Two Tags!

I meant to do these sooner but wasn't able to. The first tag is from Echo of Mercy.


What is your favorite book?
Hmm... other than the Bible, that would be Jane Austen's, Emma
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
The lochs and heathered hills of Scotland have always enticed me to visit them.
If you could go to any fictional place where would it be?
Narnia, minus the white witch
Do you write or do you just like writing? or do you write?
I do write and I do enjoy it- has anyone noticed that?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Whatever God would have me to be
Favorite animal?
Cats or horses
Favorite song?
The Power of the Cross
Do you like school?
Some of might consider me to be incessantly weird, but I don't mind school like lots of people do.
Are you people a person cause I'm getting the idea that you are?
I guess you can say that I am. I'm not ultra outgoing but I don't mind meeting new people.
use the same password or different ones?
I think I'll keep that to myself.=)
Favorite food?
What's not to love about strawberries and chocolate? You tell me.=)
Hobbies
Playing musical instruments, sewing quilts, reading, and photography
Favorite author?
Jane Austen!
Favorite weapon?
Paintball guns are pretty neat...
Is this a fun tag or are you getting bored?
If it was too dull, I wouldn't be wasting my time on it
Do you like Hannah Montana and all those girly people and movies like High School musical?
Not really, I don't go for teen idols and shows
What are you scared of?
Poisonous snakes
Favorite flower?
A white rose, they're so exquisite
Do you always use the same password or do you use different ones?
I think I'll keep that to myself
Do you like blogs?
Good ones in which the author writes well/or has good photography
What is the expression on your face?
Right now, it is expressionless.
Are you going to tag somebody?
Not now
Color of your eyes?
Dark brown
__________________________________________________________________

1. What is your full given name? Elizabeth Anne Jackson
2. What is your favorite Bible verse? Jeremiah 29:11
3. What is your favorite book?(or books?) All thing Jane Austen!
4. What is your favorite season? Summer
5. What is your favorite outfit? A classy pair of blue jeans, a pretty top, cute shoes and of course, a purse.=)
6. What grade are you in? 11th
7. Do you play an instrument? Yes, the piano and violin
8.How many siblings do you have? Six

The above tag was from Miriam

Feel welcome to do both of the above tags!

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Well...

I was going to do a longer post but I'm not feeling up to it. I've got a sinus infection and my ears are kind of stopped up. For those of you who asked, yes; I changed the blog template for a little while. Next week, I'll try to catch up on tags and such. On Monday I'll be going back to Columbus for my visit with my orthopedic surgeon, please pray that my arm/wrist will be completely healed and that I won't have to wear the splint anymore. I hope each one of you have a lovely weekend.=)


"Perhaps a man's character was like a tree, and his reputation like its shadow; the shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing."
-Abraham Lincoln

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Why don't we think it's amazing?

You've heard the stories about how a drunk on the street accepted Christ as his Savior and totally had his life transformed, how a thief came to realize that he was a sinner and came to place his faith in Jesus Christ, and how a murderer found forgiveness in the only One who could forgive so great a trespass-we think salvation stories such as these are truly incredible. And then there are stories such as mine, I have grown up in a Christian home and accepted Christ as my personal Savior at a fairly young age, we think our simple salvation stories aren't as amazing as some thief's salvation. The truth is; salvation is always amazing. True, I may not have been as vile as a drunk or a thief but I was a sinner all the same. Jesus didn't have to offer his eternal life to me but I am so thankful he did! Perhaps we think our salvation is as amazing because we didn't do all the things that other people did or didn't live as much of our life without Christ, but when we come to realize that we were undeservedly given a gift- we can begin to see the amazingness of God's grace. No one has ever endure so much for us and we could never do anything to deserve what He went through for us. My pride, my unkind words, and my selfishness; they hung Christ on the cross just as much as the sinful deeds of a thief who has broken in 25 homes. Let's just take a moment and realize this, it was, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see".

P.S. If you have never experienced the saving forgiveness of Jesus Christ, please comment and let me know that you'd like to know more about this amazing gift from God.

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I have something to show you...

How many of you actually own a genuine Filipino product? I'm not talking about a summer shirt you bought at Wal-mart, I'm talking about an actual item that a lady from a Filipino village made especially for you? Well, now I own such an item. A missionary lady, whom my family has known for quite a few years, recently sent my sisters and I beautiful fans with our names embroidered on them. I was really touched by her thoughtfulness and want to pray for the lady who made the fans for us. The lady, along with her husband and son, are serving the Lord in the Phillipines and it has been wonderful to see them reach so many people for Christ. Whether or not you have a tangible item to remeber those serving Christ throughout the world, remember to pray for them and their work. I may never meet the woman who crafted my fan but I can still pray for her no matter how many thousands of miles may separate her from me.

