Intermission.

dear reader,
So, in case you didn't know, im a senior in high school! yayy :)
But with all the excitement there's also tons and tons of responsibilities :/ But i have the Lord to help me through the upcoming year, just as He did through the oh-so-stressful, junior year. Last year was THE most stressful year i've ever had.
So with that said, i go back on Monday. Yes, THIS Monday. Summer is over for us school kids. yay again! (not a yay for summer being over. hahah.) im excited because i can't wait to see the opportunities & the open doors God will present, but im also nervous. If you've been through this, you know how i feel.
So on to my point, having to be in school, homework and all, i probably won't get a lot of chances to blog & when im free ill probably want to use that time to rest or cuddle in my bed and read a book. (to relieve myself from working so hard for school; yes i am planning on excelling this year. i know God can help me do so because last year He gave me glimpses of my true potential. That does not mean that ill, by any means, forget i have a blog and that i committed myself to sharing with you about my relationship with Christ & whatever else comes along my one life. Our relationship & experiences as Christians shouldn't be kept secret.
I will post whenever i can, don't you worry. But the posts will probably be a lot more spaced out, not like in the summer. hahah.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is officially my last day of summer, and i'd like to rest. So i might go silent on Twitter for bits there... & might not even log on at all just so that i give myself a complete break before Monday. Technology & all. But then again, i just might not. Who knows. That's just something i thought about like 10 minutes ago. hahah.

So, this is not by any means a good-bye blog world, it's a simple intermission from constant action on my blog that'll probably take the whole school year. With some intermissions from school to come and blog on here & fill yall in about my life as a senior. (the more in-depth version) I will however, continue to update regularly on Twitter. (hopefully. hahah.)

lotta love! (still pending. i've gotten several opinions about my new sig, and this one has been a favorite.)

,gaby

Funnel Cakes.

dear reader,

(specifically two of my dear Twitter friends... you know who you are. haha.)

Here ye here ye! it has finally come. i've finally stopped putting it off. (sorry it's not laziness i felt, i just felt the need to back away for a bit. stop writing on my computer and write on paper. i've been indulging myself in books too. (as you may've seen from my Twitter updates. haha.) i lovelove reading! :D So, here, im giving yall the recipe for the Funnel Cakes i baked the other day. :) i hope you enjoy the experience of making them & eating them as much as i did. :D
here are a few pictures from my own experience; >

So. while i was editing this post, getting ready to post it today, the bottm half erased completely :( on accident. hahah. so instead of re-writing it i decided i'd simply lead yall to the link where i got this from. I saw it on tv, them went to the website for more help. :)

ENJOY!

the other version of this post had explanations and suchh... if you want help LET ME KNOW. i'll be glad to help. :D

ActivitytTv. there's the website guys. i feel so upset that this post isn't how it orginially was, but oh well.

Again, if you wanna ask me for the little tips i used myself to make this a lot easier, let me know. :)

take care!

lotta love! (signature still pending and you'll find out why by reading my previous post.)

,gaby

Too lazy to post.

dear reader,

So basically, i could stop right here and just let you figure out what it's all about based on the title. Yes, i've been too lazy to post, but not to write. I have 3, yes, 3 blogs in the draft category as we speak that will go up soon. As soon as i finish writing. :) hang in there!

that is all. in the meantime, i'd like to leave a couple of songs that i've been obsessed with lately and direct you to some of my favorite blogs if you haven't checked out my blog roooooll :D
"Laghing With"- Regina Spektor.

My obsession spurred from reading this blog. you must go read it if you haven't, the next post on the "Tough Topic Tuesdays" should be up later today. I hope. Jenny is a busy mommy, singer, blogger, human, so we'll have to wait. (that is, if you're as obsessed with her blog as i am. :))

I love Jenny Simmon's blog- "Cupcakes, Sprikles, and other Happy Things" she's part of the band Addison Road. :)

Other music; Owl City. Have you heard? Have you listened to Adam Young? He's amazing. For lack of a better word. ( i couldn't quite put together a review that would serve his music justice if i tried.) So you should go have a listen. :)

