Making me new

So it's a new year. Hello 2014.

    I've been through a lot this past year and I've become a different person through all of it. I've grown through brokenness and lost sight of other things. I've lost people that I thought I would have forever but see them every week. I gained an identity that, admittedly I still falter in confidence of but I am better than I have ever been, even when a day's a struggle. People, pressure, and pet peeves all get to me but under all of that I have a wardrobe in a room that if I go through it, I end up in Narnia.
    I crawl out of the back of my stress (and the stress of the people around me) and breath the fresh air of things I now know. I am a princess, the child of a King. I am loved and never forgotten and somehow, just somehow, worthy of the love I receive. Other people may see a princess differently but I have come to know that they are not helpless or pathetic, stupid or useless. They have a powerful purpose. I might not know exactly what it is but sometimes I can bring other people to my Narnia. I hope they can see that they're royalty too, that they have worth and influence. We all have responsibilities but at least they are being used for something...even if we don't know exactly what that is.

I hope to write more this year interwebz.
Talk to you soon

-Melina Rose

Wednesday notes on worship

Worship is not for us yet we need it.

Hebrews 11:1-6
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.
³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We can do good things and sing songs but not be worshiping. We need the intention.


Hebrews 11:7, 8
⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

Worship is made up of three main things.
Sacrifice
Pursuit
Obedience







Anyone can be a worship leader any day of their life. You are whether you want to be or not, so how many times have you led people the wrong way?



Hebrews 11:32-38
³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning;^[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

Does that deter you from worship? We don't worship for us. We do it for Him.


Hebrews 11:39-40
³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

It's not about what God can do for us.
Faith will lead to worship, while worship will strengthen our faith.

Time flies like an oiled windmill turns

Hello lovelies,
I just realized how soon school ends. Woo! I also realized just how much I have to get done in that small amount of time! Yikes!

I have a lesson of Japanese homework to do before this Friday. (it takes a while) I also have a few other various worksheets to do by then. My final is next week on Monday and I have to do the studyguide for that!

My Bible class ends in two weeks and I don't even want to think how much I have to get done for that class. Super stressful that one is, especiallly when I really want to make a good impression but am failing miserably at getting my journaling done. I have two entries and we were supposed to have 14 last week.....

Anyway, I leave for class in ten minutes so I'll talk to you later interwebz,
-Melina Rose

Meow...

Hello there!

I'm here at school and just got out of my Public Speaking class not to long ago. I managed to check my school email finally and got an A on my Persuasive Speeche outline! Yay.
I work tonight...meh. I need the money but I really don't feel like dealing with the immature people there today. I need to get a new job soon.
I don't know if I told you, but I applied at Target and was going to have an interview even but found out that it would be a fairly large paycut so I had to decline. Unfortune, since I was excited about the opportunity. I need to apply at more places and work on that. I think that it would be good to organize myself a bit better first though.
I need to get more sleep regularly and eat regularly and keep my room clean and do my homework ahead of time and and......yeah.

I had a Rockstar energy drink this morning. I'm still tired. Mmm.

I should do my homework. I did a journal for New Testament this morning but this is what I should to do still before work.

• 4 NT journals
• 3 pages of NT study guide questons
• Memorize two memory verses
• Edit Persuasive Speech
• Organize visual aid for Persuasive Speech
• Eat lunch
• Eat.....more.
• Nap? Psh. Wishful thinking that one is.
• ................The fall colors are really pretty ......
• Ooooo shinyyyyyyy

Okay interwebz, I should be productive.

-Melina Rose

Ladedadeda

I have a lot to do.
Last night I wrote my outline for my informative speech and did a load of laundry. I ended up staying up until 3:30am. ..... My bad. Anyway school says that you can't be on the computer right now unless you are doing homework. I am currently waiting for a vlog to upload so I thought I might as well quick write you a post.
I did the workshop for my belief statement this morning in Public Speaking and then edited my vlog from NYC which took about an hour an a half. It takes a while to upload too. After this, I work on my New Testament homework and Japanese homework.

