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?

 

Read this.... Maybe?

"Where you think you're going, baby?"
This line is part of the bridge to a catchy, fun and sightly cheesy tune called, 'Call Me Maybe'.  Often called, 'The Song of the Summer', 'Call Me Maybe' has to be one of the most popular songs in America. Carly Rae Jepsen has become 'the next big thing.' I suppose you can say it's because of this song.
 Like Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian. Placing runner-up on Canadian Idol, she was  toured with them. She released her debut album, Tug of War, and her extended play, Curiosity. She already very popular in Canada, but after releasing the lead single for Curiosity, Call Me Maybe, she was recognized by Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber for her talent. Quickly, she signed with Schoolboy records, one of Justin's records labels.  And boom... she is now an international pop-star.
This song has become one of the most popular songs ever. If you listen to the radio, or if your a music-freak yourself, (like me), you have  heard this song. Carly Rae Jepsen's vocals are beautiful and the rhythm is more fun than any song I know.
But what about the lyrics?
"I threw a wish in the well/Don't ask me/I'll never tell/I'd look to as it fell/And now you're in my way."
Yes, this song definitely deals with romance.
"I'd trade my soul a wish/Pennies and Dimes for a kiss/I wasn't looking for this/And now you're in my way."
Stop. These lines describes love. Most popstars, like Carly, are crazy for love. They're not crazy for the noun, love (something you possess), but they're crazy for the verb, love. In other words, someone loving you. I understand. I want to be loved. What kind of girl doesn't? Love sometimes shows up unexpected, but it really doesn't matter to the person who wants it. Carly is talking about how much she wants love.
But look at that line: "I'd trade my soul for a wish/Pennies and dimes for a kiss."
Isn't it weird how the world will do anything for temporary pleasure? A simple wish can only get you some things and a kiss can only last for about three seconds. (Or  in a romance movie) But sometimes, girls aren't thinking about what kind of love they want. Temporary love is very unstable, but you can only have true love if you have God.
"Hey I just met you," she says, not surprisingly. "And this is crazy/But here's my number/So call me maybe... And all the other boys/Try to chase me/But here's my number/So call me maybe."
 So this song does not deal with just love, but love at first sight. Is there really such a thing? Does love really appear, just out of nowhere?
No, actually. If love was really like that, it would never last. If it doesn't take that much to start love, it shouldn't take that much to end love either. So real, true, godly love can't form in a few seconds.
And actually, Jepsen might just agree with me.
Actually, she contradicts herself in the music video. Similar to the music video for 'Love you Like A Love Song', it has a very different ending. Just as Jepsen is about to give her number to the guy, he gives his number to her guitarist, (He includes a hugs and kisses sign in his note) who, BTW, is a guy.
Okay...
Even though everyone out there is just crazy to have a lasting relationship, to be honest with you, I already have one. Jesus Christ is never going to leave me, or forsake me. Even if I never get married, he will satisfy my needs for love.
As Carly learns, love at first sight doesn't last, even for a few minutes.


(Thanks for requesting 'Call Me Maybe' Danae! If anyone has a song or album that they would like me review, comment below and I'll definately look into it! Thanks!"
Coming Soon: Red, track review

Pray for Demi, guys. I just listen to a preview of her new song. Did not sound good!

Selena and Demi

These are really good! Remember when they were best friends?

Red Album Review

Taylor Swift is most known for her auto-biography style to her music. She is not afraid to get personal,  even to the point of saying her beau's name. She is more popular than Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Her album, Speak Now, sold 1 million copies in its first week. And now....
Red has appeared.
It has also sold 1 million copies in its 1st week. She is one of the only artists to have hit back-to-back albums.
No wonder.
Taylor Swift knows what girls are going through. After all, she has gone through most of it herself. She has a really realistic lyrics. 'Fearless' was her big break. 'Speak Now' sealed her fame. Both albums were fairly tame.
Now how about Red?

