Dear future husband...

If you know me like I imagine you one day will, you know that I'll start this letter off awkwardly.

Um, hey. What's up?

So a future husband to me is like some kind of  mythical creature... like the Lochness Monster or Bigfoot.

I know, I just compared you to Bigfoot -- but I swear it gets better. Keep reading.

Point being, when we were little, creatures like unicorns and elves sounded amazing and we couldn't wait to find one someday. Sadly, as we grew older, it seemed like it was less and less likely that we'd see anything like that. The closest that we'd get was the leprechaun on a Lucky Charms box, and don't even get me started on the disappointment the tooth fairy caused. Likewise, a husband - a future soul mate - seems too fantastical nowadays to be real. We once dreamed about a prince charming, and nowadays we're accepting we might just have to crawl out of that tower and find him ourselves.

But I know you're out there. Maybe you're going through the same things I am. Are you enjoying life in the In-Between, the time between being a kid and having fun and having to live like an adult all the same? Do you feel that pit of anxious excitement about a future career? Or maybe not. Maybe you're actually a professional bullfighter or puppy rescuer and we're not doing anything similar right now - who knows.

Here are just a few things I'd like to tell you while you're somewhere out there.

Trust God. I cannot express how important that is. He is there for you when no one else is. Trusting God is simply believing that He loves you, He’s good, He has the power to help you, He wants to help you, and He will help you. Christians are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, the bank, other things more than we trust God and His Word. SO trust in him, bury yourself in his word, it's the best thing you can do.

Be safe while driving. I'm assuming you're jamming out to something on the radio -- whether it be country, rock, classic, or rap (but please don't be screamo), don't get wrapped up in scrolling through songs. If your buddy Jim texts you, let him wait until you're parked. It would be awful if something happened to you before we could even meet. So, please be safe.

Collect extra T-shirts and hoodies. Just warning you ahead of time, because I'm a T-shirt bandit. Might as well be prepared.

Be a big brother. You may be a big brother already, but that's not what I mean. There are kids out there that just need someone. Even just talking to them and asking how their day was will light up their world. Trust me, it does.

We're getting a dog. If you're not a dog person, I'd suggest starting to become one, because I'll be wanting dogs--and kids, but we'll get to that later. If you already love canines, be ready to brainstorm names. Because our dog's are about to be awesome.

Don't give up -- ever. These are the days where life starts to get serious and sometimes when you fall, no one is there to pick you back up. I wish I could reach a hand out, but since I can't, I want you to keep going. Never stop doing something you're passionate about.

Find friends who love God. I know that guys love to bond over video games and junk food, but dont make that everything that's important. Find someone who will challenge you in your faith, give you the encouragement you need and be your rock until I come around. 

I am a pretty awesome cook. Just thought you should know. But when I'm in a mood, be ready to go out and get something.

If you're thinking about getting a tattoo... Please, think twice or more than twice, however long it takes to make that thought go away. I beg of you.

Be confident, but not arrogant. No one likes a big head. It's seriously a turn off. Just stickin that in there. But! That doesn't mean that confidence is unattractive. Quite the contrary. :)

I've been hurt . I'm sorry to say, but you may be receiving me bruised and a little bent. While you were not present in my life, people have wandered here and there. Some good, some bad. The bad ones I will gladly hand over their names so you may threaten to kick their tails. But as I mentioned earlier, God is everything and so is family. Though I've been through some rough patches, I'm getting better each and every day. I look forward to the day when you become present and you'll get to deal with my craziness :)

I'm bad at taking compliments. More than likely, when you compliment me, I'll respond with an awkward "thanks" or a gentle punch in the arm. Please don't be discouraged, I'll get better at it, I promise. Just don't be surprised if I fall out of my chair or something.

I'm rooting for you. When it seems like everyone's turned their backs against you, just know somewhere I'm out there cheering you on. I'm praying that God is working on you as well as with you. 

I'm horrible at making decisions. Ask me where I want to go for dinner? I won't know. Ask me what movie I want to see? I can't decide. I panic. A lot.

Spend good time with your family. They're always gonna be your best friends and your biggest supporters no matter what, and I like them already.

Accept my arm wrestling challenges. I may lose every time, but never deny me the chance to try. And don't let me win. I got this.

