The Hanging Tree

Here we are on Halloween night. I thought it would be appropriate to share my 4 part version of “The Hanging Tree”, definitely the darkest of songs in The Hunger Games Trilogy. (And here I am, dressed as Katniss. I never thought I would be so impatient about handing out candy. I would prefer them all coming at once so that I could do something besides wait. So of them knock so softly on the door…). Anyway, I’m sorry if you have been upset that I haven’t been writing as much and very little of it has been creative writing. Then again, I haven’t heard anyone complain or ask for more…

To hear my version of “The Hanging Tree” go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZqTObePIoE&feature=plcp

            “The Hanging Tree” is a major part of the third book because it captures the thought that death is easier than the life the characters live. The final verse of the song is brought up twice as Katniss thinks about the horrors she has seen and her and Gail’s promise to kill the other if captured.Borselllino relates “The Hanging Tree” to the song at the end of 1984 which she says Collins has read repeatedly: “Under the spreading chestnut tree / I sold you and you sold me.” Borsellino writes, “Combined, the two songs become a question posed to Peeta and Katniss: will fear, torture, hate, lust for power, and the desire for self-preservation ultimately prove to be so strong that even lovers would betray each other? . . . The Hunger Games, however, declares that no, love does conquer hate. . .” (Wilson, 36). Some object that Katniss living, even though she and Peeta eventually raise a family, is not the ideal ending for the Hunger Games series. As “The Hanging Tree” echoes, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to live. Instead of receiving a glorious death or even an easy life, at the end of the series Katniss and Peetaare still dealing with the trauma they have endured.

            “The Hanging Tree” is the piece that I am least satisfied with the outcome, though it does communicate the darkness of the song described in Mockingjay. I composed the song in ¾ time because it is usually associated with the waltz, a happy dance for lovers. By doing this, I hoped that it would feel odd as the song progresses and the listener realizes that the lovers in the song will never dance together because the man is dead and wants his beloved to join him. D minor is usually thought to be the saddest sounding of the minor keys, so I wrote in that key signature. Unlike the “Lullaby” I composed the melody of “The Hanging Tree” before deciding on the chords. This allowed me to ensure that the melody would be simple, as it is described in the book. However, how I heard the melody in my head did not end up simple as I found out while trying to record the song with a 15 year old singer. It being too late for me to rewrite the song, I asked her to make up the song as she sang. This worked fairly well since she already had what I had composed in her ear. I decided this worked well because Katniss learned the song from her father, and songs learned through oral tradition are bound to change over time.

            In the ensemble version of “The Hanging Tree” the oddness I had composed myself into is more apparent. The harmony lines have simpler rhythms than the melody to make up for the chord progressions. Though none of the chord progressions break Baroque rules, they are not the simple three chords heard in many songs today. On the end of the third line of the song (the only line in the song that changes. The words being “three”, “flee”, “free”, and “me”) I end on a V chord, making a half cadence. The next line begins with a VI chord, a deceptive cadence. This breaks the listener’s expectation[1] while not being displeasing to the ear. Having the piece be in a minor key also allowed me to include several diminished chords which are harsh sounding[2] and therefore appropriate for such a dark song.

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[1] V chords drive to the I chord. VI chords do not offer the full relief of returning to the tonic, but they do allow the leading tone (the third of the V chord) to resolve up a step.

[2] Diminished chords are made of two minor thirds stacked on top of each other. This creates the outer notes to be diminished fifths, or tritones, one of the most dissonant intervals. Tritones were once believed to invoke the devil and were also used in sirens because of the jarring sound.

Rue's Mockingjay Melody

Another Musical day! This time I’m looking at Rue’s 4 note Mockingjay melody from The Hunger Games. To listen to the melody I composed you can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujF0wZoYsJw&feature=plcp. Hope you enjoy it!

            In the Hunger Games Rue’s melody is a signal. At her home it is how Rue told the others in the orchard that it was quitting time. In the first arena, it became Rue’s signal to Katniss that she was fine, just cannot meet with her at the appointed time. However, this signal fails. The notes give Katniss a sense of relief until she hears Rue’s scream. In Catching Fire, the four notes become the signal for District 11, where Rue was from, to show their respect for Katniss. This again fails because the man who whistled the cue was killed for doing so.

