Wow! That's small.



This is what my cat tends to do when he relaxes.

Due explanation!

My mom wonders why I sometimes draw pictures of guys. When she asked, I really didn't have a good response, because I hadn't really thought about it. But I have now, and this is the conclusion I've reached.

It’s very difficult to draw the human features, as many of my past pictures will testify to. I choose to draw guys not because I’m obsessed with them, but rather because when you draw guys, you get much more “up-front” features with more distinction and clarity. Girls have softer features and their expressions are more difficult to capture. I believe that in order to become a capable artist, you must be able to draw both masculine and feminine traits. I'm starting with guys because, simply put, they're easier. Not a lot easier, mind you-it's always a challenge to complete someone's features and expressions with success. But if there's an easier way to do something, I'm going to try it before I move on to the more challenging side.

Not obsession, but polishing.

This strange format is just an experiment! This whole template is WIP. Please be patient. :)

Support the country you live in or live in the country you support.

Everybody’s looking for something-something to fill in the hole. We think a lot but don’t talk much about it, till things get out of control.

While perhaps not the best source of quotations, classic rock group Van Halen deftly addressed the issue of fulfillment in this song. People throughout the years have attempted to fulfill themselves with other people, things or pastimes. Today, a new group is gaining the stage in regards to this question. They are the New Atheists-though admittedly, their ideas are now new-and the world watches in anticipation to see if they will finally be able to answer the ultimate question, “What do I want?”

Before we study these atheists with unbridled interest, let’s take a look behind the scenes. There, without all the glamour, is another answer, and it differs dramatically from the vagueness of atheism. Composed of clear-cut rules, the religion we call Christianity is governed by underlying virtues and principles. Some consider it to be narrow-minded, as if one single Person could truly fulfill this great, cavernous hole inside each of us.

So atheism attempts to fill its followers with reason, logic and order. In a recent article on atheism, leading atheist Daniel Dennett explains that in this future world without God humans will be universally involved in a “religion of reason”. In the same article, another atheistic author speaks highly of using poetry, introspection and meditation to take the place of the primitive religion we call Christianity. Truly, this is a great, peaceful world that artists like John Lennon have always envisioned. It is an ambitious world, but according to atheists, it is attainable—but only once all traces of religion are abolished.

Certainly, today’s world is not as beautiful as it might be. People are insecure, lost, lonely, hurt and confused. Every day, people’s hearts are broken. A perfectly unbiased reader of these prominent atheists’ works might find their vision of universal peace and prosperity appealing. After all, what could be more alluring than this veritable utopia?

But the atheists, for all their magnificent plans, have neglected a rather significant issue—that of fulfillment. Nowhere within their sparkling claims do they state that humans will be fulfilled. Certainly, they strongly imply that people will be happy, but real happiness is difficult to obtain without true fulfillment. The problem today is not how we can be perfectly happy and comfortable in this life, but rather, how can our lives have true meaning and real fulfillment? Atheism doesn’t address the issue of fulfillment at all-either for the bright future, or for the bitter present. Nor do the proponents of atheism give any excuse for not being able to do so. But Christianity does offer answers. Deuteronomy 4:29 speaks of finding the one true God when we seek Him with all of our hearts. This God is attainable. We are loved completely by the Creator of the universe! That kind of love must be returned, at least to the best of our abilities. And as thousands of Christians from all over the world will attest, the pursuit of God-and only the pursuit of God-will fulfill without exception. These people have tried different things to fill themselves-human love, personal ambition, and various pastimes. But nothing has filled them so completely as the love of God and their desire to share that love.

Though I am being raised in a Christian family, I have measured the relative benefits of atheism against the benefits of Christianity. In doing so, I encountered many logical fallacies in the entire philosophy behind atheism. I hope that the unaddressed issue of fulfillment will be clear to every searching person who considers the “religion” of atheism.

So I would leave you with this question. If life is as atheists say and there is no higher power, why does the love of God consume, fill and enrich the lives of his followers? Atheism offers no answer to this query, and that is where atheism falls far short of answering life’s biggest questions.

