7 Deadly Sins

Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony & Pride.

These are a few of my favorite things. NOT.

The 7 Deadly Sins have been coming up in my life more & more frequently. I did my 1st Semester art final on them, they popped up in America's Next Top Model, and I've recently listened to a study about them. I think God's trying to flag my attention. ;)

These 7 Deadly Sins are not based on a specific scripture, but all fall within biblical living. I fell in love with the series from Calvary Chapel Montebello by Bianca Juarez, it's stinking awesome. It is, in a word-edifying.

The one that caught my attention was Pride. When I put it on, I though 'Oh this will be a nice study, I don't have a problem with pride.' [Red flag #1] Instead of going through the more 'stereotypical' pride of Satan's fall, we learned about Samson. This man was consecrated by God, and thought he was untouchable. In the end he died blind, a slave, in mockery, but the Lord still loved him.

I began to apply this in my life. I am a perfectionist [red flag #2], I don't know if it's 'Oldest Child Syndrome' where I am expected to be the "model" and the "leader." Or if it's self-inflicted neuroticism. In my schooling, I strove for perfect grades, which isn't a bad thing, but my head slowly began to get bigger as I gained more knowledge [red flag #3.] I noticed I began to notice I was ALWAYS right (which half the time I wasn't) [red flag #4.]

One day Jimminy Cricket told me "Hey Amanda, you've got a pride problem!" No duh.

The 7 Deadly Sin I struggle with the most is pride. I'm learning to fight it and give it to the Lord. What's yours?

Words

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:18

This verse has caused me some serious conviction throughout the years. It's easy to say something sugar-coated and so sweet you think Willy Wonka made it, but to have your heart gnarled and twisted as can be.

I've come up with a little mantra for myself... Ahem...
"Words speak, actions resound." Not exactly Shakespeare, but it will do for me. =)

This was made clear to me today after not hearing from a certain friend for a while, the friend took iniative to make my day a little brighter, to clear up some abiguity, to communicate in the long run for the better.

Even though no words were spoken directly to me, my friend's actions resounded much more than their words to me could have.

This week (for starters), I'm really going to try to love people. To smile, to hold open a door, to act loving, and not just say it.

Here it goes!

Dating

Yes, this is a paradoxal post coming from the girl whose never had a boyfriend, but God uses the foolish things of the world, right? Right! =)

I want to record some quotes (paraphrased) on the matter I've heard over the years. Some are funny, some are serious, all are true. (Change the pronouns as to fit your gender.)

For a girl: "If he doesn't love Jesus, and he doesn't have a J-O-B, don't date him!" - Bianca Juarez

"I don't smoke, drink, swear, or chew, so don't date any boys who do." - Shadrach Means

"The best form of birth control is aspirin. Put an aspirin in between your legs, close your legs, and don't let the aspirin hit the floor." - Mr. Holt

"He's doesn't love Jesus, but he's SO hot!" "So is hell. Run!" - Bianca Juarez

"If someone says 'I can't live without you', Run, the only person you can't live without is Jesus. " -Jack Hibbs

I've found these funny, helpful, and I hope you do as well. Toodles.

An Ode to Cross Country

Two Summers ago, I began running. Tentatively to the day, ergo I thought a shoutout to this beloved beast is in order.

My freshman year P.E. class brought a wave of sheer terror after being homeschooled for two years. Running the mile, I was the nerdy kid with the glasses, braces, book in hand, and naturally inhaler. And I milked it.

But my beloved teacher, Mrs. O, would not let that slide. To pass, I HAD to run. Breathe, breathe, sweat, wheeze, side cramp and repeat.

But I found another freshman whom I love dearly, Ami-Ray, she stuck it out with me, and though we were never "great" runners, we were easily able to run the full mile by second semester without stopping. We cut down our times a lot, and though we didn't go out for track, we passes freshman P.E. with flying colors. I eventually outgrew my asthma. =)

In order to not go through that horrible séance of torture, I began running in the summer. Initially it was a mile a day, then I pushed for three miles a day, I wound up running 4 miles a day 5-6 times a week. I have kept it up (sometimes more dilligently, sometimes less dilligently) for the past 2 years. I can honestly say a week has not gone by where I did not run.

