My Faithful God

It's 4:02, 6 more hours until 2013. I can't believe it's really over. It's been a total life-changing year for me.

First of all, I actually got a story published in the newspaper. Even though I hate the story a little bit, it was still a big blessing to get in the newspaper. I also entered a Patrick Henry Writing Contest. Even though I didn't win, I'm really thankful for the experience. I am also thankful to God for giving me the love for writing and for showing it to me. I am also thankful to Anna for listening to all of my stories and encouraging me so much!

I have created another blog her. It's just another gift from God!

We went to 3 amazing concerts and started going to YHOP. YHOP is so much fun and amazing! Since we haven't met in awhile because of the holidays, I miss it and I am counting the days until we have it again! The two concerts were also a gift from God. Britt, David Crowler, and Francesca were a total blessing and gave me something to look forward to!

This summer, I finally faced that I could not make it without Jesus. Later, I got serious about having a personal relationship with Him. It's been amazing! I want to share  some proof that God is totally awesome and faithful to all of us.

One of the families in our church, a family that was very close to us, moved away at least three years ago. Last year, the mother in this wonderful family was diagnosed with cancer, a really bad kind. I still remember this lady even though I haven't seen her since she moved away. She was so nice and fun. Just a few weeks ago, our family was looking on Facebook when we saw a picture of her. I could barely recognize her. It was so sad to see her like that.

With prayer, she survived Christmas and as far as I know, she's still alive, but they're counting the days. Recently, another family in our church went to see this family. They talked about their visit yesterday. The woman that had cancer had said that they should be jeaulous of her. Why would she ever say something like this? Because she knows that she's going to Heaven; that's she going to get out early.

God is so faithful. He puts joy in the saddest of things. He did that a lot this year. I can't wait to see what He does next.

Bring it on, 2013!!!

In Christ,
Sarah.

"I don't know what's better..." Demi Lovato confessed."Being healthy and really happy, or people noticing how healthy and really happy you are? It's just surreal. I never knew this kind of happiness existed. Cherishing this moment...So thankful for recovery. God is good."- Demi Lovato says of the year. You go, Demi!

In Christ,
Sarah

My Taste in Music

Saturday night, at the skating rink, I heard my cute 4-year-old cousin singing, "But this time... I'm telling you, I'm telling you, we are never ever gettting back together. You go talk to your friends talk to my friends, talk to me, but we are never, ever, ever getting back together!" She also said this was her favorite song! At least one of the family members share some of my taste in music!

In Christ,
Sarah

Camp Rock 2

I love this song!

In my dad's opinon...

My family and  I watched 'Ice Age 4' a few nights ago. Dad couldn't stay awake. This was what he thought of the movie.

It's REALLY funny!

In Christ,
Sarah

Brandon Heith

Great song!

The Trouble that comes with a Oath

Before I start this review, I want to thank each and every one of my dear friends who commented and supported me as I started reviewing songs! I am a music freak, and I spend a lot of time on Plugged In. I love to write reviews and I love speaking my mind about music! Thank you guys for reading my reviews! You encourage me so much!

For those of you who don't know Cher Lloyd, she is a British singer/rapper who got her big break on the 2010 version of the  X Factor. (in UK) She finished 4th place, but ended up signing with Synco Records. She was unknown to the USA until she signed with LA Reid's record label. (A judge on the USA X Factor.) Her single 'Want U Back'  began a huge hit in America. Her debut album, Sticks and Stones, was released for purchase in the USA recently. Though her music is catchy, her lyrics are not. She isn't very modest either. Though 'Want U Back' is sparks with jealousy and heartlessness, the latest single from the album 'Oath' is a step up from it. It's not exactly perfect though.

In 'Oath, Cher promises a good friend that she will always stick by him.

"Yo, my best friend, best friend to the very end," she raps. "'Cuz best friends don't have to pretend.... you need a light and I'm right here to guide you."

So far so good.

 However, her memories are not so good."'Member all the times, times, times sneaking outta house.... 'Member all the trouble we got into/We got something you can't undo... Rocking the building/Tear it down/Like we king Kong."

"Laughing so d--- hard/Crashed your dad's new car/All the scars we share/I promise I swear."

I would probably recommend this song if that line wasn't in it.

Other than that, the song is actually good. Instead of raving about the perfections of this relationship, Cher mentions that even though they don't have a perfect relationship, they can still be best friends. "I know I drive you crazy... I know I call you lazy/But you complete me/And that's no lie/You're my tuxedo/And I'm your bowtie."

The promise Cher makes to her friend is sweet and wholesome. "Wherever you go/Just always remember/That you got a home/Now and forever/And when you feel low/Just called me whenever/This is my oath to you."

Though I'm sure she means well, a line in the second verse states: "In my eyes, you can do no wrong." Furthermore, this whole 'Oath' idea doesn't fit well with God's standards. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says:  "But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King....  Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil."

Promises can be hard to keep. Oaths are a few steps up from promises. Have you ever broken a promise? It hurts not only the person, but you. It also hurts the person's trust in you. Jesus is only looking out for our hearts when making this rule.