Prepare to own every Disney and Marvel movie ever made.  I've already started my collection, so be prepared

Also, I speak fluently in movie quotes. Yes its true, so be ready for me to imitate characters from my favorite movie, expect you to finish a quote or randomly break out into song. I am very awkward and funny like that. It's awesome.

Talk with my Daddy and brothers. Hey, I may like you someday, but if they don't, there's no chance. I'm not even joking. Before you even tell me you like me, you go see my daddy. Otherwise, you'll be chased out of town. And my dad's a pretty scary dude if you haven't noticed, and my brothers will be next in line.  If you're wanting to join this family, you're going to have to get to know them too, not just me.

I can't be more excited to fall in love with you.

To all the girls out there wondering if there is ever going to be someone for them -- we can't give up. It's easy to say "Forever alone" and put yourself down all the time. But if you put yourself out there and do something you're passionate about, you'll find him. If you give up now, you're letting him down. If you give up and wait in your tower, you'll never get the list he's writing you. 

But above all else ladies, trust God. He knows exactly who your future husband is and he's working on him as you read this.

So right now, future husband, I guess you're a mystery like Bigfoot or those darned unicorns we just can't seem to track down.

But I know one day when we finally meet, you'll be my best friend. And I can't wait.

See you soon,

~Rachel

Thoughts of Today

My dad is in the military, and has been for 17 ½ years. I’ve lived in 3 states, 9 towns, and 13 houses. I’ve been a member of 5 churches, gone to two different public schools, joined 3 homeschool groups and been on 8 sports teams. I’ve always been the new kid. Always having to meet new people and try make new friends.  I was never quite sure about where or how to fit in.  Sometimes it is really hard to find a place in already existing circles of friends.

Through all of my life, having been in these situations, I’ve been rejected several times. Either purposely by unkind people or not on purpose, by kind people who didn’t do it on purpose, or didn’t know that what they were doing hurt and made me feel left out.  I found myself seeking approval from others, longing for attention, friends, identity, anything that I could get from someone to make me feel self-worth. I had forgotten that my worth comes from Christ.

Matthew 10:31 says, Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

It was exhausting and did not satisfy.

Why don’t they like me?

Why won’t they just accept me?

Is there something wrong with me?

Maybe I should change…

These were lies and questions that I asked and told myself every day.  I began to change and try to do some of the things I saw others do, things I knew were not godly things.  I would get in trouble at home because my parents knew that what I was trying to do would just hurt me in the end, but I thought they were just being mean old fuddy duddies who didn’t want me to be happy.

I chose to sneak around and did some of the things anyways. It worked for a while.  I thought I was happy! I thought I had all these friends, people liked me, I was cool.  But it wasn’t all truth.  My “friends” knew that what we were doing was wrong, but we did those things anyway. Finally, my parents found out.  It really hurt them. I had broken so much trust, gone against so much of what my parents taught me, and made a fool of myself.  (Like Pinnochio when he found himself at the carnival turned into a donkey J, I realized I had not made wise choices and realized that my parents were right.)  I hadn’t trusted my parents judgment or listen to what they knew was the right thing. All I cared about was not getting rejected yet again.  I thought I HAD to have friends, I HAD to fit in, people HAD to like me.

Talking with my mentor, I asked, "Why does rejection hurt so bad?"

She said,

"Rejection feels like it attacks the person you are, and your purpose in life.  It can make you feel unloveable-as if no one loves you.  It starts you down a path of believing lies: nobody loves me, I’m ugly, I’m not smart, God could never love me or use me. This is why I believe it is a strong tool the devil uses to destroy relationships and can affect a person’s life if we choose to let it."

 “God speaks about how, as Christians, we will be rejected in this world. {Matthew 24:9 says Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.} But he also advises us about how to respond to that rejection or how to determine in our hearts how to deal with it.”}}  He desires for us to know who we really are IN HIM and realize just how deeply He loves us and desires for us to look to HIM for that approval.

Recently I stopped and asked myself,

What have I let define me? What have I been basing my self-worth off of?

*what my friends think?

*How many friends I had?

*What grades I got?

*What was expected of me?

*How pretty, strong, tall, talented etc?

I had been basing my identity, and self-worth, on all of these things. I changed from who God wanted me to be in an attempt to fit in and get people to like me.  It left me stranded, more lonely than before and constantly feeling the need to seek more approval from those who I thought were “popular or important” When all along I should have been turning to God.

