Running Around in Circles

Have you ever just ran around in circles wondering when that door was going to open? The door to opportunity and justice. The door to happiness and self-confidence. The door to fly away from the reality of life. I know I have. We think trying to forget about bad situations will lead to them suddenly being solved. There are some of us out there who only come to God when they really need his help. They don't pray on a daily basis. They pray only when they "think" they need something done because they realize the problem has to be fixed with God's help. The truth is yes, you can fix a situation so that it will be alright. But, God's touch can always make it 100 times better. My dog, Oreo, is put outside to use the restroom every hour. As soon as she is put outside, she runs up to the door and peeks through the window blinds. When she sees no one is coming to open the door, she turns around and walks in a circle and comes back to the door and peeks through. She does this everyday without stopping until she finally understands that she is not getting back inside until she does what she was suppose to do. I like to wonder what goes through her head when she does this, but I think i have a pretty good idea. That is how we are at the gates of heaven. We knock, and walk in circles over and over, but the gates are not showing an opening. Are you following God's commands? Think back and see if you are. Maybe you aren't making an A in a certain class or not getting that raise you've been hoping for, because you are not listening to God. You will not be blessed until you show God you are worthy.

Keeping Memories

Today I woke up at 10:3o. This gave me enough time to do my chores and get dressed right before my 1:00 babysitting job. After babysitting, fun plans were ruined due to the drowsy, rainy weather. I went home and out of boredom started going through my camera. I laughed about many pictures of friends and family, and even historical places that I have visited. All these memories were on a small 3 megabyte memory card. I hooked my camera up to my computer and started working on my scrapbook. I love scrapbooking. It brings back so many memories. Today I included pictures of Christmas, my Atlanta and Alabama visit, Valentine's Day at my school, and some more events. I think good memories never have to vanish. You should try your best to hold on to important memories that mean a lot to you. I never was into scrapbooking until last year. I was leaving St.Thomas Epsicopal to come to Westbury Christian School and my best friend gave me a scrapbook of all our 7th grade memories as a good-bye gift. It had to be the sweetest and most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given me. It was filled with pictures of us being absolutely crazy and full of events, including a copy of the Jonas Brothers' Concert we went to together at which I lost the ticket. She inlcuded a cd of our favorite songs and wrote a long letter telling me how much she was going to miss me and how she was never going to forget me and our fun times we shared together. Though this scrapbook was filled with so many happy times I couldn't help but cry while looking through it. Every now and then I look at the scrapbook and I can't help but to get a little teary eyed. If I could choose between a diamond ring or memories, memories would definitely win. For a diamond can rust, while memories always shine!

Influenced By Others

Today, some friends in the locker room were talking about how this girl had changed ever since she started dating this guy. The girl was in denial and shook her head as her friends fussed and explained that they didn't know her anymore. All I did was hear, but I do know that maybe her firends are right. It is so easy for us to start acting like others. Maybe in relationships to show that you have something in common, or even with friends. My dad always says that you should be careful who you hang around because usually the bad influences the good. But, what do you do when you get in the middle of an identity crisis? You pull out that mirror and look at yourself. Do you like what you see? Are you becoming a better or worse person? You should never lose yourself no matter what. Your logic is the best gift God gave you. Are you using this logic in a Christian way and not allowing others to fill your Godly logic with trash. Sometimes, we don't think and before you know you think it's too late. But actaully that isn't true! It's never too late to do anything! You can still turn your life around and use it in the best ability. You can have a full life ahead of you that will be filled with love and happiness. But always remember there will be sorrow and tears too. The girl didn't want to listen to her friends but maybe sometimes listening to those who loves us and truly care about us isn't a bad thing. Those who point out our flaws that we don't want to hear or admit are usually the ones who really care and don't want our lives to end in ruin. We all lose ourselves at some point but it's always up to us to decide whether we want to run to God and let him welcome us with open arms or if we want to walk down a dark path. Which will it be for you?

Learning from Our Mistakes

Have you ever made a really bad mistake? You feel as though everyone has turned their back on you and you are completely lost! Well, don't worry so have I. But, everyone makes mistakes...you just have to learn from them. My mom always tells me to think before I act. The truth is I do that very often but if I actually listened to these wise words that would save me from getting into trouble. This is how we sometimes are with God, he gives us chance after chance after chance but we still don't get the point. It takes something completely drastic for us to finally wake up and realize that WHOA! WHAT AM I DOING? That light bulb that goes off in our head is the start of a new life where we can accept God's warning and prevent from getting into too much trouble that is too hard for us to pull ourselves out of. Hopefully you will take these wise words and place them in your heart: when you are about to do soemthing that can mess up your life rememeber there isn't a rewind button.

Valentine's Is Finally Celebrated!

Today at Westbury Christian School, a.k.a the best school ever, we celebrated Valentine's day. The day was filled with surprises for everyone. I even had a couple of my own. The juniors passed out huge balloons, carnations, and singing telegrams. I thought the day was amazing! I couldn't help but smile. I looked around at everyone else and I couldn't help but notice that everyone was smiling too. To me the funniest part of this whole day was seeing how guys don't take Valentine's day as seriously as girls do. Girls love being appreciated and adored the moment someone walks through the door and gives them balloons from someone that thinks they are special. Guys, instead of taking in the special moment, giggle with their friends and play balloon dodgeball. Laughter, playing, and fun are all some of the best parts of life. We all enjoy carefree moments like today. I think the hardest part for everyone is going to be tomorrow. We have had so much fun today, I think it's going to be hard for us to calm back down and have our attention be focused again. But, we students can do it! This has been a great Valentine's celebration and I'm waiting for many more to come!

