SOAPing Up~ Abigail Massung

What you need:

~Bible (study Bible with notes preferred)

~Notebook or paper

~Pen or pencil

  I recently learned about a Bible study method known as SOAP (Study, Observe, Apply, Pray). The first time I ever did it was in a small group. Instantly, I fell in love with it. Some of you may already be familiar with this study type, but for those of you who don’t know about it, here’s how it works.

  First, you have to pick a passage from a Bible that you want to study. The passage can be one you or your group thinks about beforehand or it could be one chosen at random. It works either way. Next, you read the chosen passage. After that, look over it again and decide on a part you find interesting and want to focus in on. Grab your pen and paper to write down your chosen verse(s) and your thoughts about what you chose along with how you could apply it to your life. Afterwards, pray or write out a prayer about it.

  If you’re doing this as a small group (which I recommend), you could take turns discussing what you chose to focus in on and your thoughts on it. Although I’m not a big sharer myself, I do really love this part because it deepens the lessons you can learn from the whole experience. Even if you don’t share yourself, you can really gain quite a bit by listening to the thoughts and perspectives of others.

  SOAP is a fun, refreshing Bible study that can have many or only a few people, and last only as long as you want. So, if you’re just interested in a quick study by yourself before work or a big group study at camp or something, it’s perfect. It gives you a moment to slow down, zone in on God, and step away from everything. So why not try it out this school year? It’ll probably be the most refreshing soap you’ll ever use!

How to Gain Inner Strength~ Abigail Massung

  Unfortunately, it takes more than just wanting to grow strong. It takes determination and God. To become truly strong we need God in our lives 24/7. So guess what, going to church once a week and calling it good won’t cut it. So if you think you’ll go to church, go to youth group, than party with your friends and forget God, think again. You have to determine to turn to God for, and in, everything. He needs to be a part of your everyday life and actions.

   Our strength comes from God. If we want to survive then we have to grow under His light. We have to deliberately take time out to seek Him through focusing on the Bible; praying and just talking to God about life; sitting in the silence to just acknowledge His presence with us; and praising Him with our lives. Don’t just do it when it’s convenient, but push yourself to constantly be seeking God in some way in every aspect of life.

  There are going to be days when the last thing you want to do is go to youth group. Times when you’re tempted to turn back to what’s easier or a lifestyle you’re more familiar with. Those are the times when Satan tests how strong the branch is supporting the new life. That’s when you need to force yourself to open your Bible, pray, talk to your Christian friends about how your feeling, and go wherever you know you need to be. Because those are the times when the branch is tested, and the cost may be high if you don’t.

Lessons from a Tree Branch~ Abigail Massung

 This summer my family decided to visit Michigan’s upper peninsula for a week. While hiking to one of the many waterfalls located up there, we saw a tree. The main tree was normal enough. I barely remember the tree itself because one of the branches held my entire focus. The branch grew out horizontal to the ground for a couple feet, appearing dead. Then, right at the end, it curved up sharply to stand proudly in the sun. That proud little tip grew up straight and green. My mom said something along the lines of: “It would do anything just to survive.” That idea echoed through my soul because lately I’d been trying not to give up my fight to survive.

    Looking back at the branch, I think about all it faced merely to reach out for a chance at a new start. How strong that branch had to have grown inside so it could support the new life! On the outside, it appeared to have died, but life must have coursed through it to feed the new life. It fought through the dark times to reach the sun. The strength it gained in those times gave it the base it needed to hold it up later on. All of us struggle in life –one way or another. We all face dark times when the sun never seems to shine. The thing is, we have to choose to keep growing through those times. If we keep struggling and not giving up, we’ll not only survive to see the sun, we’ll be strong enough to support the new life we’ll gain.

How to Prep for a Pet~ Heather Young

1. Ask your parents.

Make sure that it’s okay with your parents if you get a pet. You wouldn’t want to be getting a pet on your own and then say, “Look Mom! I got a puppy!” And then she says, “No, no, no! I will not let this filthy animal in my house!” So, to avoid situations like this, it would be a good idea to get permission from the adult who’s going to have to put up with some aspect of the pet throughout its lifetime. Of course, if you already live on your own, this step does not apply.

2. Pray about it.

Ask God if this is what he wants you to do with your money. Feel a sense of peace about investing money and time in a pet, especially if it is very expensive.

3. Save up for it.

There are different methods of saving up for something. You could put away a certain amount of money each month. Also, you could put away a certain type of dollar bill (i.e. $1s, $5s, $10s…etc.). In addition, keeping change in a jar has been a BIG money saver for me; it may take a while, but you probably don’t carry change around to spend, anyway. There are plenty of other ways you could save your money, but these are the methods that I use.

4. Read up on it.

It’s good to know what you’re getting into when you save up money to buy a pet. You could look it up on the Internet, but there are many different sources with different opinions on how to care for a pet or what supplies a pet needs. I would suggest reading a book about the type of pet you’re planning on getting that was published after 2000, so that the information will be more current.

     5. Find stores that you want to obtain supplies from, and where you want to get the pet.

Unless you want to drive all around to find what stores you want to get supplies from, I would suggest looking on the Internet. To begin, you could search: pet stores in [your city]. Make sure the products have good reviews; sometimes they are falsely advertised.

In my experience, it is better to buy a pet from a breeder rather than a pet store. Animals in stores are often less friendly, not as properly cared for, and in some cases have been improperly bred, causing them to die sooner.

6. Find out how much each item will cost, including your pet, and add up your cost.

Make sure you have enough money to buy your supplies and pet before you get to the store(s).

7. Once you have enough money for all of your supplies, buy them from the stores you previously selected.

Buy your supplies before you obtain your pet. This way you will have all it needs when you welcome it home.

8. Set up your supplies so that they will be in place when you bring your pet home.

If you are getting a small pet, set up your supplies so you won’t scare your pet when you move stuff around inside their cage.

9. Purchase your pet and bring it home.

This step is pretty self explanatory.

10. Take good care of your new pet and try to bond with it so that you will have a lasting relationship with one of God’s wonderful creatures.

Try to make it feel comfortable by talking to it, petting it, and spending time with it.

