Summer, Writing, Trip

School's not out yet, so it's not "officially" summer. But it feels like it outside! The sun's finally found its way through the chillier, cloudy weather!
A couple of days ago, I spent an hour outside, during the hottest part of the day. I love the sun, but I hate sunscreen (we didn't have any anyway); so...I got burned. It's not too bad. I was wearing a tank top, and shorts, so the tops of my shoulders were burned, my chest was slightly burned, and my legs right below my shorts were burned.
Lately I've found it a little hard to write when I sit down in front of the typewriter. But to inspire myself, I've been listening to my favorite "inspiring" music (Hayley Westenra, Pride & Prejudice soundtrack, Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Narnia soundtrack, and Sense & Sensibility soundtrack), and looking at paintings. Paintings have always made me think about the stories behind the paintings. I've done it ever since I was a little girl. When I drew a picture, I would stare at it for a very long time. The whole time a story would be going through my head about the family. I didn't realize that I was creating stories anytime I drew a picture.
Right now I'm writing a story that I don't even remember thinking of. Yesterday I just sat down and started to type.
I'm going on a 2 week trip this June, to Kansas City! I'm going to the Awakening Teen Camp at The International House of Prayer. I'm really excited about it! I had to choose two class electives. I chose Drama, and the Prayer Room. Be praying for my trip. I still have some funds that need to come in. And also just pray that I would have a good time! Thanks :)

Holy

This year, I've been thinking a lot about life, and my relationship with God. At the beginning of the year, I for some reason had been going through a difficult time in my relationship with God. And then something someone said when approaching the verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; "Be joyful always; pray continually." These are her words: I've always looked at this verse as a slightly abstract command. I knew we can be filled with the joy of Christ in the darkest situations, but the praying continually part was something I brushed over because it seemed impossible to pray all throughout the day. Recently I was challenged to live my life praying continually. The more I thought about this the more intriguing it became because Jesus slowly made his role of lover more clear to me. Allow me to explain:

Imagine the most amazing guy that you can possibly create in your head. Visualize him, give him the perfect personality, make him everything you've ever wanted in a husband. Now, pretend that he's with you all the time every day. He sits in class next to you, eats meals with you, and loves you completely. How would you talk to him? What would you say throughout the day?

I began walking through my days imagining Jesus by my side in the same way that I would want a husband or significant other by my side. I carry on conversations with him in my head, tell him how I'm feeling, or what I'm thinking. My life has changed because of it. Jesus takes me on dates...I'm not even kidding. He walks me to class, and lives intimately with me. We talk about everything from what I learned in class to what I want to do with my future, to what I want to eat for lunch. I talk to and think about people differently because I'm not going to insult someone when God is sitting next to me! Also, I've never experienced so much joy. It's really hard to be in a bad mood when the king of the universe is romancing you every second of every day. I find myself making time to relax in the sunshine and admire His creation. Think about it, if the man you just imagined in your head made you a tree, would you take time to appreciate it? It's the same thing with Jesus. I enjoy looking at His creation and telling him how amazing he is. My confidence in myself has grown. I've never felt so beautiful, and that makes it easier to reach out to others. Jesus removed our chains to this world. He wants to walk by our sides, holding our hand so that we can bask in him and live our lives for free; free from guilt, fear, every kind of anxiety or tension.

This is my challenge to you: Pray continually. Never say amen, don't end the communication between you and your Lord. He is your lover, your best friend, your favorite reading material."

I'm taking that challenge, and everyday I try to live my life, knowing that God is the perfect lover, and he's always romancing me. Well just as I was reaching this spiritual high in my personal relationship with Jesus, I noticed that all around me, my friends, and people that I loved were struggling. I knew they were missing out on what really counts in life. There are so many temptations for high schoolers. Relationships, drugs, sex, and rebellious attitudes. But when you get into the presence of God, and you really truly realize how much he loves you. When you hear his voice, and he tells you himself that he loves you, you can't resist that overpowering love. A peace larger than life comes into your soul. When I see all of my friends struggling through dating, and wasting their lives away, I weep inside. I'm far from perfect. I'm not saying that anyone who doesn't dedicate themselves to God isn't as good as I am. But God's put a burden on my heart to pray for a breakthrough in the spirit of the teenage heart. There's so much that God's called us to do! If we would only take the time to listen to what he has to say.
There's only one word to describe what God is: HOLY.

Great Songs:
Holy - Matt Gilman
How He Loves - John Mark McMillan
A Little Longer - Jenn Johnson

Just letting everyone know I'm praying for you. You're my friends, and I want the best thing to happen to you that's ever happened before.