalm 103 and for what reasons David gave thanks to God. Then we went around and shared stories of how God healed us and how God revealed himself to us and it was so refreshing hearing ways God continues to work in other people's lives. Often times, I don't ask "How is God working in your life?" or "What has God done in my life?" and I even forget all the awesome things God has done in my life. But sharing was a good reminder and it brought me back so many memories of what God has done in my life. It's so amazing how God just fit all the puzzles in my life perfectly in certain situations when I was so unsure about the future. It gives me hope for the future because I know God has the perfect plans for my future. I recently had the thought - wow, there's so much more in life than going to college. There's always the uncertainty. What am I going to do in the future? Right now I only have a very ambiguous idea on what God wants me to do in the future. There's two certain things, but I have no idea when, how, or where they are all going to unfold. I have to trust God. I hope that in my life I can see God's power revealed. I just have to have faith in God! (:

Thanksgiving Topics

1. That God sent his beloved Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. The God of the universe sent his own beloved Son to die for this sinful person. I just repeated the first sentence, but this is amazing!
2. My family. I am so thankful how my parents sacrificed so much for me over all these year. They continuously give me rides to and from places, especially from school. They work so hard to provide for us! Also I am thankful for my sister. I remember I prayed for a sibling when I was the only child and then I had my sister.
3. Friends. I am thankful for being surrounded by Christian friends in church and at school as well. I realize more and more this is a blessing from God!
4. All the struggles - junior year, missions, sicknesses, etc. God taught me so much through every single struggle.
5. My camera. I am soo thankful my parents bought my camera last December. I can't believe it's almost a year! Through having a DSLR I learned so much about photography. I am also thankful for all the opportunities God has given me through photography. I know they're all from Him. (:
6. Opportunity to have had piano and violin lessons 'cause there are people who want to learn but never had the chance.
7. Youth group. I am so thankful for the leaders. Now that I am older I realize and appreciate all the more the hard work they put into loving us. It's hard planning events and moreover, every week!
8. All the times God answered my prayers, and the times He didn't.
9. Mexico missions 2011 & 2012. From each year I learned more how to work with others and God taught me more and more how to love others!
10. Having a nice home. I fail to realize this often times but by just living in America, I am very blessed and rich.
11. That I am able to run.
12. Praise team. I am thankful for our trio-praise team. Before it was only the two of us! It's a on-going learning process. I pray that we, as a youth group can learn how to worship God even more through our lives.
13. School. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have an education and to be attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School. I have such great teachers.
14. This year. I am thankful for this year. Though sometimes it is super busy, other times it's so chill.
15. Peace of God. This year is a year of peace.
16. License! Without God, I would have failed my driving test, but by God's grace I passed!
17. My church. It definitely is a second family. (:

What are you thankful for?

During the Sunday worship today, I realized Jesus just wants us to be madly in love with Him.

Then it reminded me of this song:

art

my art homework

I'm realizing more and more how much I like arts & crafts!

Knowing My Place

I turned on the radio this morning and after being confused for a moment, I was like ohh yeah it's the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas music!

Today my sister came to me and told me: "Grace, look at my 3D glasses!" haha. 

I started reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan a few days ago and it keeps teaching and reminding me who God is. Then consequently it reminds me who I am. My life is so short and temporary but God is eternal. There are so many aspects of God that I will never completely know who he is on this earth and yet there's a point when life becomes a routine that I forget. God is millions of times bigger than the box I often place him in. God is the God who created the heavens and the earth. He knows all things and He created me. This God who created this vast universe that keeps expanding chose to create me and "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). The more I think about how great God is, I can't stop praising God. If nothing ever good ever happens in my life, God's greatness should be enough that God deserves all my praise throughout my whole life. I am so thankful that the God of the universe chose to create me and chooses to have a relationship with me. I don't deserve all of this at all, yet he continues to pour out His blessings upon me. God deserves all the glory. In the Bible it says God hates the proud. I was thinking about it. Why is it that it's unattractive when someone has so much pride in himself or herself? Then I realized that God rightfully deserves all the glory*. When someone is proud, he has confidence in himself. On the other hand, when someone is humble, he has confidence in God. The greatest example we can see is in Jesus. However it doesn't mean I can just say "I got rid of all my pride. I'm just humble now!" It's always going to be a work in progress, but I need to strive to continue to know God more. There is an incredible amount of God that I don't know of. God has revealed a lot to me over these past years of who He is, but I should not remain complacent with what I know. It's really easy for me to get caught up in the routines of life, but God is reminding me of the promises he gave me. There's more to this life guys! So much more than all these things I worry about. Then the more I think about how great God is, I am amazed at his creativity. God created so much diversity in the species of animals and plants. There are so many different kinds of people, talents, personalities, gifts, and etc. 

