Why We're Not Chicken Noodle Soup

So maybe this isn't quite within a week, but it's within a month, right? No? One day off? Hmm. Maybe I should stop making poor estimates of when my next post will be...

The closest thing we had to chicken noodle soup.
Just go with it.

Today I wanted to write about labels. Not the labels on a can of soup or something like that, but the labels given to a person either by themselves or by someone else. As a teenager, this is something that I struggle with almost daily. It's always a temptation to believe the labels and do everything within my power to become the person that the label implies. But that's not right. It's not what I'm called to do as God's daughter. I say, let's get rid of them. All of them.

So what exactly to I mean by labels? In this case, I mean the category that a person is placed into in order to define them. Such as: soccer girl, computer genius, animal lover, bookworm, etc. The purpose of a label is to stick it on a person so that we don't have to get closer to them and learn more about them. Or, if it is self imposed, it is so that we can rest in the security of being what others expect and thus make them (and, in turn, ourselves) happy.

What's so wrong with labels then? If they are really just to make people happy and life easy, why would we need to consider getting rid of them? First, just because it makes someone happy, doesn't mean that it is a good thing. It might make me happy to snap at my brothers until they finally leave me alone, but that does not at all mean that it's okay with God.

Yet, nowhere in the Bible does it say, "Thou shalt not label thy friends, thy siblings, or thyself." Which implies that there must be a root problem if it is actually, as I propose, such a bad thing. Labeling must be the result of sin.

But which sin?

If we take the time to look, there are a multitude to choose from: selfishness (wanting people to be just the way we want them), laziness (not wanting to put forth the effort to get to know a person for real), pride (thinking we have the ability and right to define either another person or ourselves), and the list goes on.

Actually, on a slightly different tangent, the soup can picture from above is a good one. A label on a can of chicken noodle soup is placed there to tell you what's inside. When you open the can to cook it, you have no doubt that what you will find inside is indeed chicken noodle soup. The label on the can was put there so that we can know the contents without having to pull out the can opener and work for it.

That's the thing about us humans though, we're not soup. If that is a surprise to anyone, you might want rethink some things - something's wrong. Anyway, humans aren't soup. If a label is put on a can of soup to tell you what's inside, then a label on a human should parallel that purpose. The label should tell you what's inside the person. But that's the thing, it doesn't. Because humans aren't soup, we tend to change and grow and be made up of lots more than broth, chicken, and noodles. We can't be plastered with a label that tells everything exactly as it is inside of us.

There is so much more to every individual person around us that labeling hides from sight. There is so much more to ourselves than one or two concisely cut ideas.

So lets forget the labels and invest in each other as the human beings we are. Let's sweep aside the inhibiting titles and ideas and instead love and get to know each other deeply just as Jesus intended. Because, after all, we're more than chicken noodle soup.

-Kira

Walk for Life 2016 Update

I know I haven't posted in a long time, so here's an update on my last post about the Walk for Life. Also, I hope to have an article (or some other type of post) up within a week. We shall see if that happens.

I forgot to bring a camera this year, so there are no pictures, but I can still tell you how the Walk went.

The Pregnancy Resource Center reached and surpassed their goal of $35,000! I believe the total number was over $36,000.

Our youth group team came in first place with a total of $5,432 with one of our members as first place walker with $1,875. I raised $350.

The event was really fantastic - though a bit cold - and now the PRC has the money to continue serving over the coming months.

Thank you for your donations and prayers! Overall, it was a really fun and worthwhile morning and I look forward to next year!

-Kira

Walk for Life 2016

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Matthew 19:14

Children are precious to God. He shows this time and time again throughout the Bible. We are told to have faith like a child, to protect the fatherless, to take care not to lead children astray.

The unspeakably horrible practice of abortion must be absolutely heart-breaking to our King who values children and human life so highly. He knew us before we were born, while we were still in our mother's wombs. He knew every little thing about us and loved us completely.

