Gospel vs. Spiritual

It's February. This means not only is the month of "love" and my mom's and two good friends' birthdays...but it's also Black History Month. For many of you who don't know me, I love the arts. Acting is my favorite. I love listening to everyone sings except for myself. Also, I love paintings and drawings, though I can't even draw a straight line without it somehow being crooked no matter how hard I try. However, my youth group thought it would be interesting to take a fieldtrip down to the Musuem of Fine Arts right here in Houston and explore around a bit until the 6:30 show about African-American culture. The thing that struck us as amusing was the title of the show, "Gospel vs. Spiritual". I always thought it was the same thing. Gospels simply having spirit. But, tonight I found out I was all wrong as I experienced an overwhelming performance of songs from a wonderful choir. I came un-prepared, so I have no pictures and no video, but the performance will always remain with me. One thing I know now is the difference between the two. Gospel is fast-paced songs that people dance to, while spiritual are all songs that African-Americans sang during slavery times. I have to say it was an interesting experience and just for a moment...I felt as though my great ancestors were sitting right beside me, singing the songs with the choir.

Because I Trusted An Angel

Today was a wonderful day, besides the fact that it was Valentine's Day, I got a surpise of my own. It is custom in my household to go out to eat on special occasions. This Valentine's day we decided to make our way to Lupe Tortilla, one of the best Mexican restaurants EVER...in my opinion. There was a massive wait, with people backed up. My sister and I usually are thrown out of the car to go place our name on the list, while our parents find a parking spot. We portray the true meaning of team work when it comes to handling the crazy city life. However, after finding out it was a 30 minute wait and we had no time to spare on a school night, my sister and I turned around to see an old man in front of us. As we tried to manuever around him, he seemed to creepily stare. "Happy Valentine's Day, pretty girls!" he exclaimed to my sisters and I. I showed enough of a smile to show sincerity and thanks for the nice compliment, but odd way of doing so. Then he proceeded to tell me to go back up to the line and check in. "I already did." I said, trying to remember talking to strangers wasn't instilled in me as a wise decision. I grabbed my sister's hand, being protective, and continued to waver through the crowd. "Go check again." What's wrong with this guy! He's crazyyy! This is all I could think as my heart pounded, thinking of one of those scary and depressing stories where girls are stolen. "Check again." I kept hearing him say and the words became more and more distant...but something inside of me told me to go back and put our name on the list. So...oddly enough...I did. "Johnson...party of 4." I said, tapping my fingers on the wooden pedastal nervously, as my eyes darted for any sign of the man. The woman began getting together menus. "Child's menu?" she asked, but I stared at her blankly. She probably thought I was mentally challenged, but I was in shock. A 30 minute wait just turned into no wait at all. My parents then walked in and we went to our table. Throughout the night, I looked and looked for the man, but could never find him. I can't help but believe he was an angel. As much as my family wanted to eat at Lupe Tortilla, the wait was too long, and homework was calling my sister's and I's name. But, all thanks to a man urging me to go check in again, we had a delightful dinner. Crazy, right?!

It sort of reminds me of when Jesus urges Peter to place his fishing net on the other side of the boat. As reluctant as Peter is to doing it, he does it anyway, and is truly blessed. There's no doubt that tonight's scenario was creepy. But, nonetheless, it was a blessing as well!

Somebody to Love

Where's the love?! It's amazing to see how divorce rates are skyrocketing and people are taking marriage and love less seriously. Teens are believing they're in love and ruining their lives over something that's supposed to make you better. Whereas adults are putting love off as something unnecessary and comical. For the past month, my English class has been studying sarcasm and humor by using "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman. Many people hear "Princess Bride" and think about the movie classic starring Robin Wright. However, the movie and book have two different undertones. While the movie teaches the power of true love...the books says other wise constantly mocking the idea of "true love". Through this sarcastic study I have come to the question of..."Does true love actually exist?"

I see my parents...middle school sweethearts. Though they have changed when they first met...u still see a glowing love between the two of them. They laugh at the same things and complete each other's sentences. Though they may not be openly affectionate like newlyweds they still show a mind blowing and chilling love for each other. But they met a longggg time ago. Not trying to put an age on my parents, but back then times were different. I believe in this day and age, finding love is harder and harder because people don't really care too much about it's importance. Committment seems to be too much for people.

