I'm a teenage girl who LUVS music (and I cant spel, aparentlee). I especially luv Christian music, I just think it's great that God gave us the gift of music to use to praise His name! I also luv to read, luv my family, luv other people, and especially LUV my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:14:00 -0600 Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:14:00 -0600 Mark 12:29-31 " 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." God seems to put a lot of emphasis on love! The most important things to do in following Him are to love Him with everything you have, and to love other people more than you love yourself. Why is that? What is so important about love? 1st John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." A definition I’ve heard for wickedness is “the absence of God”. If God is love, then we can replace the word “God” with the word “love” and still have the same meaning, right? So wickedness is “the absence of love”! Wow, I guess that might be what’s so important about love, huh? 1st Corinthians 13:1 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." The tongues of angels…I wonder what angels talk about? Well, they are constantly in the presence of God, right? I’d like to think that because of God’s awesomeness, the angels can’t stop talking about Him! He’s just so amazing that everything they could talk about pales in comparison! So, if we spoke the way that angels speak (talking about God) to other people (as we’ve been called to do), but don’t love those people that we’re talking to, we’re not going to make any impression on them at all! All we’re going to do is be the stereotypical “hypocritical Christian” who is just telling them something to get brownie points from God! A clanging cymbal that everyone just wants to be quiet! The only way we’re ever going to get people to listen to us when we tell them about God’s love for them, is to show them His love through us! Matthew 24:12 “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” This verse sounds a lot like what’s going on today to me. Love is being distorted by the world around us, even by Christians! All that the world tends to see when they think of love is s*x, or something that is there through the good times, but leaves when the storms of life come. This is a horribly distorted image of love, so much so that we can no longer see the very definition of love (God) in it anymore! And Christians have similar problems. We “love” others by not telling them about God’s love for them. We say, “Oh, but I don’t want to offend them” or “They’ll think that I’m weird, and that will give them a bad image of Christians”. But really, how can we say we love our friends when we won’t even tell them about the most important thing in our lives? Is it really loving to let them walk blindly through life and then find themselves in hell when they die? No! No, that is not loving at all! That’s the opposite! Dear friends, I struggle with this too. I am not a “super-Christian” who has brought many to Christ. In all honesty, I’ve never brought someone to Christ. I’ve helped someone rededicate their life to Him, and I’ve been there when someone accepted Christ for the first time, but I’ve never been the one to go up to someone and tell them the good news of Jesus. I think “Oh, they’ll see it in the way I live and if they’re interested they’ll ask me.” And while it is very good to live a life that shows Christ through it, that is not enough. This is something God has convicted me of recently, and I am trying to get better at it, because, as I said, that’s what true love is. It’s caring enough to do the hard things that could offend people, but it could also save them or at least plant a seed in them. 1st Corinthians 13:8 "Love never fails." But without love you are sure to fail. ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/743344/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:14:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/743344/ Hey Guys! I'm going to do a real post soon, but I wanted to let you all know that I just made a new blog for a new story that I'm working on (no, it has nothing to do with Superheroes) called "Songflight". Here's a quick exerpt from the story: Kallar opened the door and stepped aside to allow Karn to enter first, then Hannah, and then Melissa. As she walked in, Melissa felt a significant change in temperature; it was a lot hotter inside than outside. There were four young men standing around the dragon, using their combined mental strength to keep the young dragon in the middle unable to break his bonds. The power of the Slayers was in their minds; if a group of Slayers’ combined mind power is greater than a dragon’s they are able to weaken it, even kill it if they are strong enough. The dragon they were guarding was a white, meaning it had the ability to breathe ice and was strengthened by cold temperatures. To further