As His workers, it is our job to spread God's kingdom throughout this earth through both evangelism and good works. The Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) of Radford, Virginia does this by striving to protect the little children of the world on a daily basis.

The PRC provides many resources and services for women with unplanned pregnancies and shows them that choosing not to abort the unborn children within them is both right and possible.

They not only provide counseling and such services as ultrasounds for free, they also work to care for their clients' physical needs in the form of supplies such as diapers and wipes. Babies can be both expensive and overwhelming and having someone there to help and guide both spiritually and physically is a real blessing to many new mothers.

Throughout the year, the PRC must continually raise funds to sustain their ministry and two major fundraisers provide most of the resources for the year. One is the Baby Bottle Campaign, where churches hand out empty baby bottles to their members to be filled with loose change and returned a few weeks later.

The second is the Walk for Life, where "walkers" ask for sponsors for a few months before meeting to walk two miles together. The Walk for Life this year is April 30 at Bisset Park in Radford. My siblings and I are participating as part of a team with our Youth Group.

The PRC's overall goal for this event is to raise $35,000. At the time of this post, they are only 9% of the way there. My personal goal is $1000 of which I have raised $50.

Please consider whether you can support the PRC this year either by sponsoring a walker, becoming a walker, or (especially) praying!

If you would like more information on the Pregnancy Resource Center and their work, you can find that here:

http://www.prcsupport.com/

If you would like to sponsor me, you can do so by clicking the following link and then the yellow button on the right that says GIVE on this page:

https://secure.ministrysync.com/ministrysync/event/website/?m=2682331#0

From there you can sponsor anyone on my team or any other walkers for the event by searching for them.

If you would like to register as a walker yourself, you can do so here:

https://secure.ministrysync.com/ministrysync/event/website/home/?e=7989

Just click REGISTER and follow the instructions.

Whatever you do, please pray for the Pregnancy Resource Center and for this event. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support!

-Kira

Almost Like It Was Planned That Way...

If one were to go all the way back to my very first post on this particular blog, one would come across a paragraph on why it is called how He loves us. For those of you who are too lazy to do so (or just have a life outside of the internet), I will copy it here:

Also, I was going to call this blog all for Him but the web address was already taken, so it is now how He loves us. (web address: howheluvsus.blogspot.com because "love" spelled correctly was taken too) I was going to call it all for Him because I've been thinking a lot lately about what God wants me to do with my life - both long-term and right now - and how I can glorify Him and do it "all for Him" no matter what it is I'm doing.

So, definitely not a bad thing to think about. We were all created for "good works, which God planned beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10b) Our purpose in life should be to carry out God's plan for said life.

As I said before however, this blog did not end up with the title of all for Him.

When I started writing on here almost two years ago, that was what was occupying my mind a lot and what I was really thinking about. But as I grew, and my blog grew, it seems to have changed. As I look back and think about old posts and stories and pieces of my testimony, I see just how fitting the name how He loves us has turned out to be. Almost like it was planned that way.

My goal with this post is not to start a crazy and confusing predestination debate or anything, but rather to appreciate how God promises to look out for us and care for us constantly.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

I've got to admit, I really struggle with trusting God to take control of my life. I mean, I know He has control already, but I am not willing to accept that fact in every area of my walk with Him. I think that I know better and that I can do better because I can see my plans for my future. I can't see God's plans for my future and that scares me a little bit. Because what if they're different from mine? What if He doesn't want me to be a writer or have kids or go to college? What if He wants me to give up my dreams in order to follow His plan for me? His very much existent and good plan, as stated in the verse in Jeremiah.

The disciples left everything behind in order to follow Christ. They left their families, their jobs, their homes. They committed to following Him completely. They went all in. I want to be that devoted to Christ. I want to be willing to give up what I want, no matter how tremendously difficult and flat-out terrifying that is. I pray that God will help me to be able to say "I surrender all my human soul desires. If sacrifice requires that all my kingdoms fall, I surrender all." (I Surrender All, Clay Crosse)

Because He knows the plans He has for me. Plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Plans to give me a hope and a future. And He has the same for you.