My dad is a pastor and he always has interesting stories to tell my family about church members. Part of his job is counciling married couples and some of the things said are shocking. People who have been married for 3 months have come to him wanting a divorce because they believe "they're not the one". But I always ask my dad..."Wouldn't they have known that before they tied the knot?" In "Princess Bride", Buttercup, the main character, accepts Prince Humperdinck's hand in marriage saying "She will never love him". Sometimes, I feel as though people get married out of fear of being alone or just for the right of saying, "I'M MARRIED!". However, it's not my job to figure it out. I'm just focusing on having a good time hoping when the time comes my husband will be everything I want and more!

Deitrick Haddon - Well Done

New Beginnings

Yes. I know. It's not the New Year but I think it's time for a few changes in my life. I haven't written on my blog in a while, but after a suprising cancellation of tennis practice and little homework, I figured I had nothing to lose. My life has been so crazy. Between friends, guys, school, family, and keeping up with my spiritual relationship...it hasn't been exactly easy. However, I'm ready for some new commitments after months of committing to the wrong things. All I have to say is my life is about to change drastically. I am going to be dedicated to loving people instead of worrying about loving myself. From now on, I will look in the mirror and see someone full of promise because she loves and helps others daily. I can't wait for the new life I have committed to. There is one song that I have fallen in love with. It explains what we hope and want God to say to us when we finally cross over. We want him to be pleased and hopefully with my new life I will get exactly that response! Above is the music video of the song. Listen to the lyrics. I love them.

Confirmed

For the past month, I have been honored with an amazinggggg opportunity, the opportunity of being confirmed. What does this mean? In the Methodist Church, we believe in baptizing babies. Of course, when they are baptized that have no clue what is going on. The only questions running through their mind is "someone needs to change my diaper". However, this is why we go through the process of "confirmation". This process allows anyone, but specifically youth, to study the Bible and do activites to become closer with God, eventually making them a better person. After a few sessions, you are confirmed and say an oath in front of the whole church.

I was almost in tears when I received my Bible and "confirmed" necklace. It means a lot to me. I've learned so much and truly believe Jesus is my Savior. I know he will be here for me no matter what. I truly feel like a new and improved Christian and now know what it means to live according to him. In my opinion, I believe everyone should go through a process of the kind, just to receive more knowledge of the faith. More than anything I took out of the process that prayer is a great thing. I tend to come to God only when I need him and I vowed to try my best to change that. I can honestly say that I have been making an effort to do so and now it has become so easy.

This reminds me of today in Bible class, when my teacher Coach Hawley, showed us a video of an example when we call on God, sometimes when it's too late. This reminded me of myself in so many ways in the sense that people do that all the time. We tend to forget God and wait until something major happens to call to hi. NEWSFLASH: He will be there no matter what. However, we should make a habit of praying. We should try to come to him for anything. Also, not just praying for yourself. Thank him for things he has done. Ask him for the right way to help someone else, rather than just yourself. In the end, Christianity all comes down to love. Loving yourself, loving others and most of all loving God, can defeat all obstacles. But, these 3 love actions don't come over night. It takes prayer and patience.

I am so happy confirmation taught me these important things about my religion. Therefore, I am proud to say....I AM A CONFIRMED CHRISTIAN!

It's Amazing

My dad is as great believer of bringing people to church who are basically scared of "crosses" and never have even stepped into a church in their lives. He believe when these type of people join...it's the best thing. Honestly, I 100% which has made me step out of my comfort zone and embrace those who may not have as many resources and look as clean cut as me. However, my dad is a strong believer that the way this gets done is by bringing the arts into our church services. Arts meaning: skits, poems, and art. This actually works though. Those who never knew Jesus see him in a different light and understand him on a less deep level, compared to so many who compare church folks with those funny people who "speak in tongues".

Last night, a great thing happened. Our painoist had his first album release party at our location. It was an enjoyable evening. I even was able to perform a poem I made myself about music. We invited people from all over and it was once again a GREAT experience. The jazz music played was unforgettable from songs such as "My Funny Valentine" and "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing". People laughed, danced, and people tried to stay in tune while they sang along to their all time favorite songs. I, myself, was able to enjoy a number of couples who danced. One couple seemed as though they took salsa lessons. They definitely inspired my mom...but...I don't think my dad will be too thrilled when my mom brings home a "Couple's Salsa Dancing" brochure. So much happened, I can't put it into words...but if there's one thing I know...God was definitely present.

Overall, last nigh, my dad explained that his dream was coming true. His dream of connecting arts to church is slowly coming true and I am so happy to be a part of it. My dad is my hero and one day I hope to see religion the way he does.