Note: To see more detail, you can click on the picture.

P.S. The picture was what I wanted to show you all.=)

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If your going to wear it, you better live it

When I was younger, WWJD bracelets were popular amoung Christian kids and teens. Needless to say, I was thrilled whe my Sunday school teacher gave me one. Times have changed and WWJD bracelets aren't so popular anymore-different Christian jewelry pieces are now worn. How many of you own a cross necklace or a purity ring? I would venture to say that most of my readers have one piece of jewelry that is a reference to their faith. I own a pretty cross necklace with little diamonds (my Dad gave it to me) and I have worn it on several occasions. I'm not certain if you've thought about this before, but people do notice when we wear something that people will associate with christianity. You've heard the saying, "your walk talks louder than your talk talks" that is a true statement. Basically, I'm writing this post to encourage you to more carefully consider your conduct when you are wearing something that will specifically associate you with Jesus Christ. If I wear my necklace, go out in public, and get frustrated at the cashier who gave me the wrong change; by looking at my necklace, the cashier will most likely think I'm a professing Christian and a bad one too. This is a lesson to me more than I'm intending it to be a lesson to you. If I hang my faith around my neck, I better live my faith. The cross of calvary wasn't meant to be a piece of jewelry merely for decorative purposes- it was a cross of forgiveness and a new life. Live the life and people will see your faith whether or not you wear a purity ring or a cross pendant.

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What is love?

Yesterday I was doing my daily Bible reading and 1 Corinthians 13 was part of the passages for that days reading schedule. If you're at all familiar with the Word of God, you will most likely know that 1 Corinthians 13 is referred to as the, "Love Chapter". What is love? Is it a feeling, thoughts, or an inclination toward someone? Infatuation with someone of the opposite sex isn't love, the Bible makes it quite clear what love is. Here are verses 5-8 of 1 Corinthians 13.


4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

When we think about love (the word used is "charity") is our first response to think about people loving us or our loving others? My first response is to want people to be loving toward me and If they love me -I'll love them. That isn't what the Bible teaches about true love. Charity endures the unkindness of those they love being rude or inconsiderate toward them, isn't jealous when others are praised instead of them, and love doesn't become upset when people do something to provoke. Througn the storms of life, through sorrow, pain, and betrayal; sincere godly love triumphs. I want to challenge myself to be more loving (something that isn't always natural for me). The greatest of faith, hope, and charity is charity; show Christ through it.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.





P.S. Just to let my blog followers know, I'll be visiting blogs on Thursdays. This will ensure I don't spend too much browsing time but I'll also check by your blogs on a regular basis.=)

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Announcement!

There are several things I have always felt passionately and dressing modesty is one of those things. I have such wonderful, godly friends (they're truly a gift from God) and two of my friends and I have launched a new blog. I know there are hundreds of sites about modesty and related issue but we feel like this is something we should do. The name of the blog is called Modest Blends, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop by that blog. Just so you know, that blog won't take the place of this blog and I'll still be doing my usual posting here. So, if you've got a moment stop by the blog and feel welcome to let your friends and fellow bloggers know about the site.

In Christ, Elizabeth J.

Here's the site link modestblends.blogspot.com

P.S. I'm now an author of the Meditations of His Love blog. I'll only be posting there occasionally.

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The "black box"

Millions of people own one, vegetate in front of it, and say they couldn't live without it.To some, cable is like water - life without it is no life at all. I have to tell you, I am not a fan of this philosophy. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "great, she's going to tell me that television is of the devil and I'm a shameful Christian if I or my family owns one". Take a deep breath, that isn't what I am going to say. In fact, my family has several tv screens which we have to use for our homeschool DVD program, but we don't have cable. I'll never forget the time a lady stared at my mom and asked, "can't you afford cable?" The truth was that we could but we were doing just fine without it. How much leisure time do you stare blankly at a screen as actors play out scenes from a movie or television show? Modern television is, for the most part, unwholesome. I can't stop from wondering why and Christians spend so much time stretched out on the sofa when they could spending time more efficiently or utilizing their lost time for God. The occasionally TV viewing or movie isn't such a big thing but if your consistently going "brain dead" in front of a screen, I'll suggest you find a more significant and productive way to use your time. I am not against television, movies, or shows; but I am against spending time watch one of those things that is filled with objectionable content we Christians should not be watching. The next time you flop down to relax and watch random television broadcast, pause to think about some other things you could do in and hour and a half. If there something better you think you could do - consider doing it. Spend your time for God and you'll never feel like you can't live without TV.