This blog post took an extreme turn from the direction I planned on heading. I don't think I even said what I planned on saying, but I'm not going to change it. It just seems right. Almost like it was planned that way.

-Kira

Booked

Hello everybody! I managed to find a spare minute when there was no school that I could really do (though plenty left, I assure you :D) to write an update.

But it's not so much an update as another introduction.

My last post, Introducing Following Orders!, was all about posting the book I'm writing on here. By the way, I'm nearing the end - yay! It was extremely jumbled up and I forgot to mention where you can even read the book, but it is all better now because...

I am taking down the first chapter of Following Orders!

If you were planning on reading it, please don't panic yet!

In addition to this change, I have started another blog exclusively for posting books. You can read any and all books that I post on that blog - Booked. This is not to make things crazier and more insane but to clean things up so that this blog can stay straightforward and simple.

At the publication of this post, there is only one post over on Booked, but it explains basically how I'm thinking things are going to work. I won't rewrite it all here, but you can go read all of that if you're interested. As always, suggestions and ideas are more than welcome.

The web address (correct terminology?) is: chaptersandscenes.blogspot.com. Now I need to go hunt out some more work that I can do. Bye!

-Kira

Introducing Following Orders!

If it's not obvious yet, I love to write. So much so, that I sincerely hope to be an author in the near future. I won't delve into how I define "author" right now because I know some people say you only have to write a book and others say you have to be published and on and on... Just know that I plan to be one.

As part of fine tuning my writing skills, my parents are allowing me to do a writing curriculum this year in which I get to write a novel. That's right - a whole novel. I'm so happy!!!

I wrote my first full novel last November as part of National Novel Writing Month and it's a little sloppy because of the speed and I haven't had time to edit it yet. I'm hoping to do something with it though - potentially post it on here after Following Orders. But we will see how this goes first.

So anyway, because of busy-ness and high school and blah blah blah, I haven't really been posting with any sort of consistency or speed - it's been a month and a half since my last post. By publishing my novel on here, I not only solve the no-posting problem, I also can test it out and see how it goes. I'm warning you right now, so don't say I didn't: if you don't feel like being a guinea pig for a very naive writer who has not really done a whole lot of editing on this round, don't read this novel. Got it? Good.

Now for those of you who are interested in being tested upon and asked relentlessly "What do you think? No, really?" keep reading. If you do decide to take this difficult road, please do not hesitate to tell me what you think! Even if you think that it was the worst thing you have ever read in your life and you'll never read anything I write ever again. I seriously want to know and it helps with editing too. :D

I'm not going to put a synopsis here because there's a little bit of one over in front of the first chapter so you can know a little bit of what you might be getting yourself into.

In short, if you are interested in reading Following Orders, please do. This is sort of an experiment because I've never done anything like post a really long story on here before. I think the longest I did was three parts...? Anyway, after the posts on "To Write or Not to Write: Broken" a few people asked me for the rest of it. Full disclosure, I do not have the rest of it. It's not written. I will tell you that I am interested in maybe returning to the idea and refreshing the plot but it is way back in line. Like, way, way, way back.

Bunny trail over.

This will be a full novel - all of it on here and all of it written. It tends to get finished more when it's assigned for school. :D So I hope you like it!

-Kira

P.S. I'm just going to give full credit to Mommy for this idea. I never would have thought to post a novel on here if she hadn't suggested it. And I love the idea! Thanks Mommy!

Smelling the Roses

So, I know it's technically not the "Christmas Season" anymore but we can celebrate Jesus' birth all year, right? I had intended to post this last week (before Christmas) but it didn't happen. So I'm posting it today with the idea that it can apply to the rest of the year too. :)

The weather in Virginia has been going absolutely crazy these past couple months. One day, you'll need two pairs of socks and a huge fuzzy coat and the next, it's 60 degrees. Literally.

