Prayer

This week, more than ever, I have realized the power of prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, "Pray continually." And James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Luke 18:1, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."  I think that we, as humans, give up on God really easily. We think that if He doesn't act within the first 24 hours of us asking for help, that He has forgotten about us. This is not so. There is a reason why David is called a man after God's own heart. There is a reason why Paul could be content with what he had. They always went to God in prayer and worship.

I won't go into detail, but I got so caught up in a problem this week that I eventually broke down, crying, because I saw no way of fixing it. And, if you know me, I don't cry often. It just shows how much that I had dived, head first, into a problem full of sharp edges and spiders, without praying and asking God to go before me.
 
Prayer is powerful. As it says in James 5:16. It is so easy to push God aside and try to jump over that barrier wall keeping us from where you want to go, simply because it seems like God is just standing next to it, leaning on a giant sledgehammer. The key is to not give up. Keep asking. Thank Him for all He has given you already. Spend a few days only listening to worship music. Learn to acknowledge His splendor and wonder. 

I believe that God sometimes tests our faith. Not for His own amusement, but to show us something new that we can achieve by acknowledging His presence. Then, when He feels like we are ready, He helps us. I certainly feel like my relationship with God has been strengthened throughout this week. 

What I was forgetting, is that Jesus tells us time and time again that He will get us through the rough patches of life. He goes before us. I don't know about you, but I'm comforted my that.

A word that has been popping up in my mind about Jesus this week is "breakthrough". Jesus is the ultimate bulldozer in our lives. He can breakthrough those problems so that they're only dust and rubble- unable to build itself up again. He can trample the fears that hinder us from reaching our goals. He is our breakthrough.

I Have a Bad Feeling About This

Hello all you wonderful people. Isn't it crazy how life seems to pass you by so quickly at some times, and so slowly at others? It has literally been months since I've talked to you guys. And, I'm sorry. Haha! Honestly though, not a whole lot has happened since I last posted. "Living life", as they say, has become a more and more mediocre term to me. For a few weeks in the past two months, I only had face to face time with my mom, my brothers, and maybe...3 others. Needless to say, I needed to get out of the house more. These past weeks, I have done exactly that. I went on vacation.

Vacations are enjoyable. For Pete's sake, the epitome of the definition of a vacation is to relax and enjoy yourself away from the stress of your 'normal' life.

After an 8 hour long road trip with our troop of 6, we arrived in Keystone, South Dakota (about a 10 minute drive from Mount Rushmore). We went and saw Mount Rushmore. We toured the Jewel Caves, which had something like 700 stairs up and down a 1/2 mile loop. We went to a little old steak  house that had all our tummies full of cow goodness. We even went to Custer State Park and saw (and  pet, and fed) wild burrows, and tons of buffalo. It was fun, but exhausting. It didn't exactly cure me of my need to get out of the house though, because when we weren't touring and petting wild animals, we were at the hotel watching movies and taking naps in our rooms.

I decided that when I got back to Colorado, I would go out and find people to hang out with. And, as luck would have it, an opportunity presented itself. This past Tuesday, I got to see Sheree (insert a trumpet flare similar to the one at the beginning of Prince Ali from Aladdin). I wanted just to meet her for lunch at the college, but she had other plans in mind that included me being the 'Facial Wizzard' in a short film for a group project (you had to be there).

Okay, so now here's the spiritual standpoint of this little ramble: There are times when God will give you an urge to do something productive with your life. For me, it was, and is still, to be more social. But with a spiritual urge, there usually comes a hellish attack. I got a cold the day after I was with Sheree.

I was extremely tempted to stay home, drink tea, watch movies, and shun the world- all because I got a small case of the sniffles. I did fight through it though. I took a long nap and kept praying that I could feel better before the evening because I wanted to go to a coffee house with some friends. Eventually the headache and the sinus pressure subsided and I felt much better after taking some cold meds. Thankfully, I did get to have a spectacular time with my friends that evening.

