Waiting

I sit here in the blackbox, the sounds of rehearsal going on around me. I'm waiting. Waiting for time to pass. Waiting for the coldness to leave my body. Waiting for the New Faces Show to end their rehearsal. Waiting for the cast list to be posted. Waiting for everything. Are we always waiting for something to happen in our life?

Hurricane Ike Update

Alright, I'm going to be posting updates as I am able, granted the power stays on. This last recording took place around 7:00 pm. Now around 8:00 pm the winds are getting a bit stronger and the weather channel says that we can just expect them to grow stronger. We haven't had any rain yet, but we are expecting it. Oh and Daddy...the neighbors said that if you don't cut down the tree trunk in the front yard soon, they are going to pay a native american to turn it into a totem pole. Currently Ike is a category two storm, but if winds pick up one more mph it will be a category three. I dont expect to have another update until tomorrow morning if we still have power then. Everyone be safe tonight and tomorrow. I love you all so much!

May we take comfort tonight in the Lord our God who has told us that He will take care of us.

Take comfort in Psalms 46. (Copied from biblegateway.com)
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
11The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

~:)(: Carole-Marie :)(:~

Hurricane Ike

So as you may know, there is a hurricane named Ike coming straight at the Houston area. In the AccuWeather.com storm tracker, its main path is only a few miles from where I live, and the side we are on is the supposed "dirty" side of the hurricane. I've never actually gone through a storm where I have been afraid, but this one is the exception. My parents are going to Connecticut, so it will just be Rob and I at home. I know there is nothing more that they could do if they were here, but still, the thought of them not knowing what is happening and worrying is scary to me. I've seen the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans a year after it happened and the destruction amazed me...I guess I'm just wondering if that will be what I see when I look out the window after Ike passes. The thought of the unknown is a scary thing...please keep all of us in your prayers.

87 things-- Updated 01/23

As some of you may know, I have a list of 87 things that I want to accomplish before I turn 35, while the list is on facebook, I realized that it is not infact on my blog. So...here it is. (if there is a * next to it, it has been completed. A ~ means that I am going to try and complete it before 2008 is over)

1. Ride a Horse on the beach
2. Learn to snow ski
3. Sing in a Karokee bar
4. Visit Europe
5. Drive across the USA
6. Become fluent in ASL
7. Own all the classic disney movies.
*8. Spend a day eating junk food and watching movies
*9. Spend 3 months getting into shape after eating junk food and watching movies
*10. Fall in love
11. Host a huge dinner party
~12. Go skydiving
13. Go up in a hot air balloon
14. Go repeling
15. Learn ballroom dancing
16. Learn swing dancing
*17. Learn country western dancing
*18. Give free hugs in the middle of town center
19. Go to a dance club
20. Go skinny dipping at midnight in a place other than a pool.
21. Be the designated driver for all our friends.
22. Visit THS after graduation
*23. Be in a movie
24. Graduate college or be close to graduation
25. Milk a cow
~26. Be kissed in the rain (by a guy)
*27. Kiss someone while blindfolded
28. Perfect the art of swordfighting
*29. Bowl a turkey
*30. Bowl a 150 or higher game
31. Go on a cruise
~32. Ride a tricycle at walmart
33. Go to a movie premier
*34. Sing and dance in the rain
*35. Sleep under the stars
36. Dye your hair
37. Sew a piece of clothing by yourself and wear it
38. Get a new phone that isnt like the one i have now
39. Meet someone famous
40. Swim with dolphins
*41. Build a snowman
*42. Ride an elephant
43. Fly first class
44. Stay at least one night in a five star hotel
45. Get married
46. Stay married
*47. Solve a rubix cube
48. Go whale watching
*49. Go on a picture scavenger hunt
50. Win first place for talent
*51. Try at least 10 different cheeses
*52. Send or receive a secret valentine
53. Bury a time capsule
*54. Buy lemonade from a lemonade stand
55. Save 10,000 dollars
56. Have a family
*57. Send a message in a bottle
58. Be kissed on the beach
59. Take pictures in a field of flowers
*60. Frocklic through a field of flowers
*61. Own an original work of art
62. Get a portrait painted
63. Go to a nude beach
64. Put handprints in wet cement
65. Have your shoes shined
66. Ride in a horse drawn carriage
67. Eat fresh sugar cane
68. Get kissed behind a waterfall
69. Own a diamond ring
*70. Share a milkshake
71. Play spin the bottle
72. Go zorbing
*73. Whistle while you work
~74. Eat one blazing buffalo wild wing
*75. Go to a dog show
76. Visit all 50 states
77. Learn to surf
~78. Read the entire Bible
79. Go to the top of the statue of liberty
80. Crowd surf
81. Eat pizza in Italy
82. Visit the Eiffle Tower
*83. Be kissed at midnight on New Years
84. Buy something for under two dollars on ebay
85. Go to a drive in movie theatre
~86. Wear shorts on one of the coldest days in the year
87. Live life to the fullest