For now I wait interwebz

-Melina Rose

Hello Wednesday

Morning :)
I woke up about the time I was supposed to today but took a bit longer to get ready than planned. Therefore, I have no substantial food substances with me. I have Chex-mix and an apple. I bought some very over-priced coffee from our school java stop and it was delicious. I needed coffee this morning. I woke up disgruntled and annoyed and had no time to make it at home. It tends to improve my mood. You see, I was dumb again and stayed up till a little after two in the morning.
I made it to my class early (thus the time to buy coffee) despite leaving late. Traffic....when will you make up your mind? The first group of people gave their speeches and I didn't have any problems paying attention. You see, our next speech is a poetry/lyric speech where we read a poem or lyrics from a song and then explain why we chose it and what it means to us.
I don't like country music to often but I enjoyed the lyrics to Rascal Flatts song "Stand" quite a bit.

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright

[Chorus:]
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand
Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Oh

Another classmate did her speech on How it Feels to Fly by Alica Keys. One speech I really enjoyed was on Psalm 23. I admired that the guy wasn't afraid to read from the Bible to our entire class and then explain about it. It's too bad I'm fairly shy about talking to the people in my class. I would like to get to know a few... My friend Persia is from that class but she had to work today. I showed her my poem that I plan to present and she really encouraged me to do it. I'm really nervous to share in front of people in the first place, let alone about a poem I wrote, but I think I'm going to do it. I'm going to push myself out of my comfort zone.
This is the poem I'm going to do:


Sailing 'Till Sunrise
By me :)

No matter what is changing
When I'm anything but sure
As long as I keep moving
It will pass me by

As I wave goodbye
To the scenery ever changing
I feel a small glimmer
Of hope within me rise

And within my eyes
As skies light grows dimmer
I see a mournful ship
Sailing 'till sunrise

Our ever thinking minds
Into mine I dip
I search for the answer
All seem like taunting lies

Will I ever find
A way to kill this cancer
That lies within my heart
Wreaking havoc inside

"In me confide."
A voice whispers int he dark
My heart soars
But then I fear and hide

"Please come to my side."
There are steps int he corridor
They echo inside me
Making me cry

So gentle and kind
Yet I don't want to see
That if I just let go
Things will get better in time

{End}

Yeah, so that's my poem. It's very personal but I'm going to share it with my class. I think I'll probably just write some thoughts down to go with it so I don't blank out completely from being so nervous. Wish me luck?

Anyway, later today, after Japanese is done, I'm going to go to youthgroup! What's the big deal, you go every week? Yes, I know, but this week is preparation for a giant event our church puts on! Our whole youth group is getting together to pack bags of food for people who need it. They will be distributed on Saturday with other things like clothes, toys, furniture, etc. It is a lot of fun and goes all day.
A friend from school here is coming, as well as Mnonaa and Bree. It should be fun but I'm a tiny bit nervous since my school friend is coming.

I'm going to work on my speech now interwebz,
-Melina Rose

Echos in my mind

Saturday

I woke up at a decent hour and set upon the task of cleaning my room. I ate breakfast first and then got down to it. I didn't finish but I did make good progress. Daddy was washing the cobwebs out of our entryway outside and so I ran outside to get him since we had planned to watch a movie together before I headed off to work. We weren't able to finish it but I found out yesterday (Sunday) that he bought it. I guess I will get to see the end! I went to work and, while it was slow, it was a fairly good shift. After work I ran home and threw my Japanese homework in my backpack along with a change of clothes and drove to the college that I want to go to. My bff/sissy St. goes there! I hadn't seen her in around 6 months!!! It was a much needed reunion. :) We stayed up until 4am catching up on what's been going on with life and then we went to bed.