            Deciding on four notes to create Rue’s melody was challenging because it is happy but slightly haunting in the books. I chose to have the four notes go in the same direction because a run, which is how the melody is described in The hunger Games, is defined as “rapid ascending or descending of notes” ("run"). The four notes that I ended up with, the first three notes create a C major chord, one of the happiest sounding chords. The fourth note though makes the chord into an a minor seven chord in third position. This makes the piece less happy but not by much. To add variety, I sometimes included the four note melody transposed up a perfect fifth, a pleasing interval. I choose to use piccolo, flute, and clarinet because they are bird-like sounding instruments. I composed the piece in 5/4 because it is an unusual key signature, making it sound more spontaneous instead of composed. This is also why I have triplets. The melody is sung by the mockingjays when interrupted by the mutations at the end of Katniss’ first Hunger Games, hence the high pitched warning calls at the end.

Ideal place

I feel like I’m cheating with the whole free/creative writing thing. Yesterday I copy and pasted something I did in college (Did you checkout my version of the Lullaby from the Hunger Games? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPv5Yq_FM-I&feature=g-upl. I’d really appreciate you checking it out and giving honest feedback! J). Then today, I just have to write about my ideal place.

            My ideal place is pretty simple. It’d be a cozy place with lots and lots of books. All kinds of books. Well, I’d be okay with there being no horror books. And I’m not crazy about romance novels (especially the dirty ones). I love libraries. Big public or school libraries. My high school had a library that was kind of rounded. I loved it. The room would of course need a huge comfy chair. The kind of chair that you would find in a “bachelor pad.” Not that I want the chair to look that way, but I’d want it to be comfortable that way. I would want the room to have a big window with a beautiful view. I would want the view to be of nature—trees, mountains, ocean, whatever—and I don’t want to have to worry about looking in. There would have to be a light in the room for when it is dark outside as well.

            I would also want an office. One with a big desk with drawers. Filing cabinets, organized stacks of paper, and maybe another bookshelf too. My dream house (yep, I moved up from “ideal place” to “dream house”) would also have a music room that is sound proof and big enough for my piano, guitar, djembe, and any other large-ish instruments I might get. The music room would also need a bookshelf or some other way for me to organize the music I have. An art and crafts room would also be pretty nifty. And a hallway where I can hang up the most random stuff.

Oh, and I would want a little room as an actual prayer closet. I would want that little room to be a light yellow with blue quotes written on some of the walls. I would hang up my world map in there. I would also want a large-ish whiteboard or chalkboard where I could write prayer requests and reminders of people and things to pray for. Actually, that might be my ideal place. I know I don’t need to go anywhere to find God, and I don’t need quiet to hear Him, but that would be my quiet place where it’s just about God. To physically go somewhere to be close to God but that place never be far away, that’s my ideal place.

Dream House

I loved these tree columns, but the site they were from is apparrently spam... I thought I might post them here because they are just so beautiful. I think it would look nice with any twisted or interesting-looking trees. You would just have to cut them to the right size and cut off the branches (or leave some stubs of the branches as coat hooks?)

Lullaby from The Hunger Games

Here’s something a little different again. I’ve decided to put some of the music I’ve composed on youtube for people to listen to. Obviously, this one is the Lullaby. This was for a school project but I wanted to share my explanation of it. I plan on doing a real recording of it, maybe writing my own words. Until then, I hope you enjoy my lullaby inspired by The Hunger Games (a link to the youtube video will be in the comments). :)

            The “Lullaby” is the bookends that show how little the world of Panem has changed from the first book to the last. Katniss describes the “Lullaby” this way, “a simple lullaby . . . a mountain air. But the words are easy and soothing, promising tomorrow will be more hopeful than this awful piece of time we call today” (The Hunger Games, 234). The series keeps looking for the happier tomorrow but it is slow in coming. As mentioned above, the first time the Lullaby is sung it is to Rue who is dying. When it is brought back in the epilogue of the last book, it is for Katniss and Peeta’s children who are playing in the meadow that became a mass grave after the bombing of district 12. This already shows that the bright future is coming because the grass grew back and the children are allowed to be innocent. The darkness of the past is still there, a warning not to be repeated.

            How I chose to compose the music for the Lullaby reflects the calmness lullabies usually posses and the sadness of the books. I wrote the Lullaby in 6/8 because it has a rocking motion that is mimics the sway of the mother or cradle. The chord progression is barrowed from a song called “You Won’t Relent (Seal)” by Misty Edwards. This progression of four chords worked well for the “Lullaby” because it is in a minor key but two of the chords are of a major quality, allowing the song to have both a hopeful and melancholycharacter. I composed the piece in e minor because it was once described as expressing love and sorrow (Characteristics of Musical Keys).