Esh. Um. I'm not trying to say that if you're sick and you wanted to hang out with your friends that you should just push through it and go anyway. I'm saying that sometimes The Evil one will play tricks on you to prevent you from doing what God what's you to.

You know those times when you feel like something is wrong? Obi-Wan Kenobi comes to my mind when he would say "I have a bad feeling about this". He could feel the evil around him. He felt something was off. When I woke up with that cold on Wednesday morning, I knew it was wrong. It didn't feel right. I needed to force it out of me. And, with God's help, I did.

Being social is something that God is teaching me. I've never been very good at it, but I know something extraordinary will come if it in the end.

Cheers to not being a hermit anymore. :)

That's it. I'm out.
Be bold. Be blessed. Be bodacious.
~Ana

P. S. I typed all if this on my iPhone because my laptop is currently hiding from me. Please forgive me if autocorrect changed some if my words.

I Saved a Mangy Old Cat Today

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a person who willingly instigates a conversation, and sometimes that leaves people hanging as to how to get a conversation started with me. This is something I hear...frequently. Even with friends that I see every day:

**I'm is in a group of people or sitting across from somebody at a table. The conversation has lulled unexpectedly. I'm is distracted by something on my shoes or on my phone or on the ceiling. I'm okay with awkward silences. The less I have to talk, the better. Then, suddenly, somebody asks the inevitable question.**

"So, Ana, what has God been doing in your life?"

What should be an easy answer comes out as "Umm...lots. Yeah. He's doing a lot of things. I feel really, um, blessed."

I've been a pretty private person for, let's face it, most of my life. People get surprised when I tell them that my parents are divorced, or that I have an older brother, or that I have a mild obsession with crocheting. I don't normally tell people the details of my personal life. Which is why I don't like the question: "What is God doing in your life?"

Like I've mentioned in other posts, I see my relationship with God as more of a friendship than a somber affiliation. If you ask what God is doing in my life, I'll probably tell you about this crazy thing that happened while I was driving, or that I talked to a stranger, or that I got a letter from a friend that made me happy. But, that's not what people want to hear when they ask me, "Ana, really, what is God doing in your life?" They want to hear a heart-throbbing sob story about how I saw a mangy old cat in the middle of the rain and I went out to help it and it made me feel really good and alive inside, and how it relates to your relationship with God because you were once a mangy old cat and He took you out of the rain and nursed you back to health. I hate cats so that wouldn't happen, but you get the idea.

My point is, God is ALWAYS working in your life. You just have to choose to see it. Those funky adventures that you have in the grocery store, or the funny dance routine you choreograph with your co-workers, or that fantastic novel that makes you cry are all things that god put in your life. I'm trying to wrap my head around it, but God made us in his image! Wouldn't you think that he would want to spend quality time as well as fun time with something that he created? I mean, you don't make a paper airplane and leave it on the table, do you? You took time and effort to make it perfect, so now you want spend time having fun with it.

Never let any moment pass you by. Each moment is a moment God wants to share with you- and, yes, he does like watching The Lord of the Rings with you- so thank Him for spending time with you.

Next time someone asks you what God is doing in your life, you can just tell a story of something fun you did with God. I mean, of course there will be times when your frustrated with him, or don't understand why he's putting you through a difficult ordeal, and that's something to talk about too. Just know that you don't have to tell the story of the mangy old cat or think up a deep and personal story. Personal stories are usually just for you and God anyway.

Live life with God at your side.

Be Bold. Be Blessed. Be Bodacious.
~Ana

Merry and Pippin

If you've seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I think you have already come to the conclusion that Merry and Pippin are the most adorable pair of friends you will ever meet on screen.
Watch this:

But, if you've read the books, you'll find that there's more to their relationship than just witty lines.