Well if you didn't get anything from reading this, just remember God deserves all the glory. (:

*I don't remember where I heard this but I always remember this analogy: when you look at the Grand Canyon, what's your response? You just stand in awe of it. You're just amazed. In the same way, we should stand in awe of God. 

Knowing Our Identity

Today I went to Baltimore to take the oath of citizenship to the United States. It was a lot of waiting, but the ceremony (which was not really a ceremony) was really short. Everyone just got their certificates and that was it. When I received my certificate, I was kind of surprised. Why? Because it said that I was a citizen from 2009 because that's when my parents became citizens. I knew that I was a citizen because my parents were, but then I didn't really know it. Then I thought about how we as Christians, at times, fail to recognize where our citizenship is - in heaven. Moreover, sometimes we know our citizenship is in heaven, but we fail to live it out. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). We fail to live our lives with the power God gives us.

In Jesus there is so much power and hope. As I was about to go to sleep the other day, a thought came to my mind. There are so many people in the room of despair but not many in the room of hope. However in Jesus, there always is hope!

learning

"Believe God is working in your life even when you don't feel it." - Rick Warren from The Purpose Drive Life

With everything I do, I need to glorify God.

This is what I learned from Bible study last week. We studied 1 Corinthians 4:1-21. I learned important characteristics of a God's servant and here they are: 

1. God's servant must be faithful.
2. "Do not go beyond what is written."
3. We don't need to boast about people. 
4. Don't compromise.
5. Be a spiritual father/mother.

Apostle Paul personally became the Corinthian's spiritual father. He didn't just become their guardian, but he became their father. Though guardians and parents both has custody over children, there are things that parents would do for their children that guardians might not do. 

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10: 45)

This verse has been repeating itself in my mind for the past few days. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." And then it repeats again. Serving is hard because it requires me to deny my selfishness and consider others. However Jesus, the Son of Man did not come to be served by people, even though he deserves it! He came to serve and to be like him, I must learn to serve others as well. Truthfully it's really hard because sometimes I just don't want to do it. It means I will get overlooked, I won't get to do what I want to do, and etc. But God is teaching me that it's important to serve. Through these years God taught me that true leaders are the ones who love the ones they lead by serving over and over again. Yes, when you serve you tend to get overlooked but God knows. It also matters the attitude I serve in because if I serve but do it with grumbling, then I might as well not have done it in the first place. So I want to have the mentality - "how can I serve?" more and more rather than to just be served.

Changing the topic, this weekend was really good. It really reminded me to be thankful for simple things such as being able to run, having good friends, etc. On Friday we did Operation Christmas Child at school and it was just nice being able to give back in a simple way. God did so much for me throughout my life and continues to do so much that it's just a simple way to give back. Then after that I went to my friend's house and then went to her youth group's Thanksgiving dinner. On Saturday we also did Operation Christmas Child at youth group! Then Mary Anna, the two Hannahs and I went for a run through a trail to University of Maryland. Well, I was really slow, but I ran at least half of the way there! I never even knew there was a trail to Maryland! Well, you had to go through like the apartments, to the roads, to the golf court, and then there was the trails. It was such a nice day! There were so many potential locations for a photo shoot, haha. Then this weekend after hearing the Sunday message I was reminded to be thankful that I could run. I remember there was a point around two years ago when my foot hurt when I ran. So thankful I can run now! I also realized how thankful I should be to have had good friends throughout high school.