            The melody of the Lullaby was also planned to be simple and pleasant to the ear. The music sometimes splits because I wanted to include leaps of perfect 4ths and 5ths because they are pleasing intervals. However, doing this made some notes high and I wanted the “Lullaby” to be easily sung. I also chose to use word painting in the song[1]. The solo version is sung by a 15 year old because I wanted the quality of the voice to be similar to that of what Katniss might sound like.

            I included an ensemble version to show how it might sound in the community. I chose piano and flute to accompany the singers because it reflects on community as well as characters in the books. Prim easily picksup the flute when Katniss cannot (Catching Fire, 39), and Katniss enjoys listening to Madge play the piano (Catching Fire, 87). For the ensemble version of the piece, I ended the song with a Picardy third[2]. By doing this, the song reflects the hope of the future.

 

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[1] Word painting is when the music reflects the words being sung. For instance, for “Lay down your head” the notes descend and for “the sun will raise” the notes also raise.

[2] A Picardy third is when a composition in a minor key ends with a major tonic chord (I). This is accomplished by raising the third of the chord a half-step.

Confessions of a procrastinating student

I convince myself I'm sick more than I would like to admit. I think,
"this teacher wouldn't push me so hard if I had a sore throught." So I
clear my throat until it does become sore. It's easy to prettend to be
tired. I'm already hard on my body, so I'll finally listen to its
complaining and aching. I know that it is all in my head, but I feel
better having an excuse.
I know, I know it needs to stop. I need to get serious about my
schooling, finding a job, figuringout how I'm going to make out in the
"real world." If I haven't been living in the real world for the past
18 years, where have I been living?
I am a hard worker, most of the time. Sometimes I get tired of working
so hard though! Don't I deserve a break? It's not like I'm the only
one who does it. I bet some of my teaches even do it. It's my senior
year. I should have some time to enjoy it. Having a few projects that
aren't my best because I'm not feeling well won't hurt anybody. It's
not like I'm trying to get valevictorian or into a presigious
university. I'll just go to a community college until I really figure
things out. I would just get a job, but my parent's won't let me.
Things aren't going to be changing any time soon. Why can't they just
let things be? Why can't anybody just let me be?

Word associations

            Yay! Something thoughtless, unless you analyze them—then it is very thought provoking. Please don’t psychoanalyze me… So, basically it starts with one word, I write the first word that comes to my mind, then the first word that comes to my mind from that word, etc. Make sense? Okay, so I randomly typed some letters and the word it tried to spell from them: rise.

Rise, Maya Angelou,  amazing, sunset, bells, carol of the bells, music, happy, smile, song, guitar, restring, string instruments, violin, high pitched, cringe, drawback, handicap, sports, stadium, football, marching band, tennis shoes, bare feet, happy feet, fun socks, toe socks, warm, scarf, crocheting, needle, needle point, Christmas tree, O Christmas Tree, bells, Wednesdays, midweek, half over, half way there, traveling, driving, road trip, January, new year, new beginning, fresh start, start over, from the beginning, redo, mess up, messy, dirt, mud, rain, umbrella, Singin’ in the Rain, Make ‘em Laugh, happy, smile, smiley face

            Okay, that was 5 minutes about.

            I feel like I should explain some things. I am part of a bell choir, so that’s where all the bells came from. I need to restring my guitar (it’s been about 4 or 5 years since I’ve done that). I think that violins are beautiful and high notes can sound amazing. I haven’t been doing so well with hitting high notes recently though, hence the cringe. I was helping create a counted cross stitch pattern of a Christmas tree, so that’s where that jump came from. January I was on a road trip. Only I can go from “new beginning” to “mess up”. I like new beginnings, they’re great. I promise I’m a positive person! I ended on a happy note. :)

            Tomorrow I’ll try to do something with more substance (I wrote writing prompts on pieces of paper and pick them at random, so there’s no order or much planning that goes into these. Hope you’re okay with that!).

Magazine picture

            Look, a creative writing blog again! The only thing is, I don’t have any magazines lying around to look at a picture from (I’m not into magazines). So, I can just get a picture from the internet, right? Oh boy. I looked up “magazine page 10” on Google Images. This was the second picture and there is no way I cannot do this one:

 

            Mr. Vestler had finally published his first novel! He was ecstatic. After 40 years of writing, editing, and submitting his 527 page manuscript only to be turned down, he had finally found a publishing company that would take it.

