Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16

I am glad to say that I survived my first week as a TA with the band. This past week, we had to diesel the field, organize music, organize uniforms, and take instrument inventory. I don't have a specific job, so I just roamed around and helped everyone else with their specific jobs. I mostly helped with uniforms, though. Saturday, the guard and percussion began camp. The TAs didn't have all that much to do since we had gotten a lot done this past week. However, this coming week is going to be crazy. We are going to have to be outside all day every day! I don't know how much I'm going to like that.

Be praying for me as I am preparing for my entrance exams. These really have nothing to do with me getting accepted. I have already been accepted. It just tells how many hours I have to take in certain areas. The more tests I pass=The less hours I take. The more tests I fail=The more hours I take. Also, I have wind ensemble try-outs coming up. I was undecided if I really wanted to audition, but the more I think about it, the more I want to be a part of the wind ensemble. Also, pray for no rain and not extremely hot weather this week during camp! Thanks guys for your friendship!!!

I went back to North Oxford this morning. I really enjoy this church. This morning the OM football team was there. There are a few of the coaches that attend NO, and they brought the entire team today. I'm glad the OM football team has Christian coaches.

In SS, we talked about Romans 12. We discussed how if everyone lived by these few verses, our world would have no problems because Jesus would be so alive in us and we'd be glowing because our love for Christ. So remember these verses this week and try to build your life around them.

Verses 9-21

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be laking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. DO NOT BE CONCEITED.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary:

If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

New Places-New Things

Hey y'all! My life has been pretty crazy lately, and I just realized it's been over a week since I have updated my blog. Last Saturday, I moved to Oxford, and I was cleaning/setting up my apartment and such things all week. I was kinda lonely at first, but at the same time, it was okay because I really needed a break and time to relax before starting to work with the Ole Miss band. (By the way, I don't know if I ever put that on here. I got a graduate assistant position with the Ole Miss band! YAY!) Sunday, I visited North Oxford Baptist. I really liked it there. I will probably go back, but I really want to visit First Baptist Oxford before making a final decision of where to make my "home-away-from-home" church.

I started my graduate assistant work, yesterday. I didn't have to be there until 1, and we had a meeting with the band staff and all of the graduate assistants. I kinda found out what I will be doing with the band. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Today, we met at the band hall at 8, and all of the graduate assistants poured diesel on the practice field. This takes much much longer than spray painting lines; however, we only have to do it once a season-rather than once a week or so. I would prefer once a season.

I look forward to all that this position entails over the next year. I already am enjoying myself, and I'm glad I finally have friends in Oxford-even if I only see them at work, right now. I think I will end up liking it here.

I am rather exhausted. I just finished another week of band camp! It was a Clinton HS with Mr. Mangum. I taught the drum majors. My work was cut out for me, but they ended up looking pretty dang sweet by the end of camp! I am so proud of them! I look forward to seeing their show once it is fully developed. The title of their show is "The Way of The Arrow." They are the Clinton Arrows, and the music was specifically written for their band. It is kind of an Indian themed show. It's going to be rather exciting.

We went to a drum corps show, Wednesday night. It was incredible. I regret not ever trying out for drum corps before I aged out. It would have been so much fun. I personally like Phantom Regiment's show, this year. They were not necessarily the best corps, but the show was absolutely beautiful. The Cadets had an awesome show, too! It is called Toy Soldiers. It was probably the most entertaining show I have ever seen! I laughed the entire show! :D

I am moving to Oxford, tomorrow. I am ready for the moving to be over because I've been so busy the past two weeks. I am ready for my week off. I only have like 3 things to do next week. Other than that, I am going to catch up on my sleep and enjoy my new house.

I look forward to all of you coming to visit me! Call or text me when you get a chance, and we can catch up!

Moving All Around the World

I am so darn tired. A week of band camp followed by a full day of moving is not a good combination. The only thing that could make this a worse combination would be to have another week of band camp followed by another weekend of moving.

Oh wait! I do have another week of band camp and another weekend of moving! How fun!?! Volunteers would be greatly appreciated! Although, I doubt anyone will show up to help move! HA! Luckily, I think my brother and a friend of his are going to help my parents and me move next weekend!