Decisions...Decisions

Today was my first day of school and besides all the crazy emotions that go behind that...I had even more worries on my mind. This morning, my dad talked to me about working at something I am good at. He explained how I just work at something that will maintain with me for the rest of my life. For those who don't know, other than writing....acting is my passion. I love how I feel when I'm on stage and there's nothing better than acting like some imaginable character. However, my volleyball schedule this year is proufoundly contradicting with my acting time. I was feeling lost and didn't know what to do. Acting is my passion...but how do I give up playing volleyball? Something I have been doing since the 6th (now in 10th).
Honestly, I did not want to listen to my dad at all this morning. All I wanted to think about was whether my teachers were going to be cool and whether or not my friends and I could easily pick up where we left off with our friendship before we left school for summer break. However, throughout the day, I found myself thinking more and more about what he told me. "Work towards something that means the world to you". I was going back and forth. After a short talk with my drama teacher, she fully persuaded me when she said the fall play was going to be one of my favorite plays of all time "Steel Magnolias". Not to mention, it was turned into an amazing movie including Julia Roberts and Sally Field.
Somehow, today is just seemed like everything fell into place. It's going to be tough telling my coach I will have to give volleyball up, but it will bless me in the long run. I know it. I like volleyball and will always call it my favorite sport to play....but...this girl....LOVES acting. So, this is exactly what I'm going to do. Who knows! I may be telling this story one day on an interview after I've won an Oscar!!!

just for you coach hawley

My old bible teacher has constantly teased me about not writing on here for the past few months. My schedule has been hectic with me now being in high school. But, today I decided to get started on my homework early so I could update my blog. Life has been crazy for me. I have gone through a very hard breakup, have decided who my real friends are, and in the mist of the craziness of being a freshman have somehow maintained great grades! I love all my classes and am ready for another break! haha! Life has been great and I have only God to thank. I wrote tonigh just for you, Coach Hawley....the BEST bible teacher ever:)

Laugh In the Face of Fear

A week ago, my family received bad news about my grandfather. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This disease is known for making people shake and it also affects the way you move. Yes, everyone was heartbroken but my grandfather did not pout along with everyone else. He seemed superior and was awesome by the way he took his bad news and made a joke, telling my grandma how he can't embarass himself by going to the grocery store to run her errands anymore. The doctors suggested that he lay low for a couple weeks and tries to rest his legs more often. This will be quite an obstacle for my grandpa, considering he is a hardworking man that is never able to sit down for more than a few minutes. He is constantly up and moving. Today, my granny called my dad worried. She said no matter how much she tried to warn my grandpa about his disease he refused to sit down and rest. My dad then proceeded to talk to him, explaining how is lifestyle is going to have to change since he was diagnosed with a disease that causes for him to me less mobile. My grandpa then said he was scared to stop moving because now he lives day by day wondering how much he is going to shake, or if his legs are gonna allow him to properly walk to the kitchen and back to the coach without trembling. My dad got a little teary eyed and answered, "You can't live with fear, daddy." After some emotional parts in the conversation my dad then laughed. My grandpa had just changed the subject and said he was sooo happy football season had started and that maybe now it will be easier for him to sit on the coach and be lazy all day.
My grandpa is a great example of how sometimes life can get scary and that sometimes you can't hold back the tears. But, though your times are tough, you should be able to laugh every now and then...maybe even most of the time knowing that you've got family and friends. But the most important person you have is God, your keeper, your best friend, your everything!

Long Days

As tired as I am, I have built up enough enthusiasm to write a post for my blog tonight. I have been babysitting my sister and two cousins sice ten o' clock this morning. My aunt had a party celebrating her birthday and my mom along with some of my aunt's closest friends were invited. But, in the end I was rewarded 40 bucks. So, I guess being busy with squeaky voices, loud laughing, and running feet, all day was worth it. But would I have been as willing to do such tedious work if I wasn't getting rewarded for it?? To answer honestly...no. Many times we do things because we know we will get rewarded or recognized for our doings. But remember in the Bible it says to do things without expecting to receive them back. I did a good thing today! I helped my aunt celebrate her birthday by giving her a stress free day without her kids lagging behind her. I feel great knowing that along with this, I got some extra cash in my pocket also. Maybe next time I babysit, I will surprise the parents by telling them don't worry about paying me. Overall, I hope that my aunt had a super duper birthday!