So while most of 'Oath' is sweet, I can't really recommend it. We have to take care of our friends in order to have a good relationship with them, but we have to be super careful when we make a promise.

Eye on It (With Britt Nicole)

)

TobyMac looks like a geek almost....

Gold

Even though this video doesn't point to Christ, I still like it. I know what Britt Nicole meant anyway. With Jesus, we are worth more than gold!

Send it on

We are going to Hot wheels Statdiam tonight. I hope they play this song.

All Too Well

Even though this song isn't very good, I thought I'd post it because I'm going to review it soon and I don't want to sound like a freak.

(WARNING: It almost made me cry and I never cry)

That line: You call me up again just to break me like a promise. It made me tear up.

 

Our NEW Blog!

I have a new blog! Anna, the author of God's Girl and I have decided to team up and make a blog together! It's about friendship, since Anna and I are BFFs. I'm so excited to make a blog with my best friend!

Here it is: www.ourfriendshipinprogress.blogspot.com
In Christ,
Sarah

So Sweet and Sad! (New Demi Lovato song)

 

The Lasting Satisfaction

I'm reviewing 'Hit the Lights' now. I decided to skip 'A Year Without Rain' because I wanted to review a song that does not deal with romance!

Fortunately, Selena Gomez and the Scene only uses a cuss word in one song. Unfortunately, she choose that one song for a single, her latest single. (Demi was going to do that too, but thankfully she changed to 'Give Your Heart a Break'.) This song isn't one of her best.... but it does fit the CD's party theme.

 Selena begins the song with singing about mistakes. "It's the boy you never told I like you/It's the girl you let get away.... it's the city of love that waits for you/But you're too d--- scared to try."

She's singing to people who are hurting for various reasons.  Maybe because they had a chance, but they were too scared to try it. Maybe because of a  stupid mistake. Maybe because of a relationship they can't seem to fix. It could be anything.

What does she suggest they should do?

'Hit the Lights!'

The song and the music video alone tell what that means. "Lose yourself tonight!" Gomez shouts happily. "Come alive/Let the moment take you/Lose control tonight."   That's not the best of advice. Why?

Because it doesn't last. Sure, it's fun once in awhile. It makes you forget your problems. But doesn't alcohol and drugs do the same? But the worst let-down of, well, any earthly thing, is that the satisfaction that you get from it never lasts. You have to go back to it again and again. Pretty soon it becomes addicting. It never satisfies you. It's like french fries. The reason they put so much salt on it is because it makes you want more. French fries aren't really exactly good for you either.

After cussing and repeating the chorus once more, Selena sings some more lines that make me raise an eyebrow. "It's a mad, mad world/Gotta make an escape/It's a perfect world when you go all the way."

Go all the way? I wonder that means, though I can probably guess.

Remember that this is the world's idea of how to deal with hurt, depression, etc. Remember the world doesn't have Jesus. They reject the Truth. As a result, they have to create their own ways to escape this mad, mad world. Man's ways always lead to destruction.

 But now that I think about it,  Jesus doesn't really rescue us from this mad, mad world. (Well, He will in His time) But with Jesus, we don't have to escape this mad, mad world. With Him, we could survive anything.

Only in Him can we find true and, lasting satisfaction. " Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life," Jesus said to the woman at the well.

Hitting the light, though it makes you forget your problems, it is never truly satisfying.
But Jesus is.

Nick Jonas Introuding me

Love this song!

Gabby!

I got her book for Christmas. I LOVE her so much! She's my new role model. I can't wait to see her at Rio in 2016!

So far, I've got a lot of Taylor Swift stuff. It surprised me because my family are definately not Swifties, but I am. So I'm glad.

Christmas Story

                                                                          Luke 2

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

                And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

                “Glory to God in the highest,

                                and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

                When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

                And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

TTYLXOX,
                       Sarah and Ellie

Last Christmas

Cool song. Merry Christmas!

Britt Nicole

From Britt Nicole's wed site. She's awesome and pretty.

Making cookies with your family is awesome. Licking batter, eating cookies, getting my hands dirty. Hope your having a great day, because i am! Listening to Francesca Battistelli Christmas music! Making chicken noodle soup on a cold day! I love soup!
TTYL
             Ellie
P.S. Christmas is in two days!!!

Lecrae

Danny wanted to post this.

Pepsi commercial

So funny!  The only new commercial I like!
                                                                  TTYL
                                                                                Ellie

Cute photo

Don't be ashamed to wear your crown!
JESUS CHOSE YOU!

From the newly updated Britt Nicole Website!

In Christ,
Sarah

I'm starting to think that they sang it better than Taylor

Listen to this, people! You will be amazed! She's 13!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Chistmas And A Happy New Year!

Even though it isn't Christmas yet, Danny wanted to post this.

Dad loves this song!

X Factor

I'm watching the X Factor right now. I'm disappointed that Fifth Harmony is done, but I really, really hope Carly Rae Sonclair wins! Here's my favorite perfromance from both of them:

This is my favorite song from her Christmas mini-CD.

I had a AWESOME time with Anna (my BFF) today. We had a sleepover. I'm really, really, really glad to have such a good BFF. We gave each other our Christmas presents yesterday and we got each other the same thing! Friendship necklaces! That's just shows that best friends think alike!