Despite the abnormality of the climate here, I've been taking a lot of walks lately. Now, we don't live out in the country or on the beach or anything like that. We live in a regular old neighborhood with regular old houses. There aren't huge open fields lining every street or forests surrounding single houses, isolating them from the rest of the world. Basically, it's not a city but it's not the country either. Sort of a happy medium.

Back to walking. I got an mp3 player for Christmas last year and I love listening to audio books or music while I walk and run. You know, just something to occupy my mind. I was listening to a particular song while I was out walking a couple days before Christmas and it really struck me. Unfortunately, I can't remember what song it was or even the exact lyrics. (One more reason I wanted to post this earlier - when I could remember everything I wanted to say :)

The song was about how we get all wrapped up in our busy crazy lives and don't stop to just take things in. I thought it was particularly appropriate for Christmas because of all the extra parties, shopping, and insanity that comes along with the season.

When the song came on, I was at the top of a hill. It was a regular street with regular houses. But between all the regularity, there was something spectacular. Behind the row of mundane houses was a cow pasture. In that moment, it was the most beautiful cow pasture in the world. The hills were dark with grass and tall weeds. The deep, stormy sky was dipping down to meet the rough ground. Clouds looked textured and swirled and even the simple fence around the field had an aspect of peace and rest to it.

As the singer described slowing down and appreciating what God has given us, I almost had to stop for a minute just to take it all in. I hadn't been appreciating everything. I was all caught up in worrying about school and how much I had to get done and even about Christmas.

But God didn't give us Christmas just so that we would have another thing to fuss over and twist into stressful "celebrations." If He had wanted us to get all worked up over yet another thing, He could have given us an extra mid-term or maybe a new flu shot. But He didn't. Instead, He gave us His Son.

This might sound cliche, but Jesus really was the best Christmas present ever. Too often we just pass over the story of His birth as another tradition to get through before we can open presents. The story has been told and retold so many times that we're numb to it. Unlike X-boxes, there's not a new version every year to focus our attention.

What if we stopped getting caught up in all of the little things that add up around December 25 each year? What if instead we just paused for a moment and let God fill us with His peace, love, rest? I'm not saying that the yearly Christmas party and gift exchange are bad things - I certainly don't plan on giving back the journal I got! Those can be good things. But maybe if we take the time to be filled with the peace of God not just once, but on a regular basis, this time of year would mean more.

Why stop there though? God didn't just give us Jesus for the 25 days that we get to open an advent calendar. Jesus is always there, ready for us to turn our attention to Him.

I've spent a lot of my Christmas break so far worrying about and doing school. That's not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself but I was trying to do it of my own strength and power. Guess what - it doesn't work. No matter how many hours I spent organizing and chipping away at my long list, the crossed off tasks didn't give me any joy. If anything, I couldn't wait for Christmas break to be over so that I could get even more work done.

But then God used a devotional book over and over for weeks to show me that He is there for me. I can rest in Him. He knows exactly how much I have to get done today and how He wants me to do it. Maybe the list won't get finished. Maybe it will. But it doesn't really matter. I've learned something better than why Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities. I've learned to just take a break. Look at the beauty surrounding me and thank God for it. Let Him fill me with peace and joy and rest.  Accept those gifts and don't push them away. Stop and smell the roses.

-Kira

Banana Pudding

Marie and I made banana pudding today! I used to help Granny make it when we went to visit and I loved both making it and eating it. The simple combination of vanilla pudding, whipped topping, 'nilla wafers, and bananas has always made me excited and given rise to fond memories of mixing pudding in Granny's kitchen.

So I was really excited today when I got the chance to make this special dessert with my little sister! She loved the "cookies" ('nilla wafers) and tried to lick the spoon before we were done mixing. I loved to see her having fun with it, even though she ditched me before it was done. I guess the attention span of a three-year-old isn't quite banana pudding length. :-)

Caught Red-tongued :-P

-Kira

Potamiaena’s Prayer

This is a short-short story that I wrote as a project at the beginning of last school year. We were reading The Church History by Eusebius and we had to write a story about one of the many martyrs in the book. I chose a young woman named Potamiaena. Her story was only a page or two long, but I really liked it and wanted to spend more time thinking about it. So this is what I came up with . . .