Achieving Your Goals

Well, this has been a great week so far, and not only a great week, but also a productive one. I have all A's and my wish has come true. I have received more playing time on the court. And not only have I received more playing time, but I am now chosen as one of the first players to go on the court! My mom joked and said that there was happiness on my face that looked so "geeky"! But, I don't care. I set a goal about a week ago, saying how i was upset that i didn't not get enough playing time as I wanted. So, I said that I would work hard at practice so that I could achieve my goal of playing more. I did exactly that. Diving for balls at practice, sprinting during laps, running for balls, keeping up good sportsmanship during scrimmages, this was all part of me showing my coach that I had what it takes to be a good volleyball player. Let this be advice to you. If you have passion about something but it's not taking you were you want to go, set a goal, and work hard to achieve it. I feel great knowing that I have worked hard and earned my playing time. I hope you take this piece of advice and let it soak in your lives. As the Bible says,"Pray and Never Give Up."

Confused?

Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn't know what to do? Who to trust? Who to listen to? Who not to trust? Who not to listen to? My friend is going through this exact situation right now. She doesn't go to my school but I know she must feel pretty lonely right now. I was actually honored when she texted me and told me that she just needed someone to talk to. You should be the person, where when someone needs a helping hand, you're able to give it to them. But anyways, she's only been in school for a week, and gossip has already started. Crazy and at the same time scary, to think of what the rest of the school year brings, if already gossip has started. Girls, who are only jealous, have started crazy ridiculous rumors, which I will not point out. My friend is a sincere person and the things they have said are definitely not true. But, being in a new environment where people are trying to find friends, it is hard for someone not to believe things if they don't really know the person. Being in high school, not only marks the beginning of the rest of our lives, but it is also time where people are finding out who their real friends are and most importantly finding out who they really are. Confused? Everyone is sometimes and in the process you should talk to your family, trustworthy friends, and...last but certaintly not least, GOD! He can help you with all your problems and situations. NEVER take it upon yourself to fix a situation because it will only wreak more havoc onto your life. Stand up for yourself when God says it is time, or you may be lucky and he'll fix your problem himself.

Determination

Today was the first volleyball game of the high school JV volleyball team. We left right after school to be at a game for 4:30 at Incarnate Word Academy, an all girls Catholic school, downtown. It was a great success! We won our game after playing two, neck to neck, intense, rounds. Though, I did not get to play as much as I would have liked to it was still fun and very exciting. My daddy knew I was disappointed about my playing time and went into one of his lectures about determination. I am a very competitive person and like to be the best at everything I do. Volleyball is not one of my best talents, but I enjoy it very much. So he told me havinh "heart" will take me a long way! I would really like to play more, and my coach even told those who didn't get much playing time to show her in practice that we want to play more. So, we have another game Friday at Kinkaid. This gives me three days to prove to my coach that I am ready for some more playing time. I may not get as much as I want now, but with a little determination, I plan to have a great season and win some more games and be happy knowing I was able to play just as much as the girls who played a lot today!

Fitting In

In my Pre-AP English class, my teacher, Miss Burton, had us write a paragraph over the purpose of the book The Portrait of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, it is about an attractive man that supposedly gives his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal life and youth. In the book, there are many passsages that talked about how society no longer cares about sincere people and how people are living in a world where they are afraid to be themselves. Being in high school, there are situations that teenagers put themselves in where they are afraid to shine and be who they really are in the terror of being rejected. In the bible, it states that God made us in his own perfect image. No one is ugly and everyone has their own unique personality, are facts that people should place in their mind when they are dealing with the pressure of being someone that they're not so they can be popular or get attention. In the end, you are truly happy once you find out who you are and abide by what's inside you. You are who you are and if you change, change for the better. And...Miss Burton if you're reading this....how about re-considering that grade. HAHA!

Broken Hearts

Always think before you act is a sentence that means so much to everyone. On my behalf, I have made a mistake that I can't take back. The very minute I spoke the words my world went spinning in a world of chaos. "You never know what you got till it's gone" is yet another phrase that means so much. By letting jealousy and a big misunderstanding take over my mind I have broken my heart and someone else's. I will pray and patiently wait for the time to come when hopefully we can look past this decision. But, for now its best that we move in our own ways in hopes of meeting someone new. But, of course the person that is next in our lives will never be as special as the relationship the person and I had.