            Mr. Vestler could tell that the other publishing companies did not even get to page 100 of his manuscript. They dismissed it before Tabitha, the tabby cat and main character of the story, had even witnessed the murder. Then there was all the drama and tension that came from Tabitha trying to communicate the crisis to her owner. How could they dismiss the love affair Tabitha was having with Tommy, the wild and daring cat? That started on page 28. Surely the publishing company had made it that far and were curious how it would end up. But when Mr. Vestler asked one of the companies that rejected him about it, they said that the romance was “absurd and nauseating.” They just did not understand.

            But Everything Cats Inc. did. Sure, they were a small company, but Mr. Vestler knew that they would get his genius novel into the hands of those who would appreciate them. He was especially excited when they told him that the back cover would be a picture of him and his own cat—Miss Fuzzy Fur. Miss Fuzzy Fur was more than just a pet to Mr. Vestler; she was his inspiration. Tabitha was loosely based on Miss Fuzzy Fur. Not in looks, but in the way she thought, acted, and moved. Mr. Vestler could spend hours just watching her and days talking with her. He even dedicated the novel to her.

 

I forgot how much fun creative writing is! I love being ridiculous. :)

Please give feedback!

            So… Yesterday got a little busy and I forgot to write. I know I still need to finish the story about the lost Valentine’s card, but I don’t think I’m going to do that today. So, what am I going to write about today? I have no idea…

            I’ve been watching a lot of youtube lately. Yeah, not so good but very entertaining. Mostly Luke Conrad, some Joey Graceffa, and I’ve really started liking watching and listening to Landon Austin. They all have amazing voices and are great story tellers. I would recommend watching some of their stuff when you’re bored or need to smile.

            I have an uncle who is really good at telling stories. I’m actually not very good at telling them, but I’m better at writing so I’m okay with that. I’m really terrible at telling jokes because I want it to be the exact wording the way I heard it. It never is though, so I give up on trying to be funny half way through. When the punch line is given weakly it’s not so funny.

            I think I’d like to make a youtube video one day. I was a music major once upon a time, so I maybe could. Listening to them has started stirring up my love for music again. I played guitar yesterday. I’ll be doing so drumming on djembe tonight. I don’t know anything about making a video, but I could learn. As I’ve said in a prior blog, music is sometimes a painful thing for me since I wasn’t good enough and that’s a huge issue for me. But a lot of times your biggest problem ends up being the best thing in your life. If I can get over my fears and just do music, I really think God could do some really amazing things through it.

            Not that I will give up my dream of being an author (update: finished 9 chapters of my book! Still a long way to go, but in all honesty, I’m not sure I ever believed I would get this far. I could really use some motivation. It would be really great if anyone reading this would leave a comment. I see that people have come to this blog, but I’m not totally sure I believe it. If you could leave a comment telling me how you got here and if/why you like to read this. And if you absolutely hate what I write, tell me that too! I love honest feedback, and I want to know how to improve. Just keep in mind that all of these blogs are rough drafts and have never been proofread.

            So, I guess this have kind of been an update and me begging for some interaction. Tell me what you want me to write about, if you have any free writing proms, etc. Hope to hear from you!

 

The youtube channels I’ve been watching:

Luke’s Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/user/Luke
Luke’s Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/lukeconard
Landon’s Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/user/landonaustin2
Landon’s Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/LandonAustin (awesome new music video for an original song!!)
Joey’s Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeyGraceffa

Love is…not?

            Yeah, I don’t feel like writing the second part of the story today, but I will. Maybe Monday. If I’m feeling really productive, maybe this weekend. I have plenty more on my plate though. Ugh. So much to do. Good and fun things, but still there’s a lot of them.

            Instead I want to look at a quote that I ran across the other day. It is from the book Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook (I haven’t read it other than a page long excerpt): “Love, you have decided by then, is a form of armor.”

            When I first read that, it felt wrong to me. Love seems the opposite of armor. It is a weapon or it is removing armor, but it is definitely not armor. Sure, love might make you feel strong and invincible, but what love really is is exposing yourself to being hurt. That takes a lot of trust. On Sunday I was given a word about being compassionate. I was told that that might lead to people taking advantage of me but I need to keep loving. Can I be honest? In some ways I felt like I had already let my heart harden in some areas. That word made me aware of that and my heart has been softened. My prayer for this past week (and hopefully the rest of my life) is for God to break my heart for what breaks His and for me to have the courage to do something about it. I don’t want to just be aware that there’s a person who is hurting, I want to have the courage to talk to that person, comfort him or her, and ask if I can pray for him or her. I want the pain in my heart to be so great for that person that I cannot ignore it. I want my heart to burn.

