Today, I was reminded of how amazing it is to be a Christian. We as Christians have been given the opportunity to personally know the Creator God of the universe. Our Creator -- who crafted the intricate workings of every living thing, fine-tuning them so that they function smoothly. He, who is powerful above all things, made Himself to be a man, suffering pain, temptation, and death.
That death that He died was not only the most excruciating, physically painful death devised by man; but also full of emotional and spiritual torture as all the sins of the entire human race -- past, present, and future -- were placed upon Him.
Jesus died so that He could give God the glory by what was to be accomplished. By His obedience, humble attitude, and sacrifice, sinners are given mercy and grace. We are made free from the power that sin held over us, free from the punishment of sin, and free to begin a personal relationship with God.
Being given all of this, how can I not strive to the utmost of my ability to give God glory? How can I focus on my own sinful desires when God has sacrificed and loved me so much, and when there are millions in this world who have refused or not been able to yet comprehend what a wonderful gift of grace and love they have been given?
I can no longer sit here, thumbs twiddling, accomplishing things only for my own purposes. I am here for the purpose of giving God glory, and whether at home or at school, I must consciously and consistently make decisions that will aid in furthering God's kingdom. How is this possible? Not through my own strength, but through Christ alone. Only with His strength and guidance can I even hope to bring Him glory.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Faithfulness
God has been so faithful to me, and yet I rarely step back and think about what he has done in my day-to-day life. Yesterday, I decided to make a list of a few things that He has done over the last few days. After looking over this list, I've realized that I need to do this more often -- probably every day. Not only does this process help me remember where God has been working around me, but also helps me give God the glory, instead of clutching it all to myself.
God's Faithfulness
* Bringing up "Endure all things for the Gospel of Christ" when I was frustrated with problems at school the other night
* Encouraging me through godly friends and family
* Giving me peace
* Allowing me to make it to the bus on time, even giving me a seat!
* Helping me to love and know you more
* Bringing me back to your side whenever I fall
* Renewing joy in my heart as I walk more closely with You
* Allowing my Japanese and Choir classes to be a little easier, so that I can spend most of my time on Chemistry and Nutrition
I don't deserve any of this goodness. I tend to keep so few of my promises. Yet You, God, are always faithful -- no matter how far I have strayed. Please keep me close to You, and give me strength to resist giving in to temptation.
God's Faithfulness
* Bringing up "Endure all things for the Gospel of Christ" when I was frustrated with problems at school the other night
* Encouraging me through godly friends and family
* Giving me peace
* Allowing me to make it to the bus on time, even giving me a seat!
* Helping me to love and know you more
* Bringing me back to your side whenever I fall
* Renewing joy in my heart as I walk more closely with You
* Allowing my Japanese and Choir classes to be a little easier, so that I can spend most of my time on Chemistry and Nutrition
I don't deserve any of this goodness. I tend to keep so few of my promises. Yet You, God, are always faithful -- no matter how far I have strayed. Please keep me close to You, and give me strength to resist giving in to temptation.
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Finals Week! (with a CNA test thrown in on Sunday)
Just a quick update on what's been going on in my life lately...
Sunday morning: I don't know how I'm going to get through this week, let alone the next six hours of CNA testing...
Sunday night: Thank you God for giving me strength to make it through this day. Maybe I'll pass after all...but I have to wait two weeks to find out...
Monday: I haven't finished studying for this Chemistry final. I'm going to fail!
Tuesday: That Chemistry final wasn't so bad. Now to work on my final English paper.
Wednesday morning: I don't think I'm writing this essay correctly -- I can't do this!
Wednesday night: One. more. day. Maybe I can do this?
Without God's strength, I can do nothing. With His strength and in His will, I can do all things. Phil. 4:13
Without God's strength, I can do nothing. With His strength and in His will, I can do all things. Phil. 4:13
Friday, November 23, 2012
Another lesson in Perseverance
Back in July, I was trying to figure out the perfect present for my younger brother, Timothy. One evening, we watched a certain youtube video that the PianoGuys had made, featuring Jarrod Radnich playing the Pirates of the Carribean theme song. Timothy was amazed and inspired by this rendition, and finally asked my parents to get him some Pirates of the Carribean music.
After a little thinking, my parents and I decided to get him the sheet music composed by Jarrod Radnich. We were pretty sure it would be too difficult for Timothy, but thought he would enjoy, and be able to actually play it someday. On his birthday after receiving the sheet music, Timothy immediately sat down at the piano, trying to figure out the first few measures.
Over the next few days, we would find him at the piano, striving diligently to be able to play the piece. I sat down a few times to sight-read the music, but gave up after about five minutes. Yet Timothy persevered, practicing every day until the rest of us finally got annoyed with the song and left the room every time he began to play it!