One of those days

Have you ever

had

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

the ones where everything is going just

wonderfully

and you feel like you are walking on

air

and it seems that nothing could get any

better

then the door opens and everything begins to go

D
O
w
n
h
I
L
L

?

A Problem With Modern Day Cartoons

Yesterday after the horses had been fed and the dirt had been swept away, a rather unfortunate event occurred. This particular event made me question how much violence our children receive from a source that used to be considered a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. Cartoons. A ten year old boy named Nicolas was bound, gagged, and could have been accidentally murdered by a few eight year old girls and an eleven year old girl. The girls claimed to have gotten the idea from watching T.V. The thought of this makes me sick, that cartoons are not even safe for our children to see because of the violent actions they may cause our children to perform. I suppose I can not blame the producers though, they did not put the rope in the girl's hands, they did not give them the plastic bag to put over his head, they did not tell them to do any of these things. But are these otherwise good children simply violent by nature? Or can violence such as this be a learned behavior?

Missions

In the past few weeks there has been much talk of missions in my life. Now I'm not talking about mission impossible going in to enemy territory and saving the world...at least not yet. I'm talking about missions. Missions of the church. No, thats not quite right. I'm talking God's Mission. What is His mission for us? I guess that inorder to figure this out (assuming that we know nothing) we would have to define the term mission. Bring out your dictionary...start flipping through...missing...missing link...missiology..no...Ah! Mission! Here it is:

Mission-religious mission. 2a. ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work. 2b. assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise. 2c1. a mission establishment. 2c2. a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support. 2d. organized missionary work. 2e. a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith. 3. A body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity.

The list goes on and on, but it still doesnt say quite what I'm looking for. The answer to my question...What is God's mission for me? As a team my youth group came up with this defination:

Missions is loving like Jesus did, everyone we meet, everywhere we go.

For those of you (myself included) who need to know who exactly "everyone" is...Jesus is everyone. Not everyone that we meet will have accepted Jesus as their Savior, but Jesus resides in everyone that we meet, even if they do not know it. Think of the sheep and the goats. (Matthew 25:31-46) In this, are some very important instructions to us.

34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

The least of these...The least of these are those people in the world that we consider to be below ourselves (why we believe that I have no idea, we are all equal) they are the people that are hardest to love, they are all the prostitutes, the tax collectors, those that oppress us, those that smell funny, and those that freak us out.

Now allow me to take the opportunity to define for you (myself included as I do not claim to be omniscient) everywhere. I believe that "everywhere" (the entire world) goes back to the years following the flood. The decendents of Noah all spoke the same language though they lived far from eachother in different nations. There was no need for a separate language. The want to be great drove them to begin "build(ing) ouselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) In Genesis 11:7 God mixes up their language so that they have several languages, not allowing them to continue their communication while building the Tower of Babel. Their lack in communication skills stopped their building of this great towerand the left the city. Genesis 11:9b says "And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth." All the earth. That doesn't just mean the United States of America. It's not just England or France. We can add China into the mix and it still wouldn't be the entire earth! The entire earth! From the highest North through the furthest South. The entire East until you are past the West. Every single nation, every single person, everywhere you go! That is the entire earth! That is everywhere. Earlier I said that I was not talking about going into enemy territory and saving the world...yet. Now, I'm talking about it.

Matthew 28:19-20a states: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
2 Timothy 4:2 instructs us to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

Every nation. That is God's commandment to us. Going into Satan's turf and teaching those living there about Jesus Christ and helping them to accept Him as their personal Savior. As I said...going into enemy territory and saving the world.

How do we love like Jesus did? How do we love like God loves us? Several books in the Bible teach us about loving one another, but there are a few verses that I want to look at specifically.