The first photo is a photo of our trailer loaded down with my stuff! The second is the table that I'm taking to Oxford. My new apartment doesn't have a place big enough for me to put my table, so I'm trading tables with Corey for the next 2 years. LOL.

NOTICE: My car is also packed full of stuff, AND there is more stuff in the barn that I moved home last weekend. 3 WEEKENDS OF MOVING!!! :D

Sad story....

I got finished loading all of my stuff, and mom and dad decided to go eat. I was not hungry though, so I headed home. As soon as I got in the car (with all of my belongings), I plugged my iPod in and hit my little AUX button, so I could sing REALLY LOUD the entire way home. (one of my favorite things ever! and don't laugh...you do it, too!) I hit the shuffle button...the music started...The name of the song....

"Graduation" by Vitamin C

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDM3eYp4KQ

"I keep thinking that it's not goodbye. I keep on thinking it's our time to fly!"

Genesis 13

Once again, I greatly identify with what is going on. First off, Abram and Lot are moving all around. I am also moving all around. (However, I believe these 2 boys were moving a lot more than I.)

At one point, Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen were not getting along. Therefore, they decided to move away from each other to stop all of the quarreling. I remember growing up with Corey who is 5 years older than I am. We seemed to fight all of the time. We fought about everything. Matter of fact, up until about 2 years ago, there was still a hole in the bedroom wall from where Corey threw my head through the wall. Then, there came a day when Corey left for college. He was at Holmes CC, and we seemed to get along much better by not seeing each other everyday. Later, he moved to Texas. Being 18 hours away from your brother is hard. We grew much much closer during that time. Our quarreling ceased, and we were able to come friends and not just brothers. I know we don't always get along now, but being apart was one of the best things that ever happened to us.

Once Abram and Lot decided to part ways, Abram moved near Sodom. This is another verse that jumped out at me. "The men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord." Put your town in that verse. "The men of KOSCIUSKO were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord." One I really like is "The men of OXFORD were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord." (GO STATE!) I know this is talking about a group of people-and we obviously can't control other peoples actions. BUT! What are you doing to influence those around you? How are you acting when you are around "the men of Kosciusko" or "the men of Oxford"..."Starkville"..."Jackson". Wherever you may be-Wherever you may move to-Wherever you are- How are you influencing those around you?

Run for your life!

Nothing too special happened today. Other than...I made some of the clarinets run today at band camp. I asked them to memorize a portion of their music, or they would have to run. For the first thing they had to pass off, 3 girls had to run around the school. And for the second thing they had to pass off, about 6 girls had to run around the school. They have more to pass off tomorrow. I feel that there will be several more having to run.

Also, I was beginning to feel that they were behind the rest of the band, but I went in to hear the flutes today at the end of their sectional, and they were about the same as the clarinets. That made me feel better that we are all on the same page

Genesis 12

The first 9 verses of this chapter remind me of myself. God is talking to Abram and tells him to leave his country and take everything he has. Move to this foreign land. Abram is told that all the people of the earth will be blessed because of him. After Abram leaves his homeland and travels around, he builds an alter at several places to worship the Lord.

I really connect with Abram tonight. God is asking me to leave my comfort zone. He asking me to leave Kosciusko (once again) and leave Starkville. I am being told by God to move to Oxford and make my life there for at least the next 2 years. I hope and pray that the people of Oxford and the students/staff of Ole Miss will be blessed because of the things that I do there. I pray that I am able to establish a place and time there that I can worship the Lord.

Now, verse 10 to the end of the chapter really confuses me. Abram takes his wife Sarai with him as he is traveling through Egypt. There they tell the Pharoah that Sarai is his sister. Pharoah takes Sarai into his palace. Because of Sarai being Abram's "sister", Abram is blessed. God gives Pharoah a disease and Sarai and Abram leave and end up safe.

What I don't understand is...Abram lies but is blessed with cattle, sheep, servants, etc. Why was Abram not punished because of this? Maybe it will come up in a later chapter....

How funny is it that I write a title on my blog before I write it each day before read my Bible and then it ends up having to do with what I read in the Bible.

Yesterday-"All Smiles"-I ended up talking about smiling at people.

Today-"Run for your life!"-Abram is moving all around the earth.

Wonder what will happen next!?!

All SMILES!