Last. (for now) Jon McLaughlin. Amazing. I won't even try to say anything further. Just go listen! :)

and that is all for now my friends. enjoy your Tuesday! & remember, God loves you.

lotta love; (trying a new signature) if you comment, let me know which of these three you like; 1-lotta love, 2-love love, or 3-sick love. thanks! :)
gabyyy

Inkheart.

dear reader,

So, some day last week i saw Inkheart. And let me tell you, i loved it. I'd say it doesn't take much for me to love a movie, but at the same time it does. I don't know what that means either, so let me try to sort this out.
When i watch a movie, i don't expect it to be great, except if it's a Hallmark (Larry Levinson) production, because in my opinion they hardly ever disappoint. Anyways, if the movie turns out great, i love it.
Possible reasons why it was great; (in my young, ignorant opinion) ;)

• beautiful plot. usually something to do with heroic actions, love stories, redemption stories, or something inspiring of that sort.
• the characters are cute. HAHA! girls, you know what i mean ;) (im kidding, im not that superficial.) Geesh.
• if it draws tears, laughs or smiles from me, it was to be a good one.
• when it's over, i feel like it could be made into a saga.
• or i wanna watch it again.

That's how i know, a movie i've just seen is great. I've seen way to many movies to remember all their names, but i know that each one left something in me that moved me, changed me, or made me think. A lot.

Like Inkheart. No this isn't a review of the movie, (cause i don't think im good at reviewing stuff...or things.... its just really hard to explain with the right words... etc). Anyways, this is however, a post about my insight. What really stood out to me from the movie. Which even drew tears and, once again, a lot of thinking afterwards.

For those who haven't seen it, i'll give you guys some sort of...idea of what it's about. I'll try not to make it into a review, and if after reading my description, you find you can write a better one, one that's not so confusing, please do, for me. And send it in! I'll post that one instead. I have a feeling that mine will be confusing and all over the place.

STOP RIGHT THERE.

If you haven't seen it, and don't want me to spoil it for you, then please come back next time when there's a different post, or go watch the movie, then resume reading. :)

Now, remember im not great at explaining, but for the sake of this post, ill try my best.

Basically, the movie's about this guy, Mortimer, (Brendan Fraser), "Mo" for short, who has this amazing talent to bring characters out of a book by reading aloud. When his daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennet) was younger, his father was reading her a story (Inheart) and he drew some characters out of it. Supposedly, when he brought someone out, someone from this world would go into the book. Kinda like a "one for one" situation.

Well, this particular time, his wife, Meggie's mother, went into the book. Ten years later, Meggie finds out about his father's talent and about what really happened to her mom. So now that she knows, they try to look for the book. But before they can find it, they come across the three charaters Mo brought out of the book before. Two villains; Capricorn and Basta and Dustfinger, a fire-eater.

The fire-eater wants Mo to take him back into the book (he can do that too.) For awhile they work against each other, because Dustfinger works for the villain, Capricorn. Capricorn sends Dustfinger to find Mo, when he does, both Mo and Meggie find themselves in the villain's castle. Mo reads a storm out loud and they manage to escape, Dustfinger is now on their side. When Meggie is alone when her father and Dustfinger are out, she discovers that she has the same power her dad does. Shortly after, Capricorn manages to find her as he looks for her dad (he wants to use him to "read" riches and power out of books for his glorious kingdom), but soon realizes Meggie is also gifted and decides to use her instead.

At the end, Capricorn, after He finds out about Meggie's talent, forces her to "read" out "The Shadow" from Inkheart which would give him the necessary power to take over the world completely. Or maybe just his kingdom. As Meggie reads, and does bring out "The Shadow" her dad and the author of Inkheart, hang in the air in a basket looking thing. Meanwhile, the author of the book (sorry i forgot his name) writes another part of the book, (im guessing a happy part, one that would take all the characters back into their books) for Meggie to read aloud, and save herself, along with everyone else from Capricorn and "The Shadow."

Ok, i tried. Forgive me, if that wasn't any good. :S

The Insight.