* * *

Potamiaena stared up into the face of the judge, fear clouding her heart. She struggled to keep this same fear out of her voice and countenance. Her entire body ached, burned, and stung from the tortures she had already endured prior to this so-called trial. “I shall never worship your childish gods. They are invented only to provide something primitive and sinful for you to chase in ignorant hopes of fulfillment. I worship the one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth and His Son, Jesus Christ, now and forever!” Immediately, Potamiaena felt courage wash over her and she was now only faintly aware of the pain filling her body as she continued to stare at the judge, defiance on her face and in her stance.

The official’s look of shock and indignation rapidly evolved into one of anger and hatred. “Then you shall die! No one, not even a woman, can defy the gods and go unpunished!”

A soldier stepped forward to lead her away and Potamiaena willingly followed. As they made their way through the crowds to the road, he whispered her some comfort. “My name is Basilides. May I pray for you?” He began at Potamiaena’s nod of assent. “God, give this brave soul courage and faith through the end and keep Yourself at the forefront of her thoughts. Bring her to Yourself quickly and as painlessly as possible. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.”

Potamiaena whispered her thanks to the ground, so as not to endanger this kind young man.

Coldly, the crowd began jeering at her as she walked toward her imminent and torturous death. Basilides pushed the crowd away, driving them back and giving her room to walk, despite the oppressive nature of the bystanders. “Thank you for your kindness!” exclaimed Potamiaena, when they reached the place she was to die. She claimed one last glance at the single kind figure being swallowed by citizens of her former home. “I will ask the Lord for you and very soon I shall repay you for everything you have done on my behalf.”

With these faith-filled words, Potamiaena turned into the arena where she was to die. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away. Lord, she thought. Give me the strength to endure this for You. Help me to show them that I am not afraid to die for You. Let my death impact someone’s life. I look forward to seeing You soon. Oh, so soon. Potamiaena’s  prayer stayed in her heart through the last moments of her life. The thought calmed her from the fear of death and gave her a final smile at the thought of being martyred for her Savior.

-Kira

Not Today, But Don't Stop Asking!

"I really want to hang out with people and keep relationships strong, but I also really need some time to recharge after even a few hours of socializing. What should I do?"

This is the dreaded dilemma that every introvert faces on at least a somewhat regular basis. We don't want to hurt people by turning down invitations, but we also can not keep functioning without time to ourselves to recharge.

What to do, what to do?

We could accept every possible invitation to be social that we ever get. But then, we would get burned out quickly and everything from schoolwork to relationships would suffer. So that option's out.

We could deny every invitation that we don't feel like accepting and just keep to ourselves. But this brings to light a whole new aspect of the problem. What if we deny too many social gatherings and people think we don't want to hang out with them so they stop inviting us? This is a secret fear that can creep its way into any human being's mind, introvert or extrovert. Because humans are social animals. Some more than others, but it is still true of those of us content to spend long hours alone in our room with a good book.

We don't want to stop being invited places, but we also don't want to accept all the invitations. So what should we do?!

Well, I have an amazingly simple answer to that complicated question, and it is: I have no idea. None whatsoever.

So since I can't come up with any good solution to this problem, I have decided to beg, on the behalf of all the introverts who feel the same way, that you don't stop asking! We love spending time with people and we are not trying to avoid you. So don't be offended when we turn you down. We just need some recharge time before going out into the world again.

So please don't stop asking us to hang out with you!

(Quite) Sincerely,
Kira

Eye Drops and Chocolate Cake

Have you ever felt really guilty about something and then been easily manipulated into things later? Like giving a two-year-old eye drops and then chocolate cake?