I just finished reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelly for Lit and it was actually really good. Whenever the creature juxtaposed his creation with Adam, I was reminded how God created us. He created Adam and said he was very good. And we, as his creatures are made in his image! (:

praying mantis

I saw this creature the other day. Perhaps it was a reminder to keep praying? To keep praying even though I do not see the results right away. To keep praying no matter the circumstances. (:

reflections

Changed my blog layout! I think I like this much better. (:

"This next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity. For instance, God teaches us love by putting some unlovely people around us. It takes no character to love people who are lovely and loving to you. God teaches us real joy in the midst of sorrow, when we turn to him. Happiness depends on external circumstances, but joy is based on your relationship to God. God develops real peace within us, not by making things go the way we planned, but by allowing times of chaos and confusion...Integrity is build by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the temptation to give up."

- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

* The italics and exclamation marks were in the book. I didn't add them!

I have been reading The Purpose Driven Life for like forever. I read the excerpt above yesterday and it was really interesting because I don't think I ever thought about temptation like that. The word temptation just sounds bad to my ears, but then in another sense, it's a good thing. Each time you overcome a temptation you develop your character and become more like Jesus.

Reflections.

"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3: 5-9

In these verses Paul shows the Corinthian church that all of God's servants had one purpose. Church members should not be divided based on which speaker they favor, but they should be united because they all serve one - Jesus. These verses reminded me that all the glory belongs to Jesus. When people see me, I don't want them to see me, but I want them to see Jesus. When you see your reflection, who do you see? When there are successes in ministry, we need to remember to thank God because God makes things grow. All I can do is to do the work God wants me to do. All the glory in my life belongs to Him!

Through the Harvest Festival this past weekend, God reminded me that the only life living is a life living for Jesus. Everything else will fade away. Even our closest friends can't always be by our sides, but God will always be there. Always.

The weather this weekend was amazing! It totally confused me today. Everything looked like winter, but it felt like spring. I love spring weather. I also slept a lot this weekend. I usually never get to sleep in, but I had a whole three days to sleep in! Then I took a nap each day too...haha.

reason

"This is my prayer in the desert

When all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in my hunger and need

My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial of pain

There is a faith proved of more worth than gold

So refine me Lord through the flame

And I will bring praise, I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here."

In Ecclesiastics 1: 2, it says "'Meaningless! Meaning!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.'" I was thinking the other day and life is a never-ending cycle of work. Having the mentality that "I just need to get this finished for tonight" doesn't work anymore because after that, there will be even more and more work. I guess due do this mentality work has been burdensome to me lately. Isn't it kind of depressing? Working for the rest of your life when it'll become meaningless in the end. After struggling with this mentality, I came to accept that life will always be an unending cycle of work. However, it is my choice how I choose to live it. I can choose to trust God no matter the circumstances that I go through and be joyful or I can choose to complain about work. And then through failing, I learned that I always have a reason to be thankful. I always have a reason to be joyful because Jesus died on the cross for my sins so that I can be united with God. That surpasses anything of this world. I know where I belong. Jesus already won. He's victorious. So no matter the circumstance I am in, I have a reason to be thankful, to worship, to be joyful.

choosing faith, hope, and love

The last few weeks have been tough. Senior year has been tough although fun at certain times, but definitely tough. It feels like a never-ending cycle of work and studying, well not feels like, it is. However life is always going to be a never-ending cycle of work and busy-ness with rest in certain periods. I've been thinking a lot about what really matters in the end. It won't matter in a few years what my GPA was in high school, it won't matter when I die what accomplishments I made in the world. However how I loved other people will matter. Did I love others the way Jesus loved me? Did my life reflect the forgiveness that I received from Jesus?

