TobyMac is my Homeboy;Jesus is my Savior
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Marvelous Light
I once was fatherless; a stranger with no hope.
Your kindness wakened me, Awakened me, from my sleep.
Your love it beckons deeply, a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come And take this life, take your life.
Sin has lost it's power, death has lost it's sting.
From the grave you've risen VICTORIOUSLY!
Into marvelous light I'm running, Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth, You are the life, You are the way.
My dead heart now is beating.
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs. Now I'm free. now I'm free!
Repeat Chorus
Lift my hands and spin around, See the light that I have found.
Oh the marvelous light, marvelous light.
Lift my hands and spin around, see the light within...
ithin...
Friday, October 12, 2007
Reflection
Part One :
Memoir Topic: The week I spent in Panama City Beach, Florida at the Gauntlet. I tried to figure out the emotions and activities that took place and contributed to my experience at the Gauntlet. I learned how to use adjectives and adverbs to make my memoir would be descriptive and interesting.
The Scarlet Letter Essay Topic: Identity as a theme in the novel. I tried to figure out how personal and social identities were expressed in The Scarlet Letter and the effects of the identities on the characters. I learned how to think analytically and determine the important key points that would help me in my essay. I learned how to analyze literature and write so that my paper would reflect an aspect of the novel.
Part Two:
I reworded my memoir to remove the majority of my being verbs. [[am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been]] In my scarlet letter essay I better explained how identity was a theme of the novel. I revised the wording and added some descriptive language to both. I removed the awkward sentences.
Part Three:
After I read my friends' pieces, I found some things they included in their writings that could be beneficial to my writing. In Kelly's memoir I learned that I can use my emotions in my writing. I can include the emotions I felt about different places, people, and experiences. I read Nick's essay about the Crucible character and I saw how he compared Hale to Play-doh. He used descriptive language to compare to two things that seemed unalike. I learned a lot about writing and comparing things in my friends' papers.
Nature Essay
"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard." Standing Bear said this about our society. We are living in a very different time period than that of Emerson and Thoreau. There is more technology available: video games, computers, and other electronic devices. Everything, from magazine advertisements to tv commercials, is competing for our attention. It takes a strong person to put aside these things and spend time enjoying the world around him.When I was in 7th grade, I attended Oakwood Christian School. During March, every student was required to go to The Wilds, a Christian camp in North Carolina. When February ended, tons of high schoolers loaded their belonging on the church vans and headed to North Carolina. As we rode, my friend Kirsten and I looked out the window at the beautiful scenery. The flat landscape quickly transformed into mountains and streams. When we got there, we had orientation in a really big room. After that, we had free time. Kirsten and I went to explore and check out the surroundings.
The next days were filled with sermons, activities, and events. The day before we returned home, we had a final meeting. We were scheduled to go on a long hike up one of the mountains to the waterfalls. It was a long walk and as the day dragged on, the sun beat down on us. When we finally arrived at our destination, we all took off our shoes so we could wade in the water. Several waterfalls flowed down into the valley. Since it was March, the water was FREEZING! Kirsten and I decided to continue up the trail past everyone else. In a few minutes, we came to a clearing. Kirsten yelled at me to stand beside her. When I did, the scenery took my breath away. Beautiful snow capped mountains shone in the distance. John Muir once said, "How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!" I never really understood this quote until that day. The trees and flowers in the valley were just blooming and the world was "waking up" from winter. I was completely awestruck by the beauty of God's creation.
Looking back on that day, I will never forget what I learned. I realized that I shouldn't take anything for granted, and that there is beauty in everything around me. We complain about not having enough technology, when really all we need is time. Emerson and Thoreau never had any of the creature comforts we do. Instead, they got out into the world and enjoyed their surroundings. Now every time I reach for my cell phone or get online to surf the Internet, I think about whether or not it's really important. And I remember Standing Bear's quote, "Man's heart away from nature becomes hard."
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Baptism!!
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Gauntlet '07
There are certain things in your life that you will always remember. Certain people, certain places, and certain experiences ultimately define your life and how you live it. I left Anderson on June 10 expecting to have a lot of fun at the beach. After weeks of planning and shopping, the day was finally here. My mom yelled, "Jennifer! Come now or you'll be late!"
` I took one last look around my room to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and grabbed my suitcase. My brother Jordan and I, apprehensive and excited, hurried down the stairs.
The car ride to NewSpring seemed to go by quickly. When we arrived at the church it was 10:00pm. Nine buses were parked in the front. I was assigned a bus and leader, Renee Burroughs, for the week.
Everything was loaded on the buses and the leaders prayed. By 11:30pm, 406 Fuse and Ignite students were on their way to Panama City Beach, Florida for the Gauntlet 2007.