I can't wait for the X Factor tonight. I've always really liked Fifth Harmony, but I am starting to like Carly Rose Sonclair. It's only 6 days until Christmas! My dad says that sin is the reason for the season. Without sin, we wouldn't need Jesus. He wouldn't have came. Have you ever thought about it that way?

Happy Holidays!

In Christ,
Sarah

Christmas favorites

My favorite thing about Christmas is hot coca and sledging. What about you? Why do you like Christmas?  TTYL

                                  Ellie

Winter Jam!

I'm so exited! My family might go to the winter jam in St. Louis.

We have the Same Heart

This is a post Ellie and I are going to write. The reason is because we are going to write about us. We're going to talk about our relationship.

Okay, I admit, we do fight some times. Like, sometimes I get mad because Ellie will NEVER EVER take Rudo out in the morning. Ellie gets mad because I don't make my bed and she likes to read on it. (I know it's pretty stupid)  The stupidest thing we've ever fought about is Taylor Swift. I am a HUGE fan over Taylor Swift (her old stuff mostly) Ellie thinks she writes too many love songs.

But, no matter what happens, we always play a fun game at night when we go to bed, expect when we fight about Taylor Swift. I am a writer. So I create plots and Ellie and I (well, mostly Ellie) turn them into funny comedy shows. It's so much fun! We play for about thirty minutes after we go to bed. At night, whenever we're tired and we want to go bed, we play just a little bit, we always stay up later than we plan.

Our parents complain about us being too loud. Ellie sometimes gets mad at me because I start to play our game while Ellie reads. (Yes, Ellie reads only when she's forced to) Sometimes she gets mad at me because I am addicted to listening to music on our computer. But no matter what happens, we always make up. I guess it's in our blood. We never stay mad at each other for long.


So she is my closet friend, I must admit. Even my best friend doesn't know some things that she knows. (Which isn't much) Ellie thinks the same. (See, we think like each other as well)

This sums up our friendship in a song. Another thing we share is we both LOVE Shake it Up! I'm more like Rocky and she's like Cece. (Even though she likes Rocky much better)

TLLYXOX,
Sarah and Ellie.

P.S We love the X Factor. Demi is awesome! Remember to vote for Fifth Harmony next week.

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

How Love Works

Selena Gomez is a one of those Disney girls. She got her big break starring in the very popular kids show, Wizards of Waverly Place. Then, she founded a band called The Scene, which later become known as Selena Gomez and the Scene. Her debut album was titled Kiss and Tell. I must admit though the title song wasn't bad, the album wasn't the cleanest. Most of the songs are Selena saying to her ex-boyfriends. "Look at me! I don't need you anymore! I am way better off without you!"

Most of the songs say stuff like that, but actually, 'Naturally' doesn't. 'Naturally' is the album's most popular song, as well as the second and last single.

'Naturally' is pretty much the exact opposite of a breakup song. It's upbeat and sweet, but you have to be careful about these kind romance songs, especially when if it's called, 'Naturually.'

'How you chose to express yourself/It's on your own/And I can tell/It comes naturally' the song begins. "And it takes my breath away... what you do so naturally."

I could relate to that line. If any of you have  had a crush, I'm sure you've felt that special feeling. Not that it's a bad thing. In fact, a girl's attractive to a boy and a boy's attraction to a girl is a gift from God. It's how He made us. But... attractive to the opposite gender can lead to sin, so what really matters is how you deal with this attractive.

"You are the thunder and I am the lighting... it comes naturally when you're in with me, baby." Well, what does thunder and lighting lead to? Rain. I wonder what '

Overall, this is a very sweet song. Selena describes it as: "two people who have a connection with each other so they don't really have to force the feelings - they're just there." That is pretty innocent, I suppose.  But natural love isn't sinful. Love at first sight isn't even sinful. But when it comes to concept of dating, what love can lead to is sinful.

So.... what can make love work?

Well, the most important thing is Christ. He's the reason love is here. But even two Christians that have a relationship can make mistakes. So does love really work?

God tells us about a very special thing. It's commitment. Commitment is one of the most important things you need if you want your relationship to last. Because... let's face it. We all make mistakes and there's going to be times we don't love the person in our relationship. But it's our commitment that keeps us going.

So, while natural love is sweet, the key to make it work is commitment.

Dear Faithful Blog Readers,

Since you all seem to like my reviews, I decided to write some more. Every week, I am going to review one song by one particular artist. (One song for each album) The artist is Selena Gomez and the Scene. Even I am not a big fan, I do enjoy some of her music. Stay tune for the first song!

In Christ,
Sarah

I am Forever Changed

Has your faith ever been just dead? Have you ever felt hopeless? Has your sin and guilt just taken over you? Have you ever had doubts that God even existed? Have you ever felt so worthless that you think that God would never want you? Has their ever been a time in your life where you couldn't see God at all?

Well, join the club.

Everyone has these doubts and feelings. I know I have. My parents are really strong Christians and my dad has Bible study with us a lot. At five or six years old, I was in Sunday school, learning about Jesus. I actually listened too. I've always had a decent memory, so I was memorized verses and remembered Bible stories. At a young age, I accepted Jesus Christ has my Savior.