I'm just about finished reading The Return of the King, but in The Two Towers Merry and Pippin get separated as Gandalf takes Pippin to Minas Tirith. Both Merry and Pippin feel the separation terribly. In almost every chapter Tolkien reminds us of their loneliness. Merry feels it less for a time because he still has Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to talk and joke with, but when they leave for the Paths of the Dead, Tolkien writes this:

"'Goodbye!' Said Merry. He could find no more to say. He felt very small, and he was puzzled and depressed by all these gloomy words. More than ever he missed the unquenchable cheerfulness of Pippin."

They had been inseparable since the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, when we first met them. Now they weren't together, and something was off balance inside them.  

When Merry and Pippin are reunited, they just continued as they were before. Best friends to the end.

I think that Merry and Pippin have one of the strongest friendships in literature. I believe that every close friendship should be like theirs. 

*cough cough* That being said- why can't our friendship with God be like beloved Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took's?

I know it's weird to think of ourselves as friends with God. But, Jesus even tells us "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's like for his friends. You are my friends" (John 15:13-14a). Our relationship with God doesn't have to be all deeply thought out prayers, confessions, and fasting (although that is a part of it). It can be fun and witty, just like Merry and Pippin's friendship.

There also comes times where we are separated. But, sometimes not consciously.

I've been reading The Skrewtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, and some of the things in there are really mind opening. Lewis suggests that one of the Evil One's tricks is not putting things into our thoughts, but keeping things out. Pushing aside the more holy things to make the temptations peep out of their boxes. This separates us from God. Sometimes, we know we are doing wrong, but other times, when we're resting, we let our minds wonder without even knowing and indulge in a different mindset- - that ultimately leaves us feeling unhappy, even lonely. And, believe it or not, God feels it too. He feels remorse and sadness when we go down a lonely path that hurts us.

The good thing is, when we come back to God, He forgives us and we can continue being friends just as before. 

Being friends with Jesus has its outrageously fun moments too, just scroll down my blog and see all the crazy things we have been through together. He delights in the things that delight you- -my list can go on forever: chocolate, scarves, snow, books, crayons, buttons, wildflowers, strawberries, etc. . . - - wholesome things that actually make you smile! And, he delights in them even more when you acknowledge that He gave them to you.

Haha! I'm sorry if this post is a little scatterbrained, but I feel like sometimes people take God way too seriously. To be sure, it is a serious thing to be in a relationship with God, but I believe He wants us to enjoy walking with Him. We don't have to feel like it's always a sombre occasion when we pray, and we certainly don't have to use big ceremonious words when we are being serious with Him. Be yourself with Him. Merry and Pippin never had to be someone else to be accepted by the other. Why should we think we have to be someone else to be friends with God?

Be Bold. Be Blessed. Be Bodacious.
~Ana

Life Can be a Fairy Tale

Life is like a fairy tale.
Woe. Woe. Woe. Where's my pumpkin carriage and Prince Charming, huh? You might be thinking, but think about it, every fairy tale starts with someone who's been in the dumps for a while.

Cinderella was a servant in her home.

Aladdin was a street rat.

The Ugly Duckling was... ugly.

Rapunzel was sheltered.

Jack was poor.

Belle was odd.

You get the picture.
Surely you can relate to at least one of these hopeless heroes or heroines.

We tend to assume that our lives will never get out of the servant, street rat, ugly, sheltered, poor, odd stage of our fairy tale. That we'll remain there forever. The thing is, all of these heroes and heroines had to do one or all of these things before their "fairy tale" life started: sacrifice something they loved, tolerate the things they hated, rebel against what was expected, step out of their comfort zone, or accept themselves for who they were. Don't these look familiar to our own lives?

Also, we have to get passed the "bad guys", being either circumstances or real people that stand in the way of our happy ending. Sometimes the villains will be what we least expect. Fear of the unknown, waiting until it's too late to do anything about it, and even family and friends (peer pressure or guilt) can hold you back from reaching your happy ending.

Now, from a spiritual perspective, what we want for our happy ending might not be what we need. I've always envisioned that I would be married to a super attractive Irish guy, have a couple of Oscar or Tony awards, and retire somewhere on the Moors of Ireland. But, that may not be what God has planned for me at all. God always puts us in places that He knows we will grow. He loves us too much to leave us where we are. He wants us to go higher up and farther into Him, always.