Surprise Saturday

What a weekend, what a weekend, what a weekend. I have to say this once more...WHAT A WEEKEND! Waking up Saturday morning at 9 was perhaps the hardest thing I had to do all week. Saturdays I sleep until 10 and getting up an hour early to do chores made it seem as though my life was over. I do my chores, get dressed, and my mom, little sis, and I go to wal-mart just to get a couple of hygiene materials. But, in a blink of an eye, our whole day changed! We pulled up to the parking lot where tons of teenagers were screaming and the famous R&B station 97.9 the box, was there. Cool, I thought. We went to McDonald's for a quick lunch and to my surprise I find out Ne-Yo a hip-hop artist was going to be there in a little to sign cds and take pictures. The line was SO long and I didn't feel like waiting. But, because of my sister's pleading, my mom and I were forced to go to the garage part of wal-mart, where all the commotion and chaos was. We stood in front of a banner. I just want a peek at him. I thought. But one thing led to another. A member of our church happened to spot my mom. "Hey first lady!" My heart pounded as he asked me what I was here for, "To see him," I said pointing to Ne-Yo's poster. Then, of out nowhere the guy gives my sister and I v.i.p passes so we could skip the huge crowd and meet one of my favorite singers! I got my autograph and my picture! So, again let me say...WHAT A WEEKEND!

The LOVE Board

Today, in my bible class, we did our Thursday ritual of watching McGee and Me. McGee and Me are shows about a little boy named Nick, and how he and his cartoon imaginary friend, solve problems in a Godly way. After watching the video and taking a quiz. Those of us who wished to do so, were allowed to write on the "love board" or the "draob evol(love board spelled backwards)". The love board was for those that loved something. You could write your intials or name with your significant other's initials or name. The draob evol was for those who had broken up. I, of course with others, gladly wrote on the love board. While a few wrote on the draob evol. Some of us were shy when it came to writing our names, while others jumped right up. What is there to be ashamed of? Proclaiming your love for someone is very special. It shows how you really feel about a person. It shows that you don't care what others think when it comes to how you feel about that special someone. I believe all relationships should be that way. If you or your significant other are too ashamed to admit you all are a couple, maybe you should think about what is holding you all back from telling your friends? In the Bible, Genesis 20:13 states: And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother." You are to not be ashamed of people you love. Go out and proclaim your love today!

Chris Brown News!!

Alright you Chris Brown fanatics! What do you have to say about this whole situation going on with him and Rihanna! Tell me what you think!

Love Never Fails

Since this is Valentine's week, I will be writing stories and giving insight about this special day of love leading all the way up to Saturday, February 14. In Bible, I Corinthians 3:4-8 states: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. This statement in the bible says a lot. But the most important sentence to me is Love never fails. I truly believe that when we love someone nothing or no one can stand in the way. When, someone is fighting an obstacle they can always depend on having someone there that loves them and will do anything to help them through the situation. Who is that special someone in your life? Do you have love that never fails?

Just the Beginning

Today has truly been a miraculous day! My dad preaches at New World Church. It is 1 year old and very successful. We have had people join every Sunday, except for one, the whole year. My dad has a meeting with his bosses every now and then. Lately, they have been pushing to pay for the building we have been leasing. But instead, my dad has received something much more than what he bargained for. They have agreed to give him a 36,000 grant to help open up a daycare associated with our church. Also, last Sunday my dad asked for who would like to donate $500- $1,000 to help pay for the building. My dad and mom said they would donate $1,000. That meant, that me or my sister wouldn't be able to get our rooms re-decorated. Loving my dad and my church, I gave up my being able to decorate my room, so the $1,000 would go for the church cause. But, this afternoon my dad got a phone call from his boss, saying that he was going to be an honoree at a conference this Wednesday and he would receive a certificate and a check for $1,000. Therefore, I won't have to give up my room decor plans anymore! But, I know this is just the beginning of a God-filled week!

P.S. I proudly gave $5 in offering this weekend!

Thanks!

Tonight, I would like to thank my bible teacher, Coach Hawley for helping me out with my new blog. If you are reading this Coach, I would like to tell you how much I appreciate you for helping me out as I start this new process. One day, I hope to be a pro just like you. Coach Hawley is a great coach and teacher! He is a true man of God and I am so happy to know someone like him.

Making the Best Out of A Bad Situation (Dump the Junk)

This afternoon was great...while the morning didn't go too well. I woke up at 6:45 this morning. My usual wake up time is 6:00. It gives me room to lolly gag around, sing in my mirror, and sleep an extra 15 minutes. But, this morning I had no room for my morning routine. My mom came into my room shouting, "Giselle! Hurry Up! I hit the off button on my alarm clock instead of the snooze button." I jumped out of my bed and began to get dressed. I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when my mom shouted, "Kimberly Giselle Johnson! Down here now!" Boy, was she in a bad mood! I ran downstairs, no lotion, no earrings, and most importantly NO NEUTROGENA! I proceded to comb my hair in the car and just finished putting my lotion on when she drove up to Westbury Christian School.

I had in my mind the whole morning that today was going to be a bad day. Especially considering I had a test in my worst subject, Algebra. But, right before I took the test, I prayed. I prayed that this morning's chaos would calm down and that I would put positive things in my head. I took my test and turned it in with total confidence. The rest of the day began to look mush brighter once I put into my mind that I would have a great day and I wouldn't let one incident ruin my whole day! I made a 96 on my Algebra test and my Bible teacher told me he was going to advertise my blog page for me! Today was great because I wanted it to be!

Advice #2: Never let one bad incident throw your whole day off! Make the best out of the situation and move on. You might actually sit back and get a good laugh out of it.