I got some absolutely amazing news, today! It's still kind of on the down low for now. I'll let you guys know about it once everything is finalized. I'm Happy!!!

Band camp wasn't so band, today. I made several of the girls do 10 push-ups or 15 crunches for not being able to play their music. Tomorrow, they have to have a portion of the opener memorized. If they don't, I told them the entire section is going to have to run. However, there were 5 girls who didn't take home their clarinets. I'm kind of hoping that they are not able to play it, and I am going to work the crap out of them! I clearly told them at least 10 times that they are going to have to play their music memorized tomorrow or have to run! I don't understand why they would leave their clarinets at the school. That is a complete slap in the face, basically.

Genesis 11

v. 1 "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech." This reminds me of the saying "Music is the universal language."

v. 6-7 really cracks me up. It says that all of the people were speaking one language and God realized that for them nothing would be impossible. There would be no reason for the people to rely on him. Therefore, he scattered the people and gave all of the peoples different languages in order to confuse them! How funny!

My challenge for you is this: Try to communicate some over the next few days without words. You never know just how far a simple smile will go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBzpbXCJFPg&feature=related

I came home from the Kosciusko band camp tonight and got on the computer to check my email and facebook. Then, I fell asleep on top of my laptop. HA! I am so tired. After that, I took a bath and talked to mom for a while, and now I'm updating my blog! YAY!

So camp....

It went pretty good again today. I had to go off on the clarinets that I am working with today. It was quite amusing to watch their faces. I haven't been able to go off on anyone since I finished student teaching! It made me happy. HA!

Genesis 10

This chapter tells about how Noah's sons and their sons "spread out over the earth after the flood."

At one point, the writer is talking about the Hamites (the children of Ham-the son of Noah). In the particular passage that I am talking about, the writer is specifically talking about Ham's son, Cush. It sounds a lot like an obituary. Have you ever thought of what your obituary might say when you die? What would you like it to say?

Points I would like my obituary to cover...

-my family

-my Christianity/my home church

-my home town

-my love for music

-my love for MSU

-the way I treated others

My life has been kinda crazy lately. The reason I haven't updated lately is because I've been in Starkville, lately. I went up there Thursday to Sunday to pack up my apartment. My apartment is so empty, now! It's crazy! I brought home a car...or SUV load of boxes and other stuff! It seemed like I had so much stuff in my car, but when we put it all out in the barn, it seemed like just a small pile. I still have just as much stuff left. Plus, I have to get all of my furniture: a couch, a recliner, a piano, a table with 4 chairs, 2 other chairs, a bed, and a desk! I don't know how we're going to be able to move all of that stuff back next weekend! We'll have my vehicle and my dad's truck with a trailer. I really hope I don't have to take 2 trips!

Today was the beginning of the Kosciusko band camp! It is so weird being up there and knowing only about 10 students out of the 135+ students. Also, the staff is basically completely different. Mr. Bishop is the only one left. Camp is run so differently under Mr. Yates. It's pretty great though. I like the way he runs things. Maybe one day I'll be able to work under him! HA! The kids are doing a great job! They got their music today and played through the entire show! We had only worked on one song when they did this! That one song is pretty ridiculous. It's hard. However, the other two songs are pretty easy. I'm excited about what this year has in store for Big Red. I hope I get the chance to watch them perform a few times.

Next week, I'll be working at the Clinton HS band camp under my old HS director, Mr. Mangum. I look forward to that camp, as well. Maybe I'll be able to work under him one day! HA!

I feel as if being in grad school is getting so close on me! I got 2 of my books in the mail, today. I am waiting on 2 more. Also, I got an email saying that one of my scholarship letters has been placed in the mail for me to sign and send back. I'm really excited about going to grad school. (Notice: I never said I was excited about going to OM.) Kinda on the same note, I look forward to driving back to Starkville almost every weekend to watch MSU football! MSU rocks my socks! I'm going to miss Starkville and MSU so much! I am going to miss all of the friendships I have made. Starkville has really become home to me. I don't look forward to having to move to Oxford and being alone all the time outside of school. Pray that I make some friends fast-or stay really busy with school so that I don't have time for friends! And pray that I have the motivation to put forth the effort needed for grad school. I don't need to be getting lazy! HA.