Whether you are going to be getting a hamster or a German shepherd, I hope these tips help you get ready for your new addition!

Did you know that Heather is crafty?!

Did you know that Abby loves to swim and dance?!

Photographs property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Photograph taken by Abby Whear.

Interview with Submerged

Our very own Abigail got to do this interview with the band Submerged!! I hope you enjoy!

Hey everyone, I’d like to introduce you to some people from my old home-state of Indiana who I really think you are going to like: Nic, Cait, and Gavin of the band Submerged. You probably have never heard of them before, but I think after you get to know them a little, you’ll start to love them as much as I do.

Submerged first began back in 2006 and has since remained true to its initial goals: staying true to God and setting a good example of Christ before the world. In 2008, the band released its first album entitled “Don’t Hide.” Rather than settling for a couple good songs, the band pushed itself to offer its fans a solid album full of their very best efforts while promoting faith, love, and emotion from the first to the last second. With Ben Kasica –former lead guitarist of Skillet- co-writing and producing, and Acceptance’s Nick Radovanovic engineering and remixing it, their album was released through Skies Fall Studios and met all of their expectations and then some.

Lead singer and songwriter Caitlin Shea was very pleased with the final product, saying that working with Ben and the others really taught them quite a bit. She also explains how all the songs are written from either firsthand experience, or from watching her friends go through things –and that while recording, stories, music, and emotions came together beautifully.

Getting to Know Them…

Q: How did Submerged get started?

Nic: We started out as a youth band at church, back in summer of 2006. Soon after, we went from just playing church events to playing all over the place, from Ichthus to Rocketown in Florida. In the process, we've met some really great people - we recorded our album with Ben Kasica, Skillet's former guitarist, and we played shows with bands such as Icon For Hire, Stellar Kart, 7eventh Time Down, and Seabird as well!

Q: Although your music has quite a strong Christian basis, I’m sure it also appeals to those who generally don’t listen to Christian music as well. Has it been difficult trying to balance writing music that attracts those who don’t share your faith as well as songs which will point them the right way while still writing things relevant to Christians?

Gavin: I’ve always thought it was because you had to make sure you’re bridging the gaps between the two but not crossing over.

Nic: You kind of have to push the envelope, but you can’t push it too much, so you really have to find the right balance.

Cait: I agree and disagree with that. It is a fine line, but I always write what I feel and don’t really think about it in the moment. I try to write from experience and things my peers can relate to, whether that is God-centered or emotion based. So I think it gives us a good mix, naturally.

Q: As a band, what is your biggest goal? If you could accomplish one thing together, what would it be?

Cait: The biggest goal is to touch lives and lead people to God. And if that means we eventually get signed... That'd be even more awesome!

Q: What is a lesson (faith-wise) each of you have learned since you’ve been a part of Submerged?

Nic: You can find really cool surprises in the most unlikely places. Big shows aren't always the best. At smaller shows, you get to meet close-knit communities that have strong faith, and that's always really inspiring.

Gavin: I've really learned to trust in God, even when things don't look like they're going the way you planned. Because you always have to know He has a better plan than you can imagine.

Cait: I agree with Gavin. A musician's life isn't glamorous like most people think. It's definitely trying at times, and you really have to have the passion for it to stick it out. But it's God's calling for us, and He'll always provide.

Q: Frequently how/why we come to Christ can really affect the way we live our lives afterwards. Could each of you tell us a little about how you came to Christ and the impact that has made in how you live today?

Cait: Jesus has always been such a big part of my life. If it weren't for Him, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. I had way different plans for my life, though they still were plans to dedicate my life to Him... but He steered me a different way. And I love it.

Nic: Cait and I are brother and sister, so we've had pretty similar experiences, faith-wise. I feel like that's been a great thing - we've always kept each other in check!

Gavin: I came to know Christ when I was pretty young, but when I was around 14, He really made a big impact in my life and changed my life for the better.

Q: How are things looking for your new album? Do you have a tentative release date for it yet?

Gavin: February 30th.
[Everyone laughs]
Cait: Seriously, though, the album is coming together, but funding the album is difficult. We've also gone through so many changes since our last album, that it's been hard to get solid as a band enough to ready the album. But it will happen, and we will make a big announcement!

Q: Do you (Cait) ever find it challenging to be the only girl in the band?

Cait: Never. I’m a very girly girl, but I’m also just one of the guys. I’ve never felt out of place hanging with the boys.

Q: What bands do you think have most influenced your music?

Cait: We always list our band influences as Anberlin, Paramore, and Skillet. Switchfoot was a big influence too, especially when we started. Now we all have so many different influences that come into play in our sound. For instance, my biggest influences are Michelle Branch, Miranda Lambert, Stephen from Anberlin, Gwen Stefani, and a Japanese artist named YUI. But I still love and am inspired by rock music.

Gavin: I study the bands I like live to learn from them, and that influences me, and it's also reaffirming. My biggest overall influence though is Anberlin. And you could probably put down Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and Joe Jonas too. [Everyone laughs]

Nic: [sarcastically, laughing] Oh, yeah, and Lady Gaga inspires my clothing style. I have the same Kermit The Frog outfit! [seriously] Some of my actual influences include Stellar Kart, Decyfer Down, Underoath... and secular artists as varied as Kanye West, Steely Dan, Jack Johnson and Los Lonely Boys.

Q: If you could change your band name to anything else...what would it be?

Nic: The Peg Legs.

Cait: [laughs] We always joke we'll change our name to that, and then crack pirate jokes the whole show. But actually, it's funny you mention that, because we have been considering a name change lately, we're just not sure what it would be.

Q: Have you ever considered giving up the band and just going your separate ways to live more "normal" lives?

Gavin: Not really. It's something I've wanted to do from day one, so I've never thought about giving up the life I've always wanted.

Nic: I've always told everyone in the band: "I'll be a part of this as long as y'all want me." [laughs]

Cait: I've never doubted that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, so I've never wanted to quit.

Finding Out More…

Submerged is currently at work on their sophomore album in which they hope to showcase their growing maturity in both faith and music. Until then however, you can catch them out playing shows or through any of the following places:

facebook.com/SubmergedMusic, YouTube.com/SubmergedMusic ,twitter.com/SubmergedMusic, and iTunes

I Think I'll Be Brave, Starting With You...