In all honesty, I'm not a great runner. Most of the time, I DON'T enjoy it (hence the endearment beloved beast.) It pushes me, it stretches me, but afterwards, I am so jazzed I finished. I actually did CC training camp last summer, and am contemplating doing it this year. If you drive by, I am the caboose:slowly making my way behind all the other girls. Though it may take me longer, I get there. I finish the race.

I've said before, I draw a lot of parallels between my day-to-day life and my walk with Jesus. This is no exception.

“Run with endurance the race that God has set before you” Hebrews 12:11.

Every single one of us has a different race, a different pace, a different struggle. My struggle in running is speed. For other girls, they have speed but no endurance. In the same fashion, my struggle with Christianity is different than yours.

The coolest thing about CC was we all had different routes, there was "short route" for new kids, "middle route" for varsity girls and average guys, and "long route" for varsity guys. Every route went a place different, some were harder, some were more grueling, but after all that, we wound back at school together as a team.

God's race for every individual takes us crazy different places, but we all wind up in the same place as a team.

So grab those running shoes, and experience what I'm talking about on this beautiful day for yourself. =)

"Cliche"

I tried for a long time to avoid cliches in my writing, my life, the way I speak.

Then, it made sense. Yes although cliches are "cliche," they speak an ammount of truth. I don't try to use them superfluously, but in moderation.

I bring this up, because this post may seem "cliche" to some. To other it may seem "hyper-spiritual," my main aspirations it to keep it real, to speak the truth with love.

Today, I was talking to a person I look up to. He's my teacher, but we have an easy relationship, and I can address him as a peer, I was telling him I found my style this year.

For starters, this school year has been intense, insane, challenging, breaking, enlightening, etc. I have learned so much, have lost friends, have gained friends, have received new privileges, have been given new resbonsibilities so on and so forth. In short, it was a season of new.

This year I gained something. I really "found myself" this year. No, I didn't purchase a corvette, no I didn't go on a world-wide rendevous, no I didn't get married on a whim. But rather, throughout the"new," I found my style.

I found my style in writing for English. I found my style in painting for art. I have become an even better thrift shopper. I have really let go of pretensions, and allowed myself to become me.

Even better than the writing, the painting, and the shopping was I really found my identity.

And I found it in Christ.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10

I'm a total nerd and ldig this, the word for workmanship is "ποίημα" (poiēma), which literally translates into "poem".


God uses us for good works. He uses the haikus, the epics, and everything in between.

Throughout the year, he has worked me into a poem for him, and in that identity I am satisfied.

Words of a Procrastinator

I take pride in being an AP student. I consider it Advanced Procrastination, not Advanced Placement. It's an ability to complete work in a shorter jam than most people. Not always the best idea, but it gets done. This year has been survival mode: it's been one textbook, one novel, one paper, one page at a time.

As a closing assignment to my year, my English teacher assigned us an essay about what we want to do with our lives career-wise. Included are identifying careers, describing it/them, and listing requirements to attain said career(s).

In my household, college has never been "if", it's always been "where." Now suddenly, within a blink of an eye, it will be here. I feel like the Pampers motto should be playing in the background innocently saying "I'm a big kid now!" The stress is beginning to take a little tighter hold of me, as I deliberate between what I want to do. Sometimes I just want to major in English, sometimes I want to major in Biology, other times I want something totally random, such as Musical Theory, or Shakespeare. What do I do? Where do I go?

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path straight."

As a "calvary chapel kid" this verse has unfortunately become almost cliche. Before you throw the rocks in your hands, let me say that the verse is starting to click in my puny little brain. It took leading the song as a Children's Ministry worship leader to make me get it. For years, it would rattle off my tonuge, another mantra in Christianese, but now, after meditation, I am realizing what an amazing and fulfilling promise this is.

Yes, I have an aspiration to be a PA (Physician's Assistant). I'd love to take it to the mission field, and heal people physcially as well as spiritually. But if the Lord so chooses to have me be a Shakespeare major, so be it. He will direct my course. If He so chooses for me to study Biology, so be it. He will direct my couse. If He so chooses for me to play piano at Disneyland for the rest of my life, so be it. He will direct my course.

I've seen many Christians love the Lord, but not follow Him in and trust Him in their career lives, and I've seen them become less joyful because of it. With everything I do, I'm trusting the Lord (or attempting to do so.) I'm a MAJOR work-in-progress. But one thing this year at school taught me was one thing at a time. One devotion at a time, one prayer at a time...

And He WILL direct my path.