I want to thank a friend of mine. She really encouraged me this weekend and kind of put me in my place. She asked me why I haven't been updating my blog the past few days, and I told her how I had been in Starkville without internet. Well, she replied asking if I had read my Bible. And I said no, I accidentally left in in Kosciusko. Her response was pretty great. You know how you got an iPhone? There's an app for that. Sadly, my response was "I have it."

I just want to thank her for reading my blog and taking the opportunity to encourage me. She could have easily not said anything at all. Or when I told her I had left my Bible in Kosciusko, she could have said-Oh okay! You can read it later! But, she didn't. She reprimanded me, and I appreciate that!

Before I talk about Genesis 9, I want to go back and mention something from chapter 1. We talked about this in Sunday School yesterday, and I had never noticed it.

God made everything during the creation. After day 1, he said it was good. Day2, it was good. So on and so forth. However, Look at day 6. God made male and female and it was VERY good! Pretty cool stuff.

Genesis 9

v. 6 "...for in the image of God has God made man." The writers of Genesis keep reiterating that God made man in his own image. This just hit me. God made everyone in his image. Therefore, what right do we have fun to talk about other people? I know I am the world's worst. And you probably are all agreeing with me right now. But what makes me so much better than someone else if we are both created in the image of God? Is it my car or my phone or my clothes? We all know that none of that can be taken with us after death-so what does it really matter?

Our church drama team is called IMAGE (I Must Act Godly Everywhere). The theme verse is Ephesians 4:24-We are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

If I am making fun of someone-someone made in the image of God- First, I am making fun of God and saying that he doesn't make all things beautiful. Second, I am not acting as if I was created to be like God in all things.

I am noticing so much new stuff lately by reading God's word!

Starting in v. 20-It tells how Noah gets drunk and passes out naked! I wonder how God felt about this. I mean-back in chapter 6, God talks about how Noah was the most righteous and he walked with God. Okay-Noah was the only person that was "good" enough to be saved from the flood. However, he goes out and gets drunk and passes out. Pretty sad.

Anyways, Noah's son sees him passed out naked. So, he goes and tells his brothers. The brothers go cover up Noah. When Noah wakes up, he gets mad at the son who told his brothers! What the crap? He's the one who was passed out drunk!!! I don't really get this. Someone needs to explain to me the hidden meaning here. It makes no sense to me.

P.S. I still need to read Radical chapter 4.

How appropriate is it that last night I was reading about Noah and today I went to the zoo? It was a lot of fun. I went with the children's ministry from our church. I was in charge of the fifth and sixth grade girls (they requested me!) I'm am really tired from all of that. It was really hot! Here's a kinda fuzzy picture of me riding a sumatran tiger on the carousel!

Genesis 8

The rain has stopped, and the flood waters are beginning to dry up. Chapter 8 tells a lot of dates. The seventeenth day of the seventh month. The first day of the tenth month.

"By the first day of the first month....the water had dried up from the earth." What is the first day of the first month? New Year's Day! What decisions are made at New Year's? New Year's Resolutions! I wonder what Noah's resolutions were. He was on a "new" earth. Within a matter of a few months, everything in his world had been turned upside down! What do you think was going through Noah's mind at this time?

During the next few days, try to remember your 2010 New Year's Resolutions. Are you staying true to them? If you planned on losing weight, there's still enough time before 2011. If you planned to read your Bible more, it's never too late to start. Re-visit those resolutions!

"As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease."

Today was rather uneventful. I went to Cafe on The Square with mom for lunch. That's always a good choice. Afterwards, I came home and I was texting Mr. Mangum. I am working the Clinton HS band camp in a few weeks and need to get the music. As I was texting him, my phone rang. It was Katy B. I called her about a week ago asking if Kosciusko needed any help with their band camp. She told me all of their spots were filled but mentioned a few other schools that I should call. One of those schools was Clinton. Thanks to her, I'm working their band camp. Anyways, Katy called me today saying that the color guard instructor had to back out. Therefore, Katy is going to teach the guard, and I'm going to take her place and teach the clarinets. I went to the school and got the music. They are doing a Spanish/Latin type show-I'm guessing. It's "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow as the opener. The ballad is "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli. This song is absolutely beautiful. The closer is a Latin Jazz piece. It should be a pretty good show.