2 Corinthian’s 12:9 says:   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

One of my favorite verses right now is found in Psalms chapter 34 verses 17-20.

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

We especially do not need to change and turn to worldliness or sin in order to make friends or impress people.  When people reject you because you do not take part in those things, God tells us what to do about it.  Psalm 37 1-6 says:

1.  Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;

2.   for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3.   Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4.   Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5.   Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

6.   He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Make the decision to stop making what others think or how popular you are the source of your self-worth and the source of your happiness and instead turn and run to God, He will greet you with arms wide open and he WILL give you that satisfaction, that love and that acceptance you crave. We can always turn to him and never be rejected. I have come to realize that I DO have good friends, I have been accepted, I am liked, I was just looking for friends in all the wrong places.

My Dad has told me that my life is a billboard.  The things I do, things I seek, clothes I wear, music and movies I listen to and promote all go on my billboard.  Should I be filling my billboard with worldly things? Fashion, worldly approval, entertainment, sports, etc. Not necessarily bad things, but they can be if we give them a biggger spot on our bilboard than they should have.  Or should I fill my billboard with promoting Christ.  Even if people try to graffiti my billboard with rejection, slander, and hatefulness I will fill my billboard with things of Christ.

(Choose ye this day who you will serve).

The Bestest of Friends {Part 1}

These are seriously late, I know. Forgive me ladies!

Hannah-

When I started CHIEF volleyball 3 years ago, I saw you on Varsity and said,  "WOW. She's amazing. I want to be as good as her." I never even thought I would ever get the chance to play with you. But for our Senior year, I got the amazing opportunity to play with the world's best libero ever! :) I just love you girl! You are such a joy and a blessing to be around. I love our crazy, random topics that we find to talk about. I love giggling with you in English class like the mature adults we are ;) I have really enjoyed getting to know you. You are such an encouraging person with your bubbly personality and infectious smile :) You  make everyone feel special and tell us we're awesome, even if we don't believe it ourselves. I cannot wait to swap stories about college life!

Bethany-

Ok, I'm going to start out by saying I achieved a goal of mine this year. *Drumroll please......* I got you to wear a bow! Several bows at that! :) I know they are not your favorite thing in the world. But I felt honored that you wore my bows proudly. Girl, I have absolutely loved playing with you the past 2 years.You are so much fun to talk to and you sincerely listen to every word I say, even when it's plain nonsense. You are so encouraging and you put up with all of my awkwardness and 'Pizzaz'! :)
I have really enjoyed getting to you over the past few years. I have such a blast anytime I'm around you. Playing sardines in the dark at your house last year and spending almost  half an hour looking for our sisters was seriously the best. ;) I am so disappointed I will no longer get to play on your team, but hey, I will most definitely be back to cheer y'all on! You can't get rid of me that easy ;) I am so very excited that we are taking a class together!

Mary Francis-

"Ok lets break it down in prayer." Hahaha! One of my favorite quotes of yours! Girl, when I found out I was on your team again, I can not even begin to explain how excited I was! I was estatic. Who better to finish out my high school career than Mary Francis! I had such an amazing year with you. You are so much fun and just an absolute joy to be around. You totally get me and my crazy little antics. I had such a blast dancing with you on the court and posing for Pizzaz-ful picures. :) I was so glad to get to know you better this year, with our long talks off court and our silly random ones on court! Girl I wish you the best in the years coming and I cannot wait to get tto hear all about it!

Emily-

Girly I just love ya! You are so fun and just too cute! And yes I can say that because you're like a little sister to me :) I had such a good time playing with you this year. You K.I.L.L.E.D it out there! Seriously Hulk smash much? Wow! There is so much power packed into that tiny little(TALL!) body of yours! You are going to be a stupendous player! I've also loved getting to know you and spend time with you off the court. Hounted house buddy, I will miss you!  I look forward to seeing you grow into an amazing woman, and sitting on the side cheering you on!

Bethlehem Revisited is Here!

  December 5th, 6th &7th

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” ~ Luke 2:10-11


Each year 2,000 people walk the hills and trails of the local farm, stepping back in time to “Bethlehem Revisited.” A living nativity experience that seeks to bring to life the “good news of a great joy.” It is an outreach event that invites surrounding communities to join a guided walking tour in which the group interacts with prophets proclaiming the coming One, watches as a girl named Mary learns that she will be with child, navigates their way through the crowded town of Bethlehem, observes shepherds out in a field as they become part of an amazing visitation, and stops a moment at the manger where Mary and Joseph wonder at the miracle of the Christ child. The tour continues with scenes from the life of Christ and the overwhelming truth and hope of the Resurrection.