Sometimes I know I don't have to worry because I know that God's ways are perfect, but I end up worrying anyways. I don't know exactly what God is teaching me this time, but it's always hard in the process of learning. Maybe he's teaching me to trust Him and only Him completely. Maybe he's teaching me humility. Maybe he's teaching me that character matters more than grades. Maybe he's teaching me to value other people for who they are no matter who they may be. Maybe he's teaching me to persevere.

"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."

I never really thought about it, but how many times has Jesus taken my burdens so that I didn't have to be burdened? Far more than I know. I thank God for being so kind to me when I don't deserve it at all.

God deserves all the glory.

No matter what my circumstances, God is good. In the good times and the bad times, God is good.

http://www.setapartgirl.com/blog/Entries/2012/9/12_Commanding_my_Soul_to_Rejoice.html
I thought this was really good - and encouraging. (: I have to choose to live a life full of hope.
"The news that Jesus Christ rescued me from sin and death, and that I am His for all eternity. The news that He has given me everything I need for life and godliness, and that He will never leave me or forsake me. What more could I ever ask for? What other reason do I need to sing, dance, and leap for joy?"

thoughts

I am so thankful for these two days we haven't had school. I really need them.

Recently I made a pinterest. It's like an overflow of creativity ideas that makes you just want to do crafts all day. Every time I see a good idea, I wish I had the materials so I could make them, haha. It also makes you believe you can do anything creative because everything looks so pretty!

While my prayer topic now is to gain wisdom, it sure is not easy gaining it. God is giving me opportunities to make decision and it's hard. Often times it's easy to look at other people who have made great decisions in their lives and have thought "oh, that must have been easy for them because it's just them" but I realized that everyone struggles to make the right decisions in their lives. It's easy to think that dying on the cross was really easy for Jesus, but it wasn't. Before his crucifixion, he pleaded with God that the pain be taken away from him if it was God's will. From here, we can see that it was difficult for Jesus to choose the will of God. He did it, but it wasn't easy. At the same time, God's great plans for our lives are not going to be easy. They're the best, but they're not the easiest. However little or great the decisions that faces me, I pray that I may have discernment to choose what is right before God no matter how difficult the choices.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." - Isaiah 55:6

It is good to seek God. I remember hearing a message by Shep. David Brogi and I think he said (paraphrasing) you will never waste your time seeking God. It's so true. The wisest thing to do in this life is to seek God. 

I need to trust God. There's great peace when I trust him.

I'm reminded once again that God uses us to do great things when we are weak. It is so important for us to be humble before God. Completely honest, vulnerable, and humble before him. Time and time again, I try doing things all on my own again only get burnt up, frustrated, and weak. However in these weakest moments, God uses me. Why? Because it's not about me. It's for his glory. It's all for his glory.

wisdom

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." - 1 Corinthians 1: 25

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began." - 1 Corinthians 2: 6-7

"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual worlds." - 1 Corinthians 2: 13

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." - Proverbs 4: 7

I used to think there was one type of wisdom, but I was wrong. There are two types - wisdom of God and wisdom of the world. The least of God's wisdom surpasses the greatest wisdom of the world. The thing about wisdom is that anyone can choose to seek it. It's just that not many people do. However wisdom gives us discernment in knowing what to do in tough circumstances. Right now my prayer topic is to gain wisdom. I believe to gain wisdom, you need the Holy Spirit as well. The Holy Spirit is that one that will guide us through the decisions we make in our lives. I actually had a lot of things to say, but I can't seem to write now that I'm actually writing.

thoughts:

• The decisions you make today will impact your future. Be wise with the decisions you make today.
• Priorities matter. Time to set my priorities again.
• I heard this on the radio this morning, which I will be paraphrasing: often times we don't want to do the will of God because it's hard. We only know what God reveals, one step at a time. I thought this was quite interesting because that's what Moses did. He didn't want to do it because it was hard. That's what I do too. I give excuses because it's hard, but then God's plans are the best. (:
• I can't do things. I need to give them up to God.
• It's good to build other people up.