Tonight, I went with mom to Power Hour at the gym. Surprisingly, my arms held up pretty well. I was shocked at myself. However, my legs were pitiful. There was one point I had to take a rest because my legs just couldn't handle it anymore. I think it was because I had last eaten at lunch around 12, and Power Hour was at 5:30. I had swam this afternoon, too. I was just not prepared.

That was about the extent of my day. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Genesis 7

In the first 4 verses, God is telling Noah to take 7 of every clean animal and 2 of every unclean animal. What defines a clean or unclean animal?

Also, in v. 4 God says that in 7 days the rain will begin, and the earth will be wiped out. How many of us would have said, "But God..." 7 days! That's not very long. You mean to tell me I only have 7 days to get all of these animals onto this boat!? Plus, how are they all gonna fit? I need to have a registration where I can give the animals a room number and a key to their room. I just don't have the time! 7 days?!?!

Now, look at v. 5. "And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." It doesn't say Noah complained. It doesn't say that Noah felt as if he didn't have enough time. It says Noah did what the Lord told him to do.

If you know anything about me, you know that I love water! I love to be in my pool. I love to go to the beach. I love to swim! I love watching the rain! I loving listening to thunder. I think lightning is beautiful! I love fish! I LOVE water! Despite how God was wiping out the planet and destroying everything that he had made, I can only think of how Noah must have been standing on the deck of the ark adoring this beautiful water. I'm sure Noah had seen lakes and ponds before. He had probably even seen the ocean. However, he had never seen it rain. He must have been in awe. I know that I would have.

On another view-I still want to know...If God sent this flood today, how many of us would be left? How many of us would be standing on the ark watching people fight for their lives? And how many of us would be in the flooded streets, climbing up buildings, trying to get above the waters so that we wouldn't die?

"...Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark."

Final Touches

I antiqued my coffee table over the past few days. I painted it green and glossed it with brown. I'm still getting used to it. I'm not too sure if I like it, yet. Also, I found some tiles that were left over from when our kitchen was redone. They are like 3 inch tiles. I painted them gold. I was going to paint them like the icons on an iPhone or iPod. I thought it would be funny; however, my paints wouldn't stick to the tiles. Gold was the only color that would stick. I have a picture of a gold magnolia that will be hanging in my living room, gold lamps, and gold candle holders. I think it will all look pretty good once it is all put together. I bought some stools to put at the bar and a canvas that has a treble clef and jazz music terms. I'm very excited about my new apartment! I can't wait to move in and post pictures. You guys will have to come visit!!!

Genesis 6

This is the beginning of God's account with Noah. I ask myself, "What were these people doing during these times that caused God so much pain?" Also, I ask myself, "How much worse are we?" God has promised not to ever send a flood and wipe away mankind again. I wonder how many days of the year he regrets making that promise. God has the power to wipe us all away, and we must live in fear of him. He is a loving God, but he means business.

There are two verses that I want you to put your name in where Noah is written. I'm going to type it out with my name in it. Do you think this statement is true about yourself?

v. 9-CODY was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

v. 22-CODY did everything just as God commanded him.

I could not concentrate in church, today. There were so many things going on around me that were so distracting. I'm going to try to make this rampage short. The fewer words I say-the less of an opportunity to put my foot in my mouth. However, I feel like something needs to be said.

First, there were adults that were talking the entire service! Can we grow up and sit quietly in church? Weren't you supposed to learn that when you were like 4 and weren't allowed to go to the nursery anymore?

There was a couple (HS students) sitting near me that kept looking at each other as if they were going to just do the deed right there. How appropriate for church!

There were two girls that had an iPod. Each of them had one of the head phones in their ear. I sure hope they were listening to some hymns...or a podcast of a sermon.

There was a JH student in about 6th or 7th grade that was laying in the floor coloring in a coloring book! How old are we? There's more to this story, but I shouldn't put it on here. It would be way too easy for you guys to know who I'm talking about.

All-in-all, I should not have even been at church. I think I could have learned more about God at a 3 ring circus. Seriously folks, think about what you're doing in church and how it affects those around you.

On a happier note...

In "Radical", we continued to discuss the American dream. "While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God."