Marie came home from the doctor in an okay mood for a two-year-old on a Monday morning. She was sleepy, but other than that feeling alright. That is, until she was laid down on a towel on a bed. She knew something was wrong, so she started crying. It was the only reasonable thing to do under the circumstances.

"Shh shh shh. It's okay sweetie." Sara was cooing at her. That just made her scream even louder.

"Hey, calm down. I'm going to tell you what we're going to do sweetie." Now Mommy was talking. Marie quieted. "Okay sweetie. I'm going to put these drops in the corner of your eye...." Marie didn't like where this was going. She started to cry again. Mommy's voice rose to be heard. "Then I'm going to open your eye so that the drop can go in. Okay?"

This was not okay. Not in the least. Marie squeezed her eyes shut tight so that no one could get any sort of drops in them.

Sara grabbed her hands and held them down and Kira kept her from rolling over while Mommy did just what she had outlined. Marie screamed and screamed.

It was soon over, but the sympathy was still evident on Mommy's face. Marie decided to take advantage of it. "That, me?" She pointed to the piece of chocolate cake sitting on the counter. It was a long shot, but Mommy felt bad for putting drops in her eyes.

"You want cake?" Mommy was somewhat surprised.

Within a minute though, Marie was seated at the table, fork in hand, ready to consume her very own moist slice of cake. It was soon polished off.

"Me, more?"

* * *

The moral of the story is get eye drops so Mommy will give you chocolate cake.

-Kira

God's Got It

I've been thinking a lot lately. Especially about the next four or five years as I'm about to start my first year of high school and prepare for college. I've been trying to come up with all sorts of different things I can do to prepare and make lots of goals to meet and go above and beyond what my mind tells me is "average."

I want to start a business, get scholarships, and make good grades. And I've been trying to do all this by myself. I've read books, blog posts, and asked people questions. But I haven't asked God to take the wheel. Sure, I've prayed. But it's been more along the lines of asking God to make things go the way I want rather than following His plan and reaping great rewards.

About two and a half years ago, we found out that a baby that we had been taking care of since she was born would be going to live somewhere else. It was heart-breaking. I didn't understand what God could possibly be thinking. We loved her so much and took such good care of her. Why would He take her from us?

A month or so later we got a phone call. It was the grandparents of the baby girl asking if we wanted to come see her. Now we see her all the time. As I write, she's napping about five feet from me. I didn't see God's providence in letting her be taken at the time. I still don't see all the reasons, but that lesson in faith is one I'll never forget. God's been reminding me of it as I push past Him and try to make my own plans. I can't ignore it any more.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

God has proven Himself faithful to me personally before and He will do it again. I just need to have faith and believe that He will take care of my high school years. God's got complete control of my life and He knows what He's doing and can see all of the long-term consequences when I can't.

-Kira

P.S. For anyone interested, I would recommend the book The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther. I read it for school last semester and it really opened my eyes to God's providence in everything that ever happens.

Smoothie Challenge

So my lovely little brothers wanted to supply me with something to post on here for you, so they took the smoothie challenge. There were eight ingredients for the smoothie - four good, and four less so. They were numbered and the boys had to choose a number at random then they were told what it was and it was added to their lovely creation.

1. mustard
2. chutney (5 years old)
3. peanut butter
4. basil
5. ice cream
6. horseradish
7. whipped topping
8. syrup

They ended up choosing mustard, chutney, peanut butter, ice cream, and syrup, but when we opened the chutney, it had gone bad (go figure). So they re-chose and got horseradish. Then they added ice and milk and I managed to get the reactions on camera.

awaiting their fate

looks appetizing, huh Eric?

the first surprisingly willing volunteer

this one actually liked it, believe it or not

he liked it too which is really surprising - and disappointing
because his disgusted face is the best of the four

the first sip.....were his big brothers lying about it being good?

he actually drank the whole thing

Which was your favorite? I think mine was the face-palm.

-Kira

Catch Up

So today I am finally doing a post summarizing a few of the many things that have happened lately.