autumn

 It's definitely autumn. I love how the leaves all change colors. The trees are so beautiful. It just makes me smile watching the bright red, orange, and yellow leaves pass by them in a car. (:

peace

There is peace admitting that I cannot do it because I know that there is someone far greater who is working through me that can do it. Throughout junior year, I really had to rely on God because at certain times there was just too much work, too many due dates, and too many tests piled in one week. Sometimes I have that mentality that junior year was supposed to be the hardest year, so senior year should be a breeze. But it really isn't. In the same way I brought everything before God junior year, I need to bring it all before God. Even though things may not be working the way I expect them to, whenever I entrust something to God, he takes care of it. As I learned in TLC today, I must remain faithful to what God has given me. Even though I may not get recognized just as Mordecai's act in saving the king was not recognized at the time, my actions do matter. Your actions do matter. No matter how small or large they seem, if God wants you to do it, it's important. Sometimes I forget this and when nobody seems to care about anything, I want to stop caring too,  but then I have to remind myself, again -- "Who am I living for?" It truly is amazing how God uses people when they give Him the little faith they have. He multiplied two loaves and five fish. He healed the blind, the lame, and so on. Give Him the little faith that you have and trust Him. He will use you to do great things. I keep going on tangents, but often times we do hear "we will do great things" but great things really come from doing all kinds of little things. Going back to your actions, the small decisions you make now will great impact your future. The decision you make now as a kid, especially to seek God will definitely be beneficial as you get older. Hey, God always keeps his promises. He said if you seek Him, you will find Him. So however old you are reading this, make the decisions today that will honor God. If you keep pushing it off 'till tomorrow, you know tomorrow will not come for a very long time.

Thankfulness

Phrases that really stuck to my mind from the past two weeks:

- Go where you are needed, not where you are wanted.

- Change your attitude or change your name.

Hey, Thanksgiving is around the corner. Yes! However, I need to remember to be thankful even when it's not Thanksgiving. I am really thankful for today. Though it could have been a stressful day, I believe God was telling me to just enjoy it. The weather was so nice and most of my classes were pretty chill. I am so thankful that God listens to our prayers and he is trustworthy. It's so exciting when prayers are answered and it's amazing how God answers them! There's so much power in prayer. Don't forget that. But you have to believe and trust God when you pray. Without believing and trusting God can do big things, your prayers aren't worth much.

A lesson from a dreams:

- Things will not go the way I plan them. It's okay. God has the best plans.

Oh yes! I am so thankful that my 50mm is fixed now! Even the autofocus works. It was broken, but then I gave it to my friend. He followed some manuals, opened it up, took it to his internship at NASA, or something like that and now it's fixed! Thank God. Now I really have to go take fall pictures. Hopefully I can do that Saturday! (:

First quarter's ending this week. Whoa, time has gone by so quickly. At the same time, everyday is busy busy busy. I am constantly working on something or another, but there's peace.

"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Chris our Lord, is faithful."

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

NHS Inductions this week. Woohoo. Planning fun.

APTAT || Camping

Yesterday I happened to find messages by John Piper and I chose one. If you have time, it's worth listening to: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/the-word-of-god-is-at-work-in-you. I was amazed how real the Bible is in his life and you can just recognize it by listening to him speak for only a few minutes. He really analyzes the Bible in depth and you can just see God working through his life. The one thing I really learned from it was APTAT. So what is this? It's not a real word, but it's an acronym.

Admit

Pray

Trust

Act

Thank Him 

It's a way of living. Whenever I face any problems, I need to admit that I am powerless. I can't do it without God. I am helpless. Then I need to pray specifically. During the message, John Piper talked about how it is important to hold onto verses, promises God has given us. We need to repeat such promises over and over to ourselves. Then I need to trust God that He will be with me, take care of the problem, etc. After that I can't just sit and pray. I must act and after everything is over, I need to thank Him. (:

APTAT. After listening to this, I realized I did have my own variation of this as I learned how to overcome struggles last year, but it's assuring to know that others do the same thing.  I need to remember to thank God. There's great assurance knowing that it is not by my power I do things, but through God's power. His power is so much greater.