Well, it's money counting time at Westbury Christian. Every year, the school collects money for kids in Honduras. In the middle of the school year, students receive "Honduras bottles" which they use to store coins until the end of the school year. The school has managed to raise thousands of dollars in the previous years with these bottles and it is time to do it again. Since, my bible teacher, Coach Hawley, author of the famous blog, "When Then Is This Child Going to Be", is the Honduras money collection coordinator, his classes usually help sort out the money. I am lucky to be in his class this year to participate! But not only do we sort money we also count it, which is a very tedious and important task. We have to be very accurate with our counting which means no play time.
Day 1
How do we sort this coins? Well, 4 5 gallon containers are marked with the words, "nickels", "pennies", "quarters" and "dimes". You split up into groups of four and a whole bunch of money is poured on the table. Then, students call which type of coins they want to get out of the mountain of coins. I ended up picking out quarters. Once, you picked out all your chosen coins, you poured them in the 5 gallon container with the correctly marked coinage. This was my fav orite part so far.
Day 2
Today, we began the counting. Which meant there was little time for talking. Today, was serious business. But, it still was pretty fun. The procedure for today was counting 100 pennies and placing them in a bottle. You would then place them on the table in the front of the classroom, this would keep happening until there were 25 bottles worth of 25 dollars on the table. They were then placed in a bank coinage bag. My friends, Tosin and Autumn, helped lock the bag once 25 dollars was put inside. It was pretty fun to watch them figure out how to not get the sticky part of the bag on the wrong part of the bag. But, they managed to figure it out.

Tomorrow, we get a break from our tediousness and we have a quiz. But, Friday we start back our counting. There are a few of us though who haven't even brought their bottles yet. Sadly, I am in that category. But, I plan to bring all the money I collected tomorrow. I think this is a great way to help out those who are less fortunate than we Americans. We take so much for granted and I think Westbury Christian is awesome for thinking outside of the box to help raise money for these kids. This has taught me that a penny can make a difference.

Honduras experience...to be continued...

He Restores My Soul

I will try to do 2 sentences tonight. I am on the fourth sentence of the verse now. He restores my soul. This is one of my favorite sentences of this verse. It is one of my favorite sentences because it tells you what he can do. If your soul is corrupt he can restore it to make it something beautiful. You can come to him with as much shame and guilt and he'll still take you back. Now for the fifth. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. To me, this means that he wants us to be good Christians and follow his ways. But, he also realizes how hard it can sometimes be. So, he's there to guide us so we won't make many mistakes in our Christian walk. He wants us to be people we can look up to because we wear the name Christian. He wants the way we look and act to be like a Christian because he doesn't want something unpleasant to have his name. For his name's sake, he tries to guide everyone. These two sentences tie together. The way he guides you in the paths of righteousness is by restoring your soul. You won't listen and obey him if your soul is full of devilish things. So, he must clean it out and make it pure in order for you to follow in his footsteps.

Vote for me!!

Hello everyone I have 2 big tests tomorrow so I don't have a lot of time to write to you tonight!! But I would like to tell you to vote on my Bible teacher's blog for me as the best 8th grade blogger! Thanks for your support!

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

Now we are on the next three sentences of the verse: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the quiet waters. These two sentences automatically put a calming feeling in your mind. Ahh! Beautiful green pastures....fields and fields of green. Ahh! Radiant quiet waters...big blue oceans of cooling waves. These two sentences to me mean that Jesus can put us in the most calming positions. No matter how chaotic life may get we can always have quiet and peaceful moments during our lives. Tell me what you think this verse means. You can e-mail me at gwhiz95@yahoo.com.

Besides today's bible study, today was an amazing day. My best friend, Nandi, and I were able to talk to a small group of 6th grade girls at our school. We talked to them about guys and gossip. It went so well! During lunch, some of the girls even told Nandi and I how they already used our advice to handle a situation and it worked. The feeling of being role models to girls that are younger than me is a big deal in my life. I have a little sister and I already have to make sure that I make wise decisions. I know she's watching me and I would like to be a person she can look up to and would like to be. I want to be the type of person that people can come to for advice. Today, I was able to do something that I love. I was able to share my personal experiences with girls that look up to me. The sparkle in their eyes showed they were listening and actually taking it in. Nandi and I made a great connection with the girls, by making it an interactive conversation. They even laughed. We used bible verses to make points and had the girls interpret the verse in their own words. It was a great experience and Nandi and I have made plans to have another great discussion next Friday. We both enjoyed it very much and hope that we can give the girls some great advice that they can use in their daily lives.