"...God actually delights in exalting our inability." When do we rely on God the most? When we need him the most. We mostly call on God when we realize that we can't do everything on our own. God puts us in situations to test us and see if we are going to rely on him or try to accomplish everything on our own. In the end, it always ends up the same way. God wins! "And in the end, he makes much of his name." Life would be so much easier if we just cut out the middle step of trying to do everything alone and just let God take over from the beginning.

Today was bonding time with the Mom! This morning, we picked corn and cut it off the cob to put in bags to go in the freezer. We did that from around 10 until 2. At 2, I started working on my table that I'm painting for my new apartment. It's the same old coffee table I had, but I'm painting it green. After that, I'm going to rub brown paint on it, and it's supposed to give it an antique look. I really like the way it looks so far. I hope I like the finished product!

Tonight, mom, dad, and I went to my brother's girlfriend's house to have dinner with her and her family. We had steak! It was really good! Fun times!

Mom and I taped the Miss MS pageant and watched it when we got home.

CONGRATS TO SARAH BETH JAMES!

I'm not reading a chapter in my Bible tonight since I need to read a chapter of "Radical" by David Platt. It's what we're studying in Sunday School! I'll post something about it and what we discuss in church tomorrow!

Good Night to All!

My Father's House

I think I have almost finished my paintings. What do you think? Is there something I should add or anything? Be honest!

This morning, I was watching Full House, and Stephanie had a little boy in her class that was mean to everyone. They ended up getting paired together for a project, and the boy told Stephanie that his father beats him. Stephanie told Uncle Jesse, and the boy was turned over to social services. Say a quick prayer for the children that have to deal with these types of situations. Be thankful for the father that you have and the father that we have in Heaven. Also-there's a group of people that I believe don't get enough credit-Thank God for the families that open their homes for foster children. There are children whose lives are changed because someone opened up their home and showed them Jesus.

Funny Story!

Tonight, we went to eat, and I kept hearing this loud ringing. It was really bothering me, and I would make faces. My parents were looking at me like what is your problem? And finally, I asked what it was. My dad said it was probably someone's hearing aid. Well, about 15 min later this old lady beside us starts busting out laughing and her slaw and fried catfish are falling out of her mouth. I was really grossed out, but I couldn't hold in my laughter. She had realized it was her hearing aid making the ringing. She was slapping herself on the ear, but she couldn't figure out how to fix it. I laughed a lot, but we left before the poor lady figured out how to fix this....

Genesis 5

This chapter tells that this person is the father of this person and they died. It is showing us the relationships from Adam to Noah. It's really not that interesting...just to be honest. However, about a year ago now, I guess, my mom's family did a family tree. It went back I think to my grandparents grandparents or something like that. It was the coolest thing to see how many people were in our family. Almost everyone was named after some else in the family-except Corey and me. How funny? I think our heritage is very important, and we should take more pride in our family trees. Why don't we keep up with our genealogy anymore? I mean-How cool would it be to find out where Jesus is in your family. Or Adam and Noah?

Come on in, and Have a seat!

I'm not in a real writing mood tonight so this is going to be sentences that don't really link together.

-Went to Starkville with Mom and Dillon Myrick to get a couch.

-Painted 2 canvases to go above my couch (I'm not finished quiet yet, but I'm pretty close)

-Ate at Frenchie's (had bbq nachos with pork, but asked for them on french fries. yummy)

-Went walking with Mom and Josie Bain

-Went to Walmart and made cookies with Kati Bain

-Wrote on my blog

-Going to bed soon

Friend Comments!!!!!!!!!

Today, I got a message from Sheridan that reminded me of something that we had discussed a long time ago. In our Old Testament classes that we took, we learned that the Bible is written by many authors (duh!), and the Bible is not really in an order.

Therefore, when I was confused about "male and female" being created on the 6th day (in Genesis 1) and Eve being created after the creation (in Genesis 2)....It was probably 2 different authors. That make sense? If it doesn't text me. Lol.

Also, Amanda read my blog last night and made a pretty awesome comment to me.

"Talking about the serpent, snakes are gross! And it makes me wonder how the devil made the serpent to where Eve would talk to that. And how much does he do that to us? Put bad things in our lives that we normally would have nothing to do with, but we engage with it or whatever and it leads to sin and death."