When first planning to write this article a couple months ago I had planned an entirely different focus for it than what you’re about to read. Call it providence or just plain irony, I had chosen to hold off on writing it until after a trip I was going on because I thought afterwards I’d have a better idea about my subject. I had no idea just how much my outlook was going to change during and after that trip. I got a clearer plan for my subject –but it has turned out to be entirely different than what I expected.

Originally, I had planned to mainly focus on several different unique ways of dressing to artfully hide embarrassing scars from cutting. Why? Well at the time I had just admitted to my parents that I’d struggled with cutting. It was then I learned that, even when surrounded by people who knew the truth, I couldn’t stand to have my scars in plain view. Even just allowing some of my lesser ones to be seen was a challenge knowing the past few years were written on my arms.

The last several months I’ve literally tried everything to remove those scars from my body. I’ve easily spent between $100 and $200 on scar gels and creams in attempts to heal them and yet more on make-up to cover them. I even attempted using bleach on my skin –as I’m sure you can imagine, that is extremely painful- it felt like I was running a hundred tiny sharp knives over my skin. It didn’t do any good. After about 6 months, I came to the realization that no matter what I did, my scars were not going anywhere. I settled for allowing my less-noticeable ones to be seen and always wearing ¾ length sleeves to hide the ones I couldn’t stand for anyone to ever see. Naturally, this turned my mind to different ways of hiding my shame and regret from the world. That, had been my plan -to tell you all how to hide your shame.

Like I said though, the trip I took drastically changed my view on this –or at least, it was theturning point in the changing of my view. If two months ago you’d told me what I would be choosing to write I would be laughing uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of it. I honestly can only barely believe it even as I’m writing this.

So what exactly am I going to tell you? Well, now that I’ve written almost entire page on what I’m not going to write, I guess it’s about time I tell you, huh? I decided I was going to be brave, face life honestly, and suggest you try doing so as well.

Our past –no matter what it may be- is always going to be there. That’s a fact we all know, even though some of us try to pretend we can make it go away, we all know we can’t. If we’re going to embrace our futures we need to acknowledge our pasts. Our pasts are where we come from–they’re the intros to our current lives. Sure, we might skip over the intro of a story, but it’s there for a reason: To explain how we got to our current place in the story. Yesterday I thought about an age-old question: If I could go back and change anything in my life, what would it be? I realized at that moment that despite all the horrible mistakes I’ve made, there’s not a single thing I’d change because it took all of those things to make me who I am today. The dark areas of my life are definitely not my finest moments or what I’d choose to highlight, but they’re apart of who I am and why I’m what I am today.

I know I can’t keep my scars hidden for the rest of my life. What if I finally get to go toAustralia like I want to? Am I going to wear long sleeves and not go into the water? Yeah, I don’t think so. Eventually, someone is going to see those scars no matter how hard I try to hide them. Unless I never allow anyone to become close to me (which would make for an extremely lonely existence, fyi), I have an impossible mission ahead of me if I’m determined to hide them forever. With that in mind, wouldn’t it be better to tell them upfront at a good time than to have them learn the truth by accident at an inopportune time?

Am I worried about how people react when they see the truth? Extremely! It’s not like there’s much doubt as to what they could be from. Such numerous long, surgically-straight scars could only come from one thing. I’ve already had to face the pain of customers at my workplace looking pointedly at my arms and not taking their eyes off them the whole time I waited on them. Others have seen them and looked on in disgust for the rest of the transaction. I’ve been working there for about two months now and I’m just now reaching the point where I really don’t care or think about it -most of the time. Already I’ve had to wonder if a guy had backed off from getting to know me better after seeing the scars on my arms. And I’ll admit, that last one is an extremely difficult one to have to face, but in the end, I’d rather know upfront how he felt rather than have grown close only to have him reject me later on.

It’s not all sad stories though. I’ve started being more open about my struggles with some of the new friends I’m making at college, and although I’m not going into details, I’m becoming much more comfortable with the whole thing. I can say, yes, this is something I’ve struggled with, and then move on with the conversation. By doing so, it’s helped me to see that I’m not going to lose all my friends if they know the truth, and in turn, has helped me to finally start coming to terms with my past.

No matter what you’re trying to hide in your past, know that you can still find love and acceptance despite it. I was thoroughly convinced that because of what I’d done to myself, no guy would ever want me. The idea that any guy could look with love on someone like me was impossible for me to believe. God changed that one night while I was attending an on-campus ministry known as His House. For the first time since I became a Christian at six, I walked over to total strangers to pray. The only person on the prayer team who was available was a guy. I almost turned around and left, but God gave me the courage to tell him how, though I’d been free from cutting for about 7 months, I still really struggled with the urge to use cutting as a release. What he said while praying for me took my breath away. This guy not only mentioned how he knew of others who attended His House who were struggling with this same issue, but that his own girlfriend had struggled with it and even though he didn’t understand it completely, he understood the desire of having what cutting offered. I hadn’t even known that story was exactly why God had urged me over to pray until after I’d gone back to friends to rejoin the singing. Without either of us knowing it, God had used that guy to show me that even someone who had been a self-injurer could find love and acceptance from another person. To me, that meant more than anything anyone could say about that issue. It was an example honestly put forth without knowing how important to me it would be. God had planned it beautifully, and I’ll admit to having shed a few tears in the darkened room while singing some of those worship songs.

 I’m not saying it’s going to be easy to be open and honest –there will likely be people you will never tell the truth to –and that’s fine. What I’m most concerned with is that whatever is haunting you from your past –be it drugs, alcohol, cutting, eating disorders, teen pregnancy, whatever- that you acknowledge that yes, it’s there in your past, and then move forward in your life being honest with those you should about your struggles. There will likely be plenty of pain and I’m sure you’ll have your share of people who react with disgust –especially if the truth is obvious in some way. Your own parents, like mine, may choose to ignore the truth when presented with it. But I’m also here to tell you that you’ll meet your own prayer team guys who tell you just the right story at the right time, you’ll have friends who will stand even closer by your side after learning the truth, and people who will wrap you in their arms and promise to never let you go. And even if the whole world seems to hate or look down at you at times, know that God really is standing right there and could care less about what you’ve done because He still loves you more than you can ever imagine. He’s just waiting for you to say hi and have a good heart-to-heart about it all. So be brave, face the past and then look towards the future as you use what you’ve learned in your dark times to make it through the rest of your life.

