Monday, December 31

Choose Today


June 24, 2008

On this day, 4 years ago, I was sitting on my couch and staring at the wall. My close neighbor had just told me her best friend, Mary*, was the one who died in the car accident. I was shocked. I had just hung out with her 2 days before at my friend's house for a birthday party. And now she was dead.

That was one of the times in my life I felt like I had failed. I remember laying in bed that night and asking God why He let her die.
Why, when she had just told me the day of the party she was thinking about what we talked about.
Why He never let me see her again to ask what she decided.
Why my friend had to go through this.

A few weeks later, I was talking with Mary's sister, Rachael*, who had come to pick up some of Mary's things she'd left at my neighbors house.
We were sitting in the front yard of my house and she looked at me, tears filling her eyes, and she asked me, "You told me a few months ago that God has a plan for everything. Is this part of his plan?"

I remember looking at her and asking God what to answer. All I ended up answering was, "Yes."

"If that's the kind of man God is, why didn't He let us know she was going to die? Why didn't I get to say goodbye?" She asked and wiped her eyes.

"Because God doesn't always do what we want Him to do. He can take away the most important thing in our life just to prove how big He is. He has a reason for everything."

"If that's the way He is, I want nothing to do with Him." Rachael got up and left.

I didn't understand it either. Mary was only 16. She hadn't even finished high school yet. She wanted to be a nurse. She had a family who loved her.
But God had bigger plans.
He used that to show me that sometimes, even when we try as hard as we can, people don't listen. They'll take the chance and put it off one more day.
There's just one problem with that: You might not get another day. You might be like Mary, thinking you have another day to choose, but never get it.

It's like a garden. You can plant the seeds, but you have no idea when they will sprout. Or even if they'll sprout.

Choose today. Don't take the chance. Live for Christ. You won't regret it.

*Named changed

Tuesday, December 25

Tangled!


Best. Author. EVER

One of my favorite things to do is read. I mostly read fiction. Lately, I can not get enough of reading books by Chautona Havig. This lady is an amazing author and for Christmas, I got a signed copy of her book Ready or Not for my younger sister who loves to read.

For the next 48 hours, Mrs. Havig has put all her books on Kindle for $0.99! I have a lot of her books.

Ones I have read/am reading

Thirty Days Hath…
Allerednic 
31 Kisses
Noble Pursuits
Discovering Hope

Ready or Not
For Keeps
Here We Come

Argosy Junction

Past Forward Series


Shadows & Secrets

Cloaked in Secrets
Beneath the Cloak

Princess Paisley

Everard

Advent


I think if I had to choose, I would say that the Aggie Series is my favorite. If you want some awesome books to read, you will NOT regret getting these!



Sunday, December 23

T1D

"You're not normal. And you never will be."

I remember so many things, but not much from before I was around 7. Some things I just suddenly remember, and it's like it happened yesterday. Like that one.

I was 12 when I was first told that. It was a week after my birthday and I stared at the person who said it. 
It wasn't that it hurt a lot. I'd know this for a while, but hadn't ever heard someone say it directly to me.
Sure, I'd heard people say it in passing, like, "That girl is not normal," but just in teasing.
It was the fact that they were saying it for me to hear that I was upset and hurt about. They truly believed it.

Even years later, I can still see the look on one of my friends face. She was horrified. 

"I am to normal." I told him. I didn't believe it, though. I still don't believe it. And I know it's true.

He shook his head. "You will never be normal. There will never be a cure. Believe it as you might, you'll live with this your whole life. And when you're older, no guy will ever want to take on that responsibility of you. It's too much work."

The truth is, I'm not normal. I haven't been for years. I have Type 1 diabetes. 
You might not think I'm any different than you when you look at me, but it's true.

Things about T1D/me that you might not know:
1) I'm not contagious.
2) I didn't get it by eating a lot of sugar.
3) I have to put needles of insulin in my body (arms, stomach, legs) 4-6 times a day.
4) I have to draw blood from my finger 5-8 times a day. 
5) I sometimes have the fear of falling asleep at night and not waking up because I might bottom and go into a coma.
6) I might loose my eyesight if I'm not careful.
7) I've lived with this for almost 15 years.
8) I don't have to eat certain things. I can go to a potluck and eat a bunch, as long as I keep track of what I eat so I can give myself insulin for it.
9) I have spots on my fingers from all the needles I've put in them.
10) I'm not gonna die.

