I'm Giving Up

We had a sermon in church this morning about Lent that spoke about the passage in 2 Chronicles15:1-19

I thought I would share what I got out this sermon in the quickest and shortest way possible 

The First step to take is we must remove the idols in our lives that stand in the way of our seeking God.

The Second is we must create new altars or habits that will help us connect with God.

The Third is we must assemble with those who have the same goals in mind and encourage one another

                Will we with intention, discipline, diligence seek after him? Or just float along? 

I came to the realisation that God really is just waiting right there for us to turn to him, He runs towards us as long as we make the first steps. These are just a few examples of where it mentions this in bible:

Matthew 7:7 seek him, God makes it easy for us to find him, James 4:8, the lost son parable

Lent is a time to intentional seek God 

So my goal for the next 21 days is to identify the obstacles keeping me from God, remove them and build new habits to bring me closer to God.

I started with deleting my Facebook app, I was constantly checking through the newsfeed even if I had just scrolled through and it was so pointless, I have only been without it a day and alreay I am having withdrawals so I am hoping that by ridding myself of such an unnecessary time consumer I will focus on more essential and worthy things.

The second thing I am giving up is sugar (I have even pinky promised my brother) I see sugar as one of my "guilty pleasures" it is something I am better off without and I gain nothing by adding it to my life, I have an insane sweet tooth so I know this will be a hard temptation to overcome. 

Also along this line is junk food, I have a terrible habit of going for quick and convenient rather than nutricious and beneficial, I spend way too much money on food when I go out and it is totally unnecessary since I have delicious and healthy food waiting for me when I get home. 

The last thing I am going to give up is a nasty habit I picked up when I got a job, I am often splurging on an item or two that are totally unnecessary and a waste of money. I enjoy the thrill of buying something I want and I know I don't need it but the luxury that comes with earning money has lead me to believe have some sort of right to treat myself to a little splurge when I never need it and cannot actually afford it.

Anyways this is just a record to show that I am committed to following through and at the end of Lent I will look back and see how I was able to draw on God for strength.

Verse of the day:

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21 NIV)

Continued Chapter 1?

"So what'd he look like? Was he hot?" Andrew asked.
"He wasn't what you'd expect... He was..." I sighed my dream boy had been so vivid and yet now all I could remember about him were his eyes. 
"C'mon Emmy, a little more info please?" I rolled my eyes at Andrew for distracting me from recalling I could of the face that had been so familiar the night before.
"He has fantastic eyes, that's what I remember most. I know his smile was nice because I could see it he was there but my memory has hidden him." I said frowning.
"Is he like what you imagined?"
"Much more..." I looked out my window remembering the sensation of being in the dream.
"Can I tell you about Tanya now?" he asked.
"Sure..." I said turning away from the window and allowing myself to listen to the description of a girl who was almost exactly the same as every other girl with small details changed. I sat at my dressing table as I listened and tried to do something interesting with my hair that wasn't just tying it back... When he had finished I posed a question.
"So we still going to the beach? It's nearly 11 so we could get lunch after or something or just come back here." 
"Yeah that's the plan isn't it? Are you ready?"
"Um, nearly I might just change here rather than there coz it's way easier.." I went behind the screen I had in my room as he jumped into the computer chair.
"I'll show you a photo of her I reckon you'll like her."
"Yeah right... All right let me see her." I threw my dress over my bikini and threw a shawl over that. "OK so she's actually quite cute, but still..." I grabbed a towel and my old sunnies that had been taped back together and we head off catching a bus to the beach that was almost completely covered with people.