Sunday

We were up at 7:45am to go with two of her friends to a church near by.
The sermon was on healing and both St. and I found it very interesting. It made for good conversation later.
When we got back to campus, we both went to the "best meal of the week", Sunday brunch. I'm pretty sure I ate more than I had in the two days before it put together! I was so full. St. had to work after that so we went back to her dorm and I took a two hour nap until she got back.
She took me on a tour of a gorgeous old building there and I attempted to play her the song I've been working on on the piano. I only have parts of it memorized though so, after a bit, I reverted to the few worship songs I know the chords too. She showed me the rest of the building and it was a really great time.
We ran outside to hear someone playing trumpet and both tried to keep down our giggles as we stood underneath the window it was escaping from. It was very pretty. We then skipped back to her dorm and started dinner. While it was cooking, we worked on our homework. I got one page of Japanese homework done and that was it. We had rice and Buffalo chicken for dinner. The dried/candied pineapple she had was an amazing dessert.
After finishing eating, we decided to go on another adventure since it was dark out. I found that I had indeed brought my book of piano music with me and so we went back to the building with the grand piano and I played it for her three times. We decided to record it the fourth time but my arms were already tired from playing it the first three times (it's 14 pages long) and I was nervous since I knew I was taping myself. I ended up making a lot of mistakes... :( Hopefully someday I will play it well without mistakes.
I had to head home after that but as we once again ran out of that building we heard someone playing piano. It was coming from a window fairly close to the one that had been releasing the trumpet before and we stood under it. When they came to a stopping point we clapped and then ran off giggling again.
We were both sad to say goodbye but I plan to make it a point to see her more often this semester. She is a very dear friend and I need to see her more. <3
When I got home, my parents were watching a movie. I ran upstairs and showered while they were still awake. (My shower is right next to their room and so it wakes them up.) They were both upstairs when I got out so I said goodnight to my daddy and then was pulled into conversation with my momma. :) It was a good conversation. She told me to go to bed when I was practically nodding off in the middle of it though. I showed her a few good songs that I feel relate to me right now and then climbed in bed. I set my alarm on my phone and realized that it was just a few more minutes to midnight and Lysa's birthday. I posted on her wall at midnight (woop I got first post. I win.) and then went to sleep.

Monday (today)
I woke up at 6:40 instead of 6 like my alarm was supposed to tell me to. I slid out of bed in a rushed, but not in the least willing way. Got dressed. Throwing my stuff into my bag, I ran downstairs and hopped in the truck to drive to school.
My 8am class was a blur. Like....a fuzzy blur. I was having a really hard time staying awake. For my hour break I came up here and sat on facebook until it was time for Chemistry. Chemistry was terrifying and not in a happy way. Math + Struggling to stay awake = desire to drop the class. I need to call the college I want to go to and talk with them about that. (I already took a lab science but they didn't accept it)
I am now on my two hour break before Japanese, still struggling to stay awake. I'm not awake enough to accomplish homework and there is no place to take a nap so.... I just have to grin and bear it while trying to keep myself awake without caffeine. You see, since I woke up late, I have no food or drink. I refuse to spend a riridiculous amount for something that won't make that much difference. I'll eat when I get home.
I've had....a luna bar. *shrugs* It's something.

I'm currently using loud music and blogging to keep myself awake. I still have the loud music but now I no longer have blogging because this post has come to an end.

Best of luck in the world on non-sleepers interwebz

-Melina Rose

 

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

[Chorus:]
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

[Chorus]

We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

[Chorus] 

Just having a hard time interwebz
I can't even go for a walk. It is thundering and lightening...

-Melina Rose

So I live in Wisconsin (for) now...

I woke up this morning at 9am and read my Bible for a bit before getting out of bed. Showered and got dressed and tried to dry my hair as quietly as possible since I wasn't sure if Sephre was still sleeping or not. She said she was getting up around 10 or 10:30 but I couldn't remember which.
Once she got up and got ready for the day we went downstairs and she made us a (once again) amazing breakfast. We had veggies and eggs and mango! We left to run errands when we were done eating. Grocery shopping led into lunch at Noodles and Co. and then we headed back to the house.
After putting away the groceries and cleaning up from breakfast, she set me up with a ballet workout video thing before leaving for work. I have one thing to say about ballerinas.... They are strong! I only survived half an hour before I was shaking. I'm going to be sore tomorrow but hopefully I can work up to actually building some muscle...or making mine work. lol Either way that would be good.
I headed upstairs and plopped down in my chair with a large bottle of water and a package of fruits snacks. The product of the last few hours? Two blog posts here and randoming around the internetz.
I got a call from Bree and it made me happy to hear from her. I miss people a lot. Granted, I have been home alone tonight and last night until midnightish but I figured I was more used to it. I already miss hanging out with people...
I'm having a blast with Sephre though. We have had some catching up to do don'cha know :P