When I six, Dad knew I understood everything he had taught me. He told me he wanted to get me baptized. To be honest, I remember a little frightened. I had seen another people getting baptized and didn't like the idea of getting my head under water. (Hey, I was only six!) A few week afterwards, I got baptized. After that, I continued living like I always did.

But something was missing. To tell you the truth, I didn't really feel saved. Now I know this kind of stuff really isn't supposed to be about our feelings, but I guess I just didn't see God in my life. Sure, I saw plenty of God in the world and in other people's lives, but not in mine. I couldn't see Him. I just lived life, went to church, read the Bible every once in awhile. That was it. I understood it, and I believed it, I guess. I enjoyed Bible Quiz and was involved in church stuff, but I didn't really have a good relationship with God.

But we moved to a new church a few years later.. Our new pastor was a little different that our old one.

He made me realize what made me realize how God wasn't involved in my life like He should be. Of course, that wasn't His fault. It was mine. To be honest, every time Dad called me for Bible study I thought, "Aw, man. Can't wait till this is over." 

To tell you the truth, God just wasn't a big priority in my life. I wrote about Him in my books, but that was it. I had my own plan for my life. My impossible, biggest dream was to be a pop-star in Hollywood or get my book published. What would be the purpose of that? To be famous! To have a exciting life! To be looked to! I'll face it: The purpose of my dream was  to glorify me, not to glorify God.

Well, this year, I started to feel really hopeless. Not a lot of times, but often. To tell you the truth, it was almost like I was bipolar. I would be fine and happy for awhile, but  if something would go wrong in our family or in my life, I would just break. I would cry and wonder the purpose of life was. Some of the things I thought and did are so terrible that I hate thinking about them, like really hate thinking about it.

But it was one day, when I felt like the weight of the world was on me, (when it really wasn't), I realized how much I needed God. I need him desperately. It was the one day that God finally got through to me. He was telling me, "Why are you running? You know you can't make it without me!" I wouldn't listen to Him, even though I knew He was right.

And now... a half a year later, I just can't get enough for him! I see Him everyday. Like Saturday, when our computer was still broke down. Ellie prayed that Dad would find some way to write his sermon, and less than half a hour later, Mom called us. She said it was fixed! Even just little things like that make a big difference in my life! I am still learning so much and I still get depressed sometimes, but I have found my lesson to live! Jesus.

That's why I am forever changed.

The Good News

Non-Christians are often prone to think that God does not exist. Why? Well, maybe for many reasons. One of the most significant reasons is that we were all born in sin and our sinful nature doubts that there is a God.

Then, the people that are supposed to telling children the truth, are telling them a flat-out lie! We evolved from monkeys! The strong survive! We are just animals, only a higher level of animals. Imagine someone saying to you, "Your ancestors were apes, and you're just an animal. There's no hope for any of us." Well, that's pretty much what the school tells our generation.

Now, thequestion that has been puzzling me for quite some time is that, well, why? Why would the people that kids are supposed to be looking up to teach such a hopeless message? Aren't adults always telling kids to follow their dreams and never give up? How does that message fit with that message? Why would anyone even want to believe this terrible lie from Satan?

But I think I might have figured it out...

Evolution is man's way of convincing himself that there is no God. They're not trying to sell a good message; they're just trying to convince themselves (and everyone else in the whole world) that there is no God.The purpose? So they can take control of their lives and not have to listen to anybody. It's man's way of rebelling against God and tossing Him out of their lives.

But the happy part about all of this is... evolution is not true! But unfortunately, this world does not believe that and they are teaching lies to our generation. That's why we, as Christians, need to proclaim the Gospel. You know what the word gospel means? 'Good news!' Christmas is supposed to be all about that good news! So we need to speed the good news! As Christians, it is our responsibility. 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

Here is a Christmas song that talks about just that:

In Christ,

                  Sarah

 

 

 

My dad heard that you are three times more likely to get hit in the head with a coconut and die than to win the lottery! Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said, "For what profits a man if he gains the world, and loses his own soul?"

Syrup or Coffee?

Saturday morning we were having pancakes and my brother, Danny poured a whole cup of coffee on his pancake. He thought it was syrup, but it wasn't. It was coffee. Sadly he thought it tasted horrible.
Sorry, Danny, you did not have a good breakfast yesterday. But I did. Pancakes are awesome!!!!
                                                  TTYL,
                                                                 Ellie

Blown Away... in a Bad Way

Carrie Underwood is a country-rock singer who got her big break when she was the first country singer to win American Idol. Her strong and beautiful voice has won the hearts of millions. She is also known as a Christian as well. Her very first single from her first CD was a Christian song, titled 'Jesus, Take the Wheel'. It told a story of a lost young woman who cried out to God to take over her life while driving to her parents' house. She even made her film debut in the inspiring Christian movie, Soul Surfer, portraying a youth group leader. Even though she had a few rough sports, her songs were very clean. She has shown herself to be a Christian.
Until 'Blown Away' that is.

