rp({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-01-08T07:13:33.623-06:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"This Thing Called Life"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"candid ramblings about life, love and God."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026orderby\u003dpublished"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d26\u0026max-results\u003d25\u0026orderby\u003dpublished"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"45"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-4783767938515646592"},"published":{"$t":"2009-12-30T21:52:00.002-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-30T22:05:51.262-06:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"New Year Suggestions."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Hey everyone,\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! I know I did. This Christmas break has been such an amazing time to visit with family and relax. Over Christmas break I have made 2 wonderful online discoveries that I would really like to share with you..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe first one is a website called \u003ca href\u003d\"http://tradeasone.com\"\u003etrade as one\u003c/a\u003e. This is a website that I received a couple Christmas presents from, and that my family bought a few gifts from for friends. The website is very reliable and so cool . It takes art work and purses, and all sorts of things that local people make from a bunch of different countries and sells it on the site. The goal of the site is to cut out the middle man and stimulate jobs and economy in developing countries. The product is beautiful and reasonably priced and you can really help others while buying presents. I recieved a beautiful purse from india as a Christmas present and I love it!! So I would encourage you to check it out.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe other thing I've discovered over break is a cool online devotional tool called \u003ca href\u003d\"http://examen.me\"\u003eexamen.me\u003c/a\u003e it has really awesome prayer guides and devotionals that are easy to use. I don't use the site daily but I have found that it can be a nice way to switch up my devotional routine and that it helps to keep it lively and fresh. So I would encourage you to use this site as a tool to help you to grow closer to God this new year.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI pray you all have a blessed new year, I leave early in January and will not be back till May so it may be awhile till I post again.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBlessings,\u003cbr /\u003eHannah Grace\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eP.S what did you do to celebrate Christmas?\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-4783767938515646592?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/4783767938515646592/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d4783767938515646592","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/4783767938515646592"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/4783767938515646592"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-year-suggestions.html","title":"New Year Suggestions."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-6070671414684290850"},"published":{"$t":"2009-12-24T14:03:00.002-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-24T14:34:03.999-06:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Merry Christmas."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Merry Christmas everyone!! its been so great to be home from college with my family to celebrate the birth of our savior!!! My Christmas season has been busy with shopping and preparing to leave for Asia on January 11th...for 4 months!!! I can't wait! Also I am going to be teaching a session at this years winter retreat at our church..I'm excited but a little nervous about teaching a room of my peers for 45 minutes...I feel very inadequate to do such a thing but I feel like God has really blessed me with a word that I would like to share with them..so I am stepping out in obedience ( a little scary.).  I am titling my session \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eA self-centered gospel (can God work in spite of you).\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnother thing I have been doing is really working on the spiritual discipline of meditating on Gods word..its been a challenge but also an immense blessing and I wanted to share with all of you the passage that God has laid on my heart this Christmas season. Its not a traditional christmas passage but still so special..and a beautiful picture of Gods glory and salvation (which happens to come through immanuel/God with us aka baby Jesus, God as a man). So its kinda christmasy... Hope its speaks to your heart as it has mine.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ePsalm 107 \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eGive thanks to the Lord for He is good, His faithful love endures forever. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHas the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eTell others He has redeemed you from your enemies. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eFor He has gathered the exiles from many lands, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003efrom east and west, from North and South. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eSome wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHungry and thirsty they nearly died! \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLord help they cried in their trouble,\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eand he rescued them from their distress. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLet them praise the Lord for His great love,\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eand for the wonderful things He has done for them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eFor he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eSome sat in darkness and deepest gloom. Imprisoned in chains of misery. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThey rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the most high. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThat is why He broke them with hard labor, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ethey fell, and no one was there to help them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLord help, the cried in their trouble, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eand he saved them from their distress. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe led them from the darkness and deepest gloom, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ehe snapped their chains.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLet them praise the Lord for his great love \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003efor the wonderful things he has done for them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eFor he broke down their prison gates of bronze\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eand he broke their chains of iron.