FYI

What NOT to do @ the beach:

-Get sunscreen in your eyes (this is the most painful thing EVER!)
-Forget to reapply your sunscreen (or....just being too lazy to reapply)
-Trip over your beach chair (hope the neighbors didn't see that!)
-Get sand in your bed (this hurts especially when you are sunburned)
-Walk in front of a fisherman and walk right into his line (....and it had to be that guy!)
-Forget to drink plenty of H2O (once again....I'm too relaxed to get out of my beach chair and reach over to the cooler. I'm on vacation!!)

There's more but I want to go back out on the beach now.....

Sun, Sand, Sea, Salt, Sunburn.....etc!

I'm at the beach! I wanted to share some pictures but this laptop doesn't have a slot for my SD card. Oh well :(
We are having a great time down here at the beach with our grandparents and aunt & uncle. Everyone is pretty much burned...ever since the first day actually.
Brooke and I have enjoyed taking walks down the beach every morning and evening. Unfortunately, where we are at, the sun doesn't set over the water...but nonetheless, the sunsets are spectacular. The whole sky turns bright pink and orange!
We still have four more days here at the beach (we arrived Saturday). I'm really enjoying this vacation!!!!!

Holly

Super Sixteen!

I would say "Sweet Sixteen"...but I think "Super Sixteen" sounds a little more.....guyish. lol.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEREMY!
I can't believe you are 16 now. You will find that after sixteen... the time starts to run a little faster. Before you know it, you will be turning 17! So enjoy this year because you will only be 16 once :)
I have to say thank-you... Thank-you for your friendship. You've been a big part of my life! I can say- "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you". As the LORD leads you down life's road, continue to trust Him. He knows where you are going....and He will take care of each step. So, as this year may have some uncertainties, just remember to fully rely on the One Who holds it all in His hands.

God Bless you Jeremy!
Holly

"The Battle For The High Seas"

"Green is comin' at cha,
we're comin' fast and hard,
we're gonna roll you down like a window on a car!"

"Y-E-L-L!
Everybody scream, everybody yell!
Y-E-L-L everybody yell,
GO GREEN!"

This was my second time to go to The Wilds Christian Camp in NC with friends Jeremy and Emily. It was a BLAST! The theme was "Battle for the High Seas" and the devotion subject was called "Jonah's Magnificent God". Our speaker was John Goetsch, the Executive Vice President at West Coast Bible College. His sermons were excellent!
The campers were divided into three teams: The Sapphire Bay Schooners, The Scarlet Cove Clippers, and The Emerald Coast Galleons. It was funny to find out that Jeremy, Emily, and I were all put on different teams this year (last year we were all on the same team). Jeremy was on the red team, Emily was blue, and I was green. Each day, the three teams would fight for first place in the different games. I enjoyed just about all of the games, but some left me gasping for breath.
After the game, we had what we called "God and I time follow up" in the dorm where we would go over the devotional booklet, "Jonah's Magnificent God".
There were eight girls in my cabin (not including my counselor). Each one of us were pretty different from each other... but by the end of the week, I think we all bonded. I have to say though, I bonded the most with my counselor, Richa (pronounced Ree-cah). She not only was my counselor, but she became a good friend.... I miss her a lot!
During the afternoon, after the "Christian Life Seminar", we would have "free time" for a few hours. Some of the things we did included: frisbee golf, riding the giant swing (FUN), rifle range, mini-golf, making s'mores, etc. Sometimes we would just hang out at the newly renovated coffee shop, "Cool Beans", where we would talk about what God was showing/teaching us. That was definitely one of my favorite pastimes at camp, even though sometimes I was put on the spot (thank-you for doing that by the way (you know who you are)).
Some of the best things about The Wilds are: growing in godliness, learning more about God, being around other believers, being away from daily distractions, making decisions, making new friends, enocuraging others, and having fun with all the different activities. Oh yeah, and my team (ECG!!!!) won the week! Go Green!

That Never-Ending Controversy

As I was doing a little research about Contemporary Christian Music, I was surprised to find this section of "Controversy"on the famous website Wikipedia:

___________________________

Controversy

Contemporary Christian music has been a topic of controversy in various ways since its beginnings in the 1960s. The Christian college Bob Jones University prohibits its dormitory students from listening to CCM. Others simply find the concept of Christian pop/rock music to be an unusual phenomenon, since rock music has historically been associated with themes such as sexual promiscuity, rebellion, drug and alcohol use, and other topics normally considered antithetical to the teachings of Christianity.