I found it interesting that the charaters go back into their books like these; their body turns kinda "rock" like and then they "dissolve" into the air... on their way back into the books they came from. (Does that jog your memory, yet?) No... let me keep going then. These characters, once out of their books, and into the real world, are not the characters they were in the books. They change themselves according to how they want to be, not how their Author made them. (Your little lightbulb should start turning on now...)

So, i also find it interesting that the way they go back into the books, (first rock-then dissolved into sand) is like punishment for disobeying the instructions from their Author. You know, like what comes next in the book, in that chapter of their lives. (Come on!) The villain, along with his companions, were disobeying these instructions by trying to become what they wanted to be, not what they were intended to be. However, i know that even though eventually they would've had to go back into the books, if they weren't disobeying, it would've been less brutal. Don't you think so? Like how Dustfinger goes back into Inkheart, way at the end of the movie. ( He does go back, and is just "read" back into the book by Mo.

The whole rock-dissolve thing reminded me of that story in the Bible. (Get it yet?)

Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 19. But the particular verse, is Genesis 19:26. When Lot's wife looks back and immediately "becomes a pillar of salt." I think this relates, somehow. She, like the characters who disobeyed, also disobeyed the voice of the Lord by "looking back," when He clearly said not to. And the result was that she turns into a pillar of salt then dissolves. (or maybe the dissolving only happens in the movies i've seen.) But it's still similar right? Right. Here's another photo. Lot's wife- although i really liked the previous one. It's clearer. -Lot's wife looks back.

Real Life.

So, just like the characters in the book, when we disobey the intructions set for us in the Bible, by the author of our lives, there are consequences. Obviously we don't turn into salt and dissolve, and obviously the Bible doesn't give us a look into the future of our own individual lives, but of the life of "The Churh" as a whole. The consequences however, range from missing out on our own blessings, which God withholds from us because we are not ready for them. We may think we are, because we want them, but God knows us best. Just like parents wouldn't reward their children after disobeying, neither does God reward His childeren when we disobey.

We were meant to live our lives as offerings to Him for the sacrifice He made for us. The offering im talking about isn't a sacrificial offering like they did back in the Old Testament, when they would offer animanls, preferably lambs, as sacrifices for their sins. This kind of offering, while sacrificial in some sence, (beause we sacrifie our own desires for our lives and replace then with His) is meant to be a thankful offering. In consists of a life of worship and seeking His will for our lives. We give Him our lives, not because we "owe" Him anything, (nothing we can do could ever thank Him enough) but because we surrender to our own efforts and try to life our lives the way they should be lived. The way He wants us to live.

We give Him our hearts because we are thankful that He would send His son to die for us, sinners. We die to our own selfish and wicked desires, and seek His purity. This is why we have a choice, a choice to follow Him. We aren't forced to do so, we choose to do so. He never has and never will force Himself upon any one being. If that were the case, don't you think the whole world would be Holy by now? I think so. He could easily change us all if He wanted to. But He doesn't because He wants us to want to want Him, not be forced to want Him. You follow me?

So my friends, here it is. Another long post i know, but i don't think i would've been able to fit everything in that i wanted to say if it was shorter. Sorry :S It is what the Lord placed on my heart, and honestly, i don't know how i managed to write, yet again, another long post.

Questions, comments, concerns? Let me know :)

all my love,

gabyyy

AnnieBlogs and makes Oreo cookies.

dear reader,

So, this past Monday, i made cookies. Oreo cookies. I got the recipe from my new friend, Annie.
Im not gonna lie, my first attempt at these famous cookies was a pure disaster. Nuff said.

The second attempt however, was unbelievably rewarding. I loved the cookies. :)
Here are some pictures i took, excuse the quality, i just couldn't get a good one. haha.
I tried to make mine look fancy, like Annie's. :D

If you want the recipe for the cookies, go visit Annie's post and while you're there, say HI :)

We also made Turkish Delights, yea from Narnia. Ours were not with strawberry-delish that Edwin (you do know who he is, right?) ate though, we used orange juice and limon. Pretty good though. :) Didn't take pictures though. Bummer! It just flew by me, i didn't even think about it. Next time, promise.

Recipe.
Turkish Delight; a sweet treat from Narnia!

