Assignment #1

This cartoon does indeed make an argument. The cartoon shows a driver texting the grim reaper (the angel of death as it is also called) indecating that the driver is going to die as a result of texting. Although humorous, this cartoon argues that texting while driving is dangerous and can be fatal.

I agree with the argument this cartoon is making. Texting while driving causes someone to take their eyes off the road and become distracted. When not watching to road, it is easy to drift into another lane and quite possibly into the path of an oncoming car, causing a crash and sometimes death as the cartoon portrays. Most of those texting while driving are younger drivers who are not very experienced. As a new driver myself, I find it necessary when driving to pay close attention to the road and conditions around me. If I was trying to text while I drove, I think I would be meeting the grim reaper myself. Although many texters are also adults with more driving experience, that doesn't make texting behind the wheel any less dangerous, especially for truck drivers.

Coming Soon!

Oh, and yes, my first assighment is coming. I still need to finish reading the first chapter of EAA (Everything's and Argument). I know, 12 hours to NC and 12 hours back, seems like I would have finished it by now, right? Well, I'm lazy so I didn't. I started it at least. I have my cartoon picked out. It's makes my laugh every time I read it although it is a little morbid. :)

No Place Like Home

I just got back from vacation yesterday. It took us 12 hours to drive from Oak Island North Carolina, to Montandon/Milton Pennsylvania. Being stuck a car with your parents, brother, ten year old sister and two other sisters (one younger and one older) isn't the most fun thing in the world. My sister and I (the younger but not the ten year old) did have some good times. We played chess and were goofy and looked at license plates (we saw Alaska!!). But there were times of fighting and boredom and times of extreme sleepiness. We made it through though. Now I'm back in the real world. I'll probably have to work tomorrow or the next day, I've decided to start my school work on Monday and my sister goes back to college on Saturday. No more sitting around and reading, no more swimming in the ocean, no more taking walks on the beach, no more endless oreos in the car, no more funny cousins (for a little while at least) and it feels like no more freedom. Laying in bed this morning I felt completely overwhelmed. I just felt like I couldn't handle it. I felt stressed. I felt completely miserable. And I prayed. I told God all of this; I told Him I needed His strength, that I couldn't do it on my own. I told Him that without Him I just couldn't do it. I asked Him, begged Him, to be with my and to hold me up and take away my painful feelings. And then I fell half asleep and all my fears and stress seemed to vanish. I felt peace. It was wonderful. And now I know that even though life may be stressful, chaotic, full of unwanted change, complicated and completely beyond my control, I can have peace in my Lord. My Lord who never takes His eyes off of me. Who watches my every move. Who holds me up because I can't stand on my own. Who loves me more than I could ever dream or imagine. Who is always there to comfort and guide me. Who I only need to cry out to and He'll save me. That is my hope. Without my Lord, I would be so lost and to hopeless. I could not live. I would be nothing.

Homeschooler

Ok, so at work today I told some people I was homeschooled. They thought that was really cool. But after they finished exclaining how cool it was, the first things they said were "Do you have any/many friends?" and "Are you going to go to college?" Why is it automatically assumed that homeschoolers wouldn't have many friends? I mean, I have friends. I may not have as many and I would if I went to public school. But although I don't have a ton of friends, I have good friends. And in my opinion it's beter to have a few good friends then a lot of friends you're not really close to.

And why wouldn't I go to college? Just 'cause I'm homeschooled doesn't mean I don't want to go to college. Yeah, it's going to be different but just because I'm homeschooled doesn't mean I can't or don't want to do it!

Psyched!

I haven't posted in a few days. Nothing has really been on my mind recently. Except for the vacation my family is taking in a few days. I am so psyched! We're going to Williamsburg to see the colonial town, then to Busch Gardens and on to North Carolina to a beach house my aunt's parent's own. It's so exciting because I've wanted to go to Williamsburg for so long and we're finally going! I get to stay in a hotel (this happens very rarely so it's exciting). I get to go to a big amusement park (we don't go very often), I get to go and live on the beach for a few days (I love to ocean and beach!) and to top it all off, I get to see my aunt and two of my very fun cousins! It's going to be great! Even the twelve hours in the car will be fun: reading, playing games, watching movies and listening to my music. I so cannot wait. But I've got to get through tomorrow and Tuesday first. Tuesday will be fine; just piano lessons and helping my youth leader's wife with her five kids (it's always a blast). I wish I could just skip tomorrow though. I have to work again. I worked Thurdsay, Friday and Saturday last week and I have to work again tomorrow. It's not a bad job; I'm just tired of doing it and being there. Five hours tomorrow....I'll survive. I have to hope of a vacation to get me through.