'Blown Away' is Carrie's latest album, make that her darkest and dirtiest album, is very popular and successful. Not the say that the album is all bad. It has it's good points, (including the sweet song, 'Forever Changed', and the love song to God, 'Who Are You') but a few tunes tell a deep, dark story that you would never think a Christian would release.

The second single and title track of the album, 'Blown Away' is one of those dark tunes. It tells the story of a tornado and a girl with an abusive father that meet at just the right place and just the right time.

"Dried lighting flashed across the skies," Carrie's never failing voice sings. "Those storm clouds gathered in her eyes. Daddy was a mean old mister/Mama was an angel in the ground."
Then, she hears that there's a tornado in town. It's just her and her dad in the house. She's angry at her father, who just happens to be sleeping on the couch, unaware of the danger that is just about to surround him.  What does she do then?

Well, most girls would pray to God to keep the the twister away from them, their house, and their family. (well, if they prayed at all) That's the most reasonable thing to do, right? And what does she do?

This hurting, angry daughter prays for the tornado to destroy the house and her mean, abusive father. "There's not enough wind in Oklahoma/To rip the sins out of that house/There's not enough wind in Oklahoma/To rip the nails out of the past," she prays.

Now that's drama.

In the second verse shows more anger and bitterness. "She locked herself in the cellar/Listening to screaming of the wind/Some people called it taking shelter/She called it sweet revenge."
Wow, how intense! How dramatic! How evil! how... dark.

"Shatter ever window till it's all blown away!" she cries in the chorus. ".... 'Til there's nothing left standing/Nothing left of yesterday/Every tear-soaked, whisky memory blown away!"
In the end, well, in the music video, the girl gets her wish. What does she do after that? She gets out of the cellar and walks into a beautiful grassy field with her little dog.

This song, though mostly horrible, makes a true statement. There are abused kids out there who are suffering at the hands of the people who are supposed to love and care for them the most. Kids do have feelings and feelings go a long way, even in the middle of a tornado.

But  that does not justify her thoughts or prayer. Even though she never really killed her father, she was very angry with him. "But I tell you that that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to the judgement," Jesus says, in the sermon on the mount.

So our angry can cost us. I guess I was a 'blown away' by this song, but not exactly in a good way. "Be angry and do not sin." As I've learned, anger without a cause is never worth it.

Suggestions for the next song?

UPDATE!!

Britt Nicole's Gold and TobyMac's Eye on It were nominated for a Grammy! Be sure to vote for it! The weird about it is that Britt Nicole's latest single 'Gold' is playing on Radio Disney. Well, it's not exactly a Christian song anyway. The reason I haven't been posting is because our computer broke down (again), but thankfully we got it fixed! (thank God!)
In Christ,
Sarah

Wide awake

Very Good Song!!!! TTYL,
                                           Ellie

Gold or God?

In case some of you don't know, Britt Nicole came out with a official music video for 'Gold.' I don't know why, but she hasn't posted on Youtube yet, so I can't put it here. Before you read this post, watch the music video at www.brittnicole.com

Now.... assuming that you have watched the music video, you must be like, 'Is that Christian or secular?" (Well, that's what I was like after I watched it) I have to admit this music video is somewhat a disappointment. I really hopped Britt Nicole would try to point to Christ if she made a music video for it. Because, really, the message is somewhat decieving. Because it doesn't talk about Christ, people who are not Christians, could be deceived and think that this is just another self-esteem song, but I think Britt meant it to be much more than that.
She meant it to inspire people to see ourselves how God made us, instead of seeing ourselves as complete mistakes.
But without Christ, we are not even worth more than dirt! The song alone does not say that. "It begins with man and ends with man," my dad said about the song.
The video reminded me of 'Firework'. (without the really bad part) only cleaner. Now I would ask you. Where did this 'gold force' suck those neglected kids in? In a place, where they could fit in. In a place where they were recognized by other people as creatures that actually matter. In a place where they were liked.
But do we really need all that?
Of course those things are nice, and a lot of poor kids lack those things. But all we really need to survive is God? Not gold. This video has so much self-esteem, it misses what really matters.
What I'm trying to say here is the video seemed so decieving, in a way. It was so self-esteem-like, it just pushed out what makes us worth more than gold. Without Jesus, Britt couldn't sing this song because it wouldn't be true. Without Jesus, we aren't worth anything.
This video has so much self-esteem, it misses what really matters. Friends, , love, and popularity are NOT what really matters. We don't need any of those things.
What we need is Christ, and I'm sorry to say that this video did not present that.
We don't need gold, we need God. We need Jesus. Gold isn't as important as God.

Let it snow and Have yourself a merry little christmas

These are some songs for Christmas. TTYL,
                                                                           Ellie

A Young Rudo

This January is Rudo's, our dog, second birthday! He is very special to us! The last picture of him is a picture in which he won a contest the cutest pet! (him in a oatmeal can) We love him very Much! TTYL,
                                                                                                                  Ellie and Rudo!
P.S. Now look at him he is so big!I still love him no matter how big he is.

TTYL,
              Ellie!

Breakthrough Live!

