A friend of mine...

Hey everyone! I would like to introduce a good friend of mine, who has recently just started blogging. I've known her for about six years, and was very excited to hear that she was getting her thoughts out on the internet!

She's a homeschooler just like me, and has just graduated high-school. Yes, I'm jealous, but whatever. =)

I encourage you to become a regular reader over at her blog! It's at http://servantoftheking95.blogspot.com

When Music Touches My Heart - 3 - Hero

Today's song is one that I feel should speak to every one of us. It's Hero, by Superchick, from the album Regeneration.

No one sits with him, he doesn’t fit in,
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him,
'Cause you want to belong, do you go along?
'Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It’s not like you hate him or want him to die,
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide,
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side,
Any kindness from you might have saved his life...

TAG: Heroes are made when you make a choice...

 CHORUS:
You could be a hero,
Heroes do what’s right,
You could be a hero,
You might save a life,
You could be a hero, you could join the fight,
For what’s right, for what’s right, for what’s right...

No one talks to her, she feels so alone,
She’s in too much pain to survive on her own,
The hurt she can’t handle overflows to a knife,
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life,
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves,
When she throws the pills out, a hero is made...

TAG/CHORUS

No one talks to him about how he lives,
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his,
Doesn’t know he’s a leader with the way he behaves,
And others will follow the choices he’s made,
He lives on the edge, he’s old enough to decide,
His brother who wants to be him is just nine,
He can do what he wants because it’s his right,
The choices he makes change a nine-year-old's life...

TAG/CHORUS

Little Mikey-Dee was the one in class
Who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years
Till he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door
And grabbed the .44 out of his father's dresser drawer
He said 'I can't take life no more'
And like that a life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinking its not our responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me
This is our problem.
This is just one of the daily scenarios
In which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged?
Now it's our time to pick a side.
So don't keep walking by not wanting to intervene,
Cause you just want to exist and never be seen.
So lets wake up, change the world
Our time is now.

You could be a hero - (Our time is now) heroes do what’s right
You could be a hero - (Our time is now) you might save a life
You could be a hero - (Our time is now) you could join the fight
For what’s right, for what’s right...


There are people that we pass everyday when we walk outside that need our attention, our help. You never know who may be struggling in life, or who may be going through a hard time. Drug addicts, widows, widowers, orphans, teens, young men and women, the elderly, and so many others need to know that they have a purpose in life. There is a God that loves them, and wants them to be His so He can take care of them and fill that gap in their hearts. I personally have had the blessing of touching someone who felt down about a condition she has. It's a feeling you can't forget, nor duplicate.

http://redredapples.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/man-talking-to-woman-in-red2.jpg

When Music Touches My Heart - 1 - A Friend So Kind

As you can tell, this is a new series. I know, I know, what happened to all the other series? Well, I'm still working on those, and need to set some dates for interviews for Theology and Culture. So it has not been forgotten!

Until then though, you can enjoy this series. It's basically me posting lyrics to a song I like, and writing my heart out. It's to inspire my readers, or to be a comfort, or to teach a moral lesson, or many other things. I hope you benefit from it.

Today's song is from a band called The Choir. It's called A Friend So Kind, from the album Burning Like the Midnight Son.

Sometimes you've gotta laugh
Even when it hurts
Better still with somebody brushing off the dirt
Who knows we're all ridiculous
Yet somehow sublime
He celebrates the journey
And tells you to climb
He tells you to climb

There is no mountain of virtue
Higher to ascend
No quality
More divine
Than to be a friend
Ah to be a friend
So kind

When you feel ashamed
And ugly inside
You need someone who cares
With whom you dare confide
To stare into your dark soul
To see hope and light
And tell you, "You're glorious
I know you'll be all right
You're beautiful, I love you
I know you'll be all right"

There is no mountain of virtue
Higher to ascend
No quality
More divine
Than to be a friend
Ah to be a friend
So kind

So now you've gone away
In a sudden gust of wind
And we're sadder than hell
'Cause we miss you, dear friend
Still it's good to know your great heart
Is glad and restored
Forever smokin' fine cigars at the table of the Lord
At the table of the Lord

There is no mountain of virtue
Higher to ascend
No quality
More divine
Than to be a friend
Ah to be a friend
So kind


I got the privilege yesterday to see some old friends, whom I hadn't seen in over 5 years. I'll tell you what, a lot happens in 5 years! It was an awesome experience, talking about everything we could, singing and playing music, and talking about God.

These are the friends that I dare confide in. These are the friends I know will be there for me. These are the friends I trust with my very life. There are few feelings better than that.

http://www.inspirationline.com/images/Hug1.jpg

My New Instrument

Two days ago I visited some good friends from my old neighborhood. We had a fantastic time together! Playing music, walking in the woods, and if you knew them well, you would know that we couldn't leave without playing a few rounds of Super Smash Bros on the Wii!

Playing music together was intriguing, if only for the fact that my friend had just gotten a 12 hole Ocarina. It's such a beautiful wind instrument, and very easy to play (if your looking at tablature, which is pictures to show where to put your fingers.) Upon asking, he let me play and follow the tab, which was plenty easy. Coming home, I immediately started looking at general prices for this small instrument. To my utmost amazement, some Ocarinas are over 80 DOLLARS! Goodness gracious!

I continued to search until I found a nice little plastic Ocarina. It was about ten dollars, so I went ahead and bought it. It just came in today. I decided to take a picture of it for you, so here it is...