No red carpet… just trails of hay and dirt. No dignitaries…just the residents of the stable. No gold lined crib…just a hand-hewn wooden manger that the sheep and donkeys had been eating from. Yet in the presence of these simple creatures the God of the universe was born. Guests who visit Bethlehem Revisited will experience the story that comes to life, as they trudge the paths, smell the “reality” of a barnyard, hear with their ears the crowd in the inn, the donkey’s bray . . .the simplicity of the greatest event of all times, the incarnation of our Saviour. For some, it may be the very first time that they have heard or seen this message; for others it is the first time their imaginations have been baptized with the truth of Incarnational Reality; for others it is simply a time for their imaginations to be stirred once again into a sense of worship of the One they serve. The birth of Christ is more than a historical event: it has crucial relevance for every man, woman and child.
This event includes a cast of nearly 100 costumed people, live animals, and narration played out on a farm in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It begins for the guests as they arrive at the Welcome Center in Keats Park, Keats Kansas. There they will be met by hosts who will direct them into a heated building where they will be welcomed with hot chocolate, home made cookies, and live music. From the Welcome Center guests will take a short bus ride to the farm where their guide and his assistant will lead them on their approximately forty minute walk through the Flint Hills of Kansas.
Come listen to Moses, David, Isaiah and others foretell the coming of the King. Walk through the crowded street of Bethlehem where vendors are oblivious to the momentous occasion of your visit. Come see the busy innkeeper and the young pregnant couple who were denied residence by him. Watch the angels tell good news to shepherds. Come witness the empty cross and the open tomb and hear the next chapter of the story.

Bethlehem Revisited begins at Keats Park. Keats is located 5 miles north west of Manhattan, Kansas. From Manhattan, follow Anderson west to the town of Keats.
Friday evening begins at 6:00 and will run till 8:45 pm.  Saturday and Sunday evening will begin at 5:00 and will run till 8:45 pm.

Marvel Vs. DC: Who is better?

“It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  It’s…” Superhero comics! Comic books are one of the earliest from of entertainment for kids and adults and they are still entertaining up to today. Two comic-book companies continue to rise higher on the charts due to their media; Marvel and DC comics.  Both have a wide variety of characters; they both have raked in quite the load in cash over the years and the companies’ ability to expand their content to readers and viewers of all ages make the race for supremacy a difficult task at hand.

            Marvel and DC both seem to have an endless supply of characters for their numerous adventures. But the list is not endless, though very, very close. Marvel’s number of super-heroes comes to a whopping total of 776 super-heroes. Ranging from the more “well-known” heroes such as the Incredible Hulk and Captain America, all the way down to the side-kicks and, well, lesser-known heroes such as Awesome Andy or The Digitek.  DC does not fall behind Marvel in the numbers for heroes. As the number of so called heroes in the DC world continue to increase, the count ranges anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 superheroes. Sorry Marvel, but DC has you beat! But do not forget the almighty villains! To each hero, there are dozens of tenacious super-villain right behind them, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Though the exact number is known only to those who work to write and develop the characters themselves, both Marvel and DC have on average between 2,000-2,500 supervillains. Though numbers are similar, Marvel’s villains take the lead for best-known. Masterminds such as Loki, The Red Skull, Doctor Doom, and numerous other re-appearing villains keep readers and film lovers highly entertained. But don’t count out DC just yet. With clever rogues such as Magneto, the Joker and many more following right behind, these villains hold their own in the battle against companies.