Britt Nicole performing 'Breakthrough'! The dancer was so cool. Sorry about the sideways thing. My dad taped this. I really thought Dad wasn't going to like the dancer, but he did. After the concert, we went backstage to see how close we could get to Britt Nicole and saw the dancers. Then Dad said, "There's the guy. I'm going to tell him what a good job did!" Now that really surprised me! But we ended up meeting them and they were super nice! (The lead singer for Royal Tailor was right next to us, but they were just about to leave) That was a great concert, not perfect, but pretty cool. Sorry about the sound, but you can see her really good.

Liberty Walk

If I could give out an award for a celebrity who became a total new person in a short time, it would be slightly difficult, but I would probably chose Miley Cyrus. If anyone has seen her now, you can see it. Miley has changed her style, clothes, songs, and most recently her hair, all in just a few years. It's so sad because you really couldn't see it coming. Okay, she did make mistakes, but she always faced up to them in the end. She seemed like a total Christian. Writing a autobiography, she put Psalms in it and talked about how much Jesus meant to her. Now... it seems like she's forgotten about all she used to stand for.
In her book, she says: If I don't [make mistakes], all of a sudden I am not real and then you really can't look up to me."
Well, now she's making tons of mistakes. The only problem is she doesn't know it. Even worse, she seems to be seems to think how she's living is totally right.
Her album that sealed her 'good girl gone bad' look was Can't Be Tamed. The title track states: Have to get my way, yep 24 hours a day 'cause I'm hot like that.... Every guy, everywhere. Just gives me mad attention."
Yikes.
But the first song in her album actually sounds like what she used to be, sort of. It's called, 'Liberty Walk'. When the loud song starts out, it's slight similar to the beginning of the Hannah Montana classic, 'Nobody's Perfect." "Don't live a lie!" she cries. "This is your one life. Don't live a live/You won't get lost/Just walk!"
What a coincidence. That's the exact same thing I would like to tell her.
"Here's to all the people who try to hold you back/Try to make you feel like you're less than that.... You know it'll be okay 'cuz all that really matters is the steps you take/And everything else falls into place/There's no price to pay, I say/ We're alright... we're going to get it when we live it."
This song could relate to 'Perfect' (which, BTW, never listen to that song!) or perhaps 'Firework' or any other encouraging song in pop culture. It could relate to the Christian song 'Breakthrough'.
''It's a liberty walk/Saying goodbye to the people who tied you up/It's a liberty walk/Feeling your heart again/Breathing new oxygen."
This song is very inspiring and one of the best in the album. In the second verse, she says, "Don't listen to all the people who hate/'Cuz all they do is help make your mistakes for ya/But they don't own you."
And now for the line that goes against what's she saying and ruins the whole thing. In the bridge, she blurts out more than once, "Don't stop/Keeping on walking in it/Don't stop/Keeping on talking sh--."
When I heard that line and found out what it meant, I was like, "why in the world did you have to say that? That line is going against what you're trying to say! Now I'm not sure what this means!"
On the other hand, this song could relate somebody who's getting over an addiction as well. "Don't like what you do (walk)/Don't take the abuse (walk)/Move to the truth (walk) /C'mon people/That means you."
Great, Miley! Now live what you're saying and I'll be even more impressed!
However, though I love the powerful lyrics, the meaning of them could be on the rebellious side. "It's just about freeing yourself from anything you think is holding you back. And I think that's really important, especially for girls, because so many people are told, 'No, you can't do something,' or, 'You need to be this because Mom and Dad say that, teachers say this," Miley said at a certain performance.
But we must remember that we can't free ourselves. Only Jesus can. Without Jesus, we would still be prisioners to sin and Satan. Without Jesus, we could never 'say goodbye to the people who tie us up'. We could never 'breath new oxygen'. With Jesus, we can walk away from sins, addictions, and the , but without Jesus, none of that is possible.
And something tells me that's not the message Miley is trying to send.
"I wrote it for women that feel like they're stuck in abusive relationships, but it's a dance song".^[3] She elaborated: "So you think that must be kind of a sad ballad, but it's a party song. ... It's about breaking free," she says. That is a good message, but it's off key because without Jesus, none of these actions can be done.
This song could be bibical. In fact, Jesus, himself, said, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."
But it depends on what Miley thinks 'truth' is, which definately isn't the right one. It reminds me of when Swift sang, "Love is a rutless game/Unless you play it good and right." (Then, BTW, she talked about sleeping with her beau) It really doesn't matter if people say words like good, right, truth, and faith. What really matters is what they think those words mean.
So when Miley says 'truth' and 'lie', she could mean something way different than what 'truth' and 'lie means. Probably so. So we have to realize what the 'real truth' is.
Now let's see...
Truth is hard. Truth is justice. Truth breaks through the lies. Truth makes you depressed, but with Jesus, it doesn't have to. Truth is that we were born of sin and could never break free from it on our own mereits. Truth is that Jesus died on the cross. Truth is that sin doesn't have to rule over us. Truth is that Jesus has saved us. Truth is that with Jesus, sin is dead.
We can walk a liberty walk. You can walk a liberty! When you do, just think of how Jesus died to save you!
Oh, and BTW, truth is Jesus.

