Thirty. Hour. Famine.

As I was writing this post I was trying to come up with a clever title. Something catchy, memorable. The more I thought about it the more I realized that thirty hour famine is the only title that will do. I mean really, hearing about someone not eating for thirty hours - that's a pretty good attention grabber.

Thirty hours. I watch the seconds slowly tick by. I can physically feel the energy drain out of my body; I leave it behind me. We keep going. Ten hours left. I can hardly stand up without the room spinning, the floor slips from beneath my feet . . .

Just kidding! It wasn't that dramatic. But at the same time it was, but not in the way I expected.

We arrived at the church on Friday sometime around five o'clock. I was already feeling hungry. What else do you do on the weekends except eat? Plus the fat girl inside of me likes an after school snack (more like a pre-dinner). Thirty hours without food. It was all my friends and I could talk about that day. How were we going to survive? Just like those starving children in Africa who survive every day with little to nothing in their stomachs.

We all congregated in the teen room and gave each other looks: "What are we doing here?" and "Why are doing this?" I know. For the starving children in Africa. We watched quite a few videos about children who have nothing. (What else are we going to watch a video on? Children who have everything? Uh, yeah, no.)

After being moved to almost-tears we received a card with a child's name on it. We were to be that child for the weekend. My child's name was Kasia from Afghanistan. Each child had a disability and along with that disability came a story. Kasia was in a firefight that devastated her village. She was placed in a camp with thousands of other people who had lost their homes. She has a severely damaged eye. The aid workers tell her she will never regain her vision.

In order to act out my child I had to wear sunglasses with duct-tape over one lens. I thought it would be easy, no problem. But you know what? It was really hard to see with one eye, and a shaded one at that (they were really dark sunglasses!). As I ran into chairs and people, I squinted to see what my friends disabilities were. They received limps and burnt hands and damaged vocal chords.

We hobbled down to service and waved at all of the adults who were watching us. I found my way to a chair without smashing into anyone and the music started playing. Just like any other worship service I began to sing. It's so easy to let your mind wander when you're singing. I am constantly thinking about homework that isn't finished or that guy over there who keeps staring at me. (Keep your eyes to yourself!) But since I was half-blind this time I just closed my eyes and swayed to the music. Before I knew it I was completely and totally one with the lyrics I was singing. The song that was playing was "Marvelous Light." How ironic. My favorite line from that song: "Lift my hands and spin around/See the light that I have found/Oh the marvelous light, the marvelous light." I was able to shut out the world and focus on worshiping my God. The God who loves everyone, even the starving, even Kasia.

Don't You Know You're Beautiful

I was looking up music on YouTube when I came across the song "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" by Kellie Pickler.

What a great song! It just makes me happy. Kellie explained her song on her MySpace page. She wanted to share with all the girls out there that they are important and they do matter. She said, "In today's society we, including myself, often compare ourselves to that person or model on the front of the magazine, and we all want those expensive clothes that are displayed. I think that is just human nature. I will be the first to tell you all of that is not real."

This song was Kellie's first single and it shows that she is just like every other woman out there and she too struggles with insecurity. Her song empowers women to have confidence in themselves and that there are more important things in life than fitting in.

You are beautiful! Know it. Live it. Love it.

I Dare You Look Up and Try to Mold The Skies

I'm pretty sure that in the past week I've listened to this song over a hundred times. I love it. Beauty Redefined by Jules Morrow was written for the Beauty Redefined website created by Lindsay and Lexie Kite. Their goal is to help women recognize and reject the harmful messages in the media about our bodies. Their Beauty Redefined program has been running for two and a half years and has gone from a simple blog to a (almost) government sponsored "business."

Their new song was written especially for people like you and me. It was written in a way that shows you how beautiful you truly are. Like I said before, I love it!

The first line: "Take back what we let fade away." Let's take back healthy and search for true beauty within ourselves instead of beauty on the outside. Let's be the "voice of tomorrow" and stop depending on the "product of yesterday" to make us beautiful. Because we already are beautiful. "And once you feel it, you will never be the same."

I love the chorus. "All that we can do is strut, now make it loud." If we're going to change the world we need to make it LOUD! "Toss passion to the proud whose views are simply misaligned." Decide for yourself what beauty is, don't let others tell you what is or isn't beautiful. "Ask the brave: 'Step forward help us straighten all that's been misshapen, torn and barely left alive.'" Love! I challenge you to be brave and redefine beauty with me. Life live beautiful-ly

"We need beauty redefined."

"You're captivating, don't be captive to the lies." So true. Don't fall into the trap of "fake." Be real. Be beautiful. "I dare you look up and try to mold the skies."

Make up your mind that you are beautiful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! "Make up your mind and not your face, we all know it is a happier chase. And in the end you'll finish out the race."

"We need beauty redefined."

1 Peter 3:3-4 says, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Give Thanks

I was reading this blog (which I totally love!) and came across a blog post about gratitude. It was so refreshing to read about someone being thankful for the little things in life.

When you give thanks it helps release stress. Being thankful helps increase the immune system, increase energy, lower heart rate, you are more likely to live longer, and it decreases stress.