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eSome were fools they rebelled and suffered for their sins. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThe couldn't stand the thought of food. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThey were knocking on deaths door. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLord help! They cried in their trouble and he rescued them from their distress.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe sent out his word and healed them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e  snatching them from the door of death.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e Let them praise the L\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e for his great love\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e      and for the wonderful things he has done for them.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e      and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e  Some went off to sea in ships,\u003cbr /\u003e      plying the trade routes of the world.\u003cbr /\u003e  They, too, observed the L\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e’s power in action,\u003cbr /\u003e      his impressive works on the deepest seas.\u003cbr /\u003e  He spoke, and the winds rose,\u003cbr /\u003e      stirring up the waves.\u003cbr /\u003e  Their ships were tossed to the heavens\u003cbr /\u003e      and plunged again to the depths;\u003cbr /\u003e      the sailors cringed in terror.\u003cbr /\u003e  They reeled and staggered like drunkards\u003cbr /\u003e      and were at their wits’ end.\u003cbr /\u003e  “L\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e, help!” they cried in their trouble,\u003cbr /\u003e      and he saved them from their distress.\u003cbr /\u003e  He calmed the storm to a whisper\u003cbr /\u003e      and stilled the waves.\u003cbr /\u003e  What a blessing was that stillness\u003cbr /\u003e      as he brought them safely into harbor!\u003cbr /\u003e  Let them praise the L\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e for his great love\u003cbr /\u003e      and for the wonderful things he has done for them.\u003cbr /\u003e  Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation\u003cbr /\u003e      and before the leaders of the nation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e  He changes rivers into deserts,\u003cbr /\u003e      and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.\u003cbr /\u003e  He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,\u003cbr /\u003e      because of the wickedness of those who live there.\u003cbr /\u003e  But he also turns deserts into pools of water,\u003cbr /\u003e      the dry land into springs of water.\u003cbr /\u003e  He brings the hungry to settle there\u003cbr /\u003e      and to build their cities.\u003cbr /\u003e  They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,\u003cbr /\u003e      and harvest their bumper crops.\u003cbr /\u003e  How he blesses them!\u003cbr /\u003e      They raise large families there,\u003cbr /\u003e      and their herds of livestock increase.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e  When they decrease in number and become impoverished\u003cbr /\u003e      through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,\u003cbr /\u003e  the L\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e pours contempt on their princes,\u003cbr /\u003e      causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.\u003cbr /\u003e  But he rescues the poor from trouble\u003cbr /\u003e      and increases their families like flocks of sheep.\u003cbr /\u003e  The godly will see these things and be glad,\u003cbr /\u003e      while the wicked are struck silent.\u003cbr /\u003e  Those who are wise will take all this to heart;\u003cbr /\u003e      they will see in our history the faithful love of the L\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eord\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003eMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!! \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-6070671414684290850?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/6070671414684290850/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d6070671414684290850","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6070671414684290850"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6070671414684290850"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/12/merry-christmas.html","title":"Merry Christmas."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-5179039841117000914"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-13T19:53:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-13T20:11:59.573-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Tick, Tock."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Wow, I can't believe I am posting again...maybe this fall break is going to get me back in the groove of being a good, regular posting blogger! I just wanted to quickly encourage those of you who may stumble across this and to share with you a thought that just came to mind.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI recently memorized this scripture and I felt it sticking out to me just now as I was sitting down to write..it says \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLook carefully then how you walk not as unwise but wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil Ephesians 5:15-16 \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHave you thought about the way we spend our time in conjunction with investing in eternal things? You, just like me, probably have. I don't write this to throw a guilt trip on you but we are so prone to sit and spend our day eating, sleeping, blogging, watching TV...going to work, whatever it is that we do to take time to invest in what really matters.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLife is short, we have a limited number of minutes to live, and so often we spend them selfishly. We live our lives our thinking about ourselves, our needs, our wants. We get caught up in the daily mundane and we forget....we forget each moment is a gift. Its a gift meant to be lived out in appreciation. We should be living our lives intentionally. We should not just let them happen but purpose out each moment we breathe in and out with our lungs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe should purpose to praise God for the air he lets us breathe, the food he lets us eat. We should purpose out time each day to get into the word, to literally hear words spoken from the mouth of God, words of life and truth. We should purpose out time to give sacrificially in service to others. How often do we drive by someone on our way to work with a flat tire (or even worse on our way to church) without stopping to help because we are going to be late, or we are too busy??