weaken it, fires had been lit all throughout the hut, heating the air till it was almost unbearable. I’m glad I’m not one of the men who has to stay in here, Melissa thought. Just then the White Dragon looked up at her and its icy-blue eyes met her blue-grey ones. He almost seemed to plead with her, plead that she would aid his escape. "Help me…Singer." Melissa was taken aback; had the dragon just talked to her? How does it know my nickname? she wondered. Karn jumped in front of his daughter, "Keep your evil eyes away from my daughter!" he boomed. The White Dragon lowered its head to the ground, weakened even more by the presence of an enhanced Slayer. Karn then turned to face his daughter, "What did the foul creature say to you, Melissa?" he demanded. "What did it say?" "He asked me to help him," she said, still confused by the dragon’s plea. Karn laughed and turned back to the dragon, "It’s so desperate that it would ask the daughter of Karn, the great leader of the Seaside Slayers, to help it! Foolish, cowardly lizard! You attack our kind, and yet you aren’t willing to face the consequences of your actions! Well, you will receive no help and tonight you will still die!" And with that, Karn led his family and Kallar out of the hut. Kallar walked beside Melissa, "Now that you’ve heard the beast’s voice inside your head, can’t you feel how evil they are?" his brown eyes flashed with excitement. "It didn’t feel evil," she almost whispered, "it felt like he was scared." "And well he should be!" He shook his head slightly so as to get his raven-black hair out of his eyes. "I promise you, Melissa, that dragon will suffer tonight for entering your mind without your permission and trying to lead you astray!" Melissa looked at the ground as she walked, she didn’t want it to suffer. More than anything she wanted to help the White Dragon to escape. But there was no way to do it, he would be guarded all day until the ceremony, and then he would be tortured and die. And all she could do was watch. Hope that sparked your interest! If it did, go to the Songflight blog and read the first part of chapter one!! ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/733893/ Tue, 6 Oct 2009 21:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/733893/ Who doesn’t like a good love song? I know that I do, in fact I LOVE a good love song! One where the lyrics are just right and make your heart pound as you think of your future love story. One with words like "You know when the sun forgets to shine I’ll be there to hold you through the night" (Jonas Brothers) or "Do you ever think when you’re all alone of all that we could be, where this thing could go?" (David Archuleta) or even "If you could see that I’m the one who understands you; been here all along, so why can’t you see you belong with me?" (Taylor Swift). Yes, we all love good love songs. But something has struck me lately. A question that a few months ago I would have thought myself crazy for asking. Why? Why is every popular song nowadays is about romantic love? Why is every other thought in the teenage mind is about romantic love? Why do we hold this concept so high in our minds and in our hearts? Now, you probably think I’m crazy for asking that. You’re thinking something like, "Well, SeaChel, it’s like this: IT’S ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE THINGS GOD HAS CREATED! He made Adam and Eve, so obviously He wants us to fall in love with someone someday and have a romantic relationship. What is wrong with you, SeaChel???" Well, I’m not here to tell you that romantic love is wrong. Far from it! I really want to experience romantic love someday! I really want to get married someday! There is nothing wrong with the concept, in fact it’s quite beautiful! But why is this never far from our teenage (or close to teenage) minds? Recently I developed a crush on a guy in my Youth Group. And what I always do when this happens to me is I start reading books like "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" (Joshua Harris) so as to strengthen my convictions in the area of romantic love in the teenage years (I’m not really going to go into that in this post, but here’s the short story: I believe that one should not enter into a romantic relationship until he/she is ready for marriage). So I read three books on the subject and then started into a fourth one, called "Boy Meets Girl, Saying Hello To Courtship" (Joshua Harris). The first two chapters of this book were devoted to knowing when you’re ready for a relationship and knowing if you have the right motives for said relationship. Well, long story short, I realized I didn’t have the right motives. In fact, I realized that I had a problem. Idolatry. "Now wait, SeaChel", I can hear you think (yes, I am telepathic), "You read a book about guy/girl relationships and you learned that you’ve been worshiping an idol?" Sounds weird, huh? Well, I haven’t bowed