Sorting Through the Issues~ Abby Massung

Once upon a time, it wasn’t really a choice most people had to face. These days, however, it seems like it’s about as common of an option as what clothes you want to wear. Unfortunately, being homosexual is rising in popularity because being that way is becoming a statement to stand out among teens. This topic is an especially difficult one for Christian teens. Homosexuality is wrong, but how are we to treat them? Should we shun them, should we talk to them? I hope this article will help you with these confusing questions.

A Brief Glance at Some Questions…

  A common belief gaining more and more popularity is that homosexuality isn’t a choice. Many homosexuals are now declaring they were born that way. The truth? It goes against nature to be homosexual (note that God calls it unnatural). Although one might argue that man is now born sinful so they could be born homosexual, it is my personal belief this isn’t the case. Besides, even if a man (or woman) is born inclined to that, they must learn to control wrong impulses just as we all must.

  If you’re thinking the choices of others to be homosexual doesn’t affect us, think again! A good example of this can be found in the TV series Supernatural. Dean and Sam Winchester are brothers who travel around the country fighting demons and monsters. They have no home besides their car, so they frequently stay in motels, and more than once the owners of the hotels have suspected the brothers are truly a homosexual couple looking for a room for the night. This isn’t fiction guys, this is reality. It used to be perfectly acceptable for a couple of girls or a couple of guys to travel together and share rooms and etc., but those days are quickly disappearing thanks to the question of homosexuality. Just as suspicion surrounds men and women, suspicion surrounds women and women or men and men. Now, for a pair of girls to share an apartment together and not be dating guys looks bad (trust me, my older sister got in this position). Whether anyone will admit it or not, homosexuals have affected the rest of us.

Close to Home…

  A couple of years ago, I was attending classes set up especially for home school kids, most of which were Christians. So when I saw my closest friend’s Myspace page announcing she was a lesbian, I was floored. After all, this same girl had chosen to read a series of Bible verses for her reading in speech class (where we’d met). How could that very same girl turn around and declare herself to be a lesbian? It didn’t make any sense.

  Followed closely on the heels of that discovery was learning that another close friend had decided she was bi. Now this didn’t throw me off quite as much since she was from a family of atheists and leaned towards more masculine styles. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how my seemingly normal friends could end up deciding they were anything but straight. I remained their friends, but it was hard to really know how to act about the whole thing when there never seemed to be any middle-ground according to anything I was hearing. We all fell out of touch after some time, but the question still remained. What was the right reaction to this issue?

  I finally started to really think about this several months ago when I became interested in a guy, only to find out he was gay. He was a really nice guy from what I could tell. He didn’t overact being gay in public like so many do, and he had a huge bright smile for everyone.

   

  What the Bible Says…

  Ok, first, let’s start in Genesis. You know, where God laid out the foundation of how things were meant to be. After explain how Eve came into being and God brought her to Adam, Adam declares how together they were one and calls her woman. After that, this statement is made:

  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become flesh.” ~Genesis 2:24

  Note that God doesn’t make a guy and a girl for Adam and says “Now pick which one you’d rather have.” No. Instead, He created a perfect match for Adam to have for a partner, and in doing so, laid down the foundation of a Biblical marriage for His creations.

  Next we will head over to Leviticus for a moment. The entire 18^th chapter of this book goes into great detail about what is not acceptable in the area of sexual relations. Among this list God gave the Israelites was this:

  “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” ~Leviticus 18:22

  So even back in the beginnings of the Old Testament God proclaimed choosing to be a homosexual was wrong. So what does the New Testament have to say about it?

  “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received within themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” ~Romans 1: 26-27

  (note: I would strongly recommend reading Romans 1:18-32. It explains how these people came to such a low point of immorality. Interestingly enough, it sounds like it perfectly describes America today).

  This makes it perfectly clear that even after God’s covenant with Israel was complete, He still saw homosexuality as being perverse and unnatural.

So What Do You DO?

  Be careful you don’t judge others for being a homosexual. The Bible is filled with warnings about judging others. The reality is, we’re no better than they are. Sin is sin. Our own personal sins maybe be different, but to God, they’re all equally wrong and in need of repentance and forgiveness.

  This doesn’t mean however, that we ought to accept them into our churches as equal Christians (though if they are interested in attending we shouldn’t discourage them as long as they aren’t preforming indecent acts within the church). If you have friends declaring themselves to be Christians and homosexual in the same breath, you need to point out the contradiction to them kindly yet firmly.

 

  “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.” ~2 Timothy 4:2

  “So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” ~Luke 17:3

  “But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, and idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not eat.” ~1 Corinthians 5:9-11

  This doesn’t necessarily mean to completely shun them, but it does mean you ought to maintain your distance and try to win them back over to the faith. Although you don’t need to preach to them every day about how wrong they are to be thinking they can be homosexual and Christian, you do need to make it clear to them that it goes against the Bible and try to help them see that whenever an opportune moment presents itself or you feel called to.

  For those who aren’t professing themselves to be Christians, we should attempt to lovingly point them in the right direction. As is obvious to anyone paying attention to what’s going on with this issue in our country, yelling at them and being cruel doesn’t help anything. Besides that, it’s unbiblical. Of course, sitting back and accepting is equally wrong.

 “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them.” ~Romans 1: 32

    “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you.’” ~1 Corinthians 5:12-13

   In the end, we can witness to them, pray for them, and try to bring them to God. We also need to pray for ourselves, that we do not come to accept the sin of the world as something that is okay. Guard your heart. Guard your soul. Guard your Mind.

Did you know that Abby plays both piano and guitar?!