Genesis 4

Okay. Some of the stuff that I'm thinking about in this passage really doesn't apply to what the story is actually about, but it made me think.

v. 7 "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" How many times is it that we do the wrong thing in order to be accepted? Maybe it's time to do the right thing and be an outsider. Try it for a change.

v. 15 "The Lord put a mark on cain so that no one who found him would kill him." I wonder if this was like a visible mark...like a tattoo looking thing. Or maybe kind of like how Harry Potter has that lighting bolt looking thing on his head?

v. 26 "At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord." I just like this verse.

P.S. Thanks for the positive comments from all of the people who have been texting me or facebooking me or whatever about my blog! It makes me happy to know that people are actually reading it. Today, I was told that my blog last night was "such an inspiration." That's awesome!

Mom woke me up at 8 today, so we could go to visit Ole Miss. I talked to the saxophone professor there about getting more scholarship money. I'm going to be his assistant. I will help with one class each semester-one class of single reeds and one of double reeds. Also, I will set up the chairs for the jazz band. We worked it out the schedule, so I can still participate in the choir. I'm pretty excited. I have a little more news on that, but only my close friends can know that for now! HA! Since I'm going to Ole Miss this fall, I'm going to paint myself an Ole Miss canvas. I've got a MSU canvas that hangs in my room at school, right now. I found an Ole Miss canvas online that is real similar but different at the same time. I'm thinking I may paint the Ole Miss one and hang it next to my MSU one when I move to Oxford. I think it would look good! Plus, that's cheap decorating! I'm all for that! Here's a picture of the Ole Miss one. I wish I had a picture of my MSU one to put on here.

When mom and I got back to Kosciusko, we ate dinner with daddy at Wendy's and came home to clean the house for a Sunday School party. Guess how many people showed up! 2! The Sunday school teacher and the youth minister showed up. Yeah. Not a good turn out. It's kinda disappointing that people aren't hungry to learn something new about God. However, we were given the chance to talk about what's going on in my life, and I was able to get other peoples perspective on my life who are much wiser than I. Also, we were able to discuss some issues that are going on in our church/town. It was kind of hard to realize how much Kosciusko needs Jesus. I always thought of Kosciusko as being a Christian town, but I see it more as a "fake" town, now. It's kind of hard to swallow that.

On a more positive note, we were able to discuss a few ideas that we want to put together in order to grow our college ministry here in Kosy. I'm pretty excited about that. Life is Good! God is Better!

Genesis 3

There were several things that popped out at me in chapter 3.

First of all-snakes are gross. They are these nasty looking things that sliver on the ground in that icky curvy motion. And they have those scary little tongues. The only thing that could make a snake more scary is if it had legs. WHY WOULD EVE GO TALK TO HIM!?! Is she crazy!?

Second of all-I know this information is a little much, but I really enjoy getting out of the shower, wrapping up in a towel, and laying on the bed watching tv before I get dressed to go to town or wherever. How nice would it be to be able to do that everyday and not have to worry about getting dressed? We would have no need for polo and gap outlets. Nike and New Balance would be unheard of. Ya know?

Next-Women, if i hear you complain about PMS one more time, I'm going to pull out Genesis 3 and show it to you. Because your sista took that apple, your tail has to deal with that! Stop complaining!

And men, stop complaining about the heat. Stop complaining about how the grass needs cutting, the hedges need trimming, and the garden needs picking. If you weren't stupid to eat from that woman's apple, you wouldn't have to work. And since no one works, there's no need for money--which we wouldn't need to buy clothes anyway....

So, Question of the day...The serpent tells Eve in v. 4 "You will not die." He's talking about how God told Adam and Eve they'd die if they ate of that tree. Just FYI. Well, if they had not eaten of that tree, does that mean Adam and Eve would still be here on earth? We could be like "what up, bro?" Second question of the day-If they wouldn't have eaten of the tree and were not going to die, would there be no Heaven? I mean if no one died, they'd just stay here on earth? Or would you just be "taken" up to Heaven at the right time?

I have more questions than answers, but I don't really need to know all the answers right now. If I knew the answers, why would I need God? Right?

Just some thoughts! :D

In the words of my friend GloZell-Peace and Blessings!!!