Questions, comments, concerns, shoot! :)

Btw! If you guys try these recipes out, do share. I wanna hear of your success or not so success. I wish you all the luck/skill/gift or whatever it takes to bake wonders. ;)

all my love,
gabyyy

the fire that turned into a lovely experience...for me.

dear reader,

Hold on, don't judge or question the title before reading what i have to say. Im sure you're thinking, "what kind of fire turns into a lovely experience?! hear me out.
Saturday, a fire started nearby.
The Beginning
I was sitting on our longest couch in the living room, watching tv, one sister on the computer, the other in the bedroom, and parents in the kitchen watching tv while my dad ate.
Not long after, my sister comes out of the room, speaking in a high-pitched voice (but not yelling) saying, "they're telling everyone to get out of the apartments."
We opened the balcony door not long after going a little crazy because she wouldn't tell us what was going on. Out of the balcony we could see tons... TONS of black smoke coming over us.
(that's when we knew something serious was up, besides the smoke being up in the sky.)
Get it? .. No. Ok.
*first time i texted Twitter so that everyone would pray that no one was hurt. (thanks to all of you who did.)

Moving On.
We decided we'd leave the apartment to go see what was going on. going around some corners, we saw that the black smoke was coming from part of the south wing.
*cause of fire; unknown.
As we approached, we saw that some apartments behind the laundry room were on fire, big time. It was simply unbelievable how much fire & smoke was coming out of there. (first experience in front of a real fire, with people i knew-which i later found out there was MORE people i knew involved)
*place where fire erupted; first floor apartment. cause still unknown.
As is the norm, everyone from the apartments was nearby... as nothing more than spectators. The whole time we were out there i wondered, "is this being, you know... like when you're up in people's business? Nosy?" Then i told myself no, it's not. We're just worried and want to know what's going on... after all we live here too. We are all neighbors. And our neighbors are in trouble. Although the regular people (the spectators) out there, in the scene of a fire don't normally help the Firemen out, we were still there to see if anybody got hurt. Nosy? Nah, i still don't think so.
The Middle; Firemen + Spectators.
I don't know what was my favorite part, seeing how amazing Firemen are, or seeing how amazingly they put out the fire. I think it's a tie. They are smart, intelligent, selfless people who put their own lines on the line to save others,(but you already knew that) leaving their families hanging on a thread worrying that today, today may be their Firemen's last day. *Cause of death; dies in a fire trying to save someone's life, without regard of his own.

• 
  Definition of selfless; showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Yup, it fits. Perfectly.

So, four out of five of my family members were out there, along with the rest of the complex literally, as we all watched in awe the work the Firemen are putting in to put the fire out. Or some of us at least, ok just me. Some, we're critizing that the Firemen weren't going fast enough and that there was still smoke/sparks at the top of the building. I thought to myself, "could you be anymore DISrespectful? these men know what they're doing, i don't see you suited up in a huge yellow suit, with a big helmet, holding a huge 20+ pound hose in your hands in this 90+ degree weather. Let the men work."

I always thought, (i think), that if you're putting a fire out, you start from the bottom. From the source. Not try to put it out from the top down, i'll keep coming up. Plus there was wind. Isn't that right? Yeah, that's what i learned in my "First-Aid and CPR class last year."

It really bugged me that there was this particular guy, who kept criticizing the guys. In the end he FINALLY left, and i didn't see him around anymore until... the end of the commotion.
People. Humans, when will we learn? Never.