down to a false god, or sung the praises of one, so don’t worry. But what does idolatry mean, exactly? Does it just mean bowing down to or worshiping an idol? I think it means more. To me, idolatry means raising someone or something up to a place that belongs to God. And that’s what God convicted me of as I read those two chapters. See, I’ve always thought of romantic love as something that would fill a hole inside of me, something that would make me complete. But only God can ever truly fill the void inside a person. Yet I had set aside a small part of that hole to be filled by my future husband, not God. That’s where I slipped into idolatry. Again, I’m not here to tell you that guy/girl relationships are bad (because they aren’t!) or that marriage isn’t an incredible, wonderful gift from God to people (because it is!). However, a relationship cannot be what makes us feel complete! We cannot be thinking "Once I find the perfect person, then I will truly be whole!" No, God is the only One who can complete us! And if we raise a relationship to that place in our hearts, then it has become an idol in our lives. Slowly, God has been helping me to take my hopes and dreams for a future relationship down off the pedestal I’ve placed it on. It’s not easy, I still have crushes and I still stumble in this area, but it is worth it! Only when you take out your false idols can God truly fill those holes! God wants so desperately to be the One who will truly complete you. Will you let Him be that one? "Marriage is not the completion of two people. Rather, marriage is the joining of two people who are already complete in God into one who is complete in God." ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/728777/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/728777/ Recently I've been revisiting my old favorite music artists, the ones that my Mom and Dad would listen to in the car all the time when I was younger. Artists like Petra, White Heart, Steven Curtis Chapman, Kansas, and Michael W. Smith. While I still thoroughly enjoy my music (Skillet is still my favorite band eva', I've really liked hearing the songs that used to be my favorites again; some of them have even reclaimed their old places in my heart as my favorite songs. One of them is particularly exciting for me to return to, as it played an important role in my life. I was sitting in my Dad's car when I was ten-years-old, and we were listening to his Kansas CD. I was eagerly reading all of the lyrics to the songs, trying to understand what they were about. One song that sparked my interest was the last song on the CD, entitled "Crossfire". Underneath the sky of blue, it's a time of choosing Everybody's holding on to what they're losing But it all works out okay if you give your life away To the one who's holding fast, it's a promise that will last You're caught in a crossfire Of a greater love than man has ever known Caught in a crossfire And you've got to choose which way you're gonna go Caught in a crossfire In a world of darkness turn to the light Time's disappearing, all that you're fearing Dreamers awaken, chances are taken away There isn't any in-between, there's no escaping If you step across the line it's illuminating And the words are clear and true and they all were meant for you For you harvest what you sow, so where you gonna go Chorus There's no pretending, no other ending All is forgiven if you are living anew Everybody faces it now or later You can't get around it 'cause it's human nature And deep within the hardest heart There is something there that knows There's a hunger life can never fill 'Til you face the one who rose Chorus Time's disappearing, all that you're fearing Dreamers awaken, chances are taken There's no pretending, no other ending All is forgiven if you are living anew Now, I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to song lyrics, so all throughout the song I was picturing myself in the middle of a battlefield. Even though this isn't a Christian song per-say (the man who wrote it is a Christian, but the band was not) I applied it to a Christian scene, in which Satan and his demons were on one side and Jesus and His angels were on the other, and (as the song says) I had to choose which way I had to go! Now, I'd accepted Jesus into my heart when I was three years old, and I'd been a "good little Christian girl" my whole life. But something about the song really stirred inside of me this need for more. It wasn't enough to say which side I was on, I had to choose and run towards that side of the battlefield! I had to live my life like I'd chosen that side. So, at the end of the song I silently prayed and rededicated my life to Jesus, promising to not just say I'm a Christian, but to actively follow Christ. So yeah, cool story I thought I'd share with you guys! Luv ya'll!! ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/722931/ Tue, 1 Sep 2009 14:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/722931/ Why is it that when I have all the time in the world I don’t post? Why is it that I’ve sat around at the computer for the past week, been on HSB to post comments, and I still don’t post? *hits head against wall* Well, I’ve decided that my posts on this blog are going to change a bit. See, I’ve always posted uber-long blog entries about trips and stuff like that, but I doubt many people like reading uber-long posts about stuff that happened to me (I know that I wouldn’t want to read it, at least not the whole thing!). So now I’m going to try something kinda new for me. I’m going to post shorter entries about things that are important to me, whether it’s about music, thoughts I’ve been having, or stuff that God has been teaching me. So, without further ado, here’s my first real post in months: On Training Camp (the first rafting camp of the year, when we all train ourselves to be ready for the next three camps) we studied the book of 1st Timothy, because that particular book of the Bible has a ton of instructions and advise for being a leader (as we were going to be over the rest of the summer). In chapter 3 there is a list a requirements for leaders in the church, and one of them was humility. As I was reading through the chapter I wrote down all of the characteristics that I felt I needed to work on, and humility wasn’t one of them. See, I’ve always tried to be humble, and I felt like I’d been doing a pretty good job at it. But that night in Bible Study humility came up and my youth leader started talking about what "fake humility" looks like, and it sounded an awful lot like what I’d called humility in my life. Something I really don’t like in people is arrogance, so I’d worked hard to be someone who didn’t seem arrogant in the slightest. So whenever I was complimented on something I’d done, I would say something like "Thanks, but it’s really not that great" or "I’m not the best…". But according to my youth leader, this was fake humility. Why? This seems pretty humble to me! Well first, what are my motives for saying these things? I’m trying to appear humble, I’m saying these things so that people will think "She’s so humble!" Is that really a humble motive? Nope, not really. Second, Who give us all our talents? (yes, the "w" in "Who" is capitalized for a reason!) God did! God uses the gifts He gave us so that He can work through us! So when we use our talents and do well and then we say "It’s really not all that great", who are we belittling? God. We’re basically saying "No this isn’t great. God didn’t do very well when He gave me this gift" or "God isn’t working very well through me." So no, belittling what we’ve done isn’t true humility, nor is it pleasing to God! So what is true humility? Again, Who gave us all our talents? God did! So who deserves the praise? He does! So when someone compliments you for something you’ve done, turn their eyes to the One who gave you your gifts! Now, am I perfect at this? No, not even close! But I’m working on it, and you can too! ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/721006/ Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/721006/ Hey guys! Just so you know, I'm going to be gone to Rafting Camp for a couple of weeks, so I won't be able to comment or post at all for a bit. Bye!!! ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/704396/ Thu, 2 Jul 2009 07:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/704396/ Wow…I feel so loved…0 comments. Oh well, I guess I brought it on myself…I don’t post as often as I should. For anyone who might be reading this, I’m sorry! I’m trying to do better! It’s just that I’m in college now and I have a lot of stuff that needs to get done. And then on my breaks between quarters I think “Wow, I have time to do things now!” and so I do everything I can think of, except for posting…Again, I’m sorry, and I’ll try to do better in the future. Well, for anyone who might still read this blog, here’s the run-down of the Orofino Missions Trip! After a nine hour bus ride, we arrived at 7pm on Saturday the 28th. After unloading everything and being assigned home-stays (the girls all went to the homes of people from the Orofino church, while the guys all stayed at the church). The next day we were in charge of the whole church service! We and our team members from the Orofino Youth Group all donned our cool orange team shirts and went to the front of the church to welcome the congregation as they filed in. At first, our team stood in the main hall, shaking hands and saying “hi!” to everybody. But it felt like we were a little overwhelming (we had about sixty people on our team (including the Orofino Youth Group) and their church has about the same number of people, so we doubled their attendance that day), like we were making them “run the gauntlet”. So a bunch of us left that room and went into the sanctuary. We sat next to people