The Source of our Identity

This is one of the topics the speaker spoke about at SnowCamp.
Where do we get our identity from? We don't get it from ourselves, we get it from somewhere else; it formed by outside influences. The example he used was Eve, from Genesis. When Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden, they were naked, but they didn't care. They listened to what God was telling them, and that's where they got their identity from.
And then Satan, as a snake, comes on the scene. He starts telling them other things, questioning God, contradicting what God said. Eve and Adam ate the fruit that they were not suppose to eat. "They realized they were naked" (Genesis 3:7) so they hid (v. 8). In v. 11, God asks them, "Who told you that you were naked?" . All of a sudden, they were getting their identity from elsewhere.

For example, say a child is told everyday of her life by her parents that she's beautiful. Then one day, someone says she's ugly and fat. When she starts worrying about being ugly and fat, she`s no longer listening to her parents.

(Note: The speaker told it way better than I ever could, sorry if it`s a bit confusing)

TonsaFun

I haven't posted in a while because I have been sooo busy. Prior to this weekend, I had a lot of school work to get done so I go leave for the weekend...but I got it all done :D So anywayz, here's the highlights of my weekend...

SNOWCAMP!!!
Snowcamp is a youth retreat held at Muskoka woods. At the sessions, there's a band (This year: Reborn) and a speaker ( : Kevin Torlen); with a few games here and there. The band was pretty good and the speaker was absolutely aMAZing! He was totally skilled at story-telling and then gradually shifting from the story to the lesson. All of his story were true except the first one (but that one wasn't true to prove a point).

Other things that I did was cross country skiing with most of my youth group (it is sooo funny to watch newBies ski...or at least try to ☺), the hokey pokey (only rocker style by Alex Steel
(sp?)) which was totally cool.

We got to ride up there and back on a school bus...which happened to be very uncomfortable. MAde me VERY glad I'm homeschooled :D
On the whole, it was WAAAY more fun than I'm making it sound.

On Monday, I went snowboarding on Monday at Blue Mountain!!! The only places I've gone before are SnowValley, and once at Glen Eden...so it was TOTALLY schweet! i THINK i carve, at least some of the time...maybe...I really don't know. When I got there, the group I signed up with had gotten a better rate so I only had to pay $20, making me (with my Ducth background) very very happy :D My wrist and tail bone are slightly sore, mostly from attempting switch. I'm okay at switch on an easy hill.

That's it, I really need to do some biology homework.
If it was boring, tell me.

BUAHMUAHA!

I got my G1 today!!! And as you know, I have my passport!!! So yeah, I feel pretty sinister right now!!!

Twilight

Not the time of day...or night? but that book/series that girls everywhere are absoluting going stark-raving mad over...

I had heard about and I knew it was as popular as LOTR, POTC, Harry Potter, etc. I didn't really care. Then I saw the book one day, and picked it up, started reading it. I'm not a book critic, and as long as a book isn't really slooow and has a good story line, I usually enjoy it. So, Twilight was an interesting story. I liked it. I wanted to finish reading the series. But then...

I got the next edition of Brio in the mail. (For those of you who don't know: Brio is a Christian magazine published by Focus on the Family for teen girls - I recommend it!) They included an article on Twilight.

A few excerpts from the article:
"Despite the series’ surface appeal as a romance, it communicates many messages that are contrary to the Christian faith, and that’s not something you should be filling your mind with."
"what’s dangerous about Stephenie’s series is that the reader, too, enters into Bella’s obsession with Edward"
"The “Twilight” series also teaches unbiblical attitudes toward authority. Bella doesn’t respect her parents. She loves them, but they come across as clueless and out of touch with what’s going on in her life."

The article also contrast good and evil in Twilight with good and evil in the Bible. It finishes off with this paragraph: "We’re to love God with every fiber of our beings, and that includes loving Him with our minds (Matthew 22:36-38). We need to think about what fills our minds. Does it reflect biblical truth? The “Twilight” series does not. Just because the culture loves these books does not mean you should. As Scripture tells us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)."

This article made me really wonder if I should be reading the series, but I was already slightly addicted and tried to rationalize my indecision on whether or not to finish the series or watch the movie by thinking that I was just reading it for a story, not to influence my beliefs or behaviour or anything like that. Then one of my best friends reminded me that Eph 4:27 says "Do not give the devil a foothold [in your life]". That and other stuff she said to me convicted me of how wrong and dangerous Twilight is.

Article: http://www.briomag.com/briomagazine/entertainment/a0007866.html

I guarantee this package does not contain anything dangerous. Or does it?

That's what the package said...or something along those lines, minus the "Or does it?"

Was it entirely true?...muahaha. For in this package was my passport, and loosing me upon the rest of this unsuspecting world is not something to be taken lightly :P
Coupled with the fact that I turned 16 on Feb. 2, which makes me eligible for getting my G1 (for those who don't know, it's my learner's driver's liscence). Hehe, I feel evil ,}

In case you are a serious person who does not know me and you are getting slightly worried...LIGHTEN UP!!! This is what 16 is to me - Approximately a month beforehand, up to, and beyond the day I turn this age, I am subject to teasing about being allowed to drive. I love "being a great menace to everybody out there", or so everybody acts like, or even truely thinks. Muahaha! I love it!!!

Most are just joking when they act all scared and say that they will stay of the roads, but I imagine there are people who don't entirely trust me with this new privilege...hahaha.

Also, yesterday was the start of semester 2 for me. HAHAHA!!! I got a two week break between exams!!! Technically 1 week and 3 days but my exams happened to be done within 3 days. Now I am finding it very VERY hard to get back into school mode - don't worry, my first due date should be enough to jolt me back...not that you, who never reads my blog, would worry.

Blah Blah Blah...I've got to go make muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

Jokes

Random Jokes that might actually be interesting:

There were three blondes and they all decided one day that they would go fishing. While they were in the boat a Game Warden comes up to them and asks them for their licenses. They say that they don’t have them but they only have magnets on the end of their lines to catch the debris in the bottom of the lake. The Game Warden decides that this is okay and leaves. As soon as he does, all the blondes burst into laughter. One blonde says, “That is a stupid Police Officer!” The second blonde agrees, “Yah, doesn’t he know that there are steelhead in this river?”

A blonde and her friend are driving along a road and the friend says, “Aw. Look at the poor dead birdie!” The blonde looks up at the sky and says, “Where? Where?”

A knight and his men returned to their castle after a hard day of fighting. “How are we faring?” asked the king.

“Sire,” replied the knight,”I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies to the west.”

“What?” shrieked the king. “I don’t have any enemies to the west.”

“Oh.” said the knight. “Well, now you do.”

Drilling 50 metres deep, German scientists discovered small pieces of copper in core samples taken at several sites in their country. After studying the bits of metal, they announced that, 25,000 years ago, ancient Germans had a nationwide telephone network. Naturally the British didn’t want to be out done. British scientist dug even deeper and found small pieces of glass. After some study, they announced that, 35,000 years ago, ancient Brits had a nationwide fibre-optic network. French scientists were outraged. They dug 100, 200, and then 300 metres deep but found nothing except dirt and rock. Finally they announced proudly: 55,000 years ago the ancient French used cellular phones.

I hope you managed to laugh at least once - laughing is very healthy for you!

Evil Laugh

BUAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHMUAHA
HAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess Why!