1 John 3:16: "By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."
Matthew 5:44 tells us to "Love our enemies and pray for those that persecute (us)."
John 3:16 states that "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
1 John 4:7- "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."

---------------------------------------------

Alright this post is not complete..but I need to go and get some stuff for my trip to South Padre for Student Life. I'll finish it up by this evening.

Wonderful Day

Today... was a very good day. So good that I felt like devoting an entire blog entry just to this day. How good of a day is that? To start off with, I slept extremely well. That was until about four o'clock when I started feeling around for my phone because I wanted to know what time it was. Wondering if I had another hour to sleep or another minute... I don't know if y'all have had a four in the morning experience before, but for me this morning, it was rather humorous. To start off with, Columbus was walking all over my legs, I reached around my bed trying to find my phone (around this time I began to wonder if I had actually fallen asleep while talking to Drew without saying "goodnight" to him. It wasn't until about second period that I decided that I had said "goodnight"... at least I think I did.) only to discover that it wasn't there. So I reach down the side of my bed still searching in the dark for this object...well to make what has the potential to be a short long story short, Columbus had taken my phone and batted it around till it was at the very center underneath my bed. I threw slippers and books to hit it to one side so that I could grab it. Thats when I discovered the current time...turned over, and went back to sleep. Then I got up, did my morning routine, headed out for school while talking to Drew, then decided that I wanted a DP. I stopped into the gas station and grabbed a 10 2 4 DP which for those of you who are to lame to know, is a real DP, a DP made with sugar, not corn syrup. I breezed through my classes, then I discovered after the fact that THS is a rebel in disguise. Supposedly, we were not allowed to go home early today, but we were released if we were exempt. I went home and watched Pretty Woman (Julia Roberts is amazing! She + Richard Gere = perfect screen couple) and catnapped for a bit. Around 4:30 I headed over towards Sugar Land area where I got to see Drew!! Yea! Then it was off to my church where I got to catch up with the youth group choir members from Bartlett United Methodist Church in Bartlett, Tennessee. Ohmegoodness they were amazing! Plus they sang quite a few songs that we sang in the past among which was Lightshine which is one of the best songs in the entire world. If you have not heard it, make certain that you do so before you die, or should you die before you hear it, request it from the angels in heaven. Ahh...it made me happy. Our entire choir was just rocking out to it! After the last song, I headed over to the church library where I grabbed a ton of books that are sitting in my car ready to go to school with me tomorrow for the lame times that I need to be there. I then headed on home, where I currently sit in my computer chair, writing out this blog and waiting for the clock to strike.

Pondering the Future

Have you ever just sat there pondering the future? Lately it seems to be what I do most often. I wonder things that are soon to happen, things such as what grade I will receive on my chemistry test, what exams I will be exempt from, or what am I going to do this afternoon. I wonder about things in the near future, things like senior year and college applications. I wonder about what it will be like to be a college student and make all my own decisions. One of the things I wonder most is after college. Who will I marry, what will my ministry be like, where will I live, will I have children (I wonder about this one quite a bit right now, almost to the point of worrying. With my cousin having difficulties with having children along with it running in my mother's side of the family, I wait anxiously to get the test results back to know if the same disease that flows in my cousin's blood so rapidly, also flows in me. I don't want it to. I never wanted children before, unless they were adopted, but lately I have been imagining a little girl with blonde ringlets like I used to have bouncing around in a green back yard.) I wonder what I will be doing 10 years from now, will I be married when I am almost 28 years old? Do I know the person already? Have I passed them in the hallways? I wonder what it will be like to grow old. I see my parents grow older each year, when I saw my Mimi I wondered what it will be like to live without them. So many questions won't pop out of my head.

I wonder....
I wonder....
I wonder....

Wishing upon stars

I like to wish upon the stars
To seem them sparkle and shine
They are so beautiful, they make me smile I say

Do not wish upon the stars he said
for they shall bring you nothing.
They are only creations of the Lord
not God Himself. If you want something, pray about it
for prayers bring answers.
Do not wish upon the stars.
They can only twinkle and shine.

I lead my thoughts then to change
that night that I stopped wishing
My prayers flowed out, they pleaded with God.

I stop to think.
You are young you silly girl.
Live the life you know.
You are young you silly girl,
too young to think like that.
You can't possibly know what you want your future to hold.