I was reminded that I need to bring everything before God, not just the big things in life, but even the small things. (:

Prayer is powerful.

Yesterday/today the youth group went camping! It rained a bit, but it was a good experience. Sleeping in tents were somewhat uncomfortable but not too bad. It reminded me of Mexico... We were all so fascinated by fire. Why are we so fascinated by fire? As I kept watching the fire, I kept thinking of fire as a metaphor to the Christian life. We need to keep feeding the fire to watch it grow. In the same way, we need to keep feeding ourselves spiritual food for us to keep growing. And the analogy goes on and on...

On another note, flag football's not that bad as I remember it from freshman year...

new blog post to check out: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/2012/10/she-clings-tightly-to-edge-of-pool.html

phew

Today I took my third and last SAT ever. It wasn't that bad while I was taking it but then I got extremely tired after.

thoughts:
- I would hate to live my life and in the end, realize everything I did was meaningless.
- Foundations & bases are really important. So I wanted to elaborate on this, but I can't seem write lately.
- People always surprise you.
- YAY I'm done taking the SATs.
- What to major it, what to major in...
- Lens might be fixed. Yay. (:
- Sleeping before eleven = a happier person.
- I need to take fall pictures.
- Need to finish college essays rather soon.

50mm

Sadly my 50mm prime lens took a fall yesterday and broke. I find it funny how random people have told me today that they are sad that my lens broke. It's extremely sad because I realize now, that it's gone, how much I actually used it, but I'm thankful as well. I realized how much I actually do have. I don't deserve to have all these - a DSLR. A year ago, I just had my little Kodak M1033, and now I have a DSLR. So thankful for this. I still have my kit lens (:

College Essays

"Describe the parts that add up to the sum of you."

I really want to write this essay, but I'm having such a hard time. Why? I don't know. I already wrote two essays, attempting to answer this question, but I didn't answer it. What are parts that add up to the sum of me? Should I stick with concrete ideas or not? I don't know. There's so many directions this essay can go, but here I am, stuck.

In my opinion, the difficult part of writing a college essays is the word counts. It's extremely hard putting certain feelings into words that communicate clearly to others.

Maybe I'll just choose another prompt. Maybe.

On another note, college essays make you think about your life - what you did, who you are, etc. It brings me back random memories.

God's Goodness

God is so good.

It feels like I haven't blogged in a while. Well, I did the other day, but that really doesn't count. Well, God has been teaching me a lot through Esther. Last Wednesday we watched Veggie Tales in TLC and it was really good. It reminded me that Esther was indeed brave, but she was human too. It took a lot of courage for her to be able to go up to the king without being summoned. I don't have circumstances like Esther did, but I can learn a lot from her. What stuck out to me the most from the video was when her cousin Mordecai came up to her and told her there was a reason for why she was the Queen even though couldn't see at the time. And when the time did come for her to take action, her decisions were important. Often times I feel like we fail to realize that our actions affect not only ourselves, but others as well. Well, I know I do. Sometimes I wonder why I'm placed in certain places at certain times and I don't know why in the beginning but I know that God always has the best for me. I just have to trust him, but when the time comes, I have to choose to live out the plan he has for my life. No one else can make the decision for me or live out my life for me.

Hmm, on another note. College applications. Whenever people ask me which colleges I'm applying to, they seem surprised by my answer. UMCP & UMBC. I've thought about applying to other colleges, but then, where would I go? Even if I did get accepted to a college out of state, it would be really expensive to go out of state. If I have to go to school for a long time, I might as well keep my debt low. I think I'll stick around Maryland a little bit longer. (:

This is a year of peace.
However, I have to keep choosing to trust God, which gets hard at times. It's easy to start worrying when things don't go the way I plan it, but there's always a reason. Always. I may never know, but there is.

