Ice Cream and Righteousness

I had a bad day today.  Yep...it was bad.  Nuff' said.

We had our FIRST CONNECT GROUP MEETING tonight, whooo hooo!!!!!!!!!!!  Yay, I got to hang out with Sierra, Julia, and Rachel (senior year, you go girl!).  During the meeting, I was listening and writing in the handout booklet, but all the while thinking of my very bad day.  I was excited to be diving into God's word with my connect group, yet was rather depressed.  Then, Mr. Ennis said something that hit me.  Not like a slight realization, but a WHOA THAT IS INSANE realization.  This is what he said.

"On our worst day, God sees us with the blameless righteousness of his Son."  

On our worst day!  Is that crazy or what?  Even when we have sinned many times and go to God with a regretful prayer that goes something like "Stop loving me God, its not worth it".....he sees us as having no faults whatsoever!  God views us as righteous because Jesus took the full brunt of our ugly sin upon himself.  EPIC LOVE.

And then...we ate ice cream.  :D  :D  :D

Rain Makes the Flowers Grow

Today, I woke up and was astounded at how cold it was.  I came downstairs, grabbed a blanket off the sofa, and pounded my brain awake just enough to finish my chemistry definitions.  I'm going to start needing Hot Chocolate sooner that I thought...since its raining.  The weather people have forecast that it will rain for about 4 straight days.  Grrrrrr!!!  I don't like rain and neither does my dog.  Such a nice way to start off September, right?

However, like everything in God's creation, rain has a purpose.  Rain makes the trees grow and the flowers blossom.

Rain shapes rocks and crystals in underground caves.  Rain creates the world's water system and gives rise to the rivers and oceans that hold marine animals.  It quenches the thirst of every living thing on this earth.  So wonderful is the Creator who fashioned the rain droplets that fall from the sky!

Just like the sudden coming of rainy days, I am surprised at how quickly school has started.  It's Tuesday and I have chemistry class this morning, an SAT practice test this afternoon, and orchestra tonight.  I guess it seems like so much work because I've been trying to hold on to glorious summer for as long as I possibly can...but to no avail.  Yes, folks.  It's official.  SCHOOL IS HERE.

THE DOCTOR is No Longer Single

I know this is probably REALLY REALLY LATE, but it deserves some significance anyway.  Ok, a little background so you can understand the significance.  David Tennant is a popular stage actor with natural acting talent, amazing hair, and an incredible ability to pull off comic punch lines in the middle of dire situations.

 His starring role is THE DOCTOR in seasons 2-5 of a TV show called Doctor Who.  The Doctor is the last of an alien race called the Time Lords.  He travels the universe through space and time in his spaceship, which is disguised as a blue, police call box called The Tardis.  Needless to say, his saving-the-world adventures almost always include aliens, weird creatures, and the sort.  Thrillingly Bizarre is the memo we're looking at here.  Anyway, The Doctor always has a constant, female companion with him, and he regenerates into a new doctor every one or two seasons.  David Tennant stayed in for 3 seasons because everyone loved him soooo much.  After a couple of episodes starring David Tennant, I also adopted the outlook of his teenage fans.    

I was researching his life story when I happened upon a SIGNIFICANT peice of recent news.  Apparently, David Tennant is officially getting married.

Hear that???  It's the sound of thousand of geek girls' hearts breaking.  Not mine.  Well, maybe a little bit.   His gorgeous fiance is Georgia Moffett.  Georgia...get this...is the daughter of the fifth doctor.  Ok, is that bizarre and awesome or WHAT?  AND...the wedding is set for New Years Day 2012.  How cool is that!!!!!!!!!!  I want to get married on New Years Eve...

Am I a Stupid Duck???

     Sometimes I ask myself, am I really just a stupid duck running after life's pleasures and missing the point of the whole thing???  I know that sometimes I can be in that sense.  I just get sooooo wrapped up in my life and the things that I need to do that I end up thinking...Do I really need God?  I mean come on!  I've got all these e-mails to send, all these projects to work on, my fall schedule to organize!  I don't really need God, do I?  YES, I MOST DEFINITELY DO.

     During the sermon that Josh Harris preached a couple of weeks ago morning, he brought up the very common issue of self-righteousness.  He went on to give a very detailed explanation of how he thought this problem was manifesting itself in our church.  "So, now...we've got self righteous leaders confronting self righteous people who are turn confronting more self-righteousness.  It's self-righteousness confronting two more layers of self-righteousness!!!"  It's a weed, and it grows like...like...well, a weed.  And weeds can only be uprooted by the gardener, Jesus Christ.  He's the only one with the tools to root out your sin.

So, in truth, if I don't go to Jesus to root out the sin that the Holy Spirit brings to light...then I AM a stupid duck.  Sort of humbling isn't it?

The Week I Didn't Die

The car slowly pulled in the driveway.  I blinked open my weary eyes.  Home again.  Yes, Anna you're back...and you've got things to do, your violin audition, the State Fair Dog Show, your youth drama audition, and don't forget...SCHOOL IS STARTING SOON.  I fell back into oblivion and prayed for Jesus to help me.  Instantly, a wave of peace calmed by worried heart and I got out of the car and approached the door, ready to tackle life again.

Why do we worry?  Will doing so add another hour to our lives?  Of course it does, we say.  It makes things go a whole lot faster!  Because of our sinful nature, we do everything we can (in our limited power) to make our worries go away.  We play video games.  We play outside.  We listen to music.  We even do chores.  Every anti-worry pastime we embark on is temporary.  Casting our cares on the Lord is permanent, but it requires that we humble ourselves.  This is something at which I fail at and continue to fail at until I receive God's help.  By God's grace I have made it through the week following Worthy without dying.  Thank You Lord!!!  

Oh, and I also drove home from driving class yesterday...without dying.  Thank You Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!