Some days though...I do know.
I know as sure as I know my heart.

My wishes turn to prayers
I once more plead with God.

This poem is not completed here. I know the ending of it. Maybe, just maybe...one day I will share my prayer with you. Until then, it waits with God.

Flip Book Calendar

As some of you may know, I am in the possession of a flip book calendar. On every day it has a new saying or quote. I thought I would let y'all read a few that I really enjoy.


Lord, so far today I've not been grumpy, selfish, greedy, envious, proud, or angry. I'm really pleased about that. But in a few minutes now, I'm going to get up, and from then on I'll probably need a lot more help.--July 9

People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy.-Bob Hope--July 29


I just got lost in thought....It was unfamiliar territory.--August 5


The latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population.--August 26


The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mic, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mic cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"--August 31


Ham and eggs: A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.--September 11


Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked.-Kimberley Broyles--September 12

Beauty that (past or present tense?)

"Here I Am To Worship"

Light of the world, You step down into darkness.

Opened my eyes let me see.

Beauty that made this heart adore you hope of a life spent with you.

[Chorus]

And here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you're my God,

You're altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days,

Oh so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above.

Humbly you came to the earth you created.

All for love's sake became poor.

[Chorus]

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you're my God,

You're altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

And I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

No I'll never know how much it cost to se my sin upon that cross.

[Chorus]

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you're my God,

You're altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me.

So Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you're my God,

_____________________________________________________________

We were singing this song in church on Sunday and I actually looked at the screen and realized that I had been singing it incorrectly. I said "beauty that makes" as opposed to "beauty that made." I always thought that "makes" would make more sense. Shouldnt we always have our hearts adoring God. Do we only see things once, then they never effect us again? Am I the only one that is bugged by it saying "beauty that made this heart adore you"? To me that just sounds like it made you adore God in the past, not now. I think it would be better to say "beauty that makes". I don't know about y'all, but I continue to see beauty that always makes me adore God. It is there in the sunsets, the stars, the sun, the grass...it is all over! Anyways...thats my thought!

Feeling Alone

Have you ever felt alone in this world? When you really need someone to be there...or you need things to change, but you know that if they were to change, your life would have been so different and you would not know if you would have liked the person that you might have become had your life not changed drastically. Every one of those things in my life add up to my freshman year in high school. So much happened that year...I wonder how I would have been different. What type of person would I be? What would I have done? Everything that I did do...I can't get it out of my head. Amazing how that works...isnt it? I guess I do regret some things. This entry isn't about that though. This is about the seniors at my church. The class of 2008. The graduates. The confirmation class of 2004....My confirmation class.

Tonight...the night of the senior dinner at the church...the seniors are graduating. I won't be with them. I guess I do have regrets, though I wish that I did not. I regret alot of things, things that all lead up to this night.

Calvary Episcopal School-8th grade

"If she doesnt start doing the work, she will not pass 8th grade."
"Why can't she be more like Rob?"
"Come on Carole-Marie, just do the work, it's not that difficult."
"I don't want to be Rob, I know the work isn't difficult, why won't yall just give me a break?"
"How would you feel about being homeschooled with Mrs. Elder?"
"Will anyone miss me once I leave? If I just go away one day and don't come back?"

Gateway Preparatory School-8th, 9th, 10th grade (for the first time)

"With our program you will be doing college courses by the time you are 16 years old."
"You dont get a summer. You can finish half of a grade in that time."
"Because you did not finish the lesson for today, you don't get to go to the dance tonight."
"My system is uncheatable!" - "Then how did I cheat it?"
"You are no longer allowed at Gateway. That is final."- "I didn't want to be here anyways!"

Summer before my first year in public school-

"Because Gateway is not an accredited school, you will not be able to transfer any of your credits...I'm sorry, you will be put into all freshman classes."
"Freshman English?!? I should be in English 4 this year!"
"Mommy...I think I should drop down to the year below me in Sunday School, that way, it won't be wierd when I am not graduating and they are."

I have to do work. I'll finish this in a bit.

A love-hate relationship

As some of you may know, I have participated in the Day of Silence for the past few years, protesting the hatred towards gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. When I first did this, I was worried about what my friends from church would say when they discovered that I was standing up for those who, according to our beliefs, were sinners.