and talked with them until our worship team went up and led us in praising God. Then Rob (our youth leader) gave us all a sermon on Faith and Deeds, focusing on James 2. After the church service, we held a pizza potluck for the church and we all got to know each other a bit more through talking and games. The next four days were our main work days. In the mornings we did service projects; we painted the inside of the church, cleaned elderly people’s yards, washed windows, cleaned up at a horse ranch, and even got the opportunity to write five Bible studies for teens in a Romanian orphanage. After all this was done we had lunch and headed into our Quiet Time and Bible Study, which focused on the book of James. After that we got a bit of free-time, during which we went up to the teen center and could check our e-mail, play video games (my favorite was Guitar Hero!), or just hang out. Also, we held sports tournaments on each of these days, two for soccer, one for basketball, and one for volleyball. I played in the volleyball tournament along with four friends. We didn’t win any of our games, but we had a lot of fun and got steadily better from game to game! Then at about 5:30 teens started showing up and we served them a free dinner and did a lot of fun activities. I won’t describe all of the nights, but here’s what my team’s night looked like: First we all walked over to the High School (which is right next to the teen center) and played dodge ball in the gym. I actually didn’t get to play, because I was setting up another activity, but I heard it was quite fun! Then everyone broke up into small groups and played “I’ve Never” as a Get-To-Know-You game. Then they all came back to the teen center (where a friend and I had been setting up) and we held a taste-testing contest (or, as we called it, “Fantastic Food Fun”!). Basically our team had gotten different flavors of jellybeans, Capri-Suns, Jello, etc. and we had people from each small group come up and taste something while blindfolded. Then they wrote down the flavor they thought the item was and if they got it right their team got a point. After that game our team did a mini-drama about peer-pressure and our small groups had conversations on that subject, which we did our best to steer toward spiritual discussion. Friday was our rest day. We all hung out at the church and the teen center for most of the day and ended with a bonfire party that night. Saturday we got back into a bit of a work mode as we cleaned the church and prepared for our going-away party with not only our team, but also people from the Orofino church and people we had helped throughout the week. The party was amazing! We saw all of the pictures from the week, heard stories from each other, heard a couple of messages from people we’d served, worshiped, and said goodbye. The next morning we all left for Washington, sad to leave, but glad to be going back home at the same time. I was so glad to go back to Orofino again and see everybody there again, as well as meet a lot of new people. God really worked through us and in us that week! Well, congratulations if you read through all of that. If you just skipped to the last paragraph, well, at least you read some! ;-D ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/678353/ Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/678353/ Well, as the title says, tomorrow I'm leaving on a Missions Trip to Orofino once again! I'm really excited for all the new opportunities we'll have while there. Plus we'll be doing something totally new this time in addition to service projects and outreaches. See, after we left last time, the Orofino church started a Youth Group. So this time my Youth Group will be partnering with their's, making a bigger group to reach out to the non-Christians in Orofino. I'm really excited to see all of my friends again! And I'm REALLY excited for what God has waiting for us there! I would love it if you guys could pray for us as we're on this trip. Here are some specific prayers I think our group will need: Willingness to work hard, Open hearts in the young men and women in Orofino, Willingness to do whatever God has planned for us to do, Courage to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ, and The ability to be good examples of Jesus to both the non-believers as well as the Orofino Youth Group. Thanks so much for your prayers, guys! I'll let you all know how the trip went when we get back (we get back on April 5th, but I probably won't have the post up till a few days after that). ~SeaChel http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/673284/ Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/673284/ As the title says, I've been gone from this blog for a while. It's just that nothing much had been going on, just college and stuff like that... Well, this last weekend the same-old, same-oldness ended and I got to go on my Youth Group's Srping Retreat!! :-D