\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am convicted of the way I spend my time. I am not relational enough, I take don't take advantage of the time I have with my family and friends to love and encourage them. I don't praise God for everything he has blessed me with. I live a selfish, and boring existence, focused in on ME. I do not take advantage of every minute.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am learning, from spending lots of time with other cultures now a little more about time. For instance in African culture time is nothing to them...events begin and end whenever they begin and end. You can stop by at any time without really being considered rude...they view time differently..they value relationships, and living out each moment so much more than us. They aren't busy planning for the next activity, they are soaking in each God given moment of life.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI want to live like  that.....taking advantage of each moment I am alive and not wasting any of it. I want to be more giving and more loving. SO an encouragement to you, and to me...Lets be wise, making the best use of our time.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-5179039841117000914?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/5179039841117000914/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d5179039841117000914","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/5179039841117000914"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/5179039841117000914"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/10/tick-tock.html","title":"Tick, Tock."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-2504416017175024823"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-10T17:57:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-10T18:36:03.017-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Let me be transparent."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Alright, here I am being totally honest, right now. I am going through one of the hardest times in my life, ever. I am not happy, and I am not okay. I broke up about a month ago with my boyfriend of 2 years, for a bunch of very complicated reasons, and I miss him..a lot! I feel like I am never going to stop hurting. I am trying hard to trust God, I know he can see me through, but its hard.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI've been through deserts and valleys in life before but I've never really related that much with the idea of a storm...well now I do. I feel like a rag doll being thrown in the wind and tossed by the waves of life. Everything this year is constant motion, constant change, constant discomfort.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI don't want to complain, but I do want to take this moment to be transparent. I'm not okay, and I'm not doing good, and I would love any prayers, any of you can offer.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe weird thing however, about this whole interesting life experience I am going through right now is that its not all bad. I am not so depressed that I lay in bed and cry all day..my life is continuing on...but it feels dreary, and lonely and very....gray. AND in some ways, that is more discouraging than any my life is ending forever, dramatic, cinema experience.   I'm not sure why..it just feels more real, and kind of like it will go on forever...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, I have been having some awesome life experiences as well...I have found a new church that I really love in downtown kc. Its small, its not aesthetically appealing, but it has some of the most awesome loving people in it. Its filled with people from all different walks of life, there are Africans, and  new young family's, and single college students, all together in this amazing little organism filled with love and life.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile attending church there I have become friends with several African family's, and its been such a cool experience getting to know them! They don't speak a lot of English, but I visit their homes at least once a week and share the bible on audio with them, in their language. Its so cool that scripture transcends cultural, and lingual barriers to reach people of all nations and walks. Its an especially cool thought to a little, white, 19 year old girl, with a very Americanized approach to christianity, and what could be described as a very narrow perspective of the world. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSO even in the midst of all the hard times going on right now in my life there are occasional pockets of hope. I've found them in the heart of down town KC. I have discovered a love for the inner city and the people who live there. It radiates life to me, and is rapidly becoming one of my favorite places in the world, as well as the bright spot of my week.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI love doing ministry there...I love that there are Somalian restaurants, Mexican, Greek, Thai, all in one short distance of each other. I love the way that people in that area value relationships in a way that I have never felt before...I have found a love for the people of that neighborhood in what I feel is a very supernatural kind of way....I don't know what God is planning next for this interesting turn my life has taken, but I feel like it may involve this neighborhood that has found its way into my heart..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWELL....there is a HONEST update on my life right now..please keep praying for me as I go through this journey the rest of this year..its only a few more months till I leave for Asia. Please especially pray for peace to radiate my heart right now.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOh and as an ending note here is a cool quote that I heard the other day..it matches my life right now I feel....\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"it takes all the colors of the rainbow\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e to make black. So even in the color black\u003cbr /\u003e...there is hope\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-2504416017175024823?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/2504416017175024823/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d2504416017175024823","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2504416017175024823"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2504416017175024823"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/10/let-me-be-transparent.html","title":"Let me be transparent."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-6650359017976937968"},"published":{"$t":"2009-09-12T10:50:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-09-12T11:40:23.851-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Work In Progress"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"So, I was getting into the word the other day, reading Luke 3 and verses 4-6  really jumped out at me..\u003cbr /\u003ethey say....\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:\u003cbr /\u003e\"A voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord,\u003cbr /\u003emake his paths straight.