Being a Middle Child

Being a middle child and a second daughter is no light task. In fact, it requires skill and aptitude beyond what most adults can imagine! My job is composed of several different elements.

First of all, I’m the chief complainer in my family. In most families, the youngest or the oldest boy is the champion whiner. Not in our family. I take it upon myself to point out and expound every problem in our family, our house, and our home. For example: Mom! Our schedule gives me three minutes to do algebra! (Actually a perfectly relevant point!) Another example: Dad! The toilet’s overflowing! Again!! (Also a perfectly relevant point…) and my last example: Mom! He’s picking his nose again! (Ugh!) Those are just a few of the daily objects the chief complainer absolutely must whine about on a regular basis.

Along with being chief complainer in our family, I am also resident cynic. This job includes being serious for most of the time, and interjecting my down-to-earth, sometimes dark views for the exasperation of the rest of my family. It works amazing well for most issues that come up.
My trustworthy workplace motto is: “No one should be too euphoric for too long.” Being resident cynic will also improve your reflexes, as the not-so-lovely truth will tend to make people less charitable toward your person.

While being resident cynic has its ups and downs, it has nothing on being the family cultural consultant. This job description is comprised of knowing every song played on the radio today on every station, having a perfectly dizzying mental rolodex of the lyrics to nearly every song, and keeping up on the latest movies, TV shows, magazines, books and bands.
But along with being well-versed in media of all types, it is useful to have a working knowledge of nearly every automobile on the roads today. It is always nice to know the difference between a Cobra, a Viper, and a Cayman—the first is made by Ford, the second by Dodge, and the last by Porsche. And it’s also helpful to know how Porsche is pronounced! Vehicle knowledge is an important element if you wish to become a private cultural consultant.
And last but not least, it is helpful to be fluent in every sort of wholesome slang in today’s world. For example: the word “shorty” and the word “emo.” “Shorty” is a term of endearment given by the hip-hop crowd to girlfriends, and “emo” is a description of a musical or personal style in which emotion is used excessively. Knowing many internet terms is an optional benefit to knowing large amounts of slang.

And lastly, I am acknowledged as the wordsmith in our family. My use of words will probably never cease to startle, amuse and enlighten my family. One of my favorite words is “maligned.” As in, “Ooh! An insult! I’ve been maligned! I’ll never speak to you again!” If that sounds familiar to you, it probably is. Yes, it is true: I get a lot of my vocabulary from Calvin and Hobbes. Also, as my family will attest, I will read the dictionary for no apparent reason. The fact that I rarely speak around people is simply a mask for the fact that my sisters cannot get me to be quiet. Being a wordsmith is not a particularly demanding job, but it is one of the most enjoyable components of being a middle child in our family.

To summarize, that is a little about what it takes to be a middle child. Contrary to popular belief, middle children are not less unique than oldest or youngest children. If anything, they are forced to maintain a more unique outlook on life because of their position in the family.
While there is nothing wrong with being a first or youngest child, being a middle has many perks. Although the pay is not particularly good.

Just for fun :)

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4 and write what it says. “These books concentrate on questions about pain, God, life and love.”
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? My dresser.
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Don’t remember
4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 1:08
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 12:54
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Def Leppard on the radio and my sister typing.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? Earlier this morning. Getting home from my friends’ house.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? The ironing board in my room.
9. What are you wearing? Denim skirt and multi layer shirt.
10. Did you dream last night? Oh ya
11. When did you last laugh? Last night: I was reading W. Bruce Cameron’s Garden Wars edition of his column.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? My LOTR RotK poster, my names of Christ poster, a picture from my friend, and a calendar.
13. Seen anything weird lately? Yeah, my friend.
14. What do you think of this quiz? Interesting enough to take!
15. What is the last film you saw? Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? My first gun, a good flashlight, a Toyota Tacoma, and iPod and $300 worth of iTunes.
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know. I am introverted, but I like writing.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? Feed every person in Africa every day for the rest of their lives.
19. Do you like to dance? :D Sorta. Just got two darn left feet.
20. Comment to George Bush: Please ignore what they say about you.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? Heh. Melanie Joyce. (means “dark” and “gothic”)
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Isaiah Dante
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Hmm...yeah!
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate? Well done, good and faithful servant.
25. 3 people who must also do this quiz in THEIR blog.
My sister
My friend
My other friend. ;)

P.O.D. Article II

You can not fill your heart and your mind with the music of P.O.D. and remain spiritually sound. It has already spiritually corrupted many of you reading this article. You already place P.O.D. way above the Lord Jesus.