Supporting Our Country, Supporting Our Troop~ By Abby Massung

 Getting Started Off…

 Growing up, with a veteran grandfather and an uncle in the Air Force, I was taught to appreciate and respect the efforts of our soldiers fighting to protect our freedom, as well as the rights of others. I really wanted to show my support for what our military men and women are doing, but at first, I really wasn’t sure what I could do. I didn’t exactly have much in the way of money to put towards buying things to fill a care-package, much less pay the postage to mail one! Then I heard about sending cards and letters to service men and women, and decided to give it a try. However, it proved to be a little more difficult to track down an address to mail letters to, than I’d originally expected it would be.

  During my searching, I found a website called anysoldier.com where I was able to select a unit based upon a write-up by the unit’s “spokesperson” and get an address for mailing stuff to. After finding one where soldiers were looking for people interested in being pen pals with them, I requested the address and set to work on writing a letter. At first, it was somewhat awkward and slow-going, since I really wasn’t sure what to write to someone in that position. Not to mention I didn’t even know the person at all, so I couldn’t exactly talk about mutual interests yet. After writing and rewriting several times over, I managed to get something written up that I deemed worthy of mailing, and I sent it out on March 28^th of this year.

 

Writing Back and Forth…

  I didn’t hear back from the letter I sent until May 11^th, when I had just about given up all hope of actually hearing back from anyone in regards to it. When I got an email asking me if I’d received a letter of response to mine, I was so surprised! Unfortunately, till this very day, I still have never gotten the letter he sent me.

  Well, after that first initial email, we began writing emails back and forth regularly. Nothing extremely serious in any way, just how any pair of friends might talk online –laughing at one another and asking questions so we knew more about each other. However, after fairly regular notes back and forth, I stopped hearing from him for a few days -which seemed quite a bit longer while I was living through them than while looking back now.

  At first I didn’t view the sudden silence as really any big deal. After all, he was fighting a war. He was bound to get busy at times, so the first day slipped by with worry-free disappointment. The next day was about the same, but as it came to a close, I began to have a sinking feeling. I didn’t know how his, Mark’s*, access to the Internet worked, so I had no idea how often he was able to check and reply to email. However, it seemed strange he’d been consistently replying promptly only to suddenly stop like he had. By the third night I was worried, and decided to look for a list of names of soldiers who had recently died in the country which he was stationed in. To my horror, around the day after I’d last talked to Mark, a soldier with the exact same name, minus his middle initial which was not included, was listed as having died.

  I knew his name was by no means uncommon, and it was quite possible it was a different Mark Smith, but the thought that someone I had been laughing and joking with only days before could be dead…it was one of the scariest moments of my life.

A Night in Their Shoes…

  That night, as I worried about “my” soldier, the war suddenly became very up-close and personal for me. It wasn’t far off affecting a whole bunch of random people I didn’t know. It was right there, involving my friends and people I cared about. That night, I spent several hours in the shoes of the families and friends of our soldiers. For the briefest of moments, I got to experience a tiny bit of what it’s like to not know if someone you cared about it lying dead somewhere, or just exhausted and crashed on a cot instead. For one night, I prayed, hoped, and cried like I never had before, asking God to be with him and to let him be alive. Meanwhile, as I waited, hoping he would send me an email so I’d know he was alright, I began praying for all of the families of those I’d seen listed as having died and asking others to pray with me. That night, my heart truly opened up and went out to the families of our soldiers. Yes, our soldiers are the ones out on the battlefields fighting the physical wars every day. However, it’s their families and friends they leave behind who are forced to face the emotional battles and struggles those courageous men and women leave behind them. The families and friends who have to live each day wondering if that Mark Smith or Josh Stevens was their Mark Smith or Josh Stevens, and find out how to go on with their lives when it is their loved one who paid the ultimate price for them.

Finding Out…

 After my fair share of suspense and worry I finally broke down and sent him an email requesting he reply in some way if he got the email. My hands were shaking as I clicked send, and it was all I could do to wait for the reply. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he responded back letting me know he was alright, and from there, the jokes about needing to change his name rolled, and everything was okay. Still, the lesson I learned about what those families go through will stick with me for forever.

Writing Letters to Troops

  Would you like to show your support of our men and women in arms? If so, you can! Just visit one of the following addresses. You can either select a branch of the armed forces you wish to write to, or, you can join adoptaplatoon and get your choice of a number of soldiers assigned to you for your choice of support type:

       ~anysoldier.com                              ~anyairman.com                                        ~anysailor.com

       ~anymarine.com                             ~anycoastguard.com                                 ~ adoptaplatoon.org

                                       

    I personally went through anymarine.com where I clicked the “Where to Send” button in the banner at the top of the page. On the new page that appears after selecting that, scroll down to around the bottom of the page and look for the “Click HERE to Search” link. On the search page you can effectively narrow down your search options considerably by selecting a certain US state for the unit to be from, a certain location to which they were deployed, picking the military branch once again, if you want female soldiers to be in the unit, or simply by searching for any units that specifically mentioned letters in their posting on the site. From there, you should get a list of the different units which match your description, and then it’s the fun part –picking one!

  The numbers for men/women given for each unit stands for the number of soldiers of each gender that the soldier who wrote the posting believes they can get to with any items that are sent. So keep that in mind if you decide you want to send a care-pack as well as a letter. Look at how many guys there’ll be compared to girls. If you send a whole box full of Olay facial creams, you should probably mail it to a unit with 50 girls and 150 guys rather than one with 30 guys and only 2 girls. In fact, my suggestion for if you are sending a care-package is to send a mixed bunch. Toss in a few guy items, but also toss in a few girl items as well. Or, if you can afford the shipping, mail a guys’ box and a girls’ box. Since you ship the items to an address within the United States, you don’t have to pay for international shipping on the boxes, so the price of shipping wouldn’t be quite as bad as people might initially assume when thinking of sending things to troops overseas. Another quick tip is that if you particularly want to write to a girl, you can label your letter or package: “ATTN: Any Female______” This way, if for any reason you’re not comfortable with having a male soldier for a penpal, your letter will be given to one of the girls, and you should be able to write back and forth with another girl.

  If you have any questions, email me! a.noel1021@gmail.com and I’ll try to answer them!

                                            

 Photo Property of 'Lilies Among Thorns Magazine'. Taken by Alyssa Dannettel.