People. My friends.
I later found out that my dear friend's apartment was near the fire. Nothing happened to her home, but i couldn't find her and she wasn't answering her phone. The worry began when her dad came around and asked if we'd seen his kids, (my friend and her little brother) but we hadn't. Both of her parents were at work and he'd just gotten home from leaving work early. So he went to look for them. He found them later on, then i saw them a little later and they were fine. Thank God. Then my friend told me that one of my other friends' apartment was actually in the fire. I was shocked. She told me which one, and the apartment nearly lost a whole wall and part of the ceiling. I just hoped she was ok, i couldn't see her anywhere. I had her number, but i didn't want to be the bearer of bad news for her. I just couldn't. How could i text/call her and tell her "hey, your house was just on fire." So i chickened out, (is that being a bad friend?) and didn't tell her anything. Just after i decided that (in my head), i saw her and her mom come through a walkway. So a little bit later i went up to her and she said that she was supposed to be back from Mississippi 7 hours before the fire but decided she'd go to her cousins place instead, while her mom got out of work. She also said that if she would've come home, she would've been asleep. Asleep. Now, i don't think i need to explain to you why that's important, but was God in this all along or what? Another proof, that things happen for a reason. Or reasons.
The Other Side.
So we also went around, probably on a 180 degree turn around the whole building to where the firetrucks & police cars were parked. Nothing really happened to the other side of the building, but we were closer to the Firemen and the trucks, and away from where the smoke was blowing.
I saw; the trucks, two firemen who come out of the burning apartments red as can be, reaching for oxygen, (scariest part because for a while one bent over one of the trucks and stayed there... trying to breathe), a man who's arm had been barely touched by the fire due to the red-kinda bloody arm he had, (not big time, just a tad-bit), scared people, nearly everyone on their cellphones, Paramedics, cops, you name it.
As soon as they pulled some beds in from an ambulence, i feared the worst. Frantically looking around to see who was hurt so bad that they needed a bed. No one. It was just a precautionary move on their part, ... just in case.
My eyes were literally lost in the scene. Like in a movie where that one person, in the middle of all the chaos looks around trying to find hope in all of it, and then the camera slowly zooms out on her leaving her in the middle, amoungst all the other scared people, and when there are now tons of other people on the screen, no one can take their eyes off of her, you can still see her there. Scared. Except, it wasn't a movie. It was real.
I saw how each caretaker moved, how they reacted, how calm they were, and how amazing they were. I'd never seen them in action so close, it amazed me. Making sure everyone was OK, was their main priority. They handled the situation with class and skill. (of course they had skill, they train for these kinds of situations, Gaby!)
I know, i just never saw it in action. It was amazing to me.
I also saw how the spectators were, i saw our community, our complex community. While it's not the kind of community with lots of happy-go-lucky, friendly people, it's our community. Where God has placed us, altogether. Even if a lot of people don't know that.
This experience only left me wanting to be a caretaker, specifically a Pediatrician, even more. I cannot wait to serve my community and other communities.

God provides.
You'll be happy to know that the managers here gave the families that lost their homes another apartment to stay in, so they aren't completely homeless. In every sense of what that word means. Since it's not really their home, just temporary or perhaps a replacement. Ya know? But God is good, so good.

The End.
So in my first experience near a real fire, i learned and examained a lot. As you've read. If you've stuck with me this far, read all the way to this point, thank you for that. Im sure there are lots of other blogs out there who could probably explain this better, or use better-bigger words to describe a danger scene, or who've learned more interesting things. I'm sure. But i'm also sure they are famous, with degrees and real jobs. Ok, maybe.
So thank you for reading all of my words.
This is me and my experience.

P.S. My sister and i were so proud to be girls when we saw like three women-Firefighters ;) haha.
The was this one lady who was feeding the water hose to the men in the building (by herself after the fire was out, and she said, "that lady's my hero." :)

all my love,
gabyyy

the next BIG thing in music. :)

dear reader,

You're probably wondering who the next BIG thing in music is, or by what authority i declare them "the next BIG thing in music" right? Here it is, plain and simple; by God's authority.
I know that anyone and everyone who lives to please the Lord, will have their share of blessings fall on them, including God's guidence through everything and success granted from God alone.
By that i mean... using your God given gifts, not as a form of entertainment for the world, but as a direct approach at thanking God by using them for His Glory, and His Glory alone. So in three words, here's the next Big thing; *drumroll please*
BY GRACE MUSIC

The band consists of four guys; Austin Adamec, William Smith, Asher Adamec & Robert McMinn. :)
I just recently found out about them through, yes, Twitter. Twitter seems to be the IT thing lately, for some odd reason. haha ;)
Anyways, this is by no means an attempt at song reviews, band reviews, or a biography about this rising band. This is just from a girl who felt moved to help them spread the word about their ministry. If you wanna read a biography/listen to
their music, go here; http://www.myspace.com/bygracerock
As you will see, they only have a few things up at the moment, but have a 3 song EP coming out September 26th (can't get here fast enough ;)) which will be on iTunes.
But what is up on there, is great. I can't wait for more.