One of the pastors at my church talked about how important our relationship with God is. Remember when, in the Bible, God asked Solomon what he wanted most in the world? Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased with that, and in addition to wisdom, God said that he would give Solomon riches and a long life if he walked as his father, David, walked. David, even though he did a lot of unspeakable things, always  came back to one thing- God's heart. To ask Solomon to walk as David walked was a pretty big condition that Solomon, I think, interpreted wrong. He gradually fell away from God, and his life ended in desolation and stupidity. In shambles. For generations, his kingdom turned from God. In contrast, David's life ended as a worshiper of God. Because David's focus was on strengthening his relationship with God, his life had a happy ending.

I would say that David lived a fairy tale life. He went where God wanted him to go, and when he strayed, he made sacrifices and repented.

The way I look at it is this: we are all living a fairy tale. And, it may not be ending up rich, or married to Prince Charming, but it will have a happy ending. Strive to go where God needs you to go, not where you want to go. If you continually dive into a deep relationship with him, you will find that life is less like the servant, street rat, ugly, sheltered, poor, odd life you have been living. It will be hard, there will be villains who try to stand in your way, but God will bring you to your happily ever after.

Be Bold. Be Blessed. Be Bodacious.
~Ana

Goals for College

 Hello =) I am currently in the process of applying for scholarships so I can go to college in the fall. This is an essay I submitted for a $10,000 scholarship about my goals.... It had to be under 550 words, so if it seems like it's missing something, it's missing words people.

Planning goals for my future has never been easy for me. When people asked me what my plans were after high school, I would give a vague answer that usually included the phrase, “it is all up to God.”  It was not until I actually graduated high school that I started making goals for myself. I decided I wanted to go to school for journalism, but still be able to pursue my passion for acting. I set these two goals, along with others, for myself: find a college that supports my beliefs and offers the major I want, and be able to pursue my passion for theater, simultaneously.

Finding colleges that offered my chosen major was the easy part. Almost all colleges offer journalism as an extension of their communications majors. But, finding a college that supported my beliefs was an entirely different quest.  As a Christian, it was important to me that I went to a Christian college, so that I could grow in my relationship with Jesus. I believe that each walk with Jesus is different, so I wanted to go to a college that did not preach a textbook, “this is how you need to do this,” kind of Christianity. I wanted to go to a school that challenged my faith, but also did not push students to go to chapel every school night, shun Harry Potter books, and confiscate all rated R movies (except The Passion of the Christ, of course). After searching for a long while, I finally found and was accepted into Colorado Christian University, which suited my needs as a Christian and journalist major. Also, it is only an hour and a half drive from my home, and right outside Denver, where dozens of acting agencies that I could apply for while in the process of studying journalism as an actual career.

 Which brings me to the second goal I had set for myself: pursue theatre while I am in college. I have been acting on stage since I was twelve years old. I was told I had a talent, and I have been practicing it for a long time. Honestly, I cannot imagine my life without some connection to the theatre. It was preferred that I could have at least a minor in theatre when I went to college so that I could pursue theatre through focused classes, rather than having it as a passion that may or may not be remembered once I graduated. Since the college I plan to attend does offer theatre as a minor, I am not so concerned about losing the connection I have to theatre. But, I am also going to college just 20 minutes outside of Denver, which holds many different acting agencies that I could apply for and build on my talent.

I think I have both of the goals I set for myself pretty well in hand.  I have been accepted into a college that promises to challenge my faith, offers journalism as a major, and I will still be able to thrive in theatre. Going to college is a big step into my future. I am so glad God has blessed me with this opportunity to learn and grow into the kind of person I believe He wants me to be.

 
It took me three days to write this, and I'm pretty proud of it. Everything's turning out all right =)

Be Bold. Be Blessed. Be Bodacious.

~Ana