Most of us fell asleep on the eight hour trip. We reached our destination, Majestic Beach Towers, in the morning. We had orientation in the conference room and then headed to the beach for game time. I was put on the orange team with Kacie and Molly. The games seemed to last forever in the hot sun. Finally, we were released to go to lunch. My partner, Ashleigh Frialde, and I joined our leader and were introduced to our roomates. I was rooming with Ashleigh, Catherine, Kasey, Michaela, Taralyn, and Renee.
I thought Renee was really weird at first, but as I got to know her I grew to love her anyway. "Ok girls!!" she said energetically, "Our room is on the 23rd floor!!" Thankfully, there was an elevator.
Next was free time. Ashleigh went swimming with me in the pool and then we went to the beach. The sand was really white and the ocean water was clear.
Renee rounded us up for dinner and afterward we prepared for worship. We were bused to a high school to sing songs and listen to Perry's message. We sang "Glorious One" by Steve Fee. That became our theme song for the week of the Gauntlet '07. Then, Perry Noble came on stage for the message.
"Hey everybody!" he said, "I hope y'all have had a great first day of the Gauntlet!" Everyone cheered. "But right now," he continued, "I want each of you to bow your heads and pray this prayer: 'God, rock my world!' "
God used Perry to speak to us that Monday night. The message was titled "Do you know?" As he was speaking, I tried to remember a time in my life when I had accepted Jesus, or even felt like I needed to. I was nervous because I couldn't remember ever having done this. The service ended and I forgot about it for a while.
As we headed outside, I exclaimed, "Good night, there are a lot of buses!!" to Ashleigh and that became our inside joke.
Back in our 23rd floor condo at Majestic Beach Towers, we changed clothes and brought out snacks.
"Time for small groups!" Renee announced.
She went over the message with us and we told her what God had taught us. After small groups we stayed up several hours after lights out.
Ashleigh and I were sleeping soundly when Renee woke us up at a very early 7:30am. We got dressed and went downstairs under the parking deck for breakfast.
"When we're done with breakfast, we'll be heading up to the tennis courts for a spirit contest!" Brad Cooper [[the high school pastor]] yelled.
Under the pounding sun, we came up with cheers to support our team. Cheering loudly, the orange team won two coins for team spirit. Once we had completed the contest, we went to the beach for more Gauntlet games.
That night at worship we prayed that God would rock our worlds and our friends' worlds. Perry spoke about growing in our faith and sharing it with others. We sang "Broadcast" by Steve Fee to go along with our message.
Back at the condo, Renee led us in small groups. Halfway through, the door opened and someone I had never met before walked in. Her name was Joy and she was another leader. Joy is different from most people. She always has a smile on her face and she is totally in love with Jesus. She was the first person to ever show me what being a Christian really means. I remember thinking, "I want what she's got and i want to know for sure what I believe like she does."
The next day, instead of having free time, I went parasailing. I went with my friend Abi and a leader named Whitney. Whitney tried to scare me and pretended to push me off, but later denied it.
Right when I got back from parasailing, it began storming. Renee was out deep sea fishing and none of us had a key to our room. Kasey, Catherine, Ashleigh, and I sat in the freezing cold lobby for almost 3 hours. Finally, Kasey suggested we try the windows.
Up on the 23rd floor, we climbed into our room and unlocked the door. We showered for worship. Renee returned and passed out on the floor.
Perry spoke to us about being on fire for God during the service. That night in small groups Ashleigh and I stayed up until 3:00am asking Renee tons of questions. For my entire life I had been going to church and Christian school, but I had never had a personal relationship with God. It was not easy, but finally I had to admit to myself that I did not know Jesus.
On Thursday morning, the people who had gotten saved were baptized in the ocean. I went snorkeling after this with Renee and Ashleigh. We missed the final Gauntlet game but my team ended up winning.
Perry's final message was about finishing the work we started and going out and showing others our relationships with Jesus.
Early Friday morning, we woke up, loaded the buses, and went on the beach for quiet time. We hated to leave but we were excited to come back and show the people around us the difference Jesus had made in our lives.
It was a long way back to Anderson. We exchanged cell phone numbers with everyone. We promised to keep in touch and come to Fuse every Wednesday night. At 8:30pm, we pulled into NewSpring and our families were waiting for us. Everyone left the church, ready to start a revolution in our families, our schools, and the world we live in. I was still battling in my heart, but I wasn't ready to share that with anyone else yet.
A few weeks passed and on July 5, I realized I couldn't keep fighting it. With my heart pounding, I prayed to receive Christ. That day was a direct result of the Gauntlet. My life was completely changed forever because of just five days I spent, and the people I spent them with in Panama City Beach, Florida.
` I took one last look around my room to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and grabbed my suitcase. My brother Jordan and I, apprehensive and excited, hurried down the stairs.
The car ride to NewSpring seemed to go by quickly. When we arrived at the church it was 10:00pm. Nine buses were parked in the front. I was assigned a bus and leader, Renee Burroughs, for the week.