YAY. I got my license yesterday. That's a long story in itself. So many things went wrong, but it all worked out. I was also praying for nice weather and it was so beautiful yesterday! Ah, anyways, long story short I would not have passed without God's grace and mercy. God is good. (: It actually seems surreal. Isn't it weird driving by yourself? Through the driving test God taught me that there are so many things that will be out of my control and when things are out of control, I can't do anything but pray. There's power in praying & believing. I got my license on 10/11/12!

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” - Mark 9:23

Well today I finished taking my AP Bio quiz and then I was going to study for my English test. Then this guy tapped me on my shoulder and asks me if I did my stat vocab. And then I realized that I totally forgot about that part of the stat homework. Then I try to do some of it, but then whatever, I had homework passes. But then when I entered class, on the board it says "finish 5.2 vocab for homework." Yes! I have the weekend to do it now. Thank God. Sadly the forgetful part of me left my workbook somewhere in school. But, I asked someone to scan it to me.

God is good.

What's happening

• College applications.
• LHS Inductions coming up
• NHS Inductions coming up
• RP stuff @ MD Saturday.
• SAT soon.
• Camping next Friday.

the little things

Well, this past weekend I learned to be thankful for the little things. (:

The weather just plummeted yesterday night. Today was just really really cold. Anyways, I was really cold in first period and second period today because of the temperature change. Then in second period, I prayed for warmth. Guess what. Third period was warm. I literally walked in and said "oh my gosh" because third period is always cold no matter what. Statistic is always cold, but today it was warm! God is good.

--
Psalm 37 & 73
I find it really cool how they're similar and their numbers are just flipped.

Responsibilities

There were new faces in TLC today! That was quite exciting. Though it seems like people who came in the past years seem to be too busy, we're seeing new faces. The leaders decided that this year we're going to try to focus on different characters throughout the year - hopefully one a month. Today we had a discussion on Esther and essentially responsibilities. Queen Esther went through a lot of things as a child. As an orphan, her uncle Mordecai raised her. When the King was looking for a new Queen, she was taken in along with other women to be considered to be the next Queen. She pleased the King and therefore she became Queen! However a heavy responsibility fell upon Esther. Haman created a decree that allowed him to kill Jewish people on a certain day. Mordecai urged Esther, as the Queen, to plead before the King.

Esther 4:

¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Despite being under all the pressure, Queen Esther chose to take upon the responsibilities God had given her and carried them out. Then this lead into another thing - responsibilities God has given us as Christians. Even though we're "only" teenagers and "only" in high school, we have the responsibility has Christians to tell others about him. It's definitely hard. I get so distracted with schoolwork and I like to be comfortable, but it was definitely a good reminder to spread the gospel. I believe there are other specific responsibilities God has given each person such as using the talents he has given us to glorify him to washing the dishes.

This discussion was really encouraging to me today. Just watching people partake in the discussion, I realized that there are people at Roosevelt living for God. Yes, we all have our weaknesses, but we're here to encourage and support each other. Apparently there's going to be a new Christian club that meets on Thursdays. I think their main focus is going to be in Bible studies, but it's great. I hope that more people may come to accept the salvation that comes through Jesus and be able to live their lives for Him! Ahh, it's the best decision you'll ever make.

Speaking of responsibilities, I feel like sometimes responsibilities can end up feeling burdensome. However, it's important that we choose to do the right thing under heavy circumstances. Look at Esther - look at the consequences her decisions brought. She saved the Jewish people from a genocide! Even though responsibilities can seem burdensome, let's trust God and be faithful to him. (: 

Though it may not seem like it, our decisions affect other people 

friends

Looking back throughout high school, I am so thankful for the friends God provided me with. I think I took it for granted that I had Christian friends, but now I realize that it's something special. I have friends who are seeking God in their life alongside me. I'm not alone. I'm so thankful that God prepared friends for me in advance in high school. He always knows what's best for me even when I don't. (:

It's not easy to have good friends either. To have a great friend, you have to be one too. It takes a lot of energy to build a relationship with someone, but in the end it's worth it.

--

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

--

"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" (Matthew 11: 28-30).