Songs from Camp Rock 2

Great Songs!!!!! Love Camp Rock 2 the movie!!!!
TTYL,
Ellie

Give Your Heart A Break

She is so good! She sounds just as good as on the CD!
TTYL,
Ellie

The Same Heart

I Love shake it up on disney channel. I also love Zendaya Coleman!!Here is a song called The Same Heart by Zendaya and Bella Thorne! TTYL,
                                                                           Ellie

The Hope in the Hopelessness

Dem Lovato's latest album, Unbroken, is a slightly like her best friend, Selena Gomez's latest album. Repeat slightly. With it, comes a few party songs and a few breakup songs. 'Fix a Heart' is a breakup song, but it's actually a lot different from a  Selena Gomez song.
If you know Demi Lovato, you know her story is very different from a typical star's story. She started off by starring in Camp Rock, which was her big break. In 2008, she released her debut album, Don't Forget. Then, in the following two years, she released Here We Go Again, began to date Joe Jonas, starred in a sequel to Camp Rock and got a lead role in the  Disney Channel sitcom, Sonny with a Chance.
That's where things start to get different.
After releasing Camp Rock 2, she and the rest of the Disney gang started a Camp Rock tour. Then, a little incident lead to punching her backup dancer. Dropping out of the tour, she went into rehab where she was disanoised with bipolar depression and eating disorders. Apparently, she was a cutter for a long time and kept it a secret.
After awhile, she got out of rehab and released her album, Unbroken. She is now telling her story to the world and judging on the X factor. She has changed. Caring much more for her fans who are inspired by her greatly, she seems to know Jesus.
 Similar to 'Already Gone' by Kelly Clarkson, 'Fix a Heart' is a very intense breakup song. Instead of have that, 'Get out of my life! You failed me!' tone, (like most breakup song by females) she seems to have a more 'I want this to work, but I know where this is going. I care about you, but I can't do this' tone. In this song, you can tell that she does not want this relationship to end. In the first verse she says, "I only what's best for you/And if I'm not the best than you're stuck."
Then, she cries out:"I tried to serve ties/But I ended up with wounds to bind/It's like you're pulling salt on my cuts."
This song has a very 'hopeless' feeling to it. "Baby, I just ran out of band aids/I don't even know where to start/'Cuz you can't bandage the damage/You never really can fix a heart."
Wow.
Actually, I could compare this song to many  secular songs, but the ones I could compare them to really don't have a very hopeless feeling to them. But.... I think I know where's Demi's getting at. "Please don't get my hopes up," she begs. "Oh, baby, tell me how could you be so cruel?"
I've heard of this. Sometimes, when relationships get too deep, something goes wrong. If you're depending too much on a relationship, it's going to get to the point where your boyfriend/girlfriend gets weary of the pressure and ends it. "I must've held your hand so tight/You didn't have the will to fight/I guess you needed more time to heal."
That is the worst breakup you could go through. Afterwards, there are so many emotions. You're mad at the person for leaving you. You really don't know why this had to happen or what caused it. You're cried out to God, screaming, Why? You're confused. You're scared that you may not be able to move on. You feel so... hopeless.
Demi performed this song on her latest tour. On the tour, she said, "I sang a break up song exactly four years ago, in this place," she paused and sighed. "I ended up getting over that person and I ended up singing another song. I want to let you guys know, if you're going through a heartbreak, which some of you might be, this song is for you guys and that's why I put it on my record."
Putting salt on a cut cleans you, but it is never  used as a remedy now because it hurts so bad. But it does clean you in the end. So in a way.... there is hope in that line.
This song is written about a breakup, but as Demi said, it's talking about a heartbreak. So, therefore, it could mean something else, something that could relate you..... like, maybe a mistake, a very bad sin that you made in the past. That could be your 'cut.' Or you could think about it as a breakup, a breakup in which you sinned bad, and now it's all over and you know what's right. The point is that we're all haunted by our dark past, it's breaks our hearts. That could relate to this song.
Breakups, especially this one, can really get you down. Even once you slightly get over it, you have a scar. You're scared to love, or to trust someone. You're really hurt, and you don't know who to trust. You wonder if you're living a lie, so you shut yourself up and lock the door to your heart, which can only hurt you even more.
This song is pretty hopeless. Actually, it's sad because a lot of songs are like this, but if you have Christ, it shouldn't bring you down.
Even the strong Christians are super close to Jesus, etc, are haunted by their past, but the truth it that they  don't have to be!
We don't have to beat ourselves up because of our dark past! Instead of just thinking about our mistakes, we can think about how much God has done in our lives now. He died for our sins and had victory over sin. Just think about how much God has changed you and think about how different you are now than then. We don't have to beat ourselves up because God has forgave us. He has changed, saved, and redeemed us.
So, no, you never really can fix a heart. It's not in our power, but Jesus.... He can. He can come into your heart and make you new. He can give  a desire for Him.
So, listen to this song, and know that it just doesn't end there! It doesn't end with "You never really can fix a heart." God can save you! Jesus can fix your heart! You sure can't, but He can. If you're a Christian, think about your past and think about how much God has changed you for the better.
This song is hopeless, but the truth is, that it doesn't have to end there.
Once, Demi tweeted, "Sometimes it seems like God just keeps throwing crap my way and I get SO angry with him… But there's never a doubt in my mind He's gonna pull me through it all."
You don't have to have a doubt either.