The Ball
Daddy took Sara and I to the Heritage Ball at our church about a week and a half ago. There are live musicians and colonial line dances. We stayed out until midnight and were dead tired the next day.

The Walk for Life
The Walk for Life was a huge success!!! Over all, $32,050 was raised for the Pregnancy Resource Center - 107% of their goal!

Camping in Washington DC
We just got back from camping in DC about an hour ago. We got to go to the Air and Space Museum, the American History Museum, and the National Zoo. Marie LOVED the zoo! I mean, how cool is it to actually be able to see those elephants that are on Wild Kratts?

So that's that!

-Kira

Walk for Life Update

Only a couple days left to go until the Walk for Life! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and my team so far this year! The Pregnancy Resource Center is at 66% of their $30,000 goal at the time of this post. So close, but not quite there yet! If you haven't already, please consider signing up as a walker or supporting someone who is.

Sign Up

Support

More Info

Thanks!!!

-Kira

Walk for Life

 

Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise.

But how can they praise Him if they can't even be born? The Pregnancy Resource Center in Radford, Virginia is working to help women and couples with unplanned pregnancies by offering free services and supplies (such as diapers) to those who need them so that they are more encouraged to choose life.

Volunteers at the PRC not only help with counseling and services, they also share the gospel with those who come through their doors, giving women hope and love. They serve as Jesus would serve, willingly and lovingly.

The PRC relies heavily on donations and fundraisers such as the Walk for Life each year. The Walk for Life is an event where "walkers" sign up and are sponsored by others. On May 2, all of the walkers will meet to walk two miles. Beforehand, however, they must obtain said sponsors.

So, what I'm asking of you, is that you would consider either sponsoring someone participating in this event, or, if you live nearby, participating yourself. Any amount helps! It only takes a few minutes and would make a huge difference to these unborn children and moms-to-be. Also, share this post with friends and family and encourage them to help out too.

If you would like to donate, you can do so here: https://secure.ministrysync.com/ministrysync/event/website/?m=2184154
That is the link to my fundraising page, but from there you can search and find any walker that you might be interested in supporting. Once you find that walker, just click the yellow "Give" button on the right-hand side of the screen and follow the instructions.

If you would like to participate or get more information, you can do so here: http://www.prcsupport.com/events/walkforlife

The PRC's over-all fundraising goal for this year is $30,000. Please think about whether you can help them to reach this goal and don't forget to share!

  -Kira

Wise Power

So I had to write a paper for a school project recently in a format used by scholars in ancient times. The format is called a chreia. A chreia is a type of progymnasmata (pro-jim-noz-mot-uh), a writing exercise meant to equip the student for on-the-spot situations where the skills involved in this paper might come into use.

We have been reading Dante's Inferno lately, so this chreia is about the inscription on the entrance to Hell in the epic poem. One of the goals in writing the paper was to write it so that an audience could understand it, so I thought I'd put it on here to maybe see if I fulfilled that goal. Please feel free to ask questions if you have any!

By the way, I have no idea what's up with the highlighting and line spacing at the end - I tried to fix it, but it didn't work....

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Wise Power

Through me the way into the doleful city,

Through me the way into eternal grief,

Through me the way among a race forsaken.

Justice moved my heavenly Constructor;

Divine omnipotence created me,

And highest wisdom joined with primal love

Before me nothing but eternal things

Were made, and I shall last eternally.

Abandon hope, forever, you who enter.

    Dante of Florence was a wise and respected man. He wrote his thought provoking views on life after death in an epic poem entitled The Divine Comedy, a book which is still studied and examined in modern times. Dante was admired in his day and continues to be renowned today. Students and teachers for many generations to come will honor Dante with the study of his Divine Comedy.

    When Dante wrote the inscription on the gate into Hell, he was conveying the message that God created Hell. There is no power other than God who could have created any place at all, Hell included. Dante’s motivation for writing this inscription was to show the authority held by God over all of Creation. He wanted to demonstrate that God alone holds jurisdiction over Hell. Satan may seem powerful, but it is God Who is in control.