Hopefully I will be able to fully update my other blog that I kind of abandoned a month ago.... This is my plan. *summons brain power*
I'm going to leave you for now interwebz

-Melina Rose

Friday (the 20th)

I woke up at 6am and couldn't go back to sleep even though I didn't need to be up until 8am. I laid in bed for a while and then started getting ready to leave for my interview. Sephre had to leave for nannying but told me to come over before my interview since I had plenty of time. After I was ready, I headed over and hung out with her and the two little girls I will be nannying as well. We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then I headed on over to my interview.
I had to park a fair distance away but it wasn't to bad since I didn't have to pay for parking and I brought an extra pair of shoes to walk in. There was not way I was going to walk that far in 4 inch heels. Haha. I got to my interview and it went really well. They can't offer me full time so she told me to find a job that will work with their hours and call her on Friday.
I headed back to the house and changed into shorts and a t-shirt after hanging up my pencil skirt and blouse. I ran downstairs and grabbed a snack and then went back to the house where Sephre was. We/she put them down for their nap and I crashed on the couch while she read a book. Nap time was over shortly and we played hide-and-go-seek and watched tv. We had cleaned up when they went down for their nap (mostly Sephre) so we didn't want to get it messy again. We brought out the playdough and not to much later the mom got home. I made a playdough bunny and Sephre made a playdough kitty.
We went back to the house and she showed me how to use her tablet and Mac to draw pictures in photoshop. She left for work and I sat there until around 7pm just drawing and drawing and drawing. It was great. I ran downstairs and grabbed some steak and potato casserole that was left over and after eating it, went back to drawing and chatting with people online.
That is where Sephre found me at 12am when she got home from work. :P
We then worked on our vlog that we have started. If you want to know what it is just ask me but I'm not going to post it here. I might later but it is to be decided. :P
I ended up going to bed at 3:30am after reading my Bible a bit.

For Ashley :) (My devotions today)

Hey Ahsley! I read that you are giving a word for your church. I did this not to long ago (nothing big) but I thought maybe, if you were having any fears about it this could help. :)

Exodus 4:10-13 (NLT)
 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled."
 Then the Lord asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord?
  Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say."
 But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send anyone else."

Isn't it amazing that Moses, the man who ended up leading a huge amount of people through all sorts of trials, was afraid of speaking (even if it was to someone important). It is good to remember that God is in control :)

Goals for daily life

I was talking to Sephre and we decided we need to get our act together. Stop letting ourselves waste our energy and make an effort to improve. So here are my goals. These are the things I need to do.

1. Go to bed by 12
2. Get up by 8 even if I don't have a class
3. Eat three meals a day (not all at once). This has to be real food not junk food and it has to be balanced.
4. Exercise every day and get a good workout.
5. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (hopefully more) and cut down on my sugar intake.
6. Read my Bible every day.
7. Once I get all of my stuff organized, keep it that way.

A more general goal would be to get my homework done before doing anything fun. 

Fighitng interwebz!

-Melina Rose

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  ~World Health Organization, 1948

In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.  ~Author Unknown

It has been to long.... *shame*

So this is my quiet time this morning. I have been dumb and not doing it for a while so here it is.
P.S. I was told to read this thinking of myself as Jerusalem/Zion. Read this as if God was speaking directly to you, because really, it is a book of love letters for us from Him.