We walked through the crowds and we went to a secluded corner at the back of the beach, when we reached it we went behind some rocks and then crawled through a small crevice to a cave, there in front of us was our beach. It was spectacular the water clear blue and the white smooth sand glared as it reflected the sun. We made our way to a spot that was suited to our mood and started to set up. 
"Hey Emily, do you think you'll... well..." from the awkwardness of Andrew's words I guessed what he was suggesting.
"I don't know Drew, it's just I don't know." There was only one thing I couldn't stand being tied down and yet for the last three years I had lived my life continuously tied up and I was tired of it but at the same time I was held back.
"It's up to you, you know that I think it's amazing..." I sighed, I wanted so bad to be free from the ties and cords.
"All right I'm going to do only for a little while but just to get the exercise." I lifted my dress over my head and undid my bikini a bit, I then untied the corset I had been wearing and let the wings on my back stretch to their full length. I retied my bikini and turned back to Andrew he was smiling and I smiled back, nervous at first. 
"Wanna see?" I took a step back then began to run to the beach, I continued to run til I reached the water's edge I then spread my wings out catching the wind underneath them sending me soaring up over the water, I rose as high as I dared then tucked my wings in and did a nose dive straight to the water, catching myself before I hit and gliding my way back to where he was. It was a trick I had been working on and his face was all the reward I needed. 
"What was that?" his face had been stuck in the same expression until I had stood beside him, he then smiled and laughed at the same time jumping up and down like a little kid who's so excited they can't control themselves.
"Nothing..." I said acting nonchalant, he started to ramble and I held a hand up to stop him.
"You ready for a swim? I'll race you!" I set off to the water again as he stripped his shirt off, and chased after. We both got there at the same time and as I dove in I felt the water envelope my wings I felt a chill travel up my spine and into my heart.
"Don't you ever wish things could be different?" asked Andrew suddenly, after we had been swimming in silence.
"Yeah, of course... do you?" I floated onto my back allowing the waves to rock me.
"Well yeah, but if one thing was changed everything would have to change and what if it was worse?" I smiled at his optimistic attitude as I pulled in my breath in order to hold it under the water. The day had become luxurious and we didn't want to leave.
"Can't we stay for a little longer?" argued Andrew as I started to pack up my stuff.
"No way, we have to get back... Not that my parents would ever think there's anything sus going on we don't want them getting any ideas now do we?"
"Come on, it's so nice here..." I gave him a look telling him how sick I was of arguing.
"No, can you come and tie this up?" I asked holding out my corset, his face turned white as his eyes widened.
"What? Um..." I threw the corset at him and turned around realizing that it would have been easier for me to put it around before he tied it up. He realised this too and handed it back to me allowing me to put around my front. I stood there for a few moments awkwardly trying to keep it together as I waited for him to take over. I turned around and saw that he was frozen staring at my back.

"Dude all you have to do is tie it up around the back... It's really not hard" I rolled my eyes as he edged closer

Chapter 1?

"Hey Emily, guess what?" shouted Andrew as he raced up my staircase. 

"What?" I yelled not bothering to turn away from my laptop, he came through the door panting.

"This time I swear I've found 'her'!" he said trying to catch his breath. He had been on a quest to find the 'one' since as long as anyone could remember. 

"Yeah? Mmhm..." I still didn't face him.

"I'm serious this time!" he sighed and dropped onto my grass green couch.

"You were serious last time with, what was her name? Oh, that's right you didn't even get a chance to find that out..." I spun around in my chair, stood up and shook my hair out of its ponytail. He smiled as his mind travelled down memory lane.

"When are you gonna find you're 'one'?" he asked jokingly, knowing I wasn't even thinking of looking.

"I'm still waiting for him to find me, but whilst we're on the subject I saw "him" last night..." Andrew sat up and stared.

"Really, did you see him see him or just see him?" 'He' was my dream boy literally, a mysterious figure that appeared in my dreams whose face I couldn't recall and we had turned it into a running joke that 'dream boy' was the 'one'. 

This Is A Story....

I'm planning on using this Blog as a creative writing space since our current computer has no writing applications I can use effectively so here it goes this beginning may or may not be part of the actual story I am not sure since this is mostly written in a notebook I recently found please accept all you read and don't judge...

"You don't understand!" I screamed in my mother's face. Three years ago I wouldn't have dared to speak in such a way, but things had changed an awful lot since then. Life had become crazy when my sister broke up with her first boyfriend.
"Honey we just don't know what to do!" she was nearly in tears which frustrated me since I was wanting to be too angry to feel guilty. I rushed off to my room in the tower of our house. 
My sister's first boyfriend had been nice and to this day is still one of my greatest friends. My sister's relations with him were short and she had found a new boyfriend as quickly as she had broken up with him. Her next boyfriend was not approved of in my house. He was 35, 15 years older than my sister. In my eyes he was an unhygienic old puff and to my pleasure my parents put an end to the relationship.

 There is more to this but I don't think it's necessary... I might post it another time perhaps...

Love finding random stuff on youtube....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBN3eRjD4oE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Female

I have a few favourite female singers, the list changes a lot but at the moment it goes a little like this...

Adele
Jessie J
Ashley (she's a no name whose cd I got from a friend)
Jessica Mauboy
Taylor Swift
P!nk
I'm sure there are more but that's kind of the top 5 atm...

Tayler Mae

Love this girl so much! She is amazing and is so mature.

Love you so much Gorgeous!