I would be perfectly willing to try and understand exactly what these people are trying to tell me about POD. In fact, I don't think POD is a model band (note I never said so.) However, blatant accusations such as the above are unfounded, unfair and biased. They make me much less accepting of what they have to say. To say to someone that they place something above their Creator is wrong. And do you know why? Any man that claims to know the heart of another man is lying. A man doesn't even know the state of his own heart! How can these people make such blatant accusations? What would Jesus say to this kind, compassionate, understanding tactic?

10.25.2006

Ahhh, it's been awhile. ;) School's still been real busy, but not too bad. I'm lovin' debate! Ok, so I am a research freak. SO??? You gotta problem with that?? Ahem. ;)

What I would say if I had ten minutes to change the world

Note: This essay won second place in the Colorado CFC Scholarship Essay Contest.

For centuries, mankind has been plagued with darkness, despair, hatred and meaningless violence. Only one source claims to know the answer to the world’s problems, the reason those problems exist, and how those problems can be solved. This source is known today as Christianity, as it has been officially titled for two hundred centuries.
Though Christians have been strongly persecuted over the years, the expansion of the faith was unstoppable. It began spreading in the Middle East during the life of its founder, Jesus Christ. From there, it rapidly spread to the most remote corners of the earth. But the way of Christianity has not always been an easy way.
To this day, Christianity is still persecuted, even in an advanced society like the United States. Christianity is daily put down in American schools, courtrooms, and media. Because of the persecution Christianity has faced (which has been worse than any other persecution for a religion), we can be confident of the truth to be found within.
The three basic pillars of Christianity are the foundation of every true Christian’s belief. While some of these concepts go by different names, the content should be the same.

The first pillar of this unique faith is known as the concept of total depravity.
Total depravity is the belief that no man on earth has anything to offer to the Creator of the universe, who requires absolute perfection and adherence to His law. This depravity is evidenced everywhere we look in the world today: In the meaningless dictatorial slaughter of Saddam Hussein’s own subjects, and in the historical example of the Nazi concentration camps.
Perhaps the most obvious example of this depravity is the everyday procedure right here in the United States called abortion. No matter which way we turn, it is abundantly clear that the world has nothing to offer God, as has been the case since man fell by disobeying God’s law in the Garden of Eden.
As horrible as the listed things are, it becomes increasingly evident that the good works a man can do are just as meaningless: No amount of money given to charity and no amount of kindness toward anyone can earn anyone appreciation in God’s eyes. God is a just God, and He requires complete adherence to His perfect laws. It is unfortunately true that no one on earth is able to obey God’s laws from top to bottom, nor does anyone in the world have an inherent desire to do so. This inability and apathy is due to a combination of demonic whisperings and a surly, wicked human nature. However, without complete obeisance to the perfect divine law, all human beings are destined to spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire, under relentless torture and in unending pain.