            Sorry, that was a bit off topic, but I want to be honest and transparent with anyone reading this. I’m not satisfied with where I am right now, but I’m going to get there. And when I do, you better watchout because I’m going to be that crazy person who God created me to be. In other words, I’m going to change the world.

            Love is a weapon. “Your heart is a weapon the size of your fist. Keep fighting. Keep loving.” I don’t know where that originally came from, but I love it. Life is a battle. God won the war, but we need to fight the enemy every second of every day of our lives. And like Haymitch (from the Hunger Games) said, you have to know who the enemy is. I don’t care what a person has done to you or anybody else, they are not the real enemy. They need love. The enemy is Satan. Fight him, love others. Love defeats everything.

            Love is exposing yourself. Almost all of us have shells to protect us. Some shells are think, some are thin. If you ever meet someone without a shell, it is amazing. Todd White is one of those people who is so honest about everything. He is so amazing because he knows exactly who God has created him to be and he lives that out completely. Every time I see him, God blows my mind with what He says through Todd.

            Every time I think about vulnerability I think about a short story by Flannery O’Conner called “Good Country People” (read it! http://faculty.weber.edu/jyoung/English%206710/Good%20Country%20People.pdf). Like all of O’Conner’s stories, it’s twisted. At least in this one no one dies… There are no guarantees in life. People will hurt you, but you have to take that risk. When you love someone, you have to be willing to let them take your glasses (even though you may not be able to see clearly or very far without them) and your wooden leg (even though that means you will then have to rely on that person). After all, the glasses and wooden leg aren’t who you are.

Todd White: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek8p3m9HdZ4, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4qbnRM5csI
Walk like Jesus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWmqDnZvo1M

Mailed Valentine Card that Never Arrived

Mailed Valentine Card that Never Arrived (Part 1. Okay, so it's not a card like the promp said, but the point is the same!)
            Jack loved Anna, but he was going to be moving. He wasn’t moving far, but far enough that they would no longer be going to the same high school. Jack hadn’t spent much time with Anna besides doing odd school projects and seeing her across the classroom. He was sure that what she felt for her was love though.
            Anna had the brightest smile, the clearest laugh, a sharp brain, a kind heart, a voice that would make song birds jealous. She was amazing in Jack’s mind. She wasn’t perfect, but he even loved her flaws. She wore braces and glasses. She helped people with their homework one on one but didn’t like to volunteer in class. Anna spent a lot of her time alone reading books instead of with people which made it hard for Jack to get to know her.
            Valentine ’s Day was coming up. Jack would be switching schools in less than a month. He didn’t want to leave without telling Anna how he felt, but he didn’t want to tell her face to face. He decided he would send her a copy of his favorite book, The Book Thief, in the mail with a letter telling her how he felt about her. He wrote and re-wrote the letter until it sounded good, not too desperate or creepy. Jack was afraid to put his name on the package, so left the sender information blank.
            It ended up that Jack’s package did not have enough postage on it to be sent but without a return address the package didn’t make it back to him either. Jack never knew that Anna did not receive his package though. He was heartbroken that she said nothing to even indicate she knew how he felt.
            Senior year rolled around. Jack went to his old high school’s graduation to congratulate his friends from there. He saw Anna in a chair afterwards waiting for her parents. She was reading The Book Thief. This irked Jack, so he decided to confront Anna after three years of silence.

(To be continued)

Teabag

            Okay, I just want to write something quickly then curl up in bed and finish watching Young Blades (I loved the show when it first came out. A bit cheesy, yeah. But it is pretty cute and kind of exciting and funny, etc).

            So, here’s my story for tonight. I drank some cherry blackberry tea—I was a little concerned it might taste like cough medicine but it was really good. It might have been better with honey like they recommended, but I digress—and the string of the teabag had a paper on it with a Walt Whitman quote: “When I give / I give myself.” I’m not going to look up where that came from right now, but I’m sure it’s a great poem.