    If the opposite of this inscription were true, that God did not create Hell, there would be no reason to believe that Jesus can save us. Jesus is God, and God has power over Hell. But if He does not, then He is not all-powerful. A God with no power over death, has no power to save His people from death. If God did not create Hell, then there is no assurance that He has the power to save His children.

    The government builds prisons as places of punishment and sends those who commit crimes to serve their punishment in those prisons. In the same way, God created Hell as a place of punishment and sends those who have committed sins to serve their punishment in Hell. God’s authority and law is echoed in the way justice is administered in the United States of America.

An example of God’s power over Hell is given in 2 Peter 2:4, 9. “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment….then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” God has had power over Hell since before the moment that the first sin was committed.

In the Bible, God is said to have created everything. Psalm 89:11-12a says, “The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. The north and the south, you have created them.” God created everything. That includes Hell. The Psalmist recognized this. Jesus also testifies to God’s power over Hell in Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.” The pronoun “Him” refers to God. We are to fear the Lord because He has power over body and soul, life and death.

    The inscription on the gate of Hell is a proclamation of God’s power. The Lord has authority over the deepest depths of Hell. He is the most powerful being in existence. He created Heaven, Earth, and Hell. He will create a new Heaven and a new Earth. God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all-just.

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 Well, that's it! Let me know what you think.

-Kira

"Break Her Trust" Part Three

The last piece!!!! It turned out really short.... Hope you like it!

You can find Part One here and Part Two here.

The next morning, Megan left for school after ensuring that Justin looked presentable. She did. Once Megan was gone, Justin changed back into jeans with holes and a dark sweatshirt. She threw the nice clothes into her backpack to change into before coming home. She couldn’t let Megan see her without them. She even remembered to grab a brush on her way out the door.

    Justin shared a bus stop with Charlotte and she couldn’t start the day with teasing and questions. Instead, they talked about whatever came to their minds, including how poorly school was going. “I can’t get any of it!” Charlotte began. “It just won’t stick. I don’t know why they even try!”

    “Yeah. I just don’t get it. Especially math. What a pain!”

    “I know, right?” Just then, the bus pulled up and they climbed on, unhappy with the day planned out for them.

    Justin did not live up to the deal. She was late, she was dirty, and she still hung out with Marty’s group. But never in front of Megan. Things were going great until the next Wednesday when Justin’s mom got a phone call. From the school.

    Justin slouched in the cold plastic chair. She wasn’t so upset by the fact that she had been caught. That had happened plenty. It was the fact that the rest of Marty’s gang had split at the first sign of trouble. They had always got in trouble together if they did something together. If one of the group did something by themselves, it was on them. They weren’t getting bailed out by their friends. But they had never just left one person to suffer - it was usually at least two.

Justin hadn’t even noticed they had left. She was too busy reaching her thin arm up the vending machine and grabbing a soda to think of much else. That’s where Mrs. Newman had caught her. With her arm up the vending machine. It had been a short walk to the principal’s office, followed by a long lecture with a lot of “You’re better than this!” strung through it. The whole scene had been topped off by a phone call to her mother.

It wasn’t worth explaining things to her or the principal. They wouldn’t understand that it had been Marty’s idea, that the rest of the group had split as soon as Mrs. Newman had shown up. So she just sat and listened. She nodded and looked guilty when she needed to, but she didn’t think any of the adults were fooled. She was sitting there half listening when something caught her ear. “Since this is a third offense,” Principal Bright was saying. “I’m afraid it means a two day suspension this time.” That caught Justin by surprise. It had never been more than a week or so of detention before now. What would her dad say? Worse, what would Megan say?

    That’s what she was thinking about on the way home: what to say to Megan. Dad was like any other adult. Nod and look appropriately guilty. But Megan. She was not an adult. She really believed that Justin had been keeping up her end of the deal. She would be so disappointed. And Justin didn’t want to disappoint her. She didn’t want to break her trust.

 -Kira