Wholesome Content

Her latest single, 'Begin Again' is beautiful. After an ugly breakup, she goes on her first date and is strengthen by her new relationship. She is about to bring up her old relationship to her date, but then concludes. "For the first time/What's past is past."
'Stay, Stay, Stay' proves to be the sweetest, upbeat track in this album. Swift remembers the times when she lost her temper and got mad at her boyfriend. She admires and cares for him more when he doesn't leave her. "All those times that you didn't leave, it's been occuring to me/I'd like to hang out with you/For my whole life."

In 'I Almost Do', Swift resists the temptation to call her ex again. The bumble gum pop single, 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' wisely ends a hurtful relationship. 'The Last Time' does the same. "This is the last time/I won't hurt you anymore."

'Everything is Changed' is a sweet song about new love. 'The Lucky One' displays an honest description of stardom. "And your secretes splashed on the news front page.... You wonder if you'll make it our alive."
'State of Grace's states as-a-matter-of factly, "Love is a ruthless game/Unless you play it good and right."

Unaccpectable Content

In 'I Knew You Were Trouble' Taylor got into an affair with a boy, even  though she always knew he was trouble. She bitter cries, "You never loved me/Or her/Or anyone/Or anything." The same can be said in another pop song, '22', in which she repeats over again, "You look like bad news/I gotta have you."

'All Too Well' has far too many mentions of living (and sleeping) together. "There we are again/in the middle of the night/We're dancing round the kitchen/in the refigerator light. "State of Grace," remembers, "We were alone/Just you and me/Up in your room/Our slates were clean."
 In, 'Sad, Beautiful, Tragic', Swift sings sadly sings over and over again, "We had a beautiful, sad, tragic love affair."
In 'Treacherous', Swift describes her dangerous relationship, but clearly states that she does not mind the danger. In fact, she says she likes it. "Follow you home/I'll follow you home."
'Starlight' is about a young couple sneeking into a club party to have the night of their life. 'The Lucky One' uses h---
Though fairly clean, the title track describes the love between her beau and her is 'passionate as sin'.

Conclusion

 Since the lead single released, I had been waiting for this album to come out. I listen to the all of the songs the day it came out. Though I liked the tune of '22' and 'All Too Well', I knew it wasn't wholesome... and terribly sinful. I expected a lot more from this album.
Taylor Swift has been playing this reckless game for years. Yet, she's still playing it. She hasn't gave up on it, but she still hasn't found the right boy. It's sad when you think about how many heartbreaks she's had.
Unfortunately, 'Red' is a few steps down from the sweet, 'Fearless', and the fairly clean, 'Speak Now'.
"Love is a ruthless game/Unless you play it good and right."
Is she?
Not at the least.

GOLD!!!!!

Britt Nicole is known for her fun, pop-ish songs that talk about God. This song reminds me of 'Who Says' or 'Firework'. I suppose that's it is like that.

What I'm trying to say is that, well.... Okay, let's start with the basics. Think about gold. It's beautiful, and shiny. Everything about it seems great. People in the 'old times' went nuts for it. Its always been valuable.

But think about it, does God really say we are 'worth more than gold?'

"For you formed my inward parts," David says of God. "You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I'm a fearfully and wonderfully made."
Think about the beginning of time. God created two people, man and woman. He loved them and lived with them. He even took walks with Adam.
Then, it all fell apart.
We sinned against God. He gave us the Garden of Eden and made us his own. The most power being that even was gave us all we could ever need, and we spat in his face.
Yet, God never left us. Even though he took away the Garden of Eden, he never, ever, ever left us. He was always there, being faithful and loving, even though we never were.
And he also had a plan.
He still his Son, Jesus Christ, to our dirty, sinful, disgusting world, not to mention he willingly went. Then, the very people that he died for, killed him on a cross.
All because of us.
But the story does not end there! Three days later, he rose again. He defeated sin! He crushed Satan! He prevailed over evil!
Now all you need to do is: Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the death and you will be saved.
 He could have left us for dead, but he didn't. Why? Okay, not because we were 'worth it', but  because he is loving and faithful. Because he loved us... for some reason! We were orphans and he adopted us.
And now, because of Christ, we are worth more than gold!