But just as the expectation of the vacation will help me be get through work tomorrow, shouldn't the hope Jesus brings get us through life? On the bad days, when nothing seems to turn out right, instead of getting angry, shouln't we look to God for strength? We should, but most of the time we don't. I for one certainly don't. Life is hard. Don't you agree? Life is so freakin hard. But that doesn't mean we give up and let it conquer us. No, we keep pushing for what we know is right and keep holding on to the hope of Jesus.

School

OK, anyone else feeling like: "AHHHHH! I'm not ready for school to start!"? Well,(haha)I am. I was looking at the syllabus a minute ago and there are already assignments we can be working on. Too soon! I go on vacation with my family for 8 days next Wednesday and I am so psyched for it(we're going to the beach!). So to have assignments hanging over my head, waiting to be done, stresses me out a little. Anyone else feeling like this? September 4th is still a ways away but it's coming. *Deep breath* I can do this. More fear. I'm already afraid I won't get everything done on time. Ugh, I did this last year with AP Psych. Dread again. I was so afraid I wouldn't get everything done but ended up doing it all and having extra time. I've still got 23 days until September 4th! Granted I'll be on vacation for 8 of those days but still, that's 15 days I've got do do the assignments!

I'm done with my tangent, got over my initial stress and fear. I'll be fine. But does anyone else feel like this?? ("Can you hear me? Does anyone around me feel that way that I feel now?" ~ Hawk Nelson, Take Me)

Dread, Fear and Questions

“There they were, overwhelmed with dread, when there was nothing to dread.” ~ Psalm 54:5.

Have you ever been really afraid of something, then gotten through it and discovered that you really enjoyed it and there was nothing to be afraid of? I do it all the time. I have something I have to do and I think it’s going to be terrible. I get really nervous, dread it, make myself sick over it. And then it happens and everything is fine, I even enjoy myself. Why was I so afraid? It was fear of the future. It wasn’t really the task that scared me, it was not knowing how it would turn out. Fear of the unknown. I hate that. I try to overcome my fears but it’s so hard.

Here’s another question: Have you ever had something to say, but didn’t speak up? This happens to me all the time; mostly in bigger groups. Someone asks a question, I think of an answer, but I don’t say anything. Why? I’m afraid of what other people think, I’m afraid I’ll be wrong or that they’ll think I’m wrong. So I keep my mouth shut. I let my fear rule my life. And I’m so sick of it.

So why the heck am I so afraid? It says in the Bible that God is the only one we should fear. “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” ~ Isaiah 8:13. So God is the only one I should fear. Yeah, like I can do that. I’ve been realizing recently that I’m afraid of a lot of people. In fact, I’m afraid of people in general. It’s so frustrating. I don’t understand how some people can be so confident. Where do they get it from? “For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” ~ Proverbs 3:26. So if I ask to help me be confident, will it just be like, bam! I’m confident? No, I think we have to go out on the limb, trust Him and He’ll take care of us. So, instead of not speaking up when someone asks a question, I need to take that breath and start talking and trusting God to take care of me. That’s hard. Trust is hard. And there are different kinds of trust too. But that’s for another time. I wasn’t to talk about fear some more.

“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ~ Psalm 118:6. Good question: what can man do to me? Well, embarrass me, humiliate me, hurt me (physically, emotionally), ignore me, laugh at me, steal from me, you get the idea. But ultimately, in the long, long term what can man do to me? Man can’t make God stop loving me; can’t take me away from Him; can’t stop me from going to heaven or praying; can’t make my family stop caring about me. And if God is on my side, who stands a chance against me? No one. The answer is no on at all. NO ONE!!!! That means man, Satan, demons, anyone in this world. No one. Thinking about that makes me want to laugh with joy. It’s so amazing. And so true. It’s so awesome I can hardly even grasp that idea. Actually, I don’t think I fully can. So then, if God is on my side, and I know no one stands a chance against me, why am I still afraid of people? That is the question I’ve been trying to answer. Let me know if you figure it out. I’d really like to know.

Live

You've got one life, make the most of it.

If you jump off the cliff, God WILL catch you.

If you do it for God, who cares what anyone else thinks?

We are called to be different, to stand out, so let's do it.

Each day you have the chance to do a world of good to everyone you encounter.

Stop waiting. Stop fearing. Start living.

We, as Christians, can't truly start living until we've surrendered to God completely and become willing to follow wherever He take us.
Give up your life. Leave the world behind. Become a slave to Love. Live for Christ.

It may be hard, but don't give up. You may think it is beyond you, but nothing is beyond God. And God is in you.

You may think you're not strong enough and you probably aren't. But God will be your strength.