NEW day!

Today, I woke up and went with mom to Louisville. My computer had been acting pretty crazy-which was nothing new, so we decided to get it fixed at a place there. It just seemed like a good idea before heading back to grad school. My computer runs like new! It's pretty awesome! I seriously don't ever remember it being this great! However, all of my programs and such deleted. I lost my Finale music writing program and iTunes.

Which on that note-I got a new phone, today! I was teaching swimming lessons last week, and I jumped in the pool and swam around for a few minutes before realizing that my phone was in my pocket. I was using mom's old phone for a few days, and it started acting crazy. I was going to go get a GoPhone, but my parents didn't want me to do that. Today, we went to AT&T, and my phone was eligable for an upgrade. So, I got an iPhone! :D I redownloaded iTunes and plugged in my iPod Touch to transfer my music to my computer. Only my purchased items transferred. I'm trying to find out how to transfer the music I got off of CDs back to my computer. Any help!?

I've been writing on this blog all day. Now, It's about 5 hours after when I wrote the first two paragraphs. It just hit me that I bought an external hard drive about a month ago. I just attempted to restore all of my music...Attempted. Key word. It didn't restore anything that I don't already have. :( Kinda upsetting. Oh well! I'm downloading Glee: Vol 3 and Glee: Journey to Regionals as I type this!

Genesis 2

This just hit me. Last night, I put on here about v. 27 of chapter 1 (male and female he created them). Now over in chapter 2, the Bible talks about how God made Eve from Adam's rib. I had always imagined that Adam and Eve were the only two people on the earth at this time-which may be so. But Chapter 1 says that God made male and female on the 6th day, and on the seventh day, God rested. Then, chapter 2 talks about the creation of Eve. Adam and Eve must have had friends. Just a thought. What do you think?

Jump Start!

I have always had an interest in journaling, but I don't like writing for extended periods of time. The longest I ever journaled consistently was for about two weeks. I would type my journal entry, print it, hole punch it, and place it into a three ring binder. After having to buy two or three ink cartridges within that two weeks, I stopped. Finally-an online journal.

The Title:
Blink! It comes from the song "Blink" by Revive. Click the youtube link at the top of the page to hear the song and read the lyrics!

What's going on in my life?
I just graduated from MS State University with a degree in Music Education in May. After much heartache of looking for a job, I decided to go back to school. In August, I will begin my pursuit to gain a master's degree in Music Ed at Ole Miss. I keep telling myself, "This is only for school." Although, I did go for a visit, and everyone was extremely friendly. I am actually super excited about going to Ole Miss this fall.

Recently, the Sunday School class that I attend got a new teacher. This teacher has been challenging us in many ways. We have been reading "Radical" by David Platt. This book is one that is hard to read but a must. Hard to read? On every page is a slap-in-the-face.
David Platt was given the chance to travel overseas to a country where Christianity is illegal; however, the people there would risk their lives each day to be able to hear about God's word. At one point on his trip, the people said to Platt, "Teach us the Old Testament." For the next few weeks, Platt and the crew traveled from Genesis to Malachi studying every word of the Old Testament. Once they had finished, a man spoke up and asked David Platt to teach them the New Testament. The people in Platt's true story were hungry for God's word.
Coach Richmond asked us this past Sunday, "How many of you are hungry for God's word?" Everyone in the class raised their hand. "How many of you have read the Old Testament through?" Two or three (of about 20) raised their hand. I believe the point was proven.

I have decided that I want to read the Bible through. I am going to read one chapter a day-starting with Genesis 1. It's going to take me a while, but I'm determined to do it. I'm going to need much much encouragement, so help me out, ya'll! Maybe you should read it with me! Are you up for the challenge?

Genesis 1
Just some scripture that jumped out at me...
v. 1-"In the beginning, God..." God is the Alpha and Omega-the beginning and the end. "In the beginning, God..." He didn't need any help. He spoke, and it happened. Pretty powerful person.
v. 27-"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." When you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, who do you see? Do you see a person that portrays an image of God?
v. 31-"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." This reminds me of a shirt that I've seen a few times. "I know I'm special because God don't make no junk!" v. 27 says God created man. v. 31 says it was good. God is proud of you! You're special-Don't act like junk!