Ten things I am grateful for:
1. I am so thankful for the warm weather and the sunshine. It was such a wonderful day!
2. I hardly had any homework tonight so I was able to work ahead and relax, which is always good for a Monday.
3. I am grateful for my blog. As hard as it can be and even though somedays I just want to call it quits, I really think it is making me, dare I say, wiser? Maybe not, but it is definitely helping me be more aware of the things around me.
4. I love words. They are amazing!
5. I am thankful that you are reading this right now!
6. I am so appreciative of my youth group and my amazing friends who are always there for me.
7. I am thankful for phone conversations.
8. Even though I hate raking the leaves, I am so grateful for the changing season and the beautiful colors it brings. Plus, for some reason, I am super excited for winter!
9. I am so grateful for e-mail. I love getting e-mails!
10. I am thankful that God sent His Son to die for me. I am so thankful that because of Jesus' shed blood, we are made clean.

What are ten things you can give thanks for today?

Fighting for Our Rights

For centuries women have been fighting for equal rights. Fighting to be heard; fighting for a public voice. It wasn't until August 26, 1920 that women finally gained suffrage.

It wasn't until the 1800's that the women of American began to truly fight for their rights. On her deathbed, Mary Walker Ostram said, "Don't be afraid, not afraid, fight Satan; stand up for Christ; don't be afraid." Ostram began her fight for women's rights during the Second Great Awakening when the spiritual activities of the church became the responsibility for the women. During this time, they found a "sphere of influence" in numerous areas of their family life that they didn't have before.

In 1834 women in New York founded the Female Moral Reform Society. The goal of this society was to end prostitution and moral corruption of women all over the country. Not only did they demand chastity for women of their group, but also for men. This society soon had members in the North and the Midwest and founded homes across the country for prostitutes.

Angelina and Sarah Grimke were sisters who supported abolition and women's suffrage. These women became antislavery lecturers, to the disappointment of Congregationalist clergymen, and often used the Bible to support their lectures about abolition and suffrage. "Men and women are created equal. They are both moral and accountable beings and whatever is right for man to do is right for women," wrote Sarah Grimke.

Susan B. Anthony was one of the few women of the 1800's who had the opportunity to attend school alongside her brothers. She was born into a Quaker family in Philadelphia and her father believed in equal treatment of genders. Her family supported the temperance movement and also the anti-slavery movement. During the Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, Susan, along with her family, signed the "Declaration of Sentiments." In her adult life, Susan continued to be an advocate of women's rights. She wrote the Susan B. Anthony Amendment that became the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution and gave women the right to vote. She led the only non-violent revolution in our country. Susan B. Anthony led women to freedom.

Women's rights advocates like Susan are still needed around the globe. In places like Africa and in the Middle East, women are fighting for their equality. They are often mistreated and abused by the men of their society. We need to stand up for those women and fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

In the words of Susan B. Anthony: "Nothing is impossible."

Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Be Courageous

The other day I was having a "religious" conversation with one of my good friends. We were driving on the highway, listening to a Christian radio station. About halfway through the song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns, my friend commented on how she didn't know any of the songs that were being played and then she asked why there weren't any Lady Gaga songs played.

I think I laughed out loud.

How could she think Lady Gaga is Christian? She talks about God in a few of her songs and she claims to be religious but being religious and being a Christian are totally different things. Just because Lady Gaga believes in Jesus and God doesn't mean she cares. It doesn't mean she believes the Bible is true.

And then I read this.

I've heard a lot about Max Lucado. My dad loves his books and I've probably read a book of his myself. My Sunday school group just started a Bible study written by him. His quote, "There must be in God's great world a soul who has never doubted God's existence or questioned his goodness. But that soul is not writing this book," took me by surprise. It's good to know I'm not the only Christian who has questioned God's existence.

It's easy to think that you're better than someone because you know what you know, and you know that the person you're better than is wrong. (If that makes any sense at all.) But is it possible to know, is it possible to be one hundred percent positive, that you're going to heaven?

I am not saying it's okay to support Lady Gaga by purchasing her music. It is a fault of mine to argue vehemently with you if you suggest that Lady Gaga is indeed a Christian. (She isn't!) But I think she understands that something is missing from her life. Maybe you do too, and maybe you're searching for something to fill the hole.

But maybe you do know what you know you believe. If that's true of you, then you need to find the courage to live out your faith. Walk the walk and talk the talk. It's cliche, I know. But maybe it's cliche because it works. Go! Be a missionary to your school. Shine God's light in your classrooms. Share the love of God with the people who are searching, people like Lady Gaga.

Fat Talk Free Week!

Fat Talk Free Week. Take a guess at what that is. This week is meant to be a week of absolutely no fat talk, which includes thinking your fat or talking about how you've lost weight, or thinking about how you wish you could be as skinny as another person, etc.

I wish I would have found out about this at the beginning of the week; however, I am pledging, right now, to go a week without "fat talk." Forget that, I am going to try to go for a month, starting today. Zero fat talk.

When I found out about Fat Talk Free Week, it was brought to my attention how often we use fat talk. It's all around us! No wonder even the skinniest of us want to be skinnier. Fat talk reinforces the thinness ideals that our society revolves around. Everything we see on TV, what we read about in magazines, how "thin is in," it lowers our self-esteem and our self-worth.

I found a good way to reinforce Fat Talk Free Week; Anytime someone says something negative about their body, they have to list five things they like about their body. You guys have to help me stick to this, alright? And I'll do the same for you.

Another reason to participate in Fat Talk Free Week is to support those struggling to recover from an eating disorder. As a society, we place too much value on body image, and it shows. If you don't feel the need to stop the fat talk for yourself, do it for a friend who's struggling with her self-worth.

I hate how negative we are about body image. It is so hard to be content with how you look when everything around you is telling you that you should NOT eat that second cookie.

You know what? I am going to eat that second cookie and I will be happy about it!