A painting and a party

What's this? Well, it's a picture of my painting. Sorry the photos are too good...they're kind blurry cause our cam isn't the best. Anyway, of course, I'm not finished with it yet...this is actually not how it looks right now. Her hair was soon scraped off and so was that bow since it was not satisfactory. Her face has also has some alterations...
The picture below this one explains what I mean when I say, "Her hair is now a brown smudge," because that is exactly what it is. I'll have to put some highlights on her ;)

her feet and arms have not been painted yet, though I have attempted the arm. As you can see, I had to wash off the paint, it was so horrible. Trial and error, trial and error *sigh* I also haven't finished the grass. Right now it's pretty much block colors and a foundation for the finer blades of grass.



I'll post the finished product one day. When that will be I don't know because I haven't been working on her much lately. I'm going through a dry bout, perhaps of discouragement and uninterest since I'm not excited about my painting at all...oh, well...

Examine and believe

{via}

One of the many, many reasons why I love Abeka so much is because of the way they teach us about evolution.

Yes, they do teach us about evolution and everything that comes with it: the geologic column, the fossils, the "missing links," and so on and so on. Yet, it is the way that they teach us about evolution that I love.

Instead of following the way public schools do it: speaking of it as a fact and trying to prove it is real, Abeka teaches it as a falsehood and shows us all of the ways it is a definite assumption. They completely denounce it and show us how most of the things evolutionists believe are very indefinite--evolution is actually rather unscientific.

I particularly like one of the questions my science teacher Mrs. Hicks asked once in a while.

She would say, "Where is the one place in the world where you can find the geologic column?"
And the answer would be, "In the library,"
Because the geologic column is only in books--sure, they have diagrams of it, they show you how it looks, yet the never tell you that they made up those rock layers and have actually never found one place on this planet that has that exact layering of rock.

How sad. How mislead kids are in public school, thinking that there are actual missing links found when, really, a complete fossil of the supposed link between man and ape has never truly been found. The few links they have found are almost ridiculous because all they usually have to show for them are a knee cap, shards of a skull and a femur--how can that prove anything?

And if evolution has taken place, where are the thousands of missing links which should be found in the earths crust? If this was a process of millions and millions of years, where on earth have all of the fossils gone? Why can't they even find one substantial piece of proof to back up their theory?

How sad that evolution isn't even thought of as a theory anymore but a fact. A solid fact. Most people think that to be a scientist you have to believe in evolution or else you are totally ruled out as an overly-spiritual maniac and unable to truly see science in the right light.

Yet, weren't Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus all God fearing men who openly spoke of their Lord and His universe? I never hear that mentioned very often. Yet aren't them some of the most ground breaking scientists ever known?

It's sad that evolution is so strongly backed up by the media and every science station on television. Can't they see that the theory in which they believe is even more ridiculous then the religion they so strongly go against? Christian's have had signs, miracles, and proof through God's word.

Everything in the Bible is true. Nothing is false.

It explains how this universe was made: where it came from.

Where does evolution say the universe came from? How was the sun made? How were the galaxies formed?
They have never answered it. The only thing they can attempt to explain is how we humans were made. Yet what about the universe? Where did it come from? The swirling mass had to be created by something.

Surely something doesn't come from nothing.

That is a scientific statement. Isn't spontaneous generation (the idea that living things arise from non-living things) ruled out as ridiculous? The idea that maggots suddenly are created by rotting meat? Don't we all roll our eyes when we think of that as true?

Yet, it was believed in the old days because they had no idea how maggots suddenly appeared in the meat. However, isn't that sort of what evolutions are asking us to believe in? That this earth was covered in primordial soup with no living creatures and then, suddenly, by a terrific accident we were somehow created?
We the intricate beings that we are living in this spectacular place, somehow evolved into this?

I think that if people simply examined God's creation they could easily see that the perfectness of a flower could not be an accident. How were eyes created? How were fingers formed? How were plants made so beautiful and the days put together so magically with sun and moon?

By an all powerful God who is watching over us and asking us to trust in Him.

