Baby, it's cold outside.

Christmas.  The one word that can bring so much joy and excitement to a child's face and at the same time, incredible angst to the countenances of certain adults.  Why is it that a time of year that always brought such happiness and warm feelings can turn into something that can go so far as to even strike fear into the hearts of some?  This is obviously not true for everyone; some people are able to maintain that childlike joy throughout their adult lives.  However, for others, Christmastime is a source of great anxiety.

What is it that gets people so worked up?  Especially recently, with the economy in its dire state, many people worry about how much money they can afford to spend and realize that they will probably end up in debt if they spend as much as they usually do.  People also tend to get stressed out about seeing family around the holidays, and many times, with good reason.

Most of the time, these reasons for not enjoying Christmas as much as one should are due to the fact that people lose sight of the reason for the season, that is, Jesus Christ and His birth here on earth.  Even those who refuse to believe that Jesus is the reason for our celebration should, at the very least, be able to see that Christmas is a time to enjoy together with one's family and friends, and not for worrying about how much money one spent or how annoying the in-laws can be.

If only everyone could remember how happy that first snow made them feel as a kid.  Or how every kid feels when they wake up like a shot on Christmas morning to go run downstairs and count all the presents under the tree, trying to figure out what's in all the beautifully wrapped boxes.  If only we could all remember that it's about Jesus first, and then family and friends.  If only we could all just relax and let Christmas be the truly amazing time that it is meant to be, the world could be just a little bit happier this time of year.

Rearview Mirror

When driving, it is incredibly important to be aware of what is going on around oneself.  Because it is mostly important to keep one's eyes on the road ahead, mirrors are used to maintain this awareness.  A glance behind every now and then is incredibly important in order to stay safe on the road.

Life, in my opinion, would be much simpler (and safer) if it came with a rearview mirror.  Many times, I feel as though I am self-aware and focused on the road ahead, but am unable to really know what is going on with those around me.  Without the subtlety of a rearview mirror, it is blatantly obvious when I look around to see what is going on.  This also takes my eyes off the road, and knowing my driving skills, we wouldn't want that.  In my day-to-day life, a rearview mirror would be perfect in order to see those things happening around me that I'd never notice, or for those moments when you realize something is going on behind you but you don't want to turn around and draw attention to yourself.  It would also be useful in making decisions in life, whether they be serious decisions, like which exit to get off at, or a less life-altering decision, like a lane change.

I'll Never Let You Go

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go
By Your Side -Tenth Avenue North


I feel like I always have a song to desribe how I feel about a certain subject.  Maybe it's because I listen to music all the time, but I feel like when I am unable to adequately express myself through my words, music is able to speak for me and convey how I truly feel.

This is how the song "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North is for me.  It answers the question of why I am a Christian.  I am a Christian because God is always there for me.  He has carried me through so many storms in my life; I don't believe it would be possible to measure how much I owe Him.  He died for me on the cross, saving me from an eternity in the fires of Hell, and all He asks in return is that I live my life for Him.  And he doesn't just leave me to go through life by myself and figure it all out on my own; He is there every step of the way, picking me back up when I fall, helping me through every storm that life throws at me.  For these reasons, I am a Christian and love Jesus Christ with all of my heart.

Three People

Pretty much everyone in the United States, as well as abroad, has an opinion about the President of the United States.  Our current president, Barack Obama has many ideals that I, as a Christian, do not agree with.  However, there is one president for whom I have much respect.  That is, President Ronald Reagan.

If I were able to talk to any three people in the world right now, living or dead, I would choose Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and John Krasinski (Jim from The Office), for comedic relief.  I would want them to all be in a room together and I would just want to see their conversation.  After a while, since I know Obama would probably not be very open to receiving advice about being a good president from Reagan, I would change up the situation.  Reagan would get the chance to brainwash Obama into loving unborn children and not spending all of the taxpayer's money, while John Krasinski and I would go hang out at Starbucks and chat.

This would change the United States, as we would now have a competent president.  It would change me, as I would now have had the chance to meet Jim.  And maybe if I was lucky, Dwight would have accompanied him to this little party of sorts.