I'm not normal, but in God's eyes I am. I'm His princess and He loves me just as I am. He made me this way for a reason. He has a purpose for it. I just don't know the purpose yet.

No matter what disease or invisible illness you have or what problem you have, God can use that to draw people close to Him through you. Just be patient.

God is preparing us for a purpose in His plans in some place, but we have to be patient while we wait. It may not be for years, but He has big plans.

He is preparing us. 
For His purpose. 
For His plans. 
In some place in the world.
Watching us as we wait patiently for Him to make it clear.

Friday, December 21

REPOST: CHOSEN | Jesus, Music, Shoes, Novels, Starbucks & More

This is a blog post I just read by Bethany Ellis. It is one of the best blogs I've read in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~

Where’s the hidden camera?

by drgnfly1010
My dad and I did our final Christmas shopping yesterday, ending with a stop at Office Max for church supplies. As it happens, Office Max is right next to Chick-Fil-A. I'm sure you can connect the dots.

I dropped dad off at Office Max and got in line at Chick-Fil-A. The manager and two other people were outside taking orders, and the manager was very friendly and started rambling about all kinds of.. well.. weird stuff. "These are my rosebushes! You have a pretty blue car!" etc. Finally, he asked if I wanted a combo. Uh, duh? Who can resist the fries? I said "Yep."
So he says, "Well, I tell ya what, if you sing four lines of your favorite song - and it can't be Happy Birthday or Jesus Loves Me, I'll give you your meal for half price."
Say what now? "Four lines?" I asked. "You know, my mind is gonna go totally blank."
He laughed. "Yeah, and you gotta know them, because we had a lady come through yesterday who tried to sing Away In A Manger and she totally lost it on the second verse, I mean she just jacked it up." <cue weird look at forty-something-year-old guy saying "Jacked up.">
So... Of course... my mind went totally blank.
But even when my mind is TOTALLY BLANK, there's still one small, persistent song that just won't go away.

So that's what I sang.

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty

There's nothing my God cannot do!
The mountains are His, the rivers are His
The skies are His workmanship, too!
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do!

But you wanna know what was the hardest? Not doing the motions.

Do you have a song that just won't go away?
~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, December 20

Diary Of A Church Kid: Hypocrisy

Diary Of A Church Kid: Hypocrisy: Hypocrisy By: Elaina Grace Morgan If you be preachin' And you be teachin' And you ain't livin' You best be leavin' 'Cause t...

Wednesday, December 19

ABC's

I saw this on Ashley Mays and it looked fun!
A. Age: Old enough to be graduated. :)
B. Bed size: Twin. I think.
C. Chore that you hate: Feeding the cow.
D. Dogs: 1, but not mine.
E. Essential start to your day: Either a shower or schoolwork
F. Favorite color: Brown or blue or red.
G. Gold or Silver: Definitely gold.
H. Height: 5’7″
I. Instruments you play: Guitar! My favorite thing to do! I also play some piano, but not enough to say I play it.
J. Job title: Student.
K. Kids: None. But I love them and want 20!
L. Live: 5 minutes passed the middle of nowhere.
M. Mother’s name: Mom.
N. Nicknames: Jennie, Jenn, Kiddo, Chickie, Jennie-bean, Jay 9…
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was born and when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 5.
P. Pet peeves: Twisted seatbelts, twirling your cell in your hands, clicking a pen…
Q. Quote from a movie: Flywheel: Do you need a big neon sign over your head that says "THIS IS A SIGN FROM GOD"?
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: 7. 
T. Time it takes you to get ready: 5-10 minutes, depending on the day. It doesn’t take me any longer than 30 minutes at the most.
U. Ultimate Vacation: Whit’s End in Colorado! Or to go to Nashville. Or Alaska just because.
V. Vegetable you hate: I don’t really like tomatoes…
W. What makes you run late: My siblings.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Elbow when I broke it, Ring finger on my right hand when I broke it, and more that I can’t remember the reason for…
Y. Yummy food that you make: Pancakes. But some people don’t like that…
Z. Zoo animal: Giraffe!

