The ordinary adventure

I was going traveling on an adventure! I packed my bags for the trip I was going to take. I took all the supplies I needed. I made sure to get my backpack, had all the books, and essentials such as water, lunch, pens, pencils, papers, my cell phone, some altoid mints, and other miscellaneous items.

I was running a little late, but I hurried to do my hair, pulled my shoes on and rushed to the car.

I looked at the gas level as I revved up the engine. Half full. That should be okay to get me to my destination.

After a quick prayer for protection I was on my way!

It was summer, a hot and a lazy day. People all going their merry little way. The miles sped under my tires, and the warm wind blew in my face through the open window.

I knew the way to this place quite well. I had been there many times before, but that didn’t stop me from going back. In fact, I had to go back.

After awhile, I saw it on the horizon. In a few minutes I would be there.

When I arrived, I joined many other adventurers like myself. We were all going to the same place, but we all had different reasons for going there. Despite our varied backgrounds, most of us had packed the same, lugging backpacks after us, because we would all need similar supplies on our journey.

The adventurers and I generally had an idea of what awaited us on this day, but some were probably more worried than others because sometimes there could be hurdles in the way…hurdles that required you to prepare in advance for them in order to keep going on your journey.

This place had several buildings. Some trees, benches, tables, restaurants, stairs… it was quite expansive.

I entered a building along with several other people who were on the same journey. There were leaders in front who had materials to give us and guide us along to reach our destination.

It was going to be quite a long journey…but I had already come such a long way, I would be there soon!

~The End~

Can you guess where my traveling adventure was?

Looking back at 2014 – review of my blog & life

I don’t think I ever did this before on the blog, but I decided to share some facts/statistics from 2014 pertaining to the blog, or just to my own life.

I’ll start with little facts from my own life

My thoughts in little letters

Dear Independence Day:

I can’t wait to celebrate! You’re my favorite day in July and one of the best day of summer.
I love my country, I love showing my patriotism
and remembering the beginnings of the best nation on Earth!

Dear Summer:

I’m glad you’re here. You’re welcome to overstay your visit actually.
There are so many reasons why I like you:
longer days, fun outside activities, ice cream, more time to read new books…just to name a few.

Dear Fifa World Cup:

I’m not that much into soccer, but this time we kept up with who’s playing against who
(thanks to Google).
There’s something odd going on this year.
Lots of unlikely European countries are scoring wins,
and a lot of the soccer crazy Latin or South American countries are getting beat.
What’s going on? Did anyone else notice this?
But I’m proud of my USA for winning against Ghana! Woot! May you soundly beat Germany next!
(Sorry, I had to say that).

Dear publishing houses:

I would like a steady, free supply of my favorite books to write reviews on.
As a poor college student I can’t afford to buy all my favorite books,
so this is a great alternative to continue expanding my library.
I promise I do a good and enthusiastic job reviewing books I love. I’m a good investment. 😉

Dear ICR:

 I just got July’s edition of Acts & Facts in the mail!
When will ya’ll make some bumper stickers with the “Your Origins Matter” logo?
I want one for my car.

Dear blog friends:

Thanks for regularly visiting! You’re great.
I wish I could gather you up from all the corners of the world
and have a tea party  coffee & dessert party with you and chat away.

Young Ladies at Crossroads: Should You Stay at Home or Attend College?

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 
Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 
Colossians 3:23-24

She was a young lady now, ready to launch out. Fresh out of highschool, capable, enthusiastic, and eager to live out her full potential in life- to fulfill her purpose. Her future was bright, there were so many opportunities, so many pathways that she could choose! Yet here she was, at a crucial point in her life and there were life-changing decisions to make…but which was the right one? What was God’s will for her life? Should she become a stay at home daughter and learn homemaking? Should she pursue further education and get a degree? Should she become a missionary? Which was her calling? Could it be a combination of two things? Should she go along with the trends and do what other girls her age were doing? How could she know what was God’s will without making a mistake? 

If you are a young lady, you probably can see yourself described in the little paragraph above. Many of us have been at this crossroads, and some of you are maybe at this point in your life right now. You’re young, and recently graduated from homeschooling or high school, or will graduate soon. It’s exciting and a little frightening too. Everyone’s asking you the big question:

“So, what are you going to do now? What do you plan to study or work?”

This topic has been discussed and debated on many blogs that I visit. It’s the major question:

Should a young lady stay at home? Or should she attend College? 

I’ve often thought about this question and discussed it with my family and siblings. But I thought I’d write a post and it would give us all food for thought.

Some people are of the opinion that all girls should stay at home after high school. They should learn to be a homemaker, and take care of a family, cultivate skills that she will use as a wife. Others say girls should go to school, get a degree or have a career no matter what. Others think the right thing to do is become a missionary. And pretty strong debates arise from these topics.

I say none of these convictions are bad. All have a valid reasoning behind them, but they must be put in perspective of God’s Word and our current real-life circumstances. Each family is different, each family has a unique calling, lifestyle, and different personalities, financial situation, and location area etc. So what works for one family might not work for another family.

I am not referring to certain Biblical standards and convictions that all Christian families should hold. Those are important and should be applied by everyone. We can all learn from other families who are a godly example, and we should strive to be well equipped (2 Timothy 2:15), to deal with many aspects in life, ranging from defending the faith, to learning theology, to being up to date on many contemporary issues in churches and families are dealing with.