Cassie

The question asked in order to save her life or take it
The answer no avoided death and yes would make it

'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet
Say yes to pull the trigger
And my Sister Cassie pulled it

They didn't love their life so much
As to shrink from death
Inspired in their footsteps
We will march ahead
Don't be shocked that people die
Be surprised you're still alive

All heads are bowed in silent reverence
The floor is wet with tears of sorrowful remembrance
The alter is filled with hearts of repentance
Perfect love kills all fear, rejoice in this deliverance
Cassie [Acoustic] -Flyleaf


The idea of being willing to die for someone you love has been around for centuries.  In old movies, one can see men fighting to the death for the object of their affections.  In medieval times, knights would fight to win the princess.  Along these same lines, Jesus tells His followers that the greatest love one can have for another is to lay down his life for his friends.  Jesus quite obviously believed this, as He did exactly what He said and died for this whole world.  He is the ultimate example of true love, for He laid down His life for not only His friends, but people He had never even met, and even those who hated Him.

Because Jesus Christ has done just this for us, we should be willing to do anything for Him.  If we truly love Him, we should be willing to lay down our lives for Him.  That is the ultimate love anyone could have for another person, and the same love we should have for our Father.  I, personally, have the utmost respect for martyrs, and hope that if I were in that same position, I would be willing and able to lay my life down for Jesus.

Whenever I'm learning about a certain time in history, whether it be in the United States or abroad, I always try to imagine what it would have been like to live then.  I think about the differences between life in different classes of society, and where I would like to fit in all of that.  Thinking about this, I don't think that I would like to live in a time period that was all that different from my own.  I enjoy showers, and other daily comforts, like bedsheets and tissues.

This is why I would want to live in the 1960s.  It was a lovely time.  It was a beautiful time.  The Beatles were all alive and together like friends should be.  Who don't backstab eachother.  The Beatles were a beautiful picture of what true friends really are.  They stay together through the thick and the thin, and you never saw Paul steal Yoko from John.  Why would he do that?  They were best friends.  Brothers, if you may.

While there was a lot of trouble in politics and social unrest at this time, the average person did not lose their values; they still knew what it was to do right, and be a true friend.

My Most Memorable Experience

My sophomore year of high school started just like any other year.  The bus came on that Wednesday morning, much earlier than I would have liked, and off to school I went.  Little did I know, the events of that year would change my life forever.  At the end of ninth grade, I had filled out an application for Undignified, the school missions team.  I found out that I was accepted, and was excited to see what it was all about.  We decided that we would be going to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, where the previous year's team had gone and had an incredible time.

To get to Nicaragua, we had to do some serious fundraising; we had a spaghetti dinner, baked like crazy every Wednesday, sent out support letters, and sold sweatshirts.  And finally, April came.  We were all packed and ready to go, ready to go build houses and dig wells for Jesus.  We said our goodbyes, got on the plane, and after many hours on a few different planes, we finally arrived at our destination!  ...And found out that we would be doing ministry and running a vacation Bible school for the kids at the orphanage.  While we were planning on doing lots of physical labor to help the people of Puerto Cabezas, this change of plans could not have been more perfect.  The week of VBS, along with ministering at local schools, the park, and even a maximum security prison, was absolutely incredible.  I could not have possibly dreamed of a better week.

My time in Nicaragua impacted me so much more than I ever would have thought possible.  The people that I met, especially the beautiful children at the orphanage, changed my life forever.  I look at what I have so much differently now, after seeing how the people of Puerto Cabezas live.  One day, we went out to the people in a particularly poor area of Puerto Cabezas, and gave them bags of rice, beans, and cooking oil.  That day taught me to never take for granted what I have, which is a hard thing coming from Long Island, where everyone lives like royalty compared to most of the world.  When we went to the maximum security prison, I learned not to judge people.  When we first arrived, I was terrified, and did not want to go in and try to minister to these people.  However, by the time we got in, and they even sang a song to us after we were singing to them, all my walls were broken down.  My heart just shattered for these children of God.  I felt His love for them, and realized that no matter what they had done to get where they were, He wanted them to come back to Him.

When it finally came time to leave this amazing place, I did not want to go.  Saying goodbye was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  The morning of the day we had to leave, I went over to the orphanage for the last time to say goodbye to the kids before they went to school.  I'll never forget saying goodbye to this one little girl, Lumera.  As I gave her a hug goodbye, she squeezed me so hard and just refused to let go.  Any pretense of avoiding tears that morning disappeared in that hug.

I'll never forget that little girl and her love for a silly American in clown pants, or Mario, who gave his life to the Lord in the prison.  My experience in Nicaragua changed my life forever.  All I want to do now is go back there and never leave.