It took him three months, but he learned it well enough to play for a group lesson in October. Our piano teacher was surprised and happy with his progress, and that he had taken the initiative to learn such a difficult piece on his own!
All of this to say that I have a lot to learn from my little brother. His dedication and diligence to excel when it comes to piano practice has inspired me to do better in persevering when it comes to challenges in my own life. Thank you God, for the lessons you teach me, even through my younger siblings!
After a little thinking, my parents and I decided to get him the sheet music composed by Jarrod Radnich. We were pretty sure it would be too difficult for Timothy, but thought he would enjoy, and be able to actually play it someday. On his birthday after receiving the sheet music, Timothy immediately sat down at the piano, trying to figure out the first few measures.
Over the next few days, we would find him at the piano, striving diligently to be able to play the piece. I sat down a few times to sight-read the music, but gave up after about five minutes. Yet Timothy persevered, practicing every day until the rest of us finally got annoyed with the song and left the room every time he began to play it!
It took him three months, but he learned it well enough to play for a group lesson in October. Our piano teacher was surprised and happy with his progress, and that he had taken the initiative to learn such a difficult piece on his own!
A few lessons learned...
Life has been busy. Between taking classes at a local community college, teaching the grade-school children's group at church on Wednesday nights, getting my drivers license (finally!!!), and various other small (but very important) things, I haven't had much time to post. But I have had the opportunity to grow and learn.
One of things that I have learned over the last few months is how important it is to spend time walking with the Lord every day - no matter how behind I am in class, or how many other important things I have to do. It's amazing just how quickly and easily my focus can slip away from glorifying God, and turn to glorifying my own selfish desires. I've found that when I make a conscious effort to begin the day by praising God and studying His word, the rest of the day tends to go more smoothly. That is not to say that nothing goes wrong! I just have a different perspective on whatever happens, and try to see things from God's standpoint.
I am very much enjoying the chemistry class I'm taking right now. I have always thought that I would enjoy English class more than chemistry, but have found that the straight-forward answers in chemistry are more appealing to me than the critical thinking and mish-mash of ideas in English. This is probably due to the fact that nearly all of the literary works and authors we are studying come from secular worldviews, some of which are blatantly against the Christian worldview. Still, I've spent hours discussing what we're learning in class with my father and brother, and have learned several lessons in perseverance. Even when it seems like nothing makes sense, and hours of intense reading and critical thinking lie a head, it is important to dive straight in and begin working somewhere. Simply thinking about doing something difficult often makes the job seem quite a bit worse than what it actually is!
One of things that I have learned over the last few months is how important it is to spend time walking with the Lord every day - no matter how behind I am in class, or how many other important things I have to do. It's amazing just how quickly and easily my focus can slip away from glorifying God, and turn to glorifying my own selfish desires. I've found that when I make a conscious effort to begin the day by praising God and studying His word, the rest of the day tends to go more smoothly. That is not to say that nothing goes wrong! I just have a different perspective on whatever happens, and try to see things from God's standpoint.
I am very much enjoying the chemistry class I'm taking right now. I have always thought that I would enjoy English class more than chemistry, but have found that the straight-forward answers in chemistry are more appealing to me than the critical thinking and mish-mash of ideas in English. This is probably due to the fact that nearly all of the literary works and authors we are studying come from secular worldviews, some of which are blatantly against the Christian worldview. Still, I've spent hours discussing what we're learning in class with my father and brother, and have learned several lessons in perseverance. Even when it seems like nothing makes sense, and hours of intense reading and critical thinking lie a head, it is important to dive straight in and begin working somewhere. Simply thinking about doing something difficult often makes the job seem quite a bit worse than what it actually is!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Graduation
I've been thinking about posting pictures of my graduation for a while, but didn't have the time until now. My graduation was held on June 30th, 2012, and was a wonderful time of celebration and fun. My cousins came up from Oregon to join us, and many other friends from church and other activities came as well. My father, mother, and I all gave speeches, we sang a few of my favorite hymns, had a slideshow, and a reception afterward. It was wonderful to see many people who had made an impact in my life all together in the same place, and to be able to share with them what God has been doing in my life.
So without further ado, here are the pictures, courtesy of my cousin Rosie (her blog is My Life Through a Lens) who was kind enough to be the photographer for my graduation. Thank you Rosie!
So without further ado, here are the pictures, courtesy of my cousin Rosie (her blog is My Life Through a Lens) who was kind enough to be the photographer for my graduation. Thank you Rosie!