Isaiah 40

Comfort for God’s People

 ¹ Comfort, comfort my people,
   says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
   and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
   that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
   double for all her sins.  ³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
   the way for the LORD^[a];
make straight in the desert
   a highway for our God.^[b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
   every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
   the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
   and all people will see it together.
            For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 ⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.”
   And I said, “What shall I cry?”
   “All people are like grass,
   and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
   Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   but the word of our God endures forever.”
 ⁹ You who bring good news to Zion,
   go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,^[c]
   lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
   say to the towns of Judah,
   “Here is your God!”
¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
   and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
   and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
   He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
   he gently leads those that have young.
 ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
   or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
   or weighed the mountains on the scales
   and the hills in a balance?
¹³ Who can fathom the Spirit^[d] of the LORD,
   or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
¹⁴ Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
   and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
   or showed him the path of understanding?
 ¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
   they are regarded as dust on the scales;
   he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
   nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing;
   they are regarded by him as worthless
   and less than nothing.
 ¹⁸ With whom, then, will you compare God?
   To what image will you liken him?
¹⁹ As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
   and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
   and fashions silver chains for it.
²⁰ A person too poor to present such an offering
   selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
   to set up an idol that will not topple.
 ²¹ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
   Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
   and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
   and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³ He brings princes to naught
   and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴ No sooner are they planted,
   no sooner are they sown,
   no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
   and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
 ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?
   Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
   Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
   and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
   not one of them is missing.
 ²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob?
   Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
   my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,

星

Note: This post was started quite a while ago and I forgot about it. I just finished it today.
Yesterday was a good day.
I went to church and sat with Lysa (who is also back from college for Christmas break).
The sermon was very good and kept me interested. It was about Esther and the similarities between her saving her people and Jesus saving us.  Like I said before it was very interesting. You should read the book of Esther (don't worry it isn't super long) and try to find all the similarities you can.
After  church I went with Lysas family to her house and then Lysa and I took the car and went to the Korean restaurant close by.  Neither of us had had Korean food before and since we are both very interested in the culture we really wanted to try it.  It. Was. Amazing. *dies*  There was a lot of food but even though we were really full it wasn't the painful feeling of being full.  I think that it must have been a bit healthier food to be able to not hurt even though you are stuffed.  Lysa and I both got Bulgogi. The only difference is that she got chicken Bulgogi.  So good.

After that we went to her house and picked up her brother to drop him off at their church for his play practice.  Lysa dropped me off at my house and went back to hers for their family Bible study.
I watched Despicable me with my parents and it was soooo cuuuute!! Such a good movie.  I want it. lol Anyone want to give me a minion too?

Minionnnnnnn. <3
(These pictures were taken off of the interwebz by the way. I just googled them that's all.)
   After the movie I went to Lysas house and we drove to the mall. It was really fun listening to songs like Love Ya by SS501. (Yes I am now off of my self inflicted K-pop ban ^^.) We got to the mall and parked on one of the upper levels.
We went inside and headed to a few different stores including Dairy Queen for a cookie dough Blizzard for Lysa, The Tea Garden for Bubble tea for me.
Since I am picking up this post quite a bit later. (I forgot it was in my drafts) I do not remember what happened after this. I know I had a lot of fun though. lol fail at remembering to finish this post that day.

Will you be my minion interwebz?

-Melina Rose

20 Things you may or may not know about me

I thought I would make this list of 20 interesting things about me. I saw it on V. Lavenders blog "The Lavender Ninja".  I really enjoyed it so I thought I would do one too. (I kind of followed her general things she talked about and/or just left some of the things that we have the same.) I hope it is interesting! If you have the time to do this on your blog, let me know! I'm excited to get to know you better too! 

1. I'm mostly Dutch but born in Minnesota USA (Minnesnowta :P)

2. I absolutely love clothes and shoes and makeup and stuff like that.  Funny thing that my parents told me though: When I was younger they wondered if I would ever care what I looked like or develop a style. Haha

3. I am fairly tall (5'7") but I wear heels as much as I possibly can.

4. I became intensely addicted to anime a few years ago and from there onwards progressed to korean dramas as well.

5. I was the youngest in my high-school graduating class and I was home-schooled my entire life until I started doing PSEO in high-school. (PSEO stands for post secondary education option and simply means you can take college classes in high-school for high-school and college credit)

6. I love a wide range of movies from Die Hard to She's The Man.

7. For my 20th Birthday I would love to find a forest and string lanterns from the trees, bring a bunch of blankets and pillows, lots of colorful decorations and put on a pretty dress for a picnic dinner. I have had this dream ever since I was little when I read the book (i think) called "Betsys Birthday" It is a really old book and I love it.
A picture of an idea for it

8. One of the items on my bucket list is to take a two week trip to Asia.  One week in Japan and one week in South Korea.