\u003cbr /\u003eEvery valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,\u003cbr /\u003eand the crooked shall become straight,\u003cbr /\u003eand rough places shall become level ways,\u003cbr /\u003eand all flesh shall see the salvation of God.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI have heard this section of scripture lots since I have grown up in church and everything...but I have always heard it cut off right after Prepare the way of the Lord. but I love the rest of the scripture...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI can be really prideful sometimes and self centered, and just corrupt. Lately I have been finding myself more and more disillusioned with the type of person I really am. I have been discovering more and more faults, and realizing how often the good things I do are from wrong motives.\u003cbr /\u003eIn short I am broken and evil.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis revelation is hard, I mean I've known that I'm a sinner, but recently I have been realizing how deep my depravity goes. It's really very discouraging, because I don't feel like I am capable of change. I need to change, but the task seems very overwhelming.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ethat's why I have found this verse so encouraging. Look at the part where it talks about every mountain and hill being made low, and every valley being filled. To me this represents the humbling of those who are prideful, and the uplifting of those who are low in spirit.\u003cbr /\u003eChrist came to humble people who need it and to lift up those who are in need of it as well.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is awesome, because when I am so broken, I have no way of fixing my own brokenness.. and I don't have to!! Christ is faithful to continue a good work in me. He hasn't saved me and then left me, but he is going to continue shaping me into the kind of person he want's me to be.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSomeone of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience.....He will humble me, and then he will not leave me in my low estate but he will lift me up. He will change me into a beautiful person, the kind of person I desire to be.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI'm not sure if anything I am saying makes much sense...but I guess all I am trying to say is Praise God that he is not finished with me yet..I am a work in progress!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"445\" height\u003d\"364\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/EOWjWLK0IP8\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\u0026amp;border\u003d1\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/EOWjWLK0IP8\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\u0026amp;border\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"445\" height\u003d\"364\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-6650359017976937968?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/6650359017976937968/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d6650359017976937968","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6650359017976937968"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6650359017976937968"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/09/work-in-progress.html","title":"Work In Progress"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-1862084947294581759"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-25T16:01:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-25T16:41:15.456-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Ooey gooey sunny D dripping down my leg."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Hey everyone,\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am currently sitting on campus in the library with a pounding headache. I am so stressed out and I have so much (as always) to tell all of you. Perhaps I wouldn't have so much to say if I would keep up on my posting...hmmm something to think about.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways I have officially graduated ground school!! This probably isn't very exciting to some of you since you have no clue what ground school is. SO let me explain. To go through the college program I am doing this year, you have to go through 2 weeks of ground school. Ground school is most easily explained as christian bootcamp. You eat gross food, get little sleep, excercise excessively etc.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am so glad to be done!! It was one of the most difficult and yet most rewarding expierences of my life. Funny how that works you know? How usually the more difficult the expierence the more rewarding it is as well?? God truly does refine through fire.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways through this whole expierence of starting college, going through, and completeing ground school, my mind keeps circulating back to the idea of baggage. Emotional baggage, relational baggage, etc.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs many of you know, I went on a mission trip to Wyoming earlier this summer and while there I had an interesting learning expierence involving baggage.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMe and my friend where told after a meal to take the trash, and to carry (on a relatively short walk) the trash out to a trailer, where it would be taken to a dumpster later. SO me and my friend began our walk trash in hand. However, we somehow missed the trailer. We walked at least a good mile looking for the trailer. By this point the bags had begun to tear and leak. Letting out sunny D and syrup and who knows what other delicious tidings, down onto our feet and our pants. It was miserable walking around, feeling like idiots, with these heavy trash bags, leaking gross, sticky, junk all down us.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am sure me and my friend looked ridiculous..we probably looked like we were going on a walk with our trash!! Go ahead and laugh, but that's what we do in life all the time. We travel around with our junk, our emotional and relational garbage. Instead of putting it in the trash can, and letting go of our burden, we choose to carry it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe walk around, and wonder why our lives are so miserable while we willingly allow junk to drip down our legs. Why? Because we are unwilling to put down our trash and give it to jesus. These past 2 weeks I have begun to delve a little ways into discovering some of the emotional baggage I carry around with me...a lot of it being fear. Fear of my ability's, fear due to some past circumstances...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI realize how carrying around and holding onto these fears has affected me. Even as I begin to set some of this fear down it still leaves its affects on me. Just like syrup once its on your leg is hard to get off...However, as I find the things that are hindering me in life. And as I go through the process of releasing them, and putting them into the trash of lies the world daily feeds me. I am constantly encouraged by this verse.