So that's about it, i simply wanted to help them spread the word as they are rising from Jacksonville, Florida into the rest of the world. Remember their name.

For more info on the band & what they're up to visit the following sites; and follow them on Twitter :)

Myspace; http://www.myspace.com/bygracerock
Facebook;http://www.facebook.com/bygracemusic
Twitter; http://twitter.com/bygracemusic
Blog; http://bygracemusic.blogspot.com/

I hope you will like, (and that your like will grow to love) and support them. :)
They could really use a lot of prayer right now, specifically for "Wisdom & discernment when making decisions as a band and also continued unity within the band." -- their own words. :)

thanks for readinggg! God bless.

all my love; gabyyy.

Battlefield.

dear reader,

So i recently heard Battlefield by Jordin Sparks. I mean really heard it. The lyrics just clicked after one of my favorite artists; Sarah Reeves said on Twitter "So I can't stop listening to Battlefield by Jordin Sparks. I wonder if she even realizes what's she singing...soo powerful!!" yupp. those were her words.
I had heard her song once before, but it didn't really click. You know? And when i saw Sarah post that on Twitter, i thought, "hmm, there must be something i missed. some other meaning." So i went and listened to it again. It amazed me how i missed some very important words in that song. Someone else on Twitter said, "That entire tour seems like army for God in disguise..." so i thought, yay for Jordin! and everyone else who goes out to her shows. May they also find the true meaning of these songs and relate it to their lives.
Here's my attempt at translating what her song says into my life, and my walk with Christ.
I don't really like including lyrics in these blogs, but for this song, i must.
Excuse me, for i understand this will only make the post longer. But you can skip the lyrics and scroll down to the part where i attempt to translate.


Battlefield; Jordin Sparks
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute it's love
And suddenly it's like a battle-field

One word turns into a
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down
My world's nothing when you don't
I'm not here without a shield
Can't go back now

Both hands tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
Why we gotta fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for

Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield? (x2)
Why does love always feel like..

Can't swallow our pride,
Neither of us wanna raise that flag, mhmm
If we can't surrender then we both gonna lose what we had, oh no

Both hands tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
I don't wanna fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for

Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield? (x2)

I guess you better go and get your armor, (get your armor) get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor, (get your armor) get your armor
I guess you better go and get your...

We could pretend that we are friends tonight (oh-oh-oh)
And in the morning we'll wake up and we'll be alright
Cause baby we don't have to fight
And I don't want this love to feel like..

A battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield,
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield

I guess you better go and get your armor...

I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for (fighting, fighting for)

Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield? (x2)

I guess you better go and get your armor, (get your armor) get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor, (get your armor) get your armor

Why does love always feel like...
Why does love always feel like...
A battlefield, a battlefield..

I never meant
to start a war
Don't even know
What we're fighting for

I never meant
to start a war
Don't even know
What we're fighting for

My attempt at translation
I exlained this to my sister, who was also trying to understand the meaning. Two things surprised me; how the words just slipped out of my mouth, and how i finally heard a spoken translation of the lyrics. What you understand within can oftentimes be different than what you do when you hear things explained, but very much along the same lines. To me, this song means that our relationship with Christ was never meant to be a "war" or a "battlefield", it was meant to be precious and refreshing. Jordin says in the song "i never meant to start a war, don't even know what we're fighting for." In other words, the war begins when we constantly try to be good enough to deserve Christ's grace, forgiveness, and most importantly His unconditional love, when He so willingly GIVES these gifts to EVERYONE.
What would we be fighting God for? Control. Control of our lives, our future, our relationship, and everything in between.
"Why does love feel like a Battlefield" Because we make it that way. Christ doesn't and never intended to start a war. He just wants to love on us, but we constantly move away from the grip of his loving arms because WE think we're not GOOD ENOUGH. When in reality, Christ doesn't love us because we are GOOD ENOUGH, he loves us because we are His, created in His own image. He didn't die so we'd be good enough, he died so we'd be completely freed from the chains of sin and everything else that binds us up and prevents us from living freely for His Kingdom. We aren't good enough because He died, we are forgiven and loved, (Forgiven and Loved by; Jimmy Needham; http://www.myspace.com/jimmyneedham).
That's why we are in a meaningless war in which only WE have the power to end once and for all. Not our friends, not our family, and definately not the government.
"I guess you better go and get your armor". Like it says in Ephesians 6:10-18.