In the eyes of God, all sins are created equal with the exception of Mark 3:29 which states:

"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

Any other sin can be forgiven but this one, and all other sins are at the same level. That means that if I go and steal, it is the same as being a practicing gay. Say though that I go, I have the temptation to steal, yet I resist the temptation and walk away, is that not the same as a person who realizes that they are gay, but chooses to not act upon it.

Why then do we go and treat those who are worse in our eyes differently from those who are the same in God's eyes.

Some people may disagree with me on my view on this subject. The Bible says that marriage is a union between a male and a female, a man and a woman, I do not believe that there is anything wrong with being gay, bisexual, or lesbian. I belive that what is wrong is practing being LGTB. This does not mean that I look down upon those who do practice. This is where I believe that people get confused, we are told to love one another as God loves us. I don't believe that we have the capacity in our hearts to love unconditionaly as Jesus has. I believe though that we should strive to be like Him everyday. I believe that by saying that their sin is so great, that they are worse than we are, that is not going to be what will bring them to God.

I dont know where I am going with this. I am way too emotional right now. More stuff on that in a later blog. I'm jumping all over the place right now and I dont think I make much sense.

A spill of mind

I don't know how to describe the emotions that I have felt today. I wonder if it is anger, sadness, a feeling of envy, joy, heart break, pity, loss as if someone has died. I do not know even to where these emotions are directed. Here are some verses I read today though. I'm not placing any input on them, just placing them here...for you to read. BTW..Just in case you wanted my opinion...the cd "the everglow" by mae is amazing. Thats what I am currently listening to.


24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn his ways
and get yourself ensnared.

Proverbs 22:24-25

1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.

2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.

3 But better than both
is he who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.

4 And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands
and ruins himself.

6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.

7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-12

6 "This is what the LORD says—
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.

7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let him foretell what will come.

8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

Isaiah 44:6-8

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

The World Hates the Disciples

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'^[c]

26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

John 15

I will not fall

Lets go on down the road.
Lord only knows where we may go
The paths I take
Narrow though they may be
I'll be alright if You walk on here with me.

I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You
I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You

The roads of life are dark and gray.
You walk with me, I will not stray
Walk with me
Light up my day
My steps will follow just Your way.
Jesus walk with me I will not stray.

I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You
I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You

The grayscale of my life is gone
I sing to You and You alone
When I am with you the world is change
Light of the World, You bring full color to my day.

I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You
I will not fall
I will not fall
I will not fall if I'm with You

Good Morning My Daddy

Good morning My Daddy,
Thanks for watching over me last night.
I was a little scared at first,
But now everything is alright

Hello Daddy
What's up with you?
I loved spending time with you today.
Playing baseball in the park
Racing eachother on rollerskates.
You never left my side all day!
It was so cool to swing on the swings.
Thanks for pushing me so high.
Daddy, I know you are busy,
But thanks for spending time with me today
I was sad at times, but you were always there

Nobody's dad can do as much as You can Daddy!
You watch me grow and know my hurts and pains,
You chaperoned my first slow dance
You check the lips of the boys I kiss
Making sure that I dont kiss only toads
But will sometimes get a prince.
Daddy, everyday you paint the sky just for me
Letting me know that you are watching me
Saying that you love me

I know that you also have others
But everyday you are just with me
I dont know how you do it,
But you are always there

Every Sunday, You and I,
Go out for our Sunday drive
Always saying "be careful"
You let me have the wheel
People watch us while we are passing
They always get to see
Me hugging my Daddy
And my Daddy sending butterfly kisses towards me

Daddy you have also taught me,
About my amazing brother
Your precious perfect Son
To whom I'm the perfect Sister

Daddy I love you a ton,
You make this life right now
An easier occurance
Because of the times when you open your arms
And we flop down on the couch
Me and my Daddy, sharing our feelings,
Letting each other help

I love you My Daddy,
Love your perfect Daughter

I wrote this a few years ago. It is entitled Good Morning My Daddy.

Changes over time

I live around Sugar Land, on the outskirts of Houston. My neighborhood is filled with middle-class people who spend their time running about or on the golf course. I have my own vehicle which I constantly drive into Sugar Land for church. If you live about this area, you know of the constant construction, the many changes, and the knowledge that if you leave the area for even a few months, you will not recognize it when you return. It is the things like this, the new stores, offices, and other buildings that we see the most. To us, they seem to affect our lives. "If they don't build that new DQ on the road to my office, I dont know what I will eat for breakfast." or "Look! They just opened a new Wal-mart right next to us! Lets go shopping!"