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| Before the graduation ceremony |
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| AWANA display |
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| Speech display |
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| My award from STOA nationals (NITOC 2012) |
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| Some of my photography and favorite books/curriculum |
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| Waiting for it to begin... |
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| Cousins! |
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| Singing Hymns |
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| Mama's speech |
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My graduation speechThe Reception  |
Monday, September 17, 2012
Clinicals part II
I am through with clinicals! Now all I have to do to is fill out a lot of paperwork, wait 3-6 weeks, and take the state test to be certified. Last Friday evening, ten of us nursing assistant students sat around a table, talking about our favorite experiences and people at the nursing home and going over the necessary paperwork for the state test. Then, our instructor began calling out names and handed out certificates. Eventually, she called my name and handing me a certificate stating that I had successfully completed a state-approved nursing assistant training program with 40 classroom hours and 52 clinical hours.
Holding that certificate in my hand made me realize how much I have learned in the last month or so. At first, it was all book knowledge, with vague ideas of how it would work in an actual nursing home situation. After reading about all the necessary tasks I had to perform, I was not at all sure that I would enjoy being a nursing assistant. But once I got to work in the nursing home, doing hands-on care, I began to realize that it gives me joy to help a person feel better or rest more comfortably. After the first few days, I had no qualms about wading into difficult and dirty tasks. And the residents were fun too! Because of certain laws, I'm not allowed to go into detail regarding the residents, but suffice to say that I loved caring for and spending time with them, and would not have traded the last few weeks for anything.
I feel that through this time at clinicals, God has been confirming that the health care field is where He wants me to be. He gave me so much love and joy as I learned to care for others, as well as encouragement from His Word and my family. I am excited to see what He is going to do next...
Holding that certificate in my hand made me realize how much I have learned in the last month or so. At first, it was all book knowledge, with vague ideas of how it would work in an actual nursing home situation. After reading about all the necessary tasks I had to perform, I was not at all sure that I would enjoy being a nursing assistant. But once I got to work in the nursing home, doing hands-on care, I began to realize that it gives me joy to help a person feel better or rest more comfortably. After the first few days, I had no qualms about wading into difficult and dirty tasks. And the residents were fun too! Because of certain laws, I'm not allowed to go into detail regarding the residents, but suffice to say that I loved caring for and spending time with them, and would not have traded the last few weeks for anything.
I feel that through this time at clinicals, God has been confirming that the health care field is where He wants me to be. He gave me so much love and joy as I learned to care for others, as well as encouragement from His Word and my family. I am excited to see what He is going to do next...
Monday, September 10, 2012
Caught by Surprise
Today began as a 'not-so-interesting' day. In fact, it seemed quite boring and frustrating. I am preparing to begin college classes here in the next few weeks, and am working on getting classes, schedules, textbooks, bus routes, and everything else figured out. At the beginning of this summer, I enrolled in three classes only to discover that I have already gone through the majority of the training that one class has to offer. Naturally, I did not want to spend extra money going through a course that I knew would be mostly review. So I dropped that class, and tried to enroll in a Japanese language class. To make a long story short, I spent about three hours trying to figure out how to drop and add classes, how to fit this new class into my schedule, running into technical difficulties, and a whole lot more.
Later on in the evening, things were still not going their greatest. On Monday nights, I cook dinner at our house. However, due to various interruptions, I began preperations late today, and finally ended up around 8:00 pm with burnt fingers and burnt bread. Frustrated, I said to my brother, "Timothy, you might as well call everyone for dinner - if you can even call this mess 'dinner'."
Then as my precious twelve-year-old brother turned to go call everyone, he said with a grin "If this is not dinner, it's a feast!" At that moment, the atmosphere changed, and I could not help smiling, despite my crossness. His comment had touched my heart, encouraged me, and filled me with joy as nothing else could have at that time. It was unexpected. It was full of love. And because of that, it was special.
God used my brother to pull my attention back to Him. I was so focused on not being able to do things right, that I allowed myself to stop focusing on God, and what I could do in that situation to praise Him. This small occurence brought to my mind 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Sure, it's frustrating to burn the bread and have a late dinner. But in retrospect, I thank God that we have bread to burn (it didn't turn out too badly after all), and that we can all sit down together as a family to eat, although the hour was late. I thank God for my family, their appreciativeness and kind comments regarding dinner, the fellowship that we shared around the dining room table, and most of all the love for one another that God has given us. Of course, we are not a perfect family, always treating one another with love and respect. But each one knows that he or she loves and is loved by all members in our family. And that is perhaps the thing for which I thank God the most.
Contrary to what I had thought earlier, today has turned out to be an interesting day. I am no longer bored, but looking forward to what God is going to teach me in the future because I am learning that He can take the mundane experiences of everyday life, and turn them into life lessons that will stay with me forever. The key is to keep your eyes and heart ready and open to what God will do next. And even then, He might take you by surprise!
Later on in the evening, things were still not going their greatest. On Monday nights, I cook dinner at our house. However, due to various interruptions, I began preperations late today, and finally ended up around 8:00 pm with burnt fingers and burnt bread. Frustrated, I said to my brother, "Timothy, you might as well call everyone for dinner - if you can even call this mess 'dinner'."