Charlie Bit Me Auto-Tune Song

So FUNNY!!!

Catch My Breath MUSIC VIDEO!

This is one of my favorite songs!

One Direction and Drew Brees

HILARIOUS!

Ellie's Interview

Dear My Faithful Blog Readers,
Today is a very special day! Since I haven't posted in awhile, I have decided to do a special post! I am going to interview my sister, Ellie Bernice. So here we go:
In Christ,
Sarah (See the interview below)

Sarah: Hello, Ellie.
Ellie: Hi.
Sarah: How r you?
Ellie: Doing good.
Sarah: Okay, so tell me about yourself.
Ellie: I like draw dresses on my notepad.
Sarah: No, no, no! This is boring! We have to write something worth reading!
Ellie: I like to sing, dance and act.
Sarah: What is your favorite song?
Ellie: Oh, Sarah, why did you have to ask this question?
Sarah: Answer the question!
Ellie: I mean... pop or Christian? I think I'll say...
Sarah: ANSWER THE QUESTION!
Ellie: The ones that I'm thinking about are Something to Dance for by Zendaya and.... let's say.... Ready Or Not by Bridgit Mendler. My favorite Christian song is Hold me Together by Royal Tailor.
Sarah: Interesting.... Wait... WHY ARE YOU PLAYING THE DS?
Ellie: Well, it's boring just saying your thoughts; you have to do something else... like playing your DS. It's educational.
Sarah: EDCATIONAL? How can trying to help Mario save Princess Peach be educational?
Ellie: It's helps you to be patience.
Sarah: What does that mean?
Ellie: You have to wait to get to the boss round!
Sarah: You're weird. Oh, to the next question! What is your favorite TV show?
Ellie: Shake it up, c'mon and shake it up and when you've had enough sh-sh-shake it up!
Sarah: I'm guessing it's Shake it Up!
Ellie: Also, Good Luck Charlie.
Sarah: What is your favorite movie?
Ellie: Camp Rock 2.
Sarah: Why? Because they kiss?
Ellie:  No.
Sarah: Why?
Ellie: Because Demi Lovato is in it.
Sarah: Okay.... Who's your favorite artist?
Ellie: Zendaya Colemen.
Sarah: She's only released like 5 songs.
Ellie: I don't care. She's awesome. She's going to come out with a CD.
Sarah: Who is your role model?
Ellie: I don't know.
Sarah: Who inspires you?
Ellie: Mallory.
Sarah: Really? Our cousin? She's the same age as you.
Ellie: Well, yeah, but once I forgot about singing and stopped doing it. Mallory and I were hula-hopping. Then she said, "I hula-hoop better when I sing. Why don't you try it?" Then I was like, "Okay." Then I started doing it. I really liked it and decided I wanted to be a singer.
Sarah: If you could meet two celebity, who would it be?
Ellie: Zendaya Coleman.... and..... Cece, from Shake it Up!
Sarah: Her name is Bella Thorne.
Ellie: Shake it up! Shake it up! Shake it up!
Sarah: Will you stop doing that?
Ellie: You're weird.
Sarah: Thanks. You're such a loving sister. Next question.... Justin Bieber or One Direction?
Ellie: DUH! One Direction.
Ellie: We have to make an ending to this conversation. You are a great sister, but kinda weird.
Sarah: Thanks..... I guess. Let's get going. I have some songs to record.
Ellie: I have to do a cover for 'As Long As You Love Me'. Justin Bieber asked me to.
Sarah: Very funny. NOT! Now do you have any last words?
Ellie: Before we close up, I would like to sing a song for you.
Sarah: Okay.
Ellie: BABY,YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD LIKE NOBODY ELSE-
Sarah: We don't need to hear--
Ellie: THE WAY THAT YOU FLIP YOUR HAIR GETS ME OVERWHELMED! BUT WHEN YOU SMILE AT THE GROUND, IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL-
Sarah: Okay, we have to go--
Ellie: You don't know, oh, oh, you don't you're beautiful!
Sarah and Ellie: THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL!