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTake MY yoke upon you, and learn from me. I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is EASY and my burden is LIGHT. Matthew 11:29-30\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis verse is saying that Jesus offers us his burden instead of ours. And you know what the great thing is about that trade off...? Jesus's burden is easy and light, it brings rest for our souls. Rest from the hurt and anger we like to carry around, rest from the fears and insecurities that knot our stomaches and confuse our hearts. Jesus offers rest for our souls!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI don't know about you, but I love to rest, its one of my favorite activity's!!! A little sleep, a little Tv some yummy food (: But even better than that kind of rest is the kind that comes to your soul when you give your burdens to Jesus, its a peace that brings rest even in the midst of stressful circunstances, and that isn't dependant on enviroment like physical rest.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI don't know about you, but its so encouraging to know that this kind of rest is available to us...and it sounds like a great deal in exchange for  sticky syrup, fears, and Sunny D.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWell these are my current thoughts..maybe I'll post again soon, maybe I won't my schedule is pretty hectic. However I am praising God that in the midst of all of the craziness of life that thier is rest available (:\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-1862084947294581759?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/1862084947294581759/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d1862084947294581759","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1862084947294581759"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1862084947294581759"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/08/ooey-gooey-trash.html","title":"Ooey gooey sunny D dripping down my leg."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-2985761321258286792"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-04T17:54:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-04T18:25:36.170-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Chicago."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Oh my goodness! I have had a crazy summer..I had camp for a week, I spent a week in Wyoming, I traveled to Montana, and took a short pit stop in Chicago on the way home. It has been a crazy summer, and I have learned so much!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFirst of all let me say, I loved Chicago..I had never been before, and it was lots of fun!! I would love to go again and check out more of the city....I went to see Jersey Boys on Broadway, I went to the taste of Chicago festival (kinda a disappointment), I wandered the streets checking everything out. It was a really good trip :) \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOne of the places I spent a lot of time in while visiting Chicago was McDonald's..it's one of the cheapest places to eat, and me and my dad wanted to save our money so we could do more touristy stuff (we ate other places to like an authentic thai place..Yummy!) But we spent a lot of time hanging at the golden bridge...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOne morning I was in the Mcdonalds by myself.(my dad had dropped me off and then went back to pack up our hotel), and while I was there I saw/met this guy. He was wearing a suit and had a tray with some McDonalds stuff on it..an apple pie, a coffee etc.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways I'm sitting there reading a book, and eating a snack wrap, when I hear this guy muttering to himself really weirdly...so I look up at him and he yells at me (gibberish), weird right? so I duck back behind my book, and keep reading trying not to stare at this guy. He was holding a handful of lottery tickets and writing numbers all over them, while muttering about the stock market, this guy was loony!! \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was a little freaked out because the McDonalds was pretty big, and I was in this section kinda far off and obscured from view of anyone else, with this guy who was obviously crazy...and he kept talking at me while I pretended to read my book...long story short my dad finally showed up..all was fine and we went on about our day of viewing chicago...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut later on I got to thinking about that guy, and I realized I am sort of like him sometimes...\u003cbr /\u003eI mean I sometimes hold on to what is worthless (like old lottery tickets) thinking I have the world. What I hold on to may not be as weird as what this guy was holding too, but it can be just as worthless... appearance, material items...things that will eventually go away.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYet I will invest all my time and energy into these things. I am convinced that these are what is truly valuable when in reality, all that matters are my relationships with others and with God.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow take this short life lesson and apply it to my life right now...I am totally freaked out! I move into college on the 9th and I have so much left to do...worse than that I am going to be leaving my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my church, my comfort (since I am doing a missions program run similiar to bootcamp).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e I am leaving so many things that I see as important to do this..and I am going to miss them all. However I know that this is what God is calling me towards..He can see the big picture, he knows what is truly valuable, and all the treasure I can gain from this ecxpierence if I let go of all these things. He knows they are just lottery tickets, and He alone can see that the true value lies in eternity, in the people I am going to witness too, and in the growth I will ecxpierence in my relationship with Him.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSO please be in prayer for me as I prepare to leave...that I will have an eternal focus, instead of one focused on temporary things...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI hope to post again soon, but we'll see..I still have a lot to share about my trips in Wyoming, and other places.  SO hopefully I will be here at the keyboard soon...ta ta.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-2985761321258286792?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/2985761321258286792/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d2985761321258286792","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2985761321258286792"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2985761321258286792"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/08/chicago.html","title":"Chicago."