Everything was loaded on the buses and the leaders prayed. By 11:30pm, 406 Fuse and Ignite students were on their way to Panama City Beach, Florida for the Gauntlet 2007.
Most of us fell asleep on the eight hour trip. We reached our destination, Majestic Beach Towers, in the morning. We had orientation in the conference room and then headed to the beach for game time. I was put on the orange team with Kacie and Molly. The games seemed to last forever in the hot sun. Finally, we were released to go to lunch. My partner, Ashleigh Frialde, and I joined our leader and were introduced to our roomates. I was rooming with Ashleigh, Catherine, Kasey, Michaela, Taralyn, and Renee.
I thought Renee was really weird at first, but as I got to know her I grew to love her anyway. "Ok girls!!" she said energetically, "Our room is on the 23rd floor!!" Thankfully, there was an elevator.
Next was free time. Ashleigh went swimming with me in the pool and then we went to the beach. The sand was really white and the ocean water was clear.
Renee rounded us up for dinner and afterward we prepared for worship. We were bused to a high school to sing songs and listen to Perry's message. We sang "Glorious One" by Steve Fee. That became our theme song for the week of the Gauntlet '07. Then, Perry Noble came on stage for the message.
"Hey everybody!" he said, "I hope y'all have had a great first day of the Gauntlet!" Everyone cheered. "But right now," he continued, "I want each of you to bow your heads and pray this prayer: 'God, rock my world!' "
God used Perry to speak to us that Monday night. The message was titled "Do you know?" As he was speaking, I tried to remember a time in my life when I had accepted Jesus, or even felt like I needed to. I was nervous because I couldn't remember ever having done this. The service ended and I forgot about it for a while.
As we headed outside, I exclaimed, "Good night, there are a lot of buses!!" to Ashleigh and that became our inside joke.
Back in our 23rd floor condo at Majestic Beach Towers, we changed clothes and brought out snacks.
"Time for small groups!" Renee announced.
She went over the message with us and we told her what God had taught us. After small groups we stayed up several hours after lights out.
Ashleigh and I were sleeping soundly when Renee woke us up at a very early 7:30am. We got dressed and went downstairs under the parking deck for breakfast.
"When we're done with breakfast, we'll be heading up to the tennis courts for a spirit contest!" Brad Cooper [[the high school pastor]] yelled.
Under the pounding sun, we came up with cheers to support our team. Cheering loudly, the orange team won two coins for team spirit. Once we had completed the contest, we went to the beach for more Gauntlet games.
That night at worship we prayed that God would rock our worlds and our friends' worlds. Perry spoke about growing in our faith and sharing it with others. We sang "Broadcast" by Steve Fee to go along with our message.
Back at the condo, Renee led us in small groups. Halfway through, the door opened and someone I had never met before walked in. Her name was Joy and she was another leader. Joy is different from most people. She always has a smile on her face and she is totally in love with Jesus. She was the first person to ever show me what being a Christian really means. I remember thinking, "I want what she's got and i want to know for sure what I believe like she does."
The next day, instead of having free time, I went parasailing. I went with my friend Abi and a leader named Whitney. Whitney tried to scare me and pretended to push me off, but later denied it.
Right when I got back from parasailing, it began storming. Renee was out deep sea fishing and none of us had a key to our room. Kasey, Catherine, Ashleigh, and I sat in the freezing cold lobby for almost 3 hours. Finally, Kasey suggested we try the windows.
Up on the 23rd floor, we climbed into our room and unlocked the door. We showered for worship. Renee returned and passed out on the floor.
Perry spoke to us about being on fire for God during the service. That night in small groups Ashleigh and I stayed up until 3:00am asking Renee tons of questions. For my entire life I had been going to church and Christian school, but I had never had a personal relationship with God. It was not easy, but finally I had to admit to myself that I did not know Jesus.
On Thursday morning, the people who had gotten saved were baptized in the ocean. I went snorkeling after this with Renee and Ashleigh. We missed the final Gauntlet game but my team ended up winning.
Perry's final message was about finishing the work we started and going out and showing others our relationships with Jesus.
Early Friday morning, we woke up, loaded the buses, and went on the beach for quiet time. We hated to leave but we were excited to come back and show the people around us the difference Jesus had made in our lives.
It was a long way back to Anderson. We exchanged cell phone numbers with everyone. We promised to keep in touch and come to Fuse every Wednesday night. At 8:30pm, we pulled into NewSpring and our families were waiting for us. Everyone left the church, ready to start a revolution in our families, our schools, and the world we live in. I was still battling in my heart, but I wasn't ready to share that with anyone else yet.
A few weeks passed and on July 5, I realized I couldn't keep fighting it. With my heart pounding, I prayed to receive Christ. That day was a direct result of the Gauntlet. My life was completely changed forever because of just five days I spent, and the people I spent them with in Panama City Beach, Florida.
