Galatians 2:20a
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not i, but Christ liveth in me:
My Life Verse

Ephesians 6:6

Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Monday, January 28, 2008

(42)No Way To Follow

Hey peeps.

I am happy to announce that the buses did start Sunday morning. We got ready to pull outta the church and the tire air pressure alarm went off....and something else to do with brake fluid. So we had to turn around. They checked some stuff out and we were off about 15 mins later. I was so glad we went but later i realized that the heat wasn't working properly. No one announced it but the fact that i couldn't feel my toes was announcement enough.

Yes i survived the recital. My duet partner and i were the grand finale and we should have been right before it. Lemme splain. Right before our performance Jesse played his 6min concerto that he has been working on for the past year. It was SOOOO good!!!!!!!!! There was just no way to follow something like that! But we did and we didn't mess up either.

ONLY 6 DAYS UNTIL THE START OF MISSIONS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! Can u tell???? And to go and shoot down the whole excitement at the end of this glorious week is my ACT test. ICK!!!!!! Idk....it could be fun! NOT!

ok.....I don't think any of was boring.....ish......

Last night after church my youth group planned and surprise attack....i mean party.....for our youth pastor whose birthday is tomorrow. It was a ton of fun! I ended up making 5 dozen cupcakes so you know there was plenty of sugar to go around!!!!!!

Ok....i think i am done now....

Thanks for commenting guys.....i love hearing from u!!!!

~Rach~

Saturday, January 26, 2008

(41) SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow...this week has been fun! More specifically yesterday. I was just getting ready to start school when mom said it looks like snow today. Of course it didn't but she declared it a snow day and we went shopping!!!!!! Poor rebecca was in school so was not informed of this glorious...i mean tragic weather. We went to the mall and boy they should have never put Cato by the door! I came out with a new coat and two new shirts! So....mom and i decided we had had our fill of the mall and left there. Many more stops were made but i shan't bore you with details. (Ty)

Wednesday was also alot of fun. I got up and my neighbors picked me up at 8 thirty. We then went and got Natalie and my driving permits renewed. We can drive again legally hurrah!!!!
The rest was kinda blah because it was soo cold the girls were sent to nursing homes to sing instead of door knocking. Don't get me wrong i love singing to the elderly and seeing them smile, but i also love the opportunity to go soul winning. Another downer was my Bestest buddy Kailyn Brooke was sick. She was able to come to church though. Her allergy's were all messed up and giving her a fit.

Tomorrow is another Sunday that i look for ward to!! But i pray that the buses will start in the morning. Last week it was sooo cold that only a few of the 13 buses would start. Therefore many
of the kids didn't get to come to church....:( And my sis and i got to sit through TWO of the am service.

Also Wednesday ms Thuy...one of my fellow violinists in the orchestra....told me that her students were having a small recital on monday and i ought to come...then later she declared that i needed to play something. My reply was NO WAY jose!! Not unless i played with someone else. So that statement was taken advantage of and i will now be playing " The Celebrated Duet" with ms. Cassie.....another one of my fellow violinist. Never have i seen the song before until Thursday...but i think we'll survive.

Gotta go my mom has decided that it is her turn.

~Rach~

Monday, January 21, 2008

(40)Eta-Beta Mighty Men!!!!! WHOOOOO!!!!

Well.....Rush Night was AWESOME!!!!

For the first year i got to help setup our whatever you call it...i'll say station. We spent 5 hours setting it up. We were judged on many categories...i'll list some. Best use of team colors, Best display of theme verse, best food, best use of designated space, creativity, and the best station overall. There was 5 or 6 more but i can't remember em. We got first place for Best overall along with several other first places! No we aren't the fishermen and i am kinda glad....thata way i can use that next year when i am a captain. We are the Eta-Beta MIGHTY MEN!!!!! ( you can say EAT a beta or Ate a beta....we kind use both!) Our Theme verse is the one about the Mighty men of Valor. I don't remember the reference. Our colors are Purple (royalty), Gold, and Silver.
We did sooo good last night. The only thing that really stunk was our skit witch was a ping pong war. It had potential but we didn't have time to develop it. We were "RUSHED". Get it...??

Our competition was the Psi-Phi (Sci Fi) Super Nova's and the Something Oopsalam Leprechauns. (I don't remember there whole name hehe). We had a blast and came out tied for points with psi-phi. So since Bro. Frankie couldn't stand to end the night with a tie he did a last min tie breaker with a human pyramid.....guys of course! WE WON THAT!!!! and so we currently stand only a few million points in the lead. Can't wait to see what the rest of the semester holds for this competition.

I feel better now..........hehe.

Well, my ten mins is up and wow i typed all that in 8!!!!

See ya!

~Rach~

Friday, January 18, 2008

(39)Scary or WHAT????

Hey all you peeps out there....no i didn't fall off the face of the earth....i just got a little busy and took a vacation there.

School is all the same not hard but no fun......

I can't wait until Sunday for our rush night. our captain asked some of us to think up a mascot and it took me some hard thinkin with my hat in my special chair...but i came up with the Fishermen. DUh!!! we could have Matthew 4:19 as our theme verse to go along with it. I suggested it but they haven't decided yet.

Congrats to my cuz Brooklyn Hope who is now and official college student (or at least about to be) Is that SCARY or WHAT???

We went and saw Alvin and the chipmunks tonight and it was really good! The music wasn't what i would have liked but it was funny!

Comment on my posts i'd love to hear from ya!

~Rach~

Saturday, January 12, 2008

(36)CLASS

I am sooo excited that this semester has begun....no not because of school but because our C.L.A.S.S. ( Christian Life Accountability Survey Sheet) Sheets start tomorrow!!!!! All the teens in the youth group are in a competition to have the most points and you do so by earning them through reading your bible daily....praying....soulwinning..and many other things. Last year i was soo excited to have won 4th place and cannot wait for this year. Our youth group was also divided into 3 teams who will compete in different things the rest of this school year. I was sooo glad to discover that me and alot of my bestest friends are on the same team. We also have the most enthusiastic leaders! We are sure to win and if not have tons of fun! On the team with me is Kailyn, Jessica, her younger sis Shannon, Dusty, Sabrina (Alaina's sis), and many others. I was just thrilled to be with kay....she is not one to compete against! hehe

Well.....i have to go....polish my mem verse for tomorrow less my wisdomless mind forget it!

Love always!

~Rach~

Monday, January 7, 2008

(35)Boring Reports

Thank you so much to all of you that prayed for me during the most painful thing of my life.
Please continue your prayers because the dentist says that he doesn't think that the wisdom teeth were the root of the problem. It is healing well and i can chew gum again so i am happy!

Happy new year everyone.....hopefully this will be the greatest year for us all!

I am soooo excited that we are getting ready to start volleyball practice again and yes that means you will be hearing all my boring reports of it!

But for now i have to let you go cause me is outta time!

~Rach~

I Have Been Blessed!!!!


THE ROOM

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room.
There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to
catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed at." Some
were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents.

Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth.
Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched", I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.

I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it
and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this
room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw
a sorrow deeper than my own.

He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again.
He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name
of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.

He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.
- Brian Moore