Tuesday, December 18

It's Up To You

Song I wrote the first weekend in May:


Verse 1:
You’re standing there, watching Him walk the road
Quiet as can be, you wanna speak and let them know
He’s innocent, He has never done wrong
Now you’re watching Him, be hung

Chorus 1:
You can’t change this, it’ll happen, y’know
He’s doing this to save you, if you choose to go
To Him, tell Him you need his forgiveness
You can’t keep going on this way
Just come to Him, He will save you from your sins
He will let you enter in
It’s up to you
Verse 2:
You’re watching him, as He slowly fades away
Crying in the crowd, hoping they will hear you say
“He’s innocent! He has done no wrong!
But we watch Him, be hung.”
Chorus 2:
We can’t change this, it’ll happen, y’know
He’s doing this to save us, if we choose to go
To Him, tell Him we need his forgiveness
We can’t keep going on this way
Just come to Him, He will save us from your sins
He will let us enter in
Three days later, He arose for us to live
We can go to Him and He will forgive
Us all, we can be with Him one day
And He will say

Chorus 3:
“You couldn’t change this, it had to happen, y’see
I did this to save you, if you choose to come
To Me, tell Me you need his forgiveness
That you can’t keep going on this way
Just come to Me, I will save you from your sins
I will let you enter in
But it’s up to you
You have to choose
One way or another, what will you do?
It’s up to you.”

© 2012 Jenneniah Olmstead

Monday, December 17

Qualifications

I made a list of qualifications for me about the kind of guy I should be looking for. I've made some mistakes recently, and had I had this list before, it would have helped me a lot. Some of the points can be altered, but there are some that can't be. Always make sure, girls, that the guy you go for is saved and even if he says he is, watch, because he may not be and just saying he is to get to you.

The bottom part are ones that I have for just me. The ones up on the first section are ones that all girls should think of.

QUALIFICATIONS
®       MUST BE SAVED
®       Will love God MORE than me
®       Must love and respect my family
®       Will not lie or manipulate me
®       Will be my best-friend
®       Will keep studying me. High-school Degree, College Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate. (Fireproof)
®       Will pray and read the Bible with me
®       Must love me for who I am
®       Must respect and listen to me
®       Must prove himself
®       MUST PURSUE
®       Must seek council and listen to other’s
®       Will make me laugh and smile even when I don’t want to
®       Will make me happy almost all the time
®       Will do everything to help me reach my dreams
®       Must love kids
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
®       Will sing with me
®       Will play with my hair
®       Will be tall
®       Will like country music
®       Will want to take spur of the moment trips
®       Will watch movies late at night with me
®       Will make me hot chocolate
®       Will want to read what I write
®       Will want to cook/bake with me
®       Will not want a lot of animals
®       Will have a license/own a vehicle/know how to drive
®       Will not be camera shy

If you can think of more, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what all you think. And if you're a Christian guy, this should help you. :)

***(And, thank you to the guy who took my advice and showed the girl this blog and got the girl! You two are awesome and can't wait to talk more! Remember to keep Christ the center of it all!)

Music: Money or Ministry?