Then as my precious twelve-year-old brother turned to go call everyone, he said with a grin "If this is not dinner, it's a feast!" At that moment, the atmosphere changed, and I could not help smiling, despite my crossness. His comment had touched my heart, encouraged me, and filled me with joy as nothing else could have at that time. It was unexpected. It was full of love. And because of that, it was special.
God used my brother to pull my attention back to Him. I was so focused on not being able to do things right, that I allowed myself to stop focusing on God, and what I could do in that situation to praise Him. This small occurence brought to my mind 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Sure, it's frustrating to burn the bread and have a late dinner. But in retrospect, I thank God that we have bread to burn (it didn't turn out too badly after all), and that we can all sit down together as a family to eat, although the hour was late. I thank God for my family, their appreciativeness and kind comments regarding dinner, the fellowship that we shared around the dining room table, and most of all the love for one another that God has given us. Of course, we are not a perfect family, always treating one another with love and respect. But each one knows that he or she loves and is loved by all members in our family. And that is perhaps the thing for which I thank God the most.
Contrary to what I had thought earlier, today has turned out to be an interesting day. I am no longer bored, but looking forward to what God is going to teach me in the future because I am learning that He can take the mundane experiences of everyday life, and turn them into life lessons that will stay with me forever. The key is to keep your eyes and heart ready and open to what God will do next. And even then, He might take you by surprise!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Clinicals
Things have been quite busy lately. I have been taking a nursing assitant training course, which involves a lot of hard work memorizing and practicing skills. During this week, I was given the privilege of going into a nursing home and following around an actual nursing assistant. Her name is Rosie, and she is very good at explaining processes, showing me specific ways to do a task, and allowing me to help the residents with their activities of daily living (eating, toileting, changing clothes, taking vital signs, oral care, showering, etc.).
Eight other students from the training insitute are also learning with their preceptors, and we have had fun getting to know each other. I will be sad when we finish up the course and leave, because I probably won't run into these people again. It has definitely been an experience that I would not have missed for the world. I have had so much fun working with residents and learning new skills; not only has this been a fun experience, and hard work, but also a rewarding one. It feels very good to know that through all the backbreaking work we do, peoples lives are made better for a little while.
There are times when I feel grossed out, or extremely tired, or frustrated when working with a specific person. But these are the times when God really uses these things to teach me a lesson. In 1 Corinthians 16:14 we read, "Let all that you do be done in love." I'm not going back to the nursing home until next Thursday, but when I do go back I want to remember this verse, so that whether I am doing a 'dirty' job or a 'clean' one, I will do it all in love - for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Eight other students from the training insitute are also learning with their preceptors, and we have had fun getting to know each other. I will be sad when we finish up the course and leave, because I probably won't run into these people again. It has definitely been an experience that I would not have missed for the world. I have had so much fun working with residents and learning new skills; not only has this been a fun experience, and hard work, but also a rewarding one. It feels very good to know that through all the backbreaking work we do, peoples lives are made better for a little while.
There are times when I feel grossed out, or extremely tired, or frustrated when working with a specific person. But these are the times when God really uses these things to teach me a lesson. In 1 Corinthians 16:14 we read, "Let all that you do be done in love." I'm not going back to the nursing home until next Thursday, but when I do go back I want to remember this verse, so that whether I am doing a 'dirty' job or a 'clean' one, I will do it all in love - for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Welcome!
My name is Johanna, and I am a Christian, homeschool graduate. My desire is to give God all the glory through this blog, so that whatever I post will point others to Him.
When trying to think of a name for my blog, I went through several options, but finally decided on this one: 'Sing a New Song'. This comes from Psalm 40:2-3. "He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth--Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD."
I am the eldest of four children - two boys, and two girls. I am so grateful to my parents for bringing me up in a God-fearing family, and teaching me how to follow Jesus, not only by their words, but also by example.
In my free time, I dabble in photography and am trying to learn the art of cooking. I love to play the piano - classical, contemporary, hymns, and some ragtime. My family and I also love to sing together, and some of us are involved with our church bell choir.
I am...
- A struggling sinner, only able to stand in God’s presence because of His great love and mercy
- A beloved daughter of her heavenly Father, striving to honor God with her life
- A servant of the Most High God, willing to give Him my all, if He will give me the strength to do so
- A daughter working to honor and revere her parents as God desires, often failing in the process, and needing His strength to carry on
- A sister endeavoring to be a godly influence and helpmeet to her brothers and sister
- A young woman learning that worshipping her Messiah is a lifestyle, not just a performance or occasion
- A Christ-follower, seeking to obey my Lord with joy and perseverance
Although it's a daily battle that I don't always win, my utmost desire is to conform more and more to my Lord and Savior, being transformed into the person He has created me to be. I thank God for Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
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