It was sooooooo much fun! This year, Rob (our youth leader) talked to all the Juniors and Seniors about how we should make sure that this weekend was especially fun for the Freshmen and Sophomores, because most of the outings and stuff we do tends to be more for the upperclassmen. So this last weekend, I got to hang out with some AWESOME Freshmen and Sophomores! On the bus ride over to camp (about a 1 1/2 hour ride) three freshmen and I all did this little questionare thingy and laughed about our answers. Then, once we got to camp, we were all assigned cabins. I got into a cabin with a good friend of mine and also a bunch of sophomore and freshmen girls that I've met before, but never actually talked to much. So I got to spend some time with them and built some relationships there. Saturday was an amazingly fun day! Some people went snowboarding, some went to a hot spring, and some stayed at camp (which is what I did). At first I was a little bored because everyone was either playing basketball in the Rec Center (which I'm no good at) or painting/coloring (both of which I don't really enjoy. I like drawing, but not coloring or painting). But during this time I was able to work on a couple of my songs, so it ended up being productive. Then we got to the fun part of the day: the giant swing! It's about fifty feet tall, suspended between two tall trees. You put on a harness and you get pulled up fifty feet by the people on the ground using a pulley system. And then you push the release and you free-fall about twenty feet and swing the rest of the way. Now, heights and I DO NOT MIX! But I'd told myself that I would face my fear and do the swing. While watching the people in front of me go I was all "I'm going to die. I'm going to die! I'M GOING TO DIE!" Then my turn came and I was pulled up. I was scared to death! I looked down for a split second and then pulled my eyes off the ground, because if I focused on how high I was I would never release myself. So then I took a deep breath and pushed the button. And I free-fell. And I SCREAMED!!! It was sooooo scary! But then the rope caught me and took me into a swinging motion. When I got back to solid ground my legs were shaking! But I had such a great time! I am sooooo glad that I did it! And I am so doing it again next year!!! :-D So yeah, that was the highlight of my weekend Retreat. I had a great time, learned stuff in Bible study, wrote a couple of new songs, met new people, it was awesome! And speaking of new songs, would you like to see one? This was inspired by the giant swing, actually. I was just thinking in quiet time that day about how scary it is to let go of things we love and let God catch us, and how after we finally do let go we're still scared and wondering "Will He catch me this time?" But He always does! It's not quite finished, but here's what I have: Free-Fall Standing on the edge of what I fear the most I know I need to jump, I need to let go He’s caught me before, why am I so afraid? Looking down, the nausea begins to take a hold I do not want to jump, this is my comfort zone He’s caught me before, why am I so afraid? I know I need to take this leap of faith But I fear the free-fall I know the danger of this comforting place But I fear the free-fall I know I need to trust Him to catch me as I fall I know that when I jumped before He was there through it all I know that He is here but I’m afraid I fear the free-fall I’m ready, here I go now, I leap off of the edge And then I wish never took my feet off of the ledge He’s caught me before, why am I still afraid? I know I need to take this leap of faith But I fear the free-fall I know the danger of this comforting place But I fear the free-fall I know I need to trust Him to catch me as I fall I know that when I jumped before He was there through it all I know that He is here but I’m afraid I fear the free-fall The ground is coming up at me so fast Each breath I take, it feels like it’s my last And just when I think I can’t survive Your strong arms lift me up high I know I need to take this leap of faith But I fear the free-fall I know the danger of this comforting place But I fear the free-fall I know I need to trust Him to catch me as I fall I know that when I jumped before He was there through it all I know that He is here and I am safe Though I fear the free-fall ~SeaChel "Free-Fall" copyrighted by SeaChel, 2009 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/664757/ Tue, 3 Mar 2009 14:43:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/664757/ Do You Know Me (SeaChel)??? 1) Let's start out easy: After God and my family and friends, what is my love in life? My Boyfriend Superheroes Music The Internet Powered By: QUIZYOURFRIENDS.com Make A Quiz - Take This Quiz - View Scoreboard http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/638938/ Thu, 1 Jan 2009 18:22:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SeaChel/638938/