We are to pick up the armor we were so amazingly blessed with and live life God's way, not both our's and His way.

i like this quote.

"We must be careful to not fashion our God after our understanding. We can't make our version of God & worship Him afterwards." -Chad Jarnagin.


And that was my attempt at translation. I hope i made myself clear, if you saw something i missed, feel free to comment and or add your own translation of the song or contact me on Twitter; http://twitter.com/belovedreamer.

all my love;
gabyyy

Pursuing My Dreams; My Heartbeat.

dear reader,
im not too sure how to start this. so im just going to come clean.
im scared. im scared that my future won't look the way i want it to or the way i think it should. my mind has been meditating on only that since the day before yesterday. i feel like now, at the age of 17, i should be seeking to fulfill my plans. And i haven't even graduated high school yet! im just about to start my senior year. do you see anything wrong with that yet?
if you read my post from Sunday it seems i should take up my own advice, right? i know. But even the believer doubts sometimes. i've been thinking about what i really wanna do with my life. Pediatrician and Photographer are the big ones right now. i know that's what i want. I can't see myself doing anything else. i know that being a Pediatrician is what God called me to do. i have this undescribable love for kids. And the desire to help them overpowers me sometimes. Mainly because i have not the means to help them. I see children hurting all over the world through commercials, ads on the Internet, or my favorite artist promoting the foundations they are involved in... and everytime, my heart sinks. I feel guilty because i haven't done anything.

This dream of mine, began when i was probably 14-15. It all started with a toy drive my church held, at first i thought "oh sweet, we get to give toys out." But then it became more than that for me. I wasn't just giving out toys, for the sake of doing it. Or for volunteer work with my church, i was making kids smile. Perhaps for the first time that Christmas, they felt hope. And they were happy, because they were actually getting toys. And i was a part of the reason why they were smiling. I know i didn't provide the the toys for them, but i was helping to pass them out.

There's another situation, where i knew God was beginning to call my name. My mom had this friend who would come over sometimes and the'd talk. Well one day, during the toy-drive week that Christmas, she was telling my mom that her husband and her weren't gonna be able to give their kids presents that Christmas. We as grown people, know 1- that Santa isn't real, and 2- that Christmas isn't about the presents. But imagine telling that to some little kids, not the best idea in the world. So, ill spare you all the details. I overheard them talking and immediately i knew i felt the need to bring bags from the toy-drive home for them. And any other kids around the complex. I did, and they were distributed to them, and the smile on their faces, specially on my mom's friend's kids, was... priceless. Won't ever forget it.

So i guess you could say the fire starting burning in me since, but i haven't been able to feed it. My heart still jumps, sinks, smiles everytime i see kids suffering, happy, or being blessed through various programs, still, i wish i was a part of it though. But the Lord knows what he's doing, i know.

That "rush" i experienced, of wanting to get things done on my own, the rush to get started for fear of running out of time, led me to another beautiful encounter with God. Yesterday, i went with my younger sister to get the mail. I accompanied her because i knew i had to get out, and see the Glory of God around me to realize, that there's no rush! He will do with my life whatever He wants to, whenever He wants to. Not on my watch. I had a lovely talk with her, i explained to her what i was going through and i why i felt the way i did. And it was good to get it off my chest.
I told her, i really wanna be a Pediatrician, and a Photographer. I have immense passions for both. I also commented that i wasn't sure if i could be both? I tried to think on a more realistic level, can i do many years trying to study how to be a great Pediatrician and also how to be a great Photographer in the processs...at the same time? The answer was, im not sure. I believe i can, because i believe in a great God. And He tells me to dream, and not be afraid. He tells me "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." -Romans 8:28. So i have faith, not that both of my passions or dreams, will work out, but that the Lord will do what He knows is best for my life. Whatever it is, it's the best. That's all He knows, the best. And that's all i want. In the end my sister and i figured out, we are treasuring our dreams from home right now. <3