The image: the journey

God teaches us things in life through the little things. Those little things that seem so big in our eyes, but are only a drop in the ocean in reality.
Of course, the Holy Spirit is the main thing which strikes conviction and understanding in our beings, but sometimes situations in our lives aid in that teaching process as well.
I remember one particular lesson I learned in all of the hundreds of Bible classes I've listened to during homeschooling. It was taught by, I believe, Mr. Duby (to all ye Abekians) and was about the ends justifying the means. How the world will do whatever it takes to keep up their image in tasks: to look superior in their doings for their names sake. How humans often take drastic steps which Christians would consider selfish and, often, sinful simply to gain man's praise and materialistic gain.
We all know the ends doesn't justify the means--or at least we should. And I can understand that. I can see why it wouldn't be right to steal to be rich or cheat to get good grades. People with common sense can see that--even in this world there are standards of morals upheld, and the laws of the land often instill these practical reasoning's.
However, as Christians, if we aren't looking for a glorious end product to raise us in the eyes of those around us, what should we be seeking?
My mom told me last night, "It's not the end product that matters: it's the journey."
Is that what we should be seeking? An upright journey, not a fantastic finished product. Because, perhaps, if our journey is pure, won't our end result be as good as the way we got there?
Yet, perhaps, because our path to the prize was upright, our result might not be as magnificent as the one next to us who took the worldly way and got the richest results....or did he truly win? Because if we did right in God's eyes doesn't that make us winner in God's eyes, not man's? And if we are winners in God's eyes doesn't that mean our praise will last through all eternity and not for a few hundred years on this world?
As Christians, we often try to keep up an image, an image of high standards and upright morals. Yet why do we? Is it for the praise of ourselves or the praise of our Lord? Do our ways to get these images of saintliness arise from wrong things--do we, as Christians, sometimes fall into the world's own traps by trying to make ourselves look great?
If that's what we're doing, then aren't we no better then the world?...and we are only trying to better ourselves in man's eyes--because we surely aren't trying to keep our image right for God's glory but our own, if we are willing to do wrong to get there.

God has been teaching me so much lately, not only through His word, but through books and situations in life. Not only has He been teaching me spiritual things but things like: surrendering everything to Him, trusting Him, fearing Him, living completely for Him and relying on Him only. God's also been giving me food along the way through small miracles...if there is such a thing as a small miracle--aren't all miracles miraculous?

My mom is so wonderful. She's always teaching me things (like above about the journey) and encouraging me in so many ways.
The other day my family and I went out and as we walked past a few shops we spotted an art gallery.
What do you think I said? "Please, can we go in? Please?"
I have kind parents: they said yes.
So we walked in and admired all of the beautiful works of art. I have to admit, a bit of bitterness arises when one is in an art gallery because the reality that you probably will never paint as beautifully as them cannot but hit you. However, I could still enjoy, if not produce.
The funny thing is, as we were looking at all the paintings, we spotted one particular artist who rather stood out: not because he was good, but because he was...well...dare I say, below average?
I mean, my mom could do better then that, and the price he was asking for was ridiculous!
Mind you, it wasn't abstract: at least it wasn't that: that is a whole other topic.
But it was an impressionistic style: very basic and almost ugly from lack of color and the dullness of each painting.
Yet, he would as for almost a thousand for a small (they were all small....and not even the kind of canvas generally used: the stretched canvas...it was that other type...sorry, I am no artist and don't know the names for all the different canvases...) painting...and, as I said before, they were all extremely dull.
So with that bit of hope instilled in me, as we walked out of the gallery I brought up an interesting topic.
"Mom, do you think we could become a mother-daughter team and sell our paintings online or something like that?"
I forget her answer: let's just say it wasn't a straightforward yes: but neither was it a silencing no.
"But we couldn't start right away," I continued, "because we don't have enough to sell--we'd need to stock up. You only have a few paintings and I even less, so we'd have to build up inventory and then begin. But if we do, we can't afford to take long periods of time on just one painting like we usually do: we'd need to just whip out a whole bunch and not care about detail: then we could begin."
I forget what her response was: it was not negative.
We talked about the prices of our paintings, "I would gladly sell one of my watercolors for fifty dollars!" I said.
"No, you can't sell it for so cheap," My mom objected, "you should at least go for a hundred or two hundred,"
"No way! That's too much: but you could definitely go for a couple of thousand on one of yours."

The day faded away and that night, as I said goodnight to my mom I asked her, "Do you think we'll ever really sell our paintings?"
"We can dream, can't we?" She answered.
My hopes were struck down: but not destroyed.
Never destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4: 7-10
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
"persecuted, but now forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
"always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."