            Walt Whitman was an interesting man. I respect his compassion for people and his intense emotions. He went through a lot. He witnessed a lot. He expressed it instead of holding it in. Often times I wish people would be more willing to express themselves and say how they really feel. That includes me.

            I was at Wal-Mart earlier today to buy yarn. The man behind me in the checkout line started a conversation by asking if I knit. I’m thankful for that man. It’s reassuring that there are still people out there that aren’t so wrapped up in their own little world but who see others around them. We had a nice little conversation while waiting. I was once told by a speaker I will probably never hear again that we need to learn as much as we can from each other while we can—who knows when or if we will see each other again. Every person you meet, no matter how short the encounter, can teach you something and you can teach him or her. If nothing else, you can tell that person through your actions that they are worth being noticed and being said hi to. Maybe the best way to make somebody’s day is to tell him or her, “God loves you.” Maybe you even have the courage to ask that person if they need prayer for anything.

            Love never fails. Love everyone. You are loved.

Hani’s Habit

As promised, here is a creatively written post. I did write this yesterday, but my internet was down. I'm going to get better about writing every weekday! Hani is a character in the book I’m currently working on. She is about 15 years old and the quintessential ditsy barmaid. I love her and wish she could be more involved in the book. Maybe I’ll have some more flashback type stories with her… Anyway, without further ado, here is Hani talking about her hard to break habit (I doubt she has ever learned to read, or cared to spend the time learning):
            People’ve told me I talk too much. I think they’re just upset that I know their secrets and am not afraid to call them out on it. I remember this one time when I saw Kwan, the delivery man, with Trina, another barmaid, in the kitchen. If they really didn’t want anybody to see them snogging, they would have gone somewhere more private.
            Anyway, I can’t understand why Kwan would want to snog Trina anyway. Sure, she’s easy, if that’s all he was looking for. She’s not that much to get though. Her hair’s an ugly mud shade, her eyes are dull, and her whole face is plain. She has no idea how to dress either. She’s just a boring flirt.
            I guess Kwan isn’t too much to look at either though. Ugh. He’s not tall at all, and his nose was broken a couple of years ago when he tried to break up a bar fight so it’s all crooked. I guess he does have decent muscles from lifting the heavy boxes. Yeah, I suppose if I were judging only by body he’d be okay. His skin is a nice tan shade…
            What was I talking about? Oh, right. People just don’t like to be called out on what they do. If they don’t want people to know about it, they should just not do it.

Hard hitting habit

So, last week was kind of a fail. But it’s Monday, meaning a whole new beginning—a positive spin on Mondays? And you thought it would never happen! Today’s topic: Write about a habit you find hard to break. Maybe I’ll do this same topic tomorrow, but make it creative writing by writing from the perspective of someone else. But right now, I think it’s God timing for me to write this one honestly.
            The hardest habit for me to break is my thinking. Sometimes I have really rotten thinking. I’ll think over my life and think about all the times I’ve failed. I’ve already written about my failed attempt to be a music major and my struggles with reading. Another painful thought is when I think about my dating life, which is pretty much non-existent. It’s pretty painful to be 24 years old and not know what kind of girlfriend I would be. . . It’s a little bit lonely.
            BUT . . .
            God really kind of wrecked my life yesterday in an amazing way! I’ve heard stuff about never being alone and how people were made for community and fellowship. And it’s all good and true, but after a week or so I go back to feeling a bit left out. As I was driving home last night, pouring my heart out to God, something that I’ve hear so many times before finally not only hit me but sank in. When I know who God is, I find out who I am and who I am supposed to be.
            Forget about the unsure statement about who you are in Christ, and yell them proudly! “I am holy?” becomes “I am holy through Jesus Christ who took all of my sins—past, present, and future—on the cross! He took my sins and gave me His righteousness! God is awesome!” The Bible is filled with amazing promises that God has given to those who love Him. I have believed that the Bible is a love story for the past couple of years, but it keeps getting better and digs into me more.
            And, there are those words that are so positive but I realize I’ve kind of turned away from. It is never too late! God wants the best for me and for you. When He gives us convictions, it is for our own good, not to make us feel like dirt. With His help, we can overcome anything—He already overcame the world! What else is left? “If God is for us, who can come against us?!” The war is already won. Satan is just trying to capture as many prisoners as he can. Fight a good fight every second of your life. Capture your thoughts and only let those that are from God remain. I get that it’s hard, but it’s worth it! I’m learning, so can you.

 

Come Away - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d4Nenj13sA