TWLOHA~ An Organization Article by Abby Massung

TWLOHA
(To Write Love On Her Arms)

What I Found Out…
  When I first chose to write about TWLOHA I honestly thought I knew quite a bit about the organization. However, after surfing through their website and various social networking sites’ pages, I realized that I really knew very little about this amazing organization.
  As I read their vision statement and how they got started, I learned about a beautiful group of people who truly proved themselves and their love and devotion for their friend, Renee. What I once thought was simply a group of people trying to raise awareness about cutting, suddenly turned into a group of friends fighting to save the life of a broken friend.
    I barely scratched the surface of what the TWLOHA website had to offer me, but I can honestly say that what I did read took my breath away and brought me to tears at the same time. It wasn’t just the incredible stories or the obvious love that the members of TWLOHA had for hurting people, it was something more too. The statistics they were listing weren’t about people far away I didn’t know -disconnected from me, my family, and my friends- they were much more. Why? Because I know some of the 2-out-of-3 teens who struggle with depression who aren’t seeking treatment; in fact, I can think of at least 3 right now. I’ve seen firsthand how drugs have affected the family of a friend. My oldest sister struggled with suicidal thoughts for years.  I myself am one of the 4% of the population who struggles with self-injury.  The people who TWLOHA are helping aren’t just living on the other side of the world; they’re our next door neighbors, our friends, and even our family members.

How They Got Started…
  TWLOHA got started in the least likely of ways. No one had some huge grand plan to save the lives of hundreds of lost and hurting people or just randomly thought “hey, lets put ‘to write love on her arms’ on a t-shirt and see if we can get someone to buy it!”.
   In 2006, it started out with just a group of friends trying to tell the story of and help a friend. In no time, they were selling t-shirts to help pay for their friend’s treatment, and starting up a myspace page to tell the story.
  After that, they began learning just how many other people out there had similar stories and could relate to their friend’s struggle. They began receiving messages from people telling about the struggles they and their friends faced, others who were looking for help, and still more people admitting to knowing very little about the issues TWLOHA brought to the light. 
 
What They’re Doing Today…
  Today, TWLOHA holds conferences and speaks at various places not only in the USA, but in other parts of the world as well. They reach out to those struggling with addictions, self-harm, depression, and suicide in an attempt to show them they’re not alone, that there is still hope for them, that they can turn their lives around, and that they are loved.
  Their vision may seem simple enough, but it packs a pretty powerful punch at the same time. Finding myself incapable of trying to reword it and still have even a fraction of the same meaning, I decided to offer you a direct quote describing their mission from off of their website instead:
“The vision is that we actually believe these things…

You were created to love and be loved.  You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story.  You need to know that your life matters.
We live in a difficult world, a broken world.  My friend Byron is very smart - he says that life is hard for most people most of the time.  We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments.  You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.
We all wake to the human condition.  We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss.  Millions of people live with problems of pain.  Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay.  We know that pain is very real.  It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption.  We're seeing it happen.  We're seeing lives change as people get the help they need.  People sitting across from a counselor for the first time.  People stepping into treatment.  In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline.  We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take.  We want to say here that it's worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it's possible to change.
 Beyond treatment, we believe that community is essential, that people need other people, that we were never meant to do life alone.

The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence. 
The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.
The vision is that we can reduce the suicide rate in America and around the world.
The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.
The vision is better endings.  The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.  The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.  The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise.  The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change.  The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead. 
The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know. 
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.”
                                                                                      

                              -TWLOHA Vision statement as viewed on TWLOHA.com

How We Can Make Their Mission Our Own…
  To my surprise, I learned that TWLOHA really leaves the door wide open for the rest of us to be a part of their mission. Unlike with some other groups and organizations out there, you can truly become part of their team. Here are some ways we can help out:
 
  1. The Street Team: You can join the TWLOHA street team by going to twloha.com or by going to fancorps.com and searching “TWLOHA”. Through joining, you’ll be able to help support TWLOHA and be apart of the TWLOHA movement in your own part of the world. You’ll be able to perform various tasks to earn activity points and store credit to receive free merchandise from the TWLOHA store. Also, you can communicate with other members through the online forum and membership groups. Finally, it’s a great way to get exclusive TWLOHA info such as chats with the team, opportunities to volunteer, behind the scenes videos, and even a street team t-shirt.

  2. Purchasing Merchandise: You can buy t-shirts and other things from the TWLOHA web store as well as Hot Topic, Zumiez, and Ron Jons. This not only supports the organization, but also spreads the TWLOHA story, sparks up conversations, and may even lead someone to seek help with their own personal struggles.

  3. Goodsearch.com: By using good search, a yahoo powered search engine, you can choose to have half of the advertising revenue they make from your searches (about a penny per search) donated to the charity of your choice (TWLOHA) for whenever you use their search engine. I haven’t yet used it myself (yet be the highly operative word), but I would suggest checking it out and at least trying to use it as a secondary search engine now and then if nothing else.

  4. Social Networks:  You can find and follow/friend TWLOHA on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Myspace.

  5. Donating to TWLOHA: You can also support them by sending cash, checks, and/or money orders to:
                         
                       TWLOHA
                       P.O. Box 206
                       Cocoa, FL 32923
 
  6. Benefits & Fundraisers: You can have a benefit or fundraiser for TWLOHA by doing a fashion show, penny drive, 5k walk, concert, or whatever you want to raise money for them. Simply email: benefit@twloha.com and let them know what you want to do so that they can help with the planning process, or ask them for ideas of what you could do. I can guarantee that they’ll be more than happy to offer ideas for a benefit that you could do and help you out with promotions and etc. (be wary if you live in a hundred mile radius of them though, cause they might show up on your doorstep with a pizza one night to have a planning party. Just kidding…I think).
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 I would also strongly recommend checking out the “move” portion of the TWLOHA website to see the rest of the many other different ways that you can offer them support.