The intake of money contributes to the dispute of the two companies. The superhero movies made based on the Marvel characters have actually brought in 45% more revenue than the DC movies. If you stop and look at the last 15 years you are going to find that there have been Marvel properties in at least 28 of the films that have been made. However, there have only been 23 films with DC properties in them within the last 35 years. This is just one more substantial difference when you are comparing the two of them. Marvel films have grossed more than $190 million on average but the average for DC is only $129 million.  The movie The Avengers helped with this. They had a domestic total that was more than $620 million. This was actually the highest of any superhero film ever made. This is not to say that DC has never had strong contenders. In fact, they did have the 2008 film The Dark Knight. This film took in more than $533 million. When it comes to the best DC superheroes to ever hit the big screen you definitely have to consider Batman. Marvel continually produces movies based on their amazing comic book heroes where DC seems to have selected a few and simply continued to make movies based on them.  You would think that with all of the special effects that are out there today DC would want to take some of their larger comic book characters and try to make some money on them but that is not happening. In the end, Marvel is certainly making more money. Marvel is making a lot more movies than DC.  “It is a shame because they may be able to get back in the game if they were to put forth a little more effort.”  (“Dinqman”) Those that have seen the movies will also tell you that Marvel seems to be willing to remain true to their characters and the stories that they have created. They are not really moving away from the plots and the audience really enjoys this as well. Finally, one keynote to remember is the impact of 3D. These movies are on the rise and the tickets are more expensive. This could be one more reason why Marvel is doing so well.

 Superhero comic books have been around since the early 1930’s. Geared towards boys and men of all ages, they took off and never slowed down. As printers and computer technology advanced, so did the stories. As the companies rose higher in the charts, the simplicity and family-friendliness levels dropped. Gone were the days were a little boy or girl could pick up a comic book and joyfully read without being scarred by images of young women whose body features had been dramatically enlarged and pronounced or scared by the intense violence. Superheros began to draw in the older crowd, leaving behind the little ones.  But in the last decade, Marvel and DC comics have done things to change all that. As films for teens and adults filled the media, animated cartoons of the children’s favorite Marvel and DC comics came into existence. In the last decade, Marvel has produced over 100 different film titles. Nearly 40 of those include cartoons and animation for children. Comics specifically written to appeal to the younger crowd left the shelves as quickly as they were filled. DC also stepped up the game and introduced a line of cartoons and comics for children. When internet-gaming and e-reading came into play, this introduced a new dilemma. If a child wanted to look at Batman or Wolverine online, whether playing games, reading digital comics or watching videos, both Marvel and DC Comics offer a website specifically designed for kids that can be found on their main home pages. Both offer straightforward domain names – marvelkids.com and dckids.com – but which one is more appealing to kids? MarvelKids is the slam-dunk winner to DCKids in content. Marvel offers games, puzzles, coloring pages, mazes, videos and links to downloading recent animated superhero episodes via iTunes such as Wolverine and the X-Men. Each superhero, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, The Thing, Captain America, X-Men, Silver Surfer, Avengers, Iron Man and Spider-Girl, has a webpage that offers a brief bio, a different fun fact when you refresh the page, wallpapers, and digital comics. Meanwhile DCKids offers links to comics, books, toys, and stuff. The comics’ link led to a simply designed product page of a Looney Tunes comic. There is a price for the comic but you cannot buy it which makes sense if kids were on this page. For the books and toys sections, there are no images of products, just a long list of links to each product as if it had been slapped together in 1996. For the stuff section, DC offers just two digital comics and two online games. Missing are graphics and information about Batman, Superman and other DC superheroes.  Kudos goes to Marvel for providing a rich, interactive experience for kids.  As for DC Comics, what does this say about how they deem their young fans? The president of DC Entertainment, Diane Nelson said, “Our fans are parents too and we want to give families the opportunity to create new memories by sharing the DC Comics experience in a fun and family-friendly environment” Both companies have worked hard to include audiences of all ages.

Many factors rule into the battle between the companies. Whether it be the Characters the introduce, the money each company has drawn in, or to which crowd they seem to attract, Marvel's and DC's fight to be the best can only be determined by preference. With no final answer of whether one is better than the other, the final decisions are up to the fans. Each person is entitled to preferences greater than can be explained; favorite heroes/villains, number of comics, films and many more factor into ones decision. Whether you favorite hero be Batman or Spiderman, the choice, my dear reader, is left solely up to you

Cold!

It has happened.

Winter is officially upon us. 

It is cold. Very, very, cold.

Excuse me while I go cry.

I really hate the cold. Which is strangely ironic seeing as Christmastime is one of my favorite times of the year.

I want summer back.

1,000 Words

Every Picture is worth a thousand words

Everypicture is worth a thousand words

Not one worth more than another

We spend our days taking pictures of our lives

To savor the memories we treasure