So how do we know what to do? What choices to make? The bottom line we have to remember is this. It doesn’t matter where you are: whether at home or at college. What is important is to be in God’s will, to be where God wants you to be. If God wants you home, that’s where you should be. If God has a purpose for you in going to college, that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be. Don’t let others tell you what to do. When you are fulfilling God’s purpose for you, you are doing the right thing, whether it be going to school or staying at home. Neither makes you more righteous. God has different callings for different people. This applies both to young men and young ladies. Some are called to be doctors or nurses for example. Some people can do ministry on university campuses as a professor, others can minister to those in the military, to high officials and important people, while others are called to stay at home. We need godly people in all kinds of positions to spread the Gospel. 

Of course I am not arguing for the feminist concept of wives always working instead of the husband. But I am saying if the circumstances of some families requires the woman to work part time or get a degree before she is a mother, it is not un-Biblical or condemn-able.

There are many examples in the Bible of people who fulfilled the role God called them to in ways that probably were not expected by other people. Queen Esther was apparently an ordinary Jewish girl, but God then placed her in a position of Queen “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Daniel was a young man in Israel but then served a king as a wise man, being “ten times wiser than the magicians and enchanters” (Daniel 1:20). Lydia was a businesswoman, “a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira” (Acts 16:14).

Whether you stay at home or go to college, or become a missionary, the most important thing is first to find out what ministry God wants you to do in your little corner of the world.

Maybe you want to be a missionary. You can’t wait for God to send you to an unreached people group. But have you thought of being a local missionary? Have you ever prayed for your neighbors? The cashiers at your local grocery store? The mailman? Have you ever prayed for the people in the cars all around you when you drive on the freeway? The families you meet at the park when you go for a walk? The fields are ripe all around you! We tend to think of mission work as that beyond our borders…but there are so many people right here, in your own neighborhood, in your own town and city who need the Gospel. Sometimes you can’t give Gospel tracts to everyone…but you can pray for the people you see and ask God to reveal Himself to them as they go about their life.

My main point is to live for the Lord wherever you are, and make sure you are in His will. For some people He will call them to get a degree before they become a stay at home mother. For others He may allow them to become missionaries first.  Whatever His calling is in your life- do it.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Share your comments below.

Part II Coming Soon with Related Topic: “How do you find out God’s will for your life? How to equip yourself to stand strong in your faith and counteract worldly influences whether you’re at home or in college.” 

Answering my own questions

After launching out the “Interview a Blogger” Challenge, many of the participants requested that I also answer my own challenge!
So here goes.

What is your favorite hymn?

This is a really hard question for me, because I have a lot of favorites. A few are:  I Sing the Mighty Power of God, And Can It Be, Come Christians Join to Sing, We’re Marching to Zion, Come Thou Almighty King… just to name a few.

What do you consider to be the most difficult book of the Bible? Why?

Ah, I think it would be Job because of the indescribable suffering, the book of Romans because of the heavy duty theological content that must be properly understood, and Revelation. These are very rich books that require a lot of diligent study, which is why they can be difficult for a lot of Christians, I think.

A character trait you most admire in people?

Another really hard question. Why did I even ask? There are a lot of traits that I think are important. A top one would be humbleness, being down-to-earth. Endurance. Courage. Another would be faithfulness/loyalty. Also joy, a sense of humor, and love. Sorry, that was more than one…but I just can’t pinpoint one single character trait I really value.

What do you like most about your family?

I like that we do almost everything together, we’re flexible, and we sing.

What do you wish you could do more of?

I wish I could have more time to draw, write more, sing more, play my instruments, and blog more…learn new things, learn more from God’s Word, and travel to new places. This summer is a very busy one, a lot of projects and jobs to complete. But hopefully I’ll get to do a few of these, pretty please dear Lord?

Favorite author and book?

Whew, this one is nearly impossible to answer. I can’t name a favorite author. Some favorite books would be “The Road to Unafraid” by Jeff Struecker, “Hostage Lands” by Douglas Bond, Little House on the Prairie Series, Caddie Woodlawn etc. etc. etc.

Do you prefer active/outdoor activities or creative/indoor activities?

Both. I like a lot of sports, one of which is running. I also like being creative.

Do you keep a journal/diary?

Yes, a journal. I write down events and days which were special to me or important. I write about the ways God works in my life. I love looking back and seeing how I changed, how God answered prayers, how He’s been faithful. I treasure those memories.

What is your favorite healthy food or recipe (ex: blueberries)?

I’ll have to limit myself to just one this time. Grapefruits.

Do you think music is neutral or does it have an influence on those who listen?

Music is not neutral. It can never be. Like one participant pointed out, just look at movies. The background music really sets the mood for the movie and influences people’s emotions. In sad scenes there are slow and melancholic melodies that make you cry, in action scenes you hear really upbeat music that keeps you on the edge of your seat, in dramatic scenes you have majestic music….I doubt you heard a rock or heavy metal song as a wedding march, or at a funeral. So yes, that is one simple argument that shows music is not neutral. There has been much research on the topic too. One authority on the topic is Tim Fisher who did much research and wrote many books on rock music, one of which is “Noise in the Camp“. There are many other resources out there that show rock and Christian rock music is just not neutral and have a bad influence on people. Hmm, maybe I should write a post on this.
Which historical person (besides Biblical characters) do you most admire?

Many righteous saints, missionaries, and hymn writers like Isaac Watts, George Washington, Martin Luther, a whole host of people that would be too many to name.

What do you like best about blogging?

Writing, sharing valuable information from God’s Word and other interests, connecting with like-minded people and making friends, discovering new ideas, having a ministry online.