New Author!

You probably didn't notice, but I have changed my user name from Sarah to Sarah and Ellie! Why, you ask? Well, my sister wanted a blog so bad and my dad said he wouldn't let her have one  until she got older, so I (being the great sister that I am) decided to let her share mine. You have to have an email and she doesn't have her own, so I'm going to share my account with her too. But I think it'll be fun. (and it's all part of being a great sister, which is a total joke, of course)
So from now on, this is Sarah and her sister, Ellie's blog!
TTYL,
Sarah and Ellie

Francesca

A beautiful song from Francesca's new Christmas CD!
In Christ,
Sarah

The Red Kinds of Love

Taylor Swift has written many love songs. Her biggest hit, 'Love Story' is beautiful and romantic. 'Our Song' is a sweet tune she wrote for her high school talent show. 'Mine' is a lovely song in which she imagines the kind of love she would like to have.
 In her new album, her songs really don't seem to fit together. At one point, she says, "Love is a ruthless game/Unless you play it good and right." But before she said that, in the same song, she mentions sleeping with her boyfriend. Why? Because she's going by her standards.
'Red' describes a crazy, sad, confusing and well.... red relationship, (if that can be used as an adjective) in metaphors and similes. "Loving him was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street," she begins. Aren't all her songs about dead ends? "Faster than the wind, passionate as sin/Ended so suddenly.... Like the colors of autumn so bright just before they lose it all."
Of course.
"Losing him was blue like I never know/Missing him was dark gray all alone/Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met/But loving was red."
What does she mean by red?
 The relationship she is describing is physical. "Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you... Memories of him come in flash backs/And echos/Tell myself it's time now/Gotten let go/But moving on from him is impossible/When I still see it all in my head/Burning red."
The relationship that you can remember the most real relationships most are the extreme ones, the ones that include sex.

Well, it's pretty clear now that Taylor is not afraid to have a 'dangerous' relationship even to the point of sex. Sex is a gift from God, but since the world has twisted it, it now looks so cool, in a bad way.
The most terrible and dangerous thing about sinful sex is that it's such a lie in disguise. When you're in the middle of it, you're so caught up in such a terrible lie that you forget everything you've learned. It seems so beautiful, yet terrible. It seems so lovely, yet extreme. It's so daring... and deadly because once it's over it's over. You've lost something you can never take back, something so precious and important.
Oh, someone might say, "Well, I can still get married even though I  lost my purity."
One day, I asked Dad what's wrong with kissing your boyfriend. He told me, in his experiences, that when he kisses my mom, even now he remembers when he kissed somebody else, and it ruins the joyful experience.
Same thing applies with sex.
But, Taylor's relationship are unpredictable and I'm not really sure if she has learned from her mistakes. In a interview just today, she talked about some advice that she got from her brother. She asked him what she should do, referring to a relationship with many options. What he said was: "Well, what do you want to do? Do that. Do what you want to do because this is a matter of love, and there are absolutely no rules when it comes to love. Do what you want to do." She says that was the most liberating piece of advice she'd ever gotten. Later, she says, in reference to love, "You don't know what's going to happen, so you have do what you feel like doing. It's like going with your gut." The interviewers replied, "But it's hard because you're putting your heart on the line."
She replies, "What I've learning from song writing is that if something made me feel deeply, it was worth it."
In another interview, Swift admits that she has never been in love because it has never lasted. In 'Fifteen' she sings, "Don't forget to look before you fall." Even though that is good advice, she doesn't take it. She says,

“I don’t think it through, really, which is a good thing and a bad thing. You don’t look before you leap, which is like, ‘Yay, this is awesome! Let’s not think twice!’ And then you’re like, ‘We used to be flying. Now we’re falling. What’s happening?’”

With Taylor, love is dangerous, unpredictable, reckless game which has no rules. But again, Swift is not a Christian. She is playing 'the love game' by her own standards, which as I've seen, has only led to destruction.

"My experiences in love have taught me difficult lessons, especially my experiences with crazy love. The red relationships. The ones that went from zero to a hundred miles per hour and then hit a wall and exploded. And it was awful. And ridiculous. And desperate. And thrilling. And when the dust settled, it was something I'd never take back. Because there is something to be said for being young and needing someone so badly, you jump in head first without looking," she says, referring to her new album.

That's the problem with love. We, girls, need it so bad that it just blinds us. Sometimes you can get so caught up in love game that you're totally clueless of the truth.

Something tells Taylor's going through that right now.

“I’m scared of this whole thing backfiring,” she says. “Or chewing me up and spitting me out, and all of a sudden, I don’t love it anymore."

Well, the thing I've learned from Taylor's endless game is well.... don't go with your gut. Go with God. Love never fails, if it's God's love, which is true and everlasting. So, I ask you, whose standards do you want to by? God's? who BTW, is the creator of love. Or your own?