_________________________

So, the "all-knowing" website, Wikipedia, actually recognizes Bob Jones in its attempts to prohibit the possession of CCM on campus. I thought that was pretty neat to find that little fact in my search since Bob Jones is a favorable college of mine.

Notice what the paragraph also says: "....The concept of Christian pop/rock music [is] an unusual phenomenon since [things of the world associated with rock music] [are] normally considered antithetical to the teachings of Christianity." I never thought about it quite that way before! If the root of rock music is "antithetical" to what Christianity teaches, why are these Christian artists try to emulate their music to that of the world's music? Please don't start to tell me that CCM is for evangelizing. God's Word plainly says that we are not to be conformed to the World. Evangelism should never be about us being like the world to reach the world- hands down. But that's another blog post.

In my attempts to try to find out what is right when it comes to music that glorifies God, I find it harder and harder to find a place to draw the line. I mean, I find myself arguing (if you will) with myself about certain artists: "I like this group, and they are really sold out to Christ! It's obvious in their lyrics that they love the Lord. And hey, that noise in the background, it's just musical instruments anyways. But this group over here, they are obviously questionable. I can see (or actually hear) no difference in their music and the world's music..... er it's really hard to tell." But, you know, whether is Toby Mac rapping his way to stardom under the name of Jesus, or the church-based group Casting Crowns, it's all under that category- Contemporary Christian Music. So that makes it really hard to just throw CCM out altogether when so many different categories are under this division of music.

For almost two weeks now (I think), I haven't listened to the local Christian radio stations. This is a pretty amazing thing for me (oh, and my sister has been doing it too). We usually listen to either J93.3, 104.7 "The Fish", or "The Message" on XM radio constantly it seems. In the car, in my room, in the kitchen (sometimes), on my mp3, on the computer, and sometimes even on tv. I love to listen to music, so instead I have been listening to a select few CDs of mine (and yes...even they happen to be under that CCM division). One thing I have enjoyed about my break from Christian music radio is getting bombarded with other people's beliefs about my Savior in all those lyrics. If you think about it, (this may be really simple to you or really profound) someone is sitting down and writing those lyrics. These are people- human beings (who make mistakes), we are talking about. In each song, whatever the person writing it believes, it's going to be incorporated into the music. You listen to it, and guess what, you start to believe it too! The different beliefs of each individual about Jesus Christ are not infallible. Christian songs are not absolute truth like the Word of God. Some Christian songs though, I might add, do have lyrics that are true and line up with the Word. But a lot of times, those songs are hard to find. It's so hard to find those because songs aren't always "point blank". There are songs about a person's spiritual height, someone's spiritual struggles, spiritual longing, spiritual encouragement, etc. Those things might be uplifting to you, but in all reality, it's pretty much entertainment. You listen to a song about someone's sins being removed and the happiness they feel...and that's encouraging! I'm actually thinking about a song off one of my favorite CDs. But I have to remember, it's just a song. I shouldn't listen to it and be thinking it's all good because it's Christian. I need to be discerning these Christian songs because it's not God's Word, and there could be some things being conveyed in the music that doesn't line up with Truth. I am just being entertained, and possibly (and preferably) encouraged. I am not excepting every lyric in the song because it's labeled "Christian". I don't believe being entertained is always a bad thing (obviously). In some circumstances, especially church settings, I most definitely believe that entertainment should be thrown out the door. Church is a place where our focus should be on Jesus alone, and when you're being entertained in one way or another, you have lost your focus.

But the thing is, we aren't always aware about the things being poured into our hearts and minds when listening to music. Even if we say we are not going to accept everything in the lyrics (like I said earlier), we may start believing what we hear without knowing it (like I mentioned earlier). Oh, did I contradict myself? You see, this isn't an easy thing. So, to avoid all confusion and wasted efforts, it the only option to be completely removed from the CCM movement altogether? From Third Day to Skillet...like I said, it's all under CCM.

And, what about all these artists making fortunes off the name of Jesus? I am reminded about Jesus overthrowing the tables of the money-changers in the temple.

This subject can lead to so many debates and arguments, because a lot of people do have a lot to say about the issue. It's a pressing and yes, controversial issue.

I leave you with this passage:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1John 2:15-16.

God's Word remains. His Word is absolute Truth. Inerrant. Infallible. Holy in all aspects. This Book, is what I want to draw my inspiration from. I need none other.