I love music. Ever since I was little, I can remember wanting to get into Christian music and tour the world. At 16, I got my first guitar and took lessons for 4 months.
When I was 14, I decided that I wanted to get into Christian music. For the money. I wanted to be rich and famous. I wanted to be able to just hop on a plane and go somewhere.
I realize now how wrong that is. It should never be about the money. It should always be about Christ.
When I was 12, I was chatting with a girl from my church(who had the most amazing voice and when she sang, and you soaked in what she sang), and I asked her why she didn’t go into a career in music.
You know what her answer was? She didn’t want to care about the money. She just wanted to sing to glorify God and that was all that mattered to her. She just wanted to be a regular teenager for the time.
I remembered what she said when I was 16 and started learning guitar. I no longer wanted to get into music for the money. I want to get into it for the ministry.
I want to sing and write songs to glorify God and no one else. I want to sing songs that help strengthen someone’s walk with the Lord and strengthen them.
I do care a bit about money because I will need something to live on. I would live to move to Tennessee to get started, but if I can’t, I’m happy to start out here.
I see so many Christian artists that only care about the money and how much they are making and how the can go anywhere they want. I don’t want to be like them. I want people to know that I’m in it for Christ and no one else.
So, that’s it. Yes, I still want to get into music sometime in the future. Yes, I would like to make some money to support myself. But no, I would not like to be rich and famous and be able to fly anywhere, anymore.
It may not be for a couple years. Who knows, it may never happen. But if it does, those that influenced me in choosing the path will never be forgotten. From the person who first got me into music, to the person who is into music and has encouraged me a lot.
But know this: I just want to be closer to Christ.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

Sunday, December 16

Best-Friends

A True Best-Friend is someone to…

• laugh with when needed
• cry with during tough times
• ignore me
• apologize to when I’ve done wrong
• make my day
• feel sorry for me
• point out my mistakes
• tell me they’re not worth it
• make me shut up when I say something
• tell me an easier way
• help me find a snowball to bury a friend in
• make sure I’m safe and secure
• encourage me
• listen to me
• be scared with
• act silly with after a long day
• sing with for hours
• share my secrets with
• chase after little ones
• stick like glue to
• keep me in line
• tell amazing stories to
• read together with
• tease about someone
• give up something so I’m happy
• tell secrets to
• help me
• be excited together
• talk to at late hours
• listen to rant
• spend endless hours talking to
• love me for who I am
• love
• be my best-friend
© 2012 Jenneniah Olmstead
Do you have a best friend?
If you have a best friend, they may be a girl, a guy, your sister, your brother, your dad, you mom, your aunt, your uncle, or even your grandparents. No matter who it is, be glad you have them. You will never know anyone like them.
And if you don’t think you have a best-friend, remember that you do! His name is Jesus Christ and He loves you more than you can imagine!

Saturday, December 15

You Thought of Me

This is a song I wrote back in August 2011.
You Thought of Me
Verse 1:
Upon the cross You suffered and You died
You were beaten and abused for my life.
You were just a young man out there
They placed a crown of thorns over Your hair
Chorus:
You thought of me, at the worst time in Your life
You gave it all, nails in Your hands like knives.
You weren’t afraid because I was on Your mind
All so I could live a life like this,
You died.
Verse2:
My sins were washed away because of You
I can’t begin to imagine what others would do.
You cried for Him to forgive us that day
And as I see others live a life not your way
I know
(Chorus)
Bridge:
I wanna see them live Your way
I want to her them say…
You thought of me, at the worst time in Your life
You gave it all, nails in Your hands like knives.
You weren’t afraid because I was on Your mind
All so I could live a life like this,
You live.
© 2012 Jenneniah Olmstead

Friday, December 14

Team Work

So, Tuesday was the last youth for me until the new year. We played one of my favorite games.

Imagine this:
6 people lined up about a foot from the wall on 2 separate walls. They all spread out and hold hands. (I know. Worst part of the game.) The person at the front of each line holds a hula hoop. The games leader yells go. Each team has to get through the hula-hoop without letting go of the person beside them's hand. Once the hoop is over, you let go of the person's hand and run to the end of the line and take that person's hand. First team to get all the way to the other end of the gym repeating this wins.

You can play this same game by being in a circle too. You just have to count how many times around you do it.

We played this at youth this past week. It was all about working together.

The first game we played though, was even better.

Picture this:
A 5 year old back to back with a 6 foot 13 year old, and a 4 year old back to back with a 6 foot 16 year old. Put a huge bouncy ball in between them and get them to link arms. Can it happen? No, it can't. Example: Don't be unequally yoked. They couldn't link arms because one was about 3 times bigger than the other. That image will stick in everyone's head for a long time.

Now, excitement:
We had pizza and pop and we had fun!