God has been gently reminding me to just come to him. God can handle it. He doesn't want to just hear about the big problems. He wants me to tell him everything that's concerning me. He doesn't want me to be burdened. Instead he wants me to trust him with all my heart that everything's going to work out. Unlike me, God's not concerned about everything going right at the moment. He's concerned about the end result. He's concerned about the condition of my heart. He wants me to keep growing and growing. I need to lay down everything before the king - the good and the bad. God works for the good of those who love him. (:

Do you believe it?

SYATP

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." - Psalm 63:1

Today was the national day of prayer at flagpoles in schools all around the world. Praying with other people who believe in God, I was just so encouraged. God really reminded me that he listens to my prayers. Two years ago at Grace Retreat when I went to the prophesy room, they told me that God listens to my prayers. Praying with others reminded me that yes, God does listen to my prayers. I don't know when he will answer them, but he does. It encouraged me to keep going, to keep on praying even though I don't see everything in front of me. When I pray, God listens. Keep praying for big things guys 'cause God's going to do great things, but you have to go after Him. He has amazing plans for you guys, but you have to seek Him. (:

God has also been teaching me about the importance of prayer. If you read the gospel, we see that Jesus prayed in the morning in a solitary place. Before he began his day, he came to God in prayer. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35). Before Jesus performed miracles such as casting out demons and healing people, he prayed. I believe we receive power and authority through praying and spending time with God. Today a thought came into my head. When things get hard, how do we keep going on? We pray. And we keep praying. Today God reminded me of my junior year. It was impossible for me to get through it by my own strength, but I got through the difficult times by praying. When we spend time in prayer, it may seem like a waste of time because we could be doing something efficient with our time. However prayer is never a waste of time. In fact, I believe it's vital to Christian life. How are we going to know God's plans for us and what he wants to do through us for the day without asking him each day? So I encourage you guys to spend time praying everyday. Set a time in the morning, no matter how long it is and begin your day by spending time with God. As you do, I'll try my best too. (:

By the way, when you ask God for things in prayer, have faith! Believe that it will happen. Expect it to happen. It will if it is God's will.

Guide

Jesus, I say that you are the God who guides me through my life. You are the one that guides me through each day, test, season I encounter in life.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23).

You will guide me as I take my physics test tomorrow, as I write my college essays, as I apply to colleges, and just throughout the whole year. I thank you that you have the best plans for my future, a vision for my life beyond what I can see right now. I ask that you may reveal your plans for my life now and throughout the year. I know that I do not have to worry about my future because it's safe in your hands. I thank you for the peace you continually give me and I pray against any worries about anything.

I thank you that you are always with me! I ask that you may show me more and more things each day. (:

Everlasting

Last week was spirit week. The tradition at my high school - Eleanor Roosevelt High School is that every Friday of spirit week is class color day. In the fall spirit week, each of the classes get a designated spot in the school and they must decorate it according to the theme given for the year. This year we had Lion King. I stayed after Thursday until six to help out as well. It was the first time for me seeing all kinds of people coming together to work on something together. There were all kinds of people in one room. It was an interesting sight seeing the artistic people, nerdy people, "cool" people, etc. all in one room. I can tell that everyone was working really hard. However the sad thing is that all the decorations have to come down by 8:30 on Friday. So people are working on decorating the hallway for more than a week and in thirty minutes, everything has to come down.

This thought is really sad and it made me think - what am I building my life on? You can work on something so hard all your life but if it's not on a firm foundation, it can be wiped away in the matter of minutes. I don't know about you, but I want to build my life on something that's lasting - everlasting. It would be terrible to work so hard all my life and realize everything I have done is in vain. I want to build things that will last. Then it got me thinking - what will last senior year? All the decorations and memories will last only for so long, but I realized that friendships/relationships will last. I have to build my foundation upon Jesus and love people the way He loves them. Then it will last.

Let's build our lives on something that will last not only for a short time, but forever. (:

Devote time into your friendships that you already have and make the effort to make new friends this year! I want to build genuine friendships that will last.