 

This song is AWESOME.
In Christ,
Sarah

He is With You

God is with you all the time.
In Christ,
Sarah

True Friend

This song reminds me of my best friend, Anna. She is amazing and a total Christian. She has encouraged me with my writing and accpected me for me. I am crazy and make a lot of mistakes. I've never really had a friend like her, so I thought I'd post something for her! I just have to thank God over and over again for giving me someone like her!

Thank you, Jesus, for creating and saving Anna! She is my sister in You, Lord Jesus!

In Christ,
Sarah

In Christ

Dear My Faithful Blog Readers,

As you may have noticed, in my last post, I signed off by saying 'in Christ'. That's what I'm going to start doing from now on. You know why? Because Christ has done so much for me! He saved me! He rescued me! Now I can live! (For all you Mandisa fans.) Jesus died for me. He bled for me. He actually loves someone like me. He is the reason I have this blog and the reason I am living today. I am 'in Christ!'
Speaking of Mandisa...

In Christ,
Sarah

P.S. As you also may have noticed, my last few posts  had some mistakes. Sorry about that! I am very intermediate. (as my dad would say.) I am still learning! So bear with me. Thank you so much for reading my blog and inspiring  me!

Traci's Blog

http://reflectionsofyoujournal.blogspot.com/2012/08/beauty.html

This is a link to a post I just read. My friend, Traci has a really good blog and this post really inspired me. Her blog is called Reflections of You Journals. (see below at my blog list) She is a super strong Christian and I hope to be as strong of a Christian as her someday. Here's another post that inspired me:
http://reflectionsofyoujournal.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-love-you-because.html

In Christ,
Sarah

'Change' will come

This is a song we all need to hear right now. Our evil rulers try to keep us from winning the battle by discouraging us, tempting us, lying to us, and trying to convince us what we believe is wrong. But I tell you that God rules over these evil rulers and has a reason for everything. I know that all of you Christians must be disappointed because of the election.

We must remember that Obama is going to rule for 4 years, but we will be in Heaven forever and ever and ever. Some day Jesus will come back for us and 'change' will come. We must also remember that God has rescued every one of those aborted babies.
We are the servants and must be bold and courageous. Ultimately, we must pray for these  aborted babies. We must try to speak the TRUTH to all of them.


We may never stop abortion  on this earth, but we must remember that God controls all and has a plan. We don't know when we will go to Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but hopefully it will be soon. All of you striving Christians, I tell you, that it will all be worth it in the end. Jesus has died to save us all, so I tell you: Rejoice! So what? An evil ruler has won once again, but God has already won! He has defeated the devil and prevailed over sin! Every single aborted baby is in Heaven and God has died to save every one of us.
Therefore, since God has loved us unconditionally, we must love all people unconditionally, including our evil rulers. We have to forgive and remember that God died for them.

Innocent through Christ

Taylor Swift wrote this song for Kayne West. Because Swift is not a Christian singer, she missed one thing. We are not innocent on our own merits, but because Christ died on the cross, we are innocent. Jesus gave us his perfect score; for he was perfect, so we are innocent through Christ.

More than Conquerors

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us for the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

Isn't that amazing? Nothing, repeat nothing, can separate us from Jesus! We are alive together with Christ forever and ever and nothing can change that. Not our sin, not the culture, not our addictions, NOTHING! Not even Barack Obama! It's amazing how God can just adopt us even when we were selfish, evil sinners.

JESUS IS AWESOME!!!!