In Conclusion…
  I wish I could offer a better picture of TWLOHA to you, but time (and my extremely patient boss who’s probably about ready to kill a certain procrastinator) limits me from being able to research and write everything I’d like to about the awesome TWLOHA team. Therefore, I’d like to suggest that you invest some of your spare time in doing a bit of your own research about the organization for yourself. I can promise that it’s definitely worth your time and that they won’t disappoint you.

sidenote: check out the music that they have up on their site and pages. I can't help but be attracted to the music wherever I go, and I found several new favourites among the songs on their playlist.

White as Snow~ A Spiritual Article by Abby Massung

Christmas is probably one of our absolute favorite times of the year –and I am certainly no exception! I love spending time with family and friends and watching with anticipation as they open up the gifts that I put so much thought into selecting for them. Who doesn’t love all-you-can-eat cookies and goodies for a month (which I’ll inevitably spend the following month obsessing over how they increased my waistline FYI). On top of all that, there’s just something about the atmosphere at Christmas time that brightens up my entire outlook on life and the world around me.

  Christmas-time this year means some different things for me however. This year, Christmas-time includes tons of holiday shoppers to assist at my new job and lots of gift receipts to remember to print out. I must do all of this while smiling and wondering if I should say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” as I bid my customers good-bye. Certainly, it is a much more busy time of my life than it has been in the past.

  As I sit here, considering how to capture the actual meaning of Christmas, I think back to a couple years ago. Back to a time when I had one of my many random insightful moments while I stared out a window at the beautiful, white landscape of rural Michigan.

  As I’d been sitting there, I’d thought about how the snow that we receive, during the time we celebrate Christ’s birth, symbolized a very special significance of the occasion (my apologies to those of you who don’t actually get any snow for Christmas). You see,  just the night before, we’d had a huge snowstorm (which is really a daily occurrence here in MI). Absolutely everything was coated in a heavy layer of thick, white snow. The sight just made me really stop and think about the real meaning of Christmas and how it affects my life personally.

Salvation and Snow…

  Before the snow came, you noticed all the dirt and mess of our world. You could see the dead brown grass in everyone’s yards, and could easily pick out those of your neighbors who had and hadn’t taken the time to rake up their leaves that year. Then, with one big snowstorm in the middle of the night, God covered over everything, making it all appear so perfectly pure and clean. Overnight, my world had been turned into a beautiful piece of artwork.

  This made me consider Christ’s birth on earth, and why He’d come to us. Just as God sent the snow to hide the blemishes of the world and to cover for those who hadn’t taken care of their leaves, so did He send Christ in order to hide our blemishes and cover for those who hadn’t done all they were supposed to. Through Jesus, our blemishes, scars, and mistakes are covered up. That was His sole purpose for coming to us. That is why we celebrate Christmas. It is the day that God sent His Son to fulfill His promise of salvation for His creation.

Renewal…

 After the snow finally stops coming, another miracle takes place. Suddenly, life seems to have been brought back to everything. The flowers, once again, begin to bloom and the grass regains its former green glory. Just like that, God uses Jesus to cover up our sins over and over. Later on, in God’s timing, He is going to make us completely new and beautiful, returning us to what He’d intended us to be all long before Adam and Eve’s, and thus our, fall into sin.

  Isn’t it a beautiful thought then? Realizing that God chose to give us this symbol of the work He is doing in the lives of each of us every day? How He demonstrates to us how He comes along and turns our messes into something so stunningly beautiful and bright that it’s sometimes hard to look at?

Capturing the Meaning…

  You can never fully capture the meaning of Christmas because it’s more than just some definition that you can recite. Christmas is an amazing feeling that steals over your heart and soul as you allow yourself to be drawn in closer to God.

  This year, as you plan out gifts and anticipate the reactions you’ll receive from your friends and family, think about God’s most precious gift to you. He planned for and anticipated giving you His gift for thousands of years.

 Really, we don’t know just how long He was thinking about it. After all, since He already knows everything before it happens, He could have been looking forward to sending Christ to save us since long before Adam and Eve even existed. Just try to wrap your head around that!  

  If you get excited over something as small as giving your brother his favorite, newly-released DVD, think about how excited God had to be about offering us such an enormous gift! Just as you’ll enjoy seeing your brother’s gratefulness and joy over the gift you’ll give him, God would enjoy it if you showed Him just how grateful and excited you are over His gift to you. Take time this Christmas to read the Christmas story (Luke 2:1-20; you also might like to read about the times leading up to the birth of Christ as well), and truly offer God a heartfelt offering of thanks for the ultimate Christmas gift He gifted us, setting off our tradition of giving gifts. Also, considered following the examples of re-gifting that the apostles and saints of old demonstrate in the New Testament by sharing God’s gift with others around you!

Christmas Traditions~ A Fun Article by Abby Massung

What are some traditions that your family has during the Christmas season? Do you tend to go out to see a movie in the theater together every year? Perhaps there’s a certain gift that your parents give you every year for Christmas, like pajamas or a special ornament. What are some things that you can count on your family doing every Christmas?

  One tradition my family tries to keep every year, is an advent calendar. Every day of the four weeks leading up to Christmas, my family tries to do something special together. As we all get older and get jobs it makes this more difficult, but we still try to do some things, even if we can’t do something each day.

  One of our yearly events is “Super Sundae Sunday” where we pretty much pile more toppings on top of ice cream than any human should ever eat. Another thing we do is “Triple Treat Tuesday” which is pretty self-explanatory for the most part (in case you haven’t already caught on, my family loves playing with words and eating, LOL).

  Every year we have a family tournament where the winner and the person who take last place get to open up a gift of their choice a day early. At first, we’d just all gather at one table together and play Yahtzee, passing around a couple sets of dice (you’ll have to imagine how long it would take nine people to play just one game that way. Patience is definitely a virtue). After the year that my parents bought an air-hockey table, a table tennis table, and a Foosball table, on an amazing sale, our tournament got a bit more sophisticated, including charts and competing at a variety of different “sports.” Invariably however, I’ve sadly always been in the middle –never a winner, and never the ultimate loser. 

  Yet another tradition we have is to have what we call “Mom and Pops Restaurant.” This is where my parents get up early and cook up a bunch of breakfast foods Christmas Eve morning. They’ll set the table nicely, and my brothers and sisters and I would get to “order” breakfast off special menus that our parents made just for this morning. For my brothers, it was always seemed to be a contest to see who could eat the most food.

