Rebelution Forum

Greetings to my followers, friends, and assorted others who are reading this!

I am just writing to let you know that I will be spending more time working on the Rebelution forums in the next week or so, and therefore may not be posting as often. We'll see.

The majority of the people on the Forum Team are extremely busy, so I am going to be trying to lighten the load, especially in the Attic.

If you aren't part of the forums yet, I suggest you join. :)

Have a blessed day!

For His glory,

Carissa

Is it Wrong?

Dear _____,

You said, "Is it wrong to want those high school memories..." I think I understand what you mean. But I want to encourage you to think about that a little more.

Is that really want you want? Do you really want those quick flashes of temporary pleasure... that may cause pain later on? Do you want to just do what is "Okay" or "not as bad as everyone else"? Do you want to simply go through life avoiding "bad things"?

Or do you want something completely different?

What if, instead of simply avoiding bad things, we lived a life sold-out for Christ? What if we longed for Him more than any other? What if our question was, "How can I best serve and glorify and love Christ?"

After all, can you think of anyone more deserving of our life, our all? He, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, the One Who was and Who is and Who is to come, the All-Powerful God of the universe, Who died a cruel and painful death --for us? For you! Who else has done that for you? Who else has laid down His very life for yours?

Read that again. Think about it. It should astonish you, overwhelm you, bring you great joy.

He did that for me? Me, who is a wretched sinner deserving of death? Amazing!

What if, instead of seeking those temporary pleasures here and now, we waited for God's timing and way? Oh, I know it is hard. It is very hard. I am only 19... but I know what it has been like for me thus far. I know the longing we have for that kind attention and for those sweet moments. I know the loneliness, the wondering if he [or she] will ever come, the dreaming and sighing. I know how it feels.

But I also know that God is faithful. He is always there, ready to comfort and help us. Oh, girls[and guys], I hope and pray that you will seek Him above all else! Only He will truly satisfy. Only He can fill that longing void in our hearts. When all else fails, He remains.

Imagine the joy and the long-term pleasure of knowing that you have saved everything for your husband [or wife]. Those little "firsts" that are so special... all for him [or her]! Can you imagine how amazing that would be?

Please, please, seriously consider what I have said. Think long and hard. The course of your life could be at stake!

For His glory and abiding in His love,

Carissa


(This is a reply I wrote in the Rebelution... it sounded a bit like a blog post to me, so I am posting it here for y'all)

On Blessings...

The more I hear people's stories, the more blessed I feel. When I read and hear about all the extremely difficult things people have gone through or are currently going through, I am just amazed that I can ever feel sorry for myself. My life has been so very blessed! Sure, I have problems and tough situations (most of them caused by, you guessed it--me) but compared to what others are dealing with... wow. There is always someone who has it worse...

How can I complain (in my mind or aloud) about such silly, insignificant things--like not getting to read when I want to, or having to do a chore when I'd rather do something that I want to do, or a sibling doing something annoying--when there are people who are hurting so badly?

People whose parents fight and hurt them and leave them-- when mine love each other so obviously? People who have to go without food or clean water--when I have an abundance of both? People who are desperately lonely-- when I have a houseful of friends? People who are hopeless--when I know God? People who hear horrible things said to them-- when people are kind to me the majority of the time?

Oh, God, forgive me! You have blessed me tremendously! Help me to always be thankful for the many, many blessings that you have given me, rather than focusing on what I don't have.

True Nobility

By Edgar Guest

Who does his task from day to day
And meets whatever comes his way
Believing God has willed it so
Has found real greatness here below.

Who guards his post, no matter where
Believing God must need him there,
Although but lowly toil it be,
Has risen to nobility.

For great and low there's but one test:
'Tis that each man shall do his best.
Who works with all the strength he can,
Shall never die in debt to man.

We are learning this poem as a family, so I thought I'd share it with you all

Of Ladies... and Gentlemen

I have often heard and read that there are no more gentlemen out there anymore, and that they don't open doors, give up seats, etc...

Oh really?

That hasn't been my experience. And it isn't because I am somehow so special that they do things like that for me. Instead, I believe it is because of the way I present myself. How's that? To sum it up, I would say, "Like a lady." That is to say, I wear feminine clothes, (think skirts) act like a girl, smile, and so on.

It's interesting how differently my sisters and mom and I are treated. It is very common for men to open doors for us. We've even had them give up seats on occasion!

Basically, if you act and look like a lady, and the chances of being treated like one increase dramatically!

Personally, I try to encourage this behavior whenever I see it. Whenever I am shown gentlemanly courtesy, I say thank you and smile. When I see a man being gentlemanly to other ladies, I do the same thing. This is something that I will go out of my way to encourage. :)

I don't really blame the men for hesitating to open doors for women nowadays... they never know if they'll be slapped or thanked! (not that that's a really a good excuse, though.)

Just my thoughts on the subject... anyone else have any?

1 Peter Chapter One

Verse 13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; Rest your hope fully upon the grace of Christ.

Wow. If we did that perfectly, we would never have to worry again and we'd always be ready to do His will. He is the only one we can fully rest our hope on-- He is perfect, cannot lie, always fulfills His promises, never makes mistakes, is Holy, just, loving, merciful, all powerful, all knowing, and the list goes on. That who I want to trust fully and rest my hope on!!

Verse 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

This verse is telling us to be obedient and to not do what our lustful flesh wants us to do. We need to learn what God wants and doesn't want us to do so that we will not remain ignorant.

Verses 15 and 16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy."

He is holy-- and we are to be like Him. So we must be holy. What does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart, called out, separate, pure, different, set apart, perfect.We are called to be like Christ, and therefore, different from the world. We should stand out-- in our words, our actions, how we treat our family, how we dress, and so on. As Christians, we must be holy, different from the world around us.

These are some thoughts I had on these verses in 1 Peter for a "study" I was doing with someone else. I haven't done any more yet, though. :( )

10 Random Things About Me

1. When I lived in Colorado, there was this strange little boy that always said he wanted to marry me... I was like, "You are crazy. Go away." Or at least that is what I remember thinking. :)

2. The first color I learned was green. And my parents found out I knew it when I was pointing out all the green books in the store. Turns out I still like green and books 17 years later!

3. When I was twoish, I dropped spoons down the cracks in our porch in Pennsylvania for fun

4. I have lived through a minor earthquake, several tropical storms, a few hurricanes and a couple tornadoes (or at least tornado warnings)

5. I had a kid goat named Daisy when I was about 3 (maybe that is where Duchess Daisy really came from??)

6. I wrote and illustrated my first "book" at age seven (okay, so it was only like 10 pages long... but still)

7. I detest cockroaches, but do not scream about them, even when they happen to get on me. Though I must admit I feel like it.

8. I "jump" when I am startled... even when I am not really scared. It's very sad.

9. I really like colored pens. And I use them up quickly. I especially like green and orange pens.

10. I like painting... not pictures, but walls and doors. In fact, I am going to paint my parent's bathroom today. :)

And no, this is not a tag... I just felt like doing it. :)