In the world we live in today, it seems that we do not care as much for nature as our grandparent's generation did. We only approach the subject when the gas prices get to high, or milk is no longer 2 for $5. I must confess that I am guilty of that.

We have lived in our current house for over ten years now. As a child, the back yard was an exciting place. There was a swing set back there, one that we sold, that my brother and I played on constantly. We have a pool with diving board. We have a dog, and there is a ton of room , we could easily fit two more pools into our yard. It was the perfect yard for a child. As I got older, things began to change. I no longer went into the backyard. My summer was spent training, with any spare time I hung out with my friends.

The other morning, I went out to my backyard and I was shocked. One tree I used to be able to jump up and grab the branch, now, I couldnt reach the branch with a step ladder. Yet in my mind's eye, the tree was still an arm's length away. We havent cut our grass in a while, so our yard has a fluffy bed of weeds and monkey grass, the pool just sits there. The garden where my dad once grew tomatoes, eggplant, corn, strawberries, and beans is overgrown with weeds, no longer fertilized. I couldn't see how all this had happened. Where had the time gone.

This morning in church, my pastor talked about the epidemic of today. How it affects our lives, especially the lives of teenagers. We spend so much time online, facebook, myspace, Wii, movies, and reality tv, that many of us dont even have a hobby. We havent picked up our rollerblades from when we were kids. We play baseball with remote sensors and the only bike we ride, is the exercise bike at the gym. We have forgotten that a few years ago, we didnt have texting or internet. How did we become overcome in such a short time. Is this becoming an idol for us?
There are a group of boys that play almost daily in my cul-du-sac, they are out there for hours, poking at ants, playing football, and racing eachother around. My first response when they began was that if they hit my suburban, they were going to be in a whole lot of trouble. Then I thought, wow! how amazing is it that they have parents who encourage them to be outside, they are not watching tv, or on the computer, or playing video games. They are enjoying the world that God gave them.

I have a challenge for those of you who read this blog. I want you to connect with the past. Dust off your rollerblades and see if you can still stay up. Go into your backyard. Eat dinner with your family around the table with no tv on. Bring out a board game and play it through. Go swimming in the pool and enjoy what God has given you. Take the time to admire the beauty that is all around. It changes every day!

A True Christmas Story - December 17, 2005

Several of the things I am posting are old stories and such...

Every year at my church we do something called the Giving Tree where we have about 200 families come who without us, would not be able to afford Christmas presents. Well, every youth sunday school group will host an activity booth where the kids can come and recieve prizes such as little toys and candy, and have some fun. My group had an obstacle course. One of the first little boys to come through was probably about nine years old. He went through having a good time, especially trying to make the ball go into the basket ball hoop while he was dizzy from spinning around. Well I was holding the prize bucket that they could pick something out of. So I starting looking in there for things I thought a nine year old would enjoy. A toy truck, an airplane, noisemakers, or G. I. Joes. Well I pointed these things out to him, but he looked around in them and picked up a box of crayons. I guess God must have helped him to sense my surprise, or maybe my astonishment was that obvious in my face. Quietly so only I would hear him, he said to me, I want to take these and give them to my little sister for Christmas. The rest of the day, the little boy did not come back to our room, I never even learned his name. More than likely I will never see him again. But that little boy touched me in the same way that Christ touched all of us. He teaches us that it is more than getting things for ourselves. It is about giving things to others, things that we get for them, when we could be getting for ourselves. I will never forget that little boy, and I can imagine the joy on his sister's face that I have never met, when she opens up this wonderful gift from her big brother on Christmas morning.

Easter Sunrise Service 2008 - Freedom in Christ

This is a copy of what my message was about at the sunrise service. I have gone back through and added in scripture for reference along with other random commentary. Any commentary will be shown in green. Sorry all people who are color blind.

I gave the message at the sunrise service this morning along with Cecilia, Sabrina, and Tad. Because of our youth group's recent activity with Loose Change to Loosen Chains our topic was Freedom in Christ.

Good morning! My name is Carole-Marie Wiser and today, this Easter Sunday, you are rejoicing for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is risen. He is risen! (and the people shall say: "He is risen indeed!") Today though, I am rejoicing for a different reason. I am rejoicing because Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior...died.