Forgiveness, by tobyMac, feat. Lecrae

This is a great duet! You know it's funny how everyone of us wastes our time being mad at somebody who hurt us. We're sinning that whole time. But Jesus will forgive us for anything and all we have to do is ask for it! What a powerful God we have!

It's amazing how God can forgive every single sin anyone has committed. And how does he do that? Because Jesus died on the cross and set us free from all our anger, hurt, and sin.

Now, if you something really bad in your lifetime, and you don't think God'll ever forgive you, I want you to know that he will! I have proof:
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Jesus said this while he was suffering on the cross. He was talking about the people that crucified him. If He can forgive those people, I think he can forgive you.... no matter who you are.

What Love Really Means

This song has always been one of my favorites. It's so beautiful. The only love that never fails is God's.

This song is really up beat. I wish Taylor had more clean songs likes this.

One of Ellie's favorite songs. She told me to post something she likes, so I did.

YHOP

I went to YHOP  last night. A good friend invited me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it was just a worship service with kids, but it was actually a lot more than that. It was actually very cool. It was very different, and I'd never seen anything like it, but it was very good. YHOP actually stands for youth house of prayer. The theme was 'seeking God'. We had a mini Bible study and the kids played a few songs. Then they sang back some verses word for word and we prayed for some things. They sounded really good and it was very relaxing. You could really feel God's presense. I'll definately come back and bring Ellie and Danny.

To find out more about YHOP go to: www.YHOPcarbondale.blogspot.com

This song is so powerful!

 I was singing this song to myself all day yesterday

Back to Love

Picture this:

Has your mother ever put a vase with flowers on your kitchen table? It's beautiful, isn't it? It could be full of daisies or lilies, etc. Isn't it wonderful how flowers are created? The pattern on petals are so original (created by God nonetheless) and delicate. But there's one problem with flowers in a vase.

They're dead.

They might be beautiful for awhile. After some time, they wilt and then those once lovely flowers are like a symbol of death and the hopelessness in life.

So it is with love and relationships.

Now I know most of my faithful readers are probably not married, and I am just a very young teenager, but can you imagine getting married? Sometimes I dream about it, like in the Love Comes Softly Series. I have been to my fair share of weddings and at the end, when the couples say 'I do' and then 'seal their love with a kiss, I always feel tears coming. Because those two people, are forever changed, in a matter of speaking.

Newlyweds seem to be so innocent and so happy that no one would ever suspect trouble or failure. No one would ever, at the time, think that something could be wrong. The flowers in the vase have just been brought out and they look beautiful.

Fast forward three days..... or three years, or a decade.

 Their could be a number of reasons why loves fades away, but either way, it's gone and there's no going back. Sometimes they stay single forever, or start again with someone new. Or sometimes even, they get back together, but unfortunately, that's rare.

They wilt, like flowers in a vase. Or rather, their love wilts.

Now picture this:

Have seen a flower in the spring? It has just bloomed and is beautiful. God supplies it. with its needs while it blooms into a beautiful and lovely creation.

Now think that lovely picture as a marriage.

Hopefully, the two people have found the Lord and have decided to go by His standards and His plans. Sure, it's not always going to go the way they want. No marriage is perfect, but God, being constant, loving, guides them through even the most narrow of paths.

Now tell me, how would you describe you marriage, family, etc?

Is it a vase, looking beautiful, though already dead, trying to find its way in the world when it already knows it can't?
Or is it a flower outside, knowing that it is in a tough position, yet depending on God, someone who will never fail them, for their strength to carry on?

Well, all you single people, I must ask you this:
Which one do you want to be?

I love this song!

Love is Not a Fight

Love is not a fight, by Warren Barrfield, featured in the movie, Fireproof. I love this song! And the movie.

The Truth about Love

I've always admired Taylor Swift because of her willing personality. She can always give love another chance even when it doesn't go the way she want. Even when she just experienced the most ugly breakup in the world, she can give love another chance, like in 'Begin Again.' But of course, it takes awhile as we later learn in the song.

