Running

In the last two months I've started running. Let just say that knowing you can go further than you think your body will let you is an amazing feeling. I love the idea of being able to just run for miles and miles. I Love solitude I enjoy being alone a lot of the time. Going out into the wheat fields discovering different parts of Spangle that I didn't know about before... laying in a field with no one around for miles.

I enjoy the company of people too but this year I have learned that being alone with God is just fine with me also. People think I'm weird for that, as I get older I don't really care as much.

When I say I run I am using it as a loose term... right now I'm mostly run/walking or wogging. What used to stop me from running was the fact that I was ashamed that I couldn't run right or fast enough but I've been changing, I don't care as much what others think of me. I only care what God thinks and I know eventually if I stick with it I will be out running a ton of people and I will be able to do that 13.1 miles called a half marathon. That is my goal by November I will be participating in a half marathon somewhere.

So over the last few weeks I've been doing the couch to 5k program I am so proud of myself! I've been looking forward to rewarding myself with my first pair of legit running shoes I will buy them after my first 5k on Sunday. Until than I have been looking up running videos on youtube I just found out about Dean Karnazes, I don't think I will ever run 500km but he is an inspiration and some of his thoughts in this video are really good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSybEPLNQ0w&list=PLDDkOEp5EyonPWaoH__nCL-k4MaQRDl5z

The Proverbs 31 Woman

So this past Sunday I spent the day working with a student who is wanting to decorate her cabin at camp this summer. Camp was an amazing place for me during my early teen years. I was a somewhat quiet and shy individual who had not had much of a social life outside of my tiny church school. I had been friends with the same group of kids for my whole childhood, with them I was comfortable but around those I didn't know I was awkward . 

I had wanted to go to camp from a very young age but my Mom never would let me go, finally the summer before my freshmen year of high school I had the opportunity to go, I was ever so excited. I had know idea how that one week would help shape the course of my relationship with God. That week the amazing staff at Camp Cohutta introduced me to a God I had never met before.

I don't know if it was the way I assumed things worked or what, but I remember being in wonder when it clicked in my mind that I didn't have to be a perfect little christian girl who had to do her Sabbath School lesson every day, I didn't have to work on my own to gain salvation. It was an epiphany that launched a new stage of my relationship with God.

That week we also were required to memorize bible verses everyday, if I remember correctly my Counselor had a poster on the bathroom that looked something like the poster board below. I remember looking at that every morning and finally by the end of the week having it memorized. This verse popped up in my mind in many situations throughout high school when I was tempted to compromise my standards. 

 I have thought about making one of these posters for myself over the years but never quite got around to it until this past weekend. My hope is that the student who will be a counselor for next year will strive be a living example of the Proverbs 31:30 women, a women who desires to find there self worth in Christ. 

Mrs.Macias was my English teacher my freshmen year of highschool. The reason I remember her so vividly was the fact that she required us to do our best in english class. I would like to think that if I had stayed at CA I would have been a more confident writer, sadly I feel that was the last year I actually learned writing skills. Here was one of my very first research papers.

Kendra Avila

Mrs. Macias

English Sect. A                          The Influence of Music

18 April 2005                      

Music is one of the most important parts of our life. There is not a day that goes by that some type of music is not heard. Music plays an important part in all cultures all around the world. People use music in ceremonies; they listen to it at work, and also in personal and social events.  Since music is such an important part of our lives you know there has to be lots of opinions on what is right and wrong. Music is a gift from God and it should be used to praise him.

Plato once said that “some people fool themselves into thinking that music can be judged good or bad by only how much pleasure it gives (Testimonies).” Music is much deeper than how much pleasure it gives you. A Christian should first ask. “Is it pleasing to God?” The Bible states;

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Does it matter what kind of music that is listened too? Yes! Indeed it does.  David Tame the author of The Secret Power of Musicsaid “Music is more than a language. It is the language of language…none other that more powerfully moves and changes the consciousness (Testimonies).”

The average teenager between seventh and twelfth grade teens will have listened to 10,500 hours of popular music which is a little less than the time spent in school from kindergarten through high school? I also found that the average westerners brain spends 25% of his lifetime registering, monitoring, and decoding popular music. Alan Bloom in the book The Closing of the American Mind says “Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music…” Music can even be as addictive as a drug!   “Music is a powerful drug. Music can poison you, lift your spirits, or make you sick without you knowing why.”(Testimonies) I found the opinion of a teen and they said this “I can honestly say that music does have a negative and a positive aspect.”(Testimonies)

Music can be used as a gift or a curse.  1Samuel 16:23 says; “…David took an harp, and played with his hand: So Saul was refreshed,… and the evil spirit departed from him.” “It is almost impossible to overstate the absurdity for the claim that music is neutral, or amoral.”(It) Another way that music can be used for is to praise God? Ps. 100:1 says to “Make a joyful noise until the Lord…”

The Seventh Day Adventist Church has several views on what we should listen too.  Each person has to be convicted by God on certain things; for an example what if  a person who is a new Christian and they are doing their best to follow God but they still listen to lots of thing that other people who are more mature in the faith think is a no no.  People should never criticize other people just because they are not as strict on what they listen to as him/her is instead they should pray for them and if they are truly sincere in their faith  God will convict them himself.

Some of the things that Adventist leaders of the past say are quite helpful Ellen White in Testimonies to the Church said

“Music occupies many hours of our life. Many of us have an obsession with music it is our Idol, Satan has no problem with that as long as he can channel it to evil.” (Testimonies pg 506)

            Music in the church is another issue. A statement that is quite helpful is;  “I believe that hymns and praise music both have their place in our church.” Some people feel that all we should sing nothing but hymns in church. It is okay to have both praise and hymns to our God. “No matter what the song is or how it is played it should always be kept Christ centered (Praise).” Music can be used for good or bad even in the church. In Messages to Young People it says “Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of  the most alluring agencies of temptations (White 291).”

            Jesus should be the center of everything in our life including our music.  Listening to music effects your minds for good or for evil. We should prayerfully ask God to help you glorify him in the music we listen too. Fred Pratt a twentieth century great hymn writer said this. “When in our music God is glorified, And adoration leaves no room for pride, it is as though the whole creation cried : Alleluia!” (When)

Sometimes I wish that I had the talent to relay my feelings verbally. I can tell you I have tons of feelings and I spend a ton of time thinking about life, love, the future, the past. However when I try to express those things they never come out quite how I mean them to. I think thats is one of the main reasons I really like listening to music. I am not a musician myself but I can appreciate those who can pour out there soul through their songs. I'm also the type of person who listens to more than one type of genre. When I'm working out and need motivation I will listen to pop music, when I'm sad or thinking about something that is kind of gray and moody I will listen to haunting songs. I like indie, country, jazz.

So yeah that is what I was thinking about hope no one important reads my blog... :/

Blue Caravan

 

I am currently listening to a new song I found, the artist is Vienna Teng I love this haunting, sad song. Listening to music like this makes me wish that I had practiced the piano more while growing up.  Oh well I still have ears so at least I can appreciate talent.