Several years ago, back when we were still having services in the old sanctuary, I attended my first Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) and my first Good Friday (also known as "Holy Friday," "Friday of Preparation," "Great Friday," and the "Friday of Mourning") service. It was during these services that I had my first real experience with the death of Christ. It confused me. Imagine the thoughts going through a six or seven year old mind. Why would God not only allow His only son to die on a cross, but also tell Him to do so. (Luke 22:41-44 Mark 14:35-36 Matthew 26:36-46) Also, why would the people who love Him so much, betray Him. (This reference does not only include the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (John 18:1-10 Luke 22:47-48 Mark 14:43-45 Matthew 26:48-50) but also the denial of being one of the chose twelve as done by Simon Peter the son of John and brother of Andrew. (Matthew 26:69-75 Mark 14:66-72 Luke 22:54-65 John 18:15-18,25-27)) Lastly, why when Jesus could call thousands of angels to his aid (Matthew 26:53) did he choose not to do so.

Not only did these services confuse me, but they scared me as well. I had never seen the sanctuary empty, always there was the comfort of the familiar, but on Maundy Thursday all of the ornamentals were stripped from the sanctuary. The altar had the candles removed along with all of the cloth. They took the Bible out. Everything that reminded me of Jesus. (Some view the stripping of the sanctuary as a symbolic stripping of the power of Christ. Personally, I do not agree with this because Jesus is part of a trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and I would like to see you try to strip God of His power.) All that was left in the sanctuary after it had been stripped was the wooden cross that hangs above the altar. A cross like the one that Jesus died upon. Both nights we exited in silence, yet all I could think about was that we were leaving Jesus there, no one was doing anything to help Him. He is hanging right there on that cross, He is in this very room, and you all are walking out. Why won't somebody get Him down?

As I was writing this, I went back into the old sanctuary, so that I could relive the memory of my first experience with the death of Christ. Once again, I asked God "why?" Everything was clearer. The answer stared back at me from the architecture . Behind the cross is the stained glass window, but protecting the glass are several strips of wood, nailed up so that they form hundreds of smaller crosses of different sizes. Those smaller crosses are the reason that we can leave in silence, leaving Jesus alone to die. Those smaller crosses are the reason that Jesus did not call to Him the angels of heaven. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that Jesus was betrayed. Those smaller crosses are the reasons that we were slaves. Those smaller crosses...represent our sins and our sins are the chains that bind us. Jesus offered His life so that we could be without those heavy chains, He offers to take them up and carry them.

Today, we are rejoicing because Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died to give us freedom.

The Sky Angel Cowboy

Last night I was visiting the KSBJ website and saw a link about the "Sky Angel Cowboy." Curiously, I clicked on it and listened to a story about a thirteen year old boy who had to put down his favorite calf. He asked God why he allowed his beloved pet to die. God spoke to the little boy, saying "I sent my beloved Son down to earth and watched him die on the cross, He died for a purpose, just like your calf."That calf was suffering in our world, so God allowed him and end for his pain. He died for a purpose, it was what God wanted. Just as Jesus died to save us from our sins. When a loved one dies, we often find that it seems that no one understands, that no one else has felt pain like ours. I received a little card with a very wrinkled puppy dog on it, it said "Give your worries to God and let Him iron out your wrinkles." We may feel that no one else can understand the pain that we go through, but turn to God, and He will understand, because He has suffered the exact same pain when He sent His precious son to live with us.

The Sky Angel Cowboy
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d5d4ee2c067a456e7c0f

Starbucks Devotion

This morning I went to Starbucks to buy a honey latte, on the bottom of the cup is a sign that says "Careful, the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." It made me think about God giving us freewill to do whatever we please. We are given the Bible to study, and within the Bible are God's suggestions on how we are to live our life, but God gives us the choice on whether or not we choose to follow His law in our day to day decisions. So many of our actions, though they may be enjoyable, much like the honey latte I sipped on while writing this, are not what God wants us to do. Think about it: "Careful, the action you are about to perform, though it may cause enjoyment and satisfaction now, may lead to a hot life in hell." God has given us His warning in the Bible. He has told us that the consequences of our actions may lead to more than a burnt tongue. It's up to us to decide if we will heed His warnings, or face the fire.


Photo is entitled Early Board Meeting-Copyright WastedTears13 on deviantart.com