Now  the popular singer, P!nk would think a lot differently. Even though she is married and has a child, it's hard to tell if she's happy when you listen to her new album, The Truth About Love. Believe me, I don't listen to P!INK. I just like looking at the reviews at Plugged In, a Christian review website.

(Warning, I may be talking about P!nk, but trust me, this does not mean I listen to her or recommend her. Because, believe me, she's just another Lady Gaga and Plugged In would agree with me)

The title track is a total mess and very surprising for her to sing, considering that's she married. "The truth about love is that it is a lie." She adds, "The truth about love is it's nasty and salty/It's regret in the morning/it's the smelling of armpits."

Now that's a funny way to describe love. Most popstars as we all know, are obsessed with love. (Especially our friend, Miss Swift)

But the saddest thing is, that love can be like that. We've all felt it. Some people could agree with P!nk. I'm sure all of you people who have divorced parents or have broken up with someone before, know very well that love can be like that.
But that's just the problem. When love fails, it's so sad and we wonder if love is ever real. A line from Carrie Underwood's song, 'Wasted' says, "Sometimes love slips away and you just can't get it back/Gotta face it."

But that's the problem. Love does slip away.

If we rely on love to satisfy us in our relationships with people (marriage, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.), it is going to fail. Because in marriage or in a different kind of relationship, there is going to be times when we're not going to be in love.
So what should we rely on?
Our commitment.
That's the problem with a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. There's no commitment. So it's easy to hurt.
We have to remember our commitment during those times we aren't in love with our spouse because if  everyone relied on love to keep their marriage going, a lot of people would be divorced.
And a lot of people are.

So really, love should not be expected to last, but the commitment should.'
Jesus' love is the only love that never fails and without that, you may find it is very hard to keep a commitment.

P.S. This is all from my Dad. I just added to it.

Raylor Tailor covers! MUST SEE!!!!!

THIS IS SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!

As you all most know, Hurricane Sandy has devastated many lives. New York will probably never be the same. Dad and I read a story about the people who died on the Internet. Two people were crushed by a tree when walking their dog!
After we finished, I asked, "Why did God do that?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, but God has a reason for everything.

In one of my favorite books, This Present Darkness, the main character, Marshall says, "I sure hope God hasn't dropped the ball." Well, it wasn't a surprise that he said that. At the time, he was in jail for something he didn't do.

One thing's for sure, God can never 'drop the ball', even when it seems like he has. He is in control. God has never failed America, even through or abortion, homosexuality....etc.
Don't believe me? Think about this:

Think about how much God has blessed America. Think about our forefathers. Think about how much they had to go through to make our country independent. But they weren't alone. God lead their ideas and thoughts and we all know they would agree.

But you think about it, we were never 'independant' and we're still aren't. We could never make it if it wasn't for God. In fact, the reason there is so much sadness in the world is because the world has dismissed God. Even though he never really left, a lot of people, even our leaders, are treating God as if he's.... gone. But He's not.

He is here. He's looking at me right now and he's looking at you as you read this.
How do we know?
A new Britt Nicole song says, "When I feel the rain/I won't be afraid/Cuz' I know you are you say who are/You are the one still standing when everything is falling apart."

God is our refuge. He'll keep us safe, but that doesn't mean he'll won't lead us into unsafe places. HE knows everything. We don't. I know He has a plan. That's what this song is about. It was originally written for Haiti.

One of the worst probelms with us humans is when God blesses us we're happy with him, but when something like this happens, we turn against Him. But God hasn't let us. In fact, we usually see him better through our trials. We must remember that God is not the reason for this; this is our fault. We brought sin into the world, but we must remembered that Jesus will come back someday.

One more thought. People are using a certain word to describe this tragedy. Though I cannot remember it, I can remember what it means. It means last days. Jesus says in Matthew, "But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but Father only.... Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

In other words, keep your ey-eyes open.