It's probably the sorriest sounding Ocarina I've EVER heard, but I gotta start somewhere I guess. Eventually, once I get good at it, I hope to get a nice porcelain or ceramic Ocarina.

My Journey Testimony

I went on a journey... a journey to my heart. Below is my testimony. For more information, check out http://iblp.org/programs/journey-heart        

 

         I make it to Chicago to start day 1 of my Journey. I filled out the spiritual application, and then headed in to have my interview with Mr. Gothard. I walked away 15 minutes later, thinking OW. That HURT. Well, now I knew that what my parents did was absolutely necessary, and it sure did bring me to tears, knowing that I couldn’t be friends with this person anymore. But that wasn’t the core problem.

            Day 2 and 3 (Sunday and Monday) went by just fine, especially the road trip. Getting to finally see the North Woods was amazing. I knew it was the perfect place to get alone with God, and speak with Him intimately. Boy was I in for a surprise.

            Day 4 (Tuesday) was one of the biggest highlights for me. Right after dinner, I immediately went and sat in one of the living-room chairs, watching our group leader do all of the dinner chores by himself. I told myself over and over to go help him, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Just as he’s finishing up the cleaning, I force myself to apologize to him. He accepts my apology, but he wasn’t going to let us all go off easy.

We were all gathered in the living room, waiting to go through the next heart devotional. Our leader sat down, looked at us all in the eye, and told us that all we had been doing since we started the Journey was talk about movies, cars, government, and other things of the flesh. On top of that, he told us that we were being a bunch of wussies, not doing any work in the kitchen, and not much anywhere else either. At least three of us were in tears, and all of us were laid out on the ground, crying out to God to forgive us for not focusing on Him. About half an hour later, we started laying hands on each other, and praying for one another, which lasted about 45 minutes. It was absolutely incredible. We mentally vowed to try to keep our talk on things above, instead of on things on earth.

My Core problems were revealed on day 5 (Wednesday) as we went through one of the devotionals, A Murmuring Heart. I realized that my friendship being broken, facebook being taken away, and other things were all because of one thing: My dishonor and disrespect towards my parents. None of it would’ve happened if it had not been for my murmuring heart against my parents, which goes directly towards God. Again, I was in tears, and asked God to forgive my murmuring heart.

The last important event that took place on The Journey was on Day 6 (Thursday). That day, we fasted. Until dinner anyway, but still, it was a fast. Right after dinner, all the Journey groups watched a video by Louie Giglio, on how big the stars are, in comparison to the earth. What can I say, I’m an emotional guy! I broke down, yet again as the video ended, as did another guy. We cried on each other’s shoulders as everyone else headed out of the room. We hadn’t even met, but it was a special moment. The two of us headed up to the prayer tower to join everyone else. We cried, and poured our hearts out to God. 3 hours later, everyone headed back home. That was one of the best 3 hours of my life. I realized that day how powerful and mighty God was. I also realized how important and special prayer was.

Days 7 – 10 went by nice and smooth, reaping beautiful truths from God’s Word. Intimate time with Him, learning and being convicted.

I came back home a different person. I came back home changed. I came back home broken. God seems to work in many different ways, but He has the same basic plan. He will convict you, causing you to cry out to Him, asking for His forgiveness. He willingly does so, and changes your heart.

God can’t change your heart until he breaks it, melts it down, and then forms it into what He wants it to be. But you also have to be willing to let Him mold your heart. That’s what He did to me. He broke my heart, and molded it into something new.

The Journey helped me realize that I am a human being, in need of help. God’s help. I urge all believers to take a journey. A journey to your heart. But be warned, you might not like what you find. Are you willing to let God examine you, and melt you down?

Temporary leave

Heyo readers! I will be out of town until the 14th, so don't be expecting anything for about three weeks. Now's a good time to read some of my other stuff I guess!

I will say however that my friend Chris and I have decided to start a new, separate blog, called Rabbit Hole Stories. It will be a collection of all our short stories.

Have a good month, and God bless!

Theology and Society with Ryan (Intro)

Coming up soon is a new series (don't worry, my Stop Motion Series will still continue, but I've gotten some counsel from a friend who has shown me a different approach...) called, Theology and Society with Ryan. Basically, we'll have a topic, and I'll have a guest that I'll be discussing it with.
The whole point of this series is so you know where I stand on SO many things in this fallen country. For that matter, this fallen world.

Both my guests are MKs, (Missionary Kids) who have been, or are, in the mission field where their fathers are translating the gospel, or teaching MKs, or other needed help.
My first guest is in the states at the moment on furlough. He was in West Africa, and will be going back later this year. He loves playing guitar and working on computer animation. His name is Timothy.

My second guest is in Botswana Africa right now. He just got there from a furlough they had. He loves classical music, and is a living dictionary. His name is Christopher.

Both my guests are my age: 17. Which means you get to see the really stupid stuff we say! (Hey, maybe if you read the conversation, you'll realize that we don't always talk about frivolous things!)
The whole thing will be laid out like a chat message you would have on Skype, or Facebook. I'll make sure to make look as neat as possible, and do a spell check over the whole thing. Which means you WON'T be seeing "Hey, I know u 2 have some similarities," or "ROFL!". It will ALL be spelled out, with the exception of an lol every now and then... lol. :P

But ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy the new series!