A tale of pictures

This little guy was actually playing with me! He definitely the friendliest little one I ever met. I video tapped him playing with me and am gonna make a short movie out of. When I'm finished I might give the link to watch it :)

******

Nathan and I three years ago....

Nathan and I...now...

Michael and I three years ago...

Michael and I...now... Okay, I was seriously stuck in that tree...so why does Michael look so happy? Wipe that grin off your face!

Not fair, not fair, not fair

Why does he get all the cool pictures?!?

He makes me laugh

I love the different personalities speckled throughout families. The way every member is different, each bearing his or her own perspective.
Most people know my younger brother is the joker in our family. He's extremely witty and is able to pick up a line from television faster then I think he picks up anything else. He's quick to a joke and his punch lines are usually hilarious.
Everyday he causes each of us to laugh, whether we want to or not. I owe a lot of smiles to him.

The other day we were sitting in a food court in Waimea, and he threw out a joke. I'm afraid, for
myself, it was stale--so stale I can't even remember what it was about, but it turns out I didn't laugh.
Of course, he was a bit upset and frowned.
"I just didn't think it was funny," I explained.
"Yes, it was," I believe was his reply (I'm modifying the dialoge a little since I can't remember it perfectly)
"Then how come nobody laughed?" I asked
"It was an inside joke," He explained.
"Then how come no one else is laughing either?" I glanced from my dad to my other brother.
"Don't worry, they're laughing on the inside."
I couldn't help laughing a bit. Maybe it wasn't as funny to you, because it's rather predictable, but at the moment, I wasn't prepared for anything.



Later on, we went to Wishard Gallery.
I love art galleries because they are usually--hopefully--filled with exquisite peices of art work which an average human cannot usuall produce unless he is trained in the arts of color, depth, and texture, not mentioning the bit of inborn talent tucked in their person by the Creator of All.
Wishard is actually quite good. He's a local artist and paints popular sites here in Hawaii such as Waipeo valley and multiple beaches.
I love the crispness of his paintings.
They are not at all impressionistic.
Although, I usually like impressionistic paintings--unless they are portraits. I love clear portraits and impressionistic landscapes with a girl sitting in the background...haha...(you can tell I have a particular painting in mind on the latter discription).
Also, I have found that I can only paint landscapes in watercolors and portraits in oil paints.

Just a few days ago I started an oil painting of a young girl sitting in the grass.
It's a beautiful painting, and I decided I wanted to take up the challenge. Surprisingly, it's actually been going quite well, and I hope to post the finished product later on.



Right now I'm learning the song "White Horse" by Taylor Swift. It's difficult on the parts you have to pick out (plus, my vocal skills don't help) but other then that, I've almost got it down.
I like the songs melody--not so much the lyrics.
All her songs are so lovey-dovey.

But, anway, that's a pretty thorough update.

Rebel(ution)

I'm not sure whether all of you have heard of this particular awesome Christian website created by two radical teens names Alex and Brett Harris. They live in Oregon and have started a Rebelution throughout the USA and even the world. Their website is called The Rebelution.

Through God's calling and revelations, they rose up and decided to crush "low expectations" for teens and what the call "They Myth of Adolescence."

Basically, they believe that teens are under a lie that they should just "have fun" in their teenage years. In their book, "Do Hard Things," they expound upon these points in a very comprehensible, down-to-earth way which is not only inspiring, but life changing (if one is willing to make the sacrifice and live the way God intended).

I am reading their book at the moment and have found it very enlightening. There was a particular passage that really caught my attention because I have seen it happen in real life and have even said it myself.

Quotes from their book "Do Hard Things,"

"In this chapter, we'll look at one of the most important but challenging steps you can take to beat the tide of low expectations: reject complacency and choose to do hard things that go above and beyond what's required or expected of you.

"This choice goes right to the heard of what it means to be a rebelutionary. Without a doubt, pushing yourself to do more than is asked, expected, or required is nearly always a lonely choice. It can set you apart from friends, co-workers, other Christians, even family. As we'll see, the desire to do your best--even when no one around you requires it--takes a special kind of character. It puts you at odds with the accepted culture, which says 'Just do your best' but means something very different.