  I have two all-time favorite traditions though. The first is where my Dad reads the Christmas story before we eat Christmas dinner. We all gather around the table before the meal, and he reads the story from the book of Luke out of our big family Bible. The second is when we buy a bunch of toys and things for Toys for Tots. We buy everything from a mp3 player and iTunes card, to dolls and other little toys. It’s fun getting to pick out things to give, and seeing the happy, grateful faces of the volunteers who receive them.

 

 What traditions does your family have, and which ones are your favorites? Which ones are you most likely to carry on with a family of your own one day? This year, why don’t you try starting a new family tradition? It could be something as small as reading a Bible passage together before dinner every Sunday in the four weeks prior to Christmas, or as big as a family cookie bake-off to see who can come up with the best unique cookies and bake them.

 Whatever you do, just make sure to have fun and not lose sight of the true reason for Christmas and its meaning!

   P.S. I would personally discourage making a tradition of going to Florida for Christmas. It’s not as warm as you might think, and you’ll very likely end up spending more time bumper-to-bumper on the highway trying to get there than you’ll spend actually visiting the state. One guess as to what my family did last year ;)

Abby came to Florida the one year it wasn't 80 degrees for Christmas~ Haylie

Turning Into the Positive~ A Spiritual Article by Abby Massung

Ok, I realize now as I look at the title that it looks like I might be preparing to tell teach you how to meditate and tune into positive energy or something, but let me assure, that’s not my goal here. At least, that’s not exactly my plan….

  Music has always had a huge affect on me for as long as I can remember. Before, my one last link to God and sanity used to be through the music I listened to. I could destroy myself all I wanted, but I could never bring myself to turn from that one link that told me that somehow, I’d be alright. The promise that I was going to make it through every one of my parents’ fights and everything I face. The belief that God was still there and cared about messed-up me. Then, though I still don’t know just how it happened, I stopped listening to that music, turned to secular music, and fell into the darkest time of my entire life. I had severed my link to God, and closed out the one thing I had never before omitted from my life. 

  Now, don’t get me wrong, Carrie Underwood, Selena Gomez, 3 Doors Down, and Lifehouse are usually all pretty good for the most part. What these artists are frequently missing though, is the hopeful note that points towards Christ and His mercy; something that I desperately have been in need of since I stopped listening to most Christian music. So, finally, realizing how dark and hopeless my life has become, I’ve begun taking a pretty serious look at the music I’m listening to and have, consequently, been mirroring the mood of.

 

 

 

Making a Change…

 

  A couple of weeks ago, I went through my computer’s and began deleting songs that my conscience had already been telling me over and over that I shouldn’t be listening to. As a result, I had to give up some of my favorite songs by Adam Lambert, Ashley Tisdale, and other artists. I don’t even really miss those songs much anymore since I have a great deal other awesome music to listen to, but it was surprisingly extremely difficult to delete those songs from my computer and iPod. To be honest, I’m still working on removing some artists from my life. For instance, even though I know how badly Three Days Grace affects my mood and general attitude, some days I like nothing more than to simply fade into that “hate the world and everyone in it mood” that seems to fill almost every single song. So I definitely need to still work on that elimination process.

 

  After cleaning out my ipod and computer, I started really thinking about the music I was tuning into on 102.5 The Hit Music Channel on my radio. Sure, I have a soft spot for “DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again” and though I haven’t closely examined the lyrics, the song seems clean enough. What about songs like the one where Nickelback is singing about essentially spending all day, every day, getting drunk though? Sure, the beat is good, but it’s definitely not a good song to be listening to. So although I might not completely nix listening to that station, I’ve decided that I’m not going to listen very often, and that I’ll turn the channel when stuff starts to get positive about what should be negative.

 

 

Seeing the Difference…

 

  This past week I’ve been listening to a Christian station that you guys might be familiar with: KLOVE. Now generally, this is not my station of choice; not unless my parents are within hearing range anyway. Mostly, I prefer a local Christian station that’s more upbeat and teen-savvy (if you’ve ever heard of 101.7 FUSE FM, I’m their official stalker Abby, whom they know by name and voice now and are want to talk about at times. They even have a phone call I made to their station two years ago that they frequently play during their fundrives; it’s scary).  

  Anyway, while I’ve been listening I’ve been realizing just how much I’ve missed listening to Christian music. Over the past few days, despite that they’ve been spending a lot of air-time trying to raise funds for their station, God has used them to teach me and remind me of several things. It’s truly been an incredible experience for me. Through them, God’s reminded me that He can help me break free from the things I struggle with; that I can get right back up even when I’ve fallen so far; that He knows what He’s doing with my life and I can trust Him; that my faith needs to be more than superficial; and dared me to believe that I still have a reason to sing (that’s literal too, but a story for another time). All that in just about three or four short days! Like I said, awesome experience, and one I’d recommend anyone try. I used to laugh at radio stations’ “three song” and “one week” challenges. Now though, I see just how amazing actually trying one of those challenges can be.

 

  

My Challenge to You…

 

  Ok, so here’s a challenge that I have for you; it’s a three-parter:

 

    1. Look at the music you’re letting into your life, including radio, CDs,   iPods/mp3 players, and friends’ music. What’s the mood of the music, and what’s the affect that it has on your general attitude. Also, what are the songs focusing on, positive things and relationships; or negative views, feeling sorry for yourself, and bad relationships? It’s very important you’re honest with yourself about this part.

 

  2. Next, clean out the negative music that makes you think about thing and feel ways that you shouldn’t. Yeah, it might be hard at first, and you might miss those songs for awhile, but after a week or two, you’ll realize that those songs aren’t a must for the soundtrack of your life. Whether you have to skip those songs on your CD, delete them from your computer or ipod, request your friend play something else, or even break the CD, you need to eliminate the negative vibes they’re sending out to your life.

 

  3. Just spend three days listening to a Christian radio station or just Christian songs. Whether it’s KLOVE, Air1, or another station that’s in your area, it might amaze you how different you may feel or see things, and God may teach you a thing or two in that time too.