The complete wretchedness and helplessness of the human race thus established, it is now imperative that we examine the next pillar of the Christian faith: that of saving grace.
While it has been earlier stated that God is a just God, it is in order to now add that God is also a gracious God. The significance of this principle is that every person on earth will not spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. This is made possible by the complete redeeming grace offered by God through His son, Jesus Christ.
This is where Christianity is set apart from every other religion, past or present, in any worldly culture. The concept of a religious leader who dies so that every single person who follows Him may live eternally is something completely unique, and it is made even more astounding by the fact that Jesus was brought back to life after three days of being dead.
Leaders like Buddha, Mohammed and Joseph Smith never died-not just for their followers at the time, but for anyone in the future who was willing to put their faith in them-and they were certainly never raised from the dead. The simple reason for this is that no matter what they claim, no other religious leader has been both completely God and completely man, a combination called the hypostatic union. No other religious leader has had the hypostatic union; therefore no other religious leader has had the power to raise themselves from the dead.
Now that the reality of Christ’s resurrection is established, the significance of this miraculous event must be closely examined.
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were God’s plan to redeem His people from the power of sin. Jesus’ life was designed to tell people about their depravity and to serve God on earth. His death was to take His Father’s wrath upon Himself, so that God’s wrath would not be poured onto the human race. And His resurrection was necessary to prove His victory over death itself, the most feared of corporeal enemies. With death conquered and an omnipresent God who cares about each person, Christians have nothing to fear either in life (from people, nature or God’s wrath) or in death. True Christians are not only striving for a more Christ-like lifestyle, but they are also guaranteed an eternity with the God they love in Heaven. The influence of Christianity on the world’s current problems will be massive. When everyone in every country around the world truly accepts true Christianity, the world will become a much better place for each and every individual. Fear of both life and death will be significantly reduced, and individuals will strive to be kinder, more patient, more loving, and less sinful.

It is important to remember, also, that while the lifestyle Christianity creates is significantly less burdened than that of the unbeliever, no one’s life-not even a Christian’s-is ever going to be perfectly free of trials and tribulations. However, when we know that God has our best interests in mind, our situations in His hands, and His incredible love for us in His heart, we cannot be defeated by anything the world tries to bring us down with.
God offers at least one escape from every sinful temptation presented to every person. He also tells us that we are not faced with any temptation more severe than other people have faced in the past: It is simply His help and our faith in that help which brings us untouched through the fiery furnace of temptations.

In summary, the life Jesus offers through His suffering and resurrection is much more than simply a more peaceful life here on earth. The Christian way of life cultivates the good traits that are not present in each person inherently, but are gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as patience, love, perseverance, faith and peace. There is no doubt in my mind that instituting Christianity in every single country would lead to an increase in true Christians. This increase would trigger a drop in gratuitous violations of God’s perfect law. Christianity for all nations would significantly, permanently, and positively change the world.


That is what I would say if I had ten minutes to change the world.

Al Gore for president?!? Is anyone but me scared?

The following is displayed prominently on the page titled "Al Gore 2008", from www. algore-08.com. Read and consider on your own, and then read my comments below.

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Is He or Isn't He? 2008 Analysis

Sunday, 11 June 2006

Al Gore is on a roll. His anti-global warming film, An Inconvenient Truth, had the most successful per screen documentary film opening in history. And his new book of the same name is number 3 on the New York Times best seller list. His opinion is sought on all the pressing issues of the day, and even the mainstream media have begun to praise his remarkable record of being right when (pretty much) everybody else was wrong.

No wonder people are getting excited about the return of this statesman to the national debate. Everywhere he goes, the winner of the popular vote in 2000 is asked: Would you consider running for President in 2008? Although his answer has consistently been that he has no intention or plans to seek office, he hasn't decided not to run either.

I'm convinced that Gore can be persuaded to run, and this is hardly a radical view....

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From what I have seen of Al Gore, he is intensely dedicated to the environment. Ok. Wow. So what's the big deal? He says he has unique abilities that would make him a great president, and that the presidency will give him a great way to really turn the environmental situation around. But he doesn't want to run. He's confident, he's ready, he's right, according to the overwhelmingly liberal media that he has *finally* gotten to agree with him (a distinct impossibility for conservative, moral people of any stature whatever). So why doesn't he run for president? Supposedly, he doesn't think he's ready. But he said that he had special qualifications for being president. He's confident, like I said before. So why doesn't he run? Could it be because when it comes down to it, there is no Democrat leadership? Why would he not run otherwise? I don't think that the Democratic party has it in them to even get a presidential candidate on the bill for 2008. Overall, I don't think the Democratic party is organized enough to run Gore as their candidate, and I don't think Gore is brave enough to stand up against the Republican leadership. Personal opinion!