"Think about it. The common place phrase, 'Just do your best,' actually encourages the opposite. When someone says, 'Just do your best,' are you inspired to reach for more? Or does it feel like permission to just get by? We say, 'Hey, I did my best.' But did we really? More likely what we mean is, 'Hey, I gave it a show, and that'll have to be good enough.'

Believe it or now, the 'good enough' and 'just do your best' mind-sets actually stem from the enemy we met in the second chapter: the Myth of Adolescence." (p. 89)

Isn't that just crazy? I mean, it's so true. Whenever someone says, "Just do your best," I don't actually feel like doing my best--I actually now feel that if I don't do good it's alright because, hey, I'm pretty sure I did my best.

But, actually, that was not the passage I wanted to share--I got side tracked :P Alright, this is the real one which actually made me say, "Whoa!"

They relate this "myth" through a story :)

"Lindsey is in her second year of high school--her first at a private Christian school. Even among other Christian teens at school and church, Lindsey is the 'good girl' who seemingly never does anything wrong. She won't watch R-rated movies, wears a promise ring her dad gave her on her thirteenth birthday, and won't even date (or 'court,' as she puts it) until she's ready to get married. It doesn't make her highly popular among some of her peers, but she cares more about what the adults in her life think. And they praise her constantly--usually while they bemoan all of the 'bad stuff' other teens today are involved in.

"She loves it when she gets compliments from being such a 'wonderful girl,' but when Lindsey is honest, she knows she's become exceptional fro what she doesn't do. She doesn't attend wild parties, cause trouble, or want a tattoo. But what does she do? Is the Christian life all about avoiding 'bad stuff' or is it about doing 'good, hard stuff'' for God? Deep down Lindsey knows the answer, but she's already praised for being such a godly girl. Isn't that enough?

"Bre, a high-school senior...Following the service she overheard a man saying, 'Aren't you glad these kids aren't out smoking or drinking?'

"'That comment just broke my heart,' Bre wrote to us, 'because there truly is a level of mediocrity that has infiltrated not just our culture, but our churches as well.' Being considered a good teen only requires that we don't do bad stuff like taking drugs, drinking, and partying. But is it enough to be known for the negative things we don't do, or should we also be known fro the positive and difficult things that we do?" ("Do Hard Things," p. 96-97)

This was crazy true because I am constantly hearing people say things like, "Oh, yeah, at least their not doing drugs," and, etc., etc. So now our culture celebrates when teenagers (particularly) stay away from things and don't do certain things rather then praising them for doing certain things.

Confusing, but we are all living in this world are even Christians are blided by many of the lies our media feeds us.

But, really, teenagers need to stop relaxing in their teenage years and start stading up and taking action in our world.

Christians, especially, need to rise above averageness and even the worlds standard of "above-average" and stick to God's standards which are virtually unreachable because new ones are always arising.

Yet, it's actually really ironic (it's the only word I can think of) because through teenagers saying they only want to "have fun" while they are young, they are almost debasing themselves into the thought that they are incompatable to do harder tasks while they are in this stage of their lives.

It's as if they don't believe they can do anything more then hang out with friends and be completely enraptured with technological devices.

A sad thought and a lie from the devil.

We're wasting our most able years to idleness because we think that's what we're supposed to do, but God is calling us to higher things!

Now, I'm not saying that teenagers should start making their own businesses and doing crazy, expensive, ridiculous things, because at times that's not what God wants us to do.

Sometimes the smallest things can be the largest in God's eyes and the eyes of others. Simply making yourself available and trying your hand at new things in life is a way to start breaking the fetters of the Myth of Adolescence.

It's amazing, because I actually got this book from the most unlikely person in the world.

You see, I have a pen pal in Florida and I shared the website The Rebeultion with her. She joined and later wrote to me saying she had an extra book called, "Do Hard Things."

She asked if I wanted it and I, of course, said yes.

I don't think I ever would have gotten this books unless through her because I'm not the kind of person who buys devotionals or even reads them.

My family pretty much sticks to the Bible.

But God knew I needed this book and it's really helped me a lot.

Seeing that I'm on a spiritual topic I've been wanting to write down a few Bible verses which I found while reading the Bible and especially love.

Romans 13:8 "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

Romans 14:19 "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

14:22 "Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves."

15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

1 Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for and imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. This I fight: not as one who beats the air: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."