On Photography.
Meanwhile, i've been indulging in my other passion. Photography. This morning sister and i went out after our workout and took pictures around the complex. it was beautiful! I was absolutely stunned at the results! Here are some of the pictures that came out, and are my favorites. :) hope you like! feel free to comment as well.

photo credit: meee ;)

photo credit: meee ;)

photo credit: meee ;)

photo credit: my little sister ;)

So, in conclusion. The Lord has been great. He has spoken to me through many people, even those whom i do not know. Like other bloggers, *www.annieblogs.com* so amazing! Check out her blogs, she has some cool stuff on there. :) And also Photographers, like Skip Hopkins *www.skiphopkins.com* and Jeremy Cowart, *www.jeremycowart.com* Both are amazing Photographers, and both of their websites were just updated! I encourage you to check 'em out and show em some love :) If not for anything but the pleasure of looking at beautiful art. :)
The "rush" i experienced was nothing, the Lord gives me even better feelings. No matter what happens, Pursing My Dreams, will continue to be ;My Heartbeat.


all my love,
gabyyy

meditating on His word.

dear reader,
Today, i just wanted to tell you that the Lord has been good to us all, in many different ways obviously, and we see with different perspectives, but He's been good nonetheless. take time to thank Him today, slow down; pray, think, thank Him who allowed you to breathe today. You're facing trials and tribulations? so what? only a Mastermind, who knew what he was doing if i might add, would think that allowing us to go through them would make us cling closer & harder to Him. Because He knew, we would realize, we couldn't face em alone. You'd think that when things get tough we'd run, who would want that type of relationship with anyone? but that's just it, God isn't just anyone. and the type of things we go through, we can't live through on our own. it's just impossible to live, truly live, without God. Some people run away from God, not because they're afraid but because they're still trying to figure this all out on their own. Truth is, they never will. Not even when you're in Christ do you know everything that's going on. Being in Christ does not mean your life gets easier, it could get either way, depending on the way you perceive a healthy relationship with Christ. (more to come in a different post about the way we should perceice a health relationship with Christ.) The only thing you do know is that He is in control so therefore you shouldn't be afraid. Problem is, not many people pick that up like they would the lottery. The thought of letting go of their lives, into the hands of someone they can't see frightens them. It's understandable, of course. But only when you grab what the Word of God tells us, and take it serioulsy instead of for granted, will we feel secure in letting our lives fall into His hands for the taking care of.
Sometimes trials are the only way God can communicate with us, "he doesn't have to put me through this for me to seek him" u might say... really? think about it, if your life was going perfectly great & you were responsible for it, would you really seek a higher being? for anything? honestly, i wouldn't. why would i need a higher being if i can do everything on my own? but that's just it, we don't seek God so that "things" will work out, no our quest is much bigger than that.
we seek God because we're empty. we were created empty, & He who created us made it so that NOTHING in this life would fill that void except Him! pretty smart huh? Mastermind. God? i think even that's an understatement.
So today, think about all this, & ask yourself, am i allowing God to fill me?
Am i seeking Him enough that i desire His fulfillment above ALL else? if that's not the case, i encourage you to make it that way.
you won't be disappointed. God bless you all, we're in this journey together.

all my love; <3
-gabyyy

first time for everything.

this isn't exactly anything worth reading, it's my first post.
i chose not to make it a big deal, so im just letting you know. :)
im still trying to get used to this... hang in there and if you wanna help, be my friend :)

i hope to bring you many productive posts in the future.

thanks for taggin along,
all my love <3
gabyyy

PS. this short post was put under a "read more" link because i coudn't take the link off of it. i don't know how yet.
God blesssss.