9. Supposedly I am related to both Queen Wilhelmina and John Smith.

10. I am an only child and always wanted siblings.

11. According to a facebook quiz I am 19 but I act like I am 23.

12. My dream is to teach ESL in Japan and be an author on the side.  I realize this would be incredibly difficult but I still want to.  (Thus the trip to check it out and find out what it is actually like)

13. I'm a Christian: born again believer.

14. Shoes vs. purses. Definitely shoes!

15. I am pretty much a wannabe Asian. *hangs head*  I am very interested in the food, fashion, language and culture. :D

16. I am on the internet everyday.  

17. Bubble Tea is my weakness.  If I go somewhere where I know it is there I have to buy it.

18. Trusting is hard for me but I still put a lot into my friendships and don't know what I would do without my friends to encourage me and keep me strong. (I love you guys)

19. My favorite Bible verse: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jerimiah 29:11

20. I have never been on a date. Never been kissed. Never even held hands. 

だから私はようやく私の母に言った

私はそれについて話すつもりはありません。

Romans 8

Life Through the Spirit

 ¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  ⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
 ⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
 ¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
 ¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Present Suffering and Future Glory

 ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.  ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
 ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

 ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:    “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
 ³⁷³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

I would like to thank Ben Kasica from Skillet for his tweet at 8:22am Dec,3 2010.  It gave me a passage of scripture to encourage me and lift my spirits.

今日

So..... yeah.  Today.

I woke up 5 minutes before I leave for class.  Pulled on skinny jeans and an over-sized sweatshirt.  Wrapped myself in my scarf and pulled on my boots as I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder and headed out to my truck.  It was windy and my ears were very cold even through my hood.  I set my coffee on the truck bed side and fumbled with my keys.  I turned the correct one in the lock and pulled.   Nothing happened.  I tried again.  Again nothing.  Both hands took two tries.  Doors that are frozen shut are no fun.  I turned on the truck and flipped the wipers on.  It was powdery snow so it should be fine to just brush it off.  Guess not.  The wipers just kind of twitched instead.  I brushed off the truck and tried the wipers again.  Long story short they now only work on the highest setting and they don't go back down properly so you have to time it just so to get them to stay down.
I got to school for my 8am class and it was good.  I was productive.  I worked on my newsletter quite a bit.  Went home and showered.  Dried my hair and partially straightened it.  Mostly just the two front pieces that I left out of my ponytail.  Same clothes mostly except I switched out the shirt underneath my sweatshirt for a clean one. I went downstairs and made a bowl of spaghetti-Os.  Is that even considered food?  I don't think it is... I did my devotional while eating.  I grabbed the mostly eaten box of frosty nerds on my way out the door heading back to school.
   I got back early and so I started working on my Packaging for Illustrator.  I worked on it for a long time and in class and finished my rough.  I switched classrooms so I was in the one for my next class and went back to working on my newsletter.  I started on the rough for it.  So time consuming!  I have to measure the grid, gutters, margins and general layout and text!  So. Long.
   I went back home and grabbed a rice ball (onigiri) and after talking to my mom for a bit headed off to youth group worship practice.  It went well.  I played piano for this practice.  We had a nice acoustic circle of death at the end and then we were done.
   I headed  to taco bell for some much needed food.  Since my window is frozen shut I decided to skip the drive through and go inside.  I wasn't super sure what I was going to get but I noticed the kids meal toy board had domo toys.  It was decided.  No thought needed!  I got the kids meal and a crispy potato soft taco.  I quickly walked back to my truck and ripped open the toy!  Oh the joy!!!
It is 1:08am.  I am going to bed. I have class.  Stuff to do.
*kisses domo goodnight*

Domo says goodnight to you too interwebz

-Melina Rose