P.S. Yes, I do watch movies and an occasional television show.=^) Do you know of a clean movie that's worth spending time watching? Comment to let me know about them.

I read this today an was really touched by it and I would recommend you take a quick moment to read it. How Much Does a Miracle Cost?

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Be Willing

"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China…I don't know who it was…It must have been a man…a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing…and God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward…And God said - "Well, she's willing."

Have you ever wondered why you were chosen for a certain task God picked you for? I have, and have felt so inadequate. Today I came across the above quote which was stated by Gladys Aylward, a woman who God picked to change the lives of hundreds of Chinese children and others of their culture. Gladys wasn't the brightest, smartest, or most beautiful woman to ever live; yet the Lord used her beyond measure. Because she was willing, God was able to use this child of his to further the Kingdom of Heaven. I want to challenge myself to be yielded to allow the Lord to use me for his glory. I need to overcome those feelings of uncertainty and realize that God desires to use me if I am willing.What a tragic thing to look the Lord in the eye, and hear him say-I wanted to use you but you wouldn't sumbit. The Lord can use you as he used Gladys- lets be willing as she was.

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Ministry and the gifts God gives us

Last week I did a post and asked what you all would like me to post about. It was encouraging to read that you like what I am writing and I thank the Lord he is using my writing to touch someone. I did receive a couple comments and the commenter's asked about my future plans, I'll try to tell you a little about it. Really, my future plans shouldn't be my plans, they should be God's plan for me.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
-Jeremiah 29:11

At this point in my life, I'm not entirely certain about what God would have me do as a specific ministry. The thing is this, if we are Christians we are in the "full time Christian ministry" and we can serve the Lord in whatever way he sees appropriate. I feel the Lord has lead me to further my education and feel lead to study both music and English. To each Christian, certain gifts have been given and I believe mine are in the areas of English, teaching, and music (I don't mean to brag). If the Lord would lead me to the foreign mission field, I will gladly go. I have a feeling the future will hold some sort of specific ministry for me and I'm excited to know what that is. I'm seeking the Lord and I know he'll direct my steps.


I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him.
I ended up by asking Him to do his work through me.
-James Hudson Taylor

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Back to the Beginnng

It is that time of year again, the last weekend before it is time to begin school again. To be honest, I'm sort of ready for school to start. My school desk is waiting to be lugged up from the basement, my homeschool DVD's are ready to be played, and Spanish 2 and Chemistry are ready for me whether or not I'm ready for them. I want to challenge you, whether you're in a public/private or homeschool,this school year, do all things for God's glory. Last year, maybe you didn't do so well academically or maybe you did, but do your best because the Lord requires it. You have the opportunity to begin again-to prove yourself anew or prove yourself for the first time. God doesn't necessarily want an A. He wants your very best whether that's an A or a C. We're back at the beginning and no matter if things become difficult or overwhelming, I'm going to strive to do all to the glory of God. Happy school year 2009-2010! =^)

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

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What to say?

I contemplated doing another poll but decided I've done enough of those for a week or so. Plus, I thought this might be the better way to get your thoughts. Here's the question: me to what would you like me to write more about? I'm going to continue to post as I am now but I was wondering if there is a specific topic you all would like me to address. I may not be able to post about every single thing, but I'll try to post something about as many as I can. I've said enough for now, leave a comment and let me know what you'd like me to do a blog post about. Thanks a bunch!

P.S. If you have any other suggestions as to how I could improve this blog, tell me about that too.

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Journals and Journeys

Remember the mid 90s when Lisa Frank was the rage for little girls? Whenever I would go to the store, I would love to see those pink, purple, and blue journals with pretty animals drawn across the cover-the pages inside were irresistible to write on (that is, if I owned one). This morning I moved my ever growing stack of journals, it is time to stack them away where there is more room, my sock drawer was becoming over-crowded.=) I did take a moment to flip through the pages of those journals, loaded with memories and misspellings, and see how different things have become since I was a third grader. I guess I'm kind of reminiscing but I want to encourage you to keep a journal, if you don't already. Time goes by quickly and sometimes we forget how good God has been to us. Looking back, I can see God's faithfulness and love as the years went by and as the years continue go on. When I'm old and grey headed, I'll be glad for the chance to step back and see where the Lord created my journey to lead me. Journals can be useful. Use them to chronicle the journey God is leading you through.

P.S. Yes, that picture is the entire stack of completed journals (except for the one at the top, I'm using it presently).

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