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-2202112130615913179"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-05T16:30:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-05T16:34:42.166-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"My friend Charlie"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;\" \u003eThere are some things in your life that you will never forget. Sometimes you meet someone, or you see something that changes you forever, whatever it is you know you’re different. Take for example a tattoo. A tattoo is something you can’t take back, once you have it it leaves a mark on you forever, even if you have it removed. You know after you get that tattoo that what just happened will be an irreversible moment of time that you can never retrieve. For better or for worse your life (well actually your skin) has just been marked by those few seconds forever. The thing is that moments like these, the tattoo moments, usually happen when you least expect them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was on a service project with my youth group. We had made kits to pass out to homeless people around St Joseph. The kits had things like socks, food, band aids, stocking caps, gloves, rain ponchos etc. We were on our church bus just driving around and looking for people to give our kits too. We had passed most of the kits out at this point and were getting ready to make a pit stop at McDonalds for some grub. That’s when I saw him.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere was a man obviously homeless, wearing a worn green army jacket and sitting on the side of the road. I wanted to stop and give him one of our kits and so the driver pulled the bus over. Two other boys and I got out to hand him a kit. Usually we just hand them the pack say something like God Bless and get back onto our bus. This time though ended up a little different.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI went to give the man a pack and he asked me a question. He said, you got any hot food? I told him no, just what was there in the kit, sorry. He said that was fine and thank you. He opened up the sack grabbed a bag of chips and started eating. Then he asked if we wanted to sit. We were a little unsure but didn’t want to seem rude and so we sat. We asked him if there was anything we could pray for him, and he said that he would like prayer for his daughter and his two grandkids. One thing led to another and before I knew it we were listening to this man tell us his story.\u003cbr /\u003eWe found out his name was Charlie that he had been married, and then went to Vietnam to fight. He was a little drunk so it was hard to understand exactly all the logistics but we learned that he had a daughter that he hadn’t seen in 5 years, and 2 grandkids, he even had pictures. Charlie was a pretty cool guy really, but also a bad alcoholic. Charlie had lost everything, his family and home to his addiction and had been homeless for 5 years.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTurns out Charlie liked music too. He told us about when he used to play guitar. Its not that weird to think that a guy would like music or play guitar but it struck me, you see the thought had never crossed my mind in relation to Charlie. It’s easy to dehumanize homeless people, or those who are way different than us, but when you talk to them you find out they aren’t that different than you. Even more disconcerting, you’ll find that who you are now is not so different from who they once where. This is when you come face to face with the weakness in yourself and your own lack of control.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs we continued to talk with Charlie we got to singing, Charlie’s favorite song was “Amazing Grace”. I’m sure we looked ridiculous 3 teenagers sitting on the side of the road with this homeless guy singing amazing grace, but that’s what we were doing. What I felt in that moment is hard to describe, I felt like Charlie’s friend. Charlie wasn’t a homeless guy we were there to help anymore; he was someone I genuinely cared about. I cared about him not because he was homeless and needed someone, I cared for him because I knew him and I cared about who he was as a person. Charlie was no longer a project for me, but a friend.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe shared with Charlie about Gods’ grace. Charlie was ridden with guilt over the men he had killed in Vietnam. We gave Charlie some food and basic physical necessities and comforts. We gave Charlie prayer and friendship. Right before me and my friends were about to leave (We had been there for 2 hours) Charlie started going through the kit and he found the stocking cap that was in there. Charlie began to cry and as he cried he asked us, how did Jesus know I needed a stocking cap? Charlie didn’t give up the booze that day or become a Christian. He may still be on the streets…but I think that day we were able to love Charlie with the hands of Christ.\u003cbr /\u003eJesus had given him that stocking cap…and Jesus had sent us 3 teenagers to love Charlie. That’s what he needed more than food or even a stocking cap; Charlie needed to know that Jesus still cared about him.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI walked away that day changed, I learned how to love people the way Jesus loved them. Not with cheap love that stands over someone and reaches down to them. But instead with love that gets in beside someone and says I love you, and I am here for you. Charlie had asked us earlier in the conversation whether or not we thought God still loved him, and when he found that stocking cap I think he found the answer. I know that I did.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-2202112130615913179?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/2202112130615913179/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d2202112130615913179","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2202112130615913179"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/2202112130615913179"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-friend-charlie.html","title":"My friend Charlie"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-1684484593068036033"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-02T21:57:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-02T22:40:04.479-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Book Ideas"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Well its official. I have become an inconsistent blogger. I could give all sorts of excuses about how busy life has been or how I'm not emotionally up to blogging. However, none of that would be true. I am busy...but I find time to do lots of other things. Honestly I just have not really wanted too. I just have not felt like blogging lately. Tonight though is a special night, and I felt like blogging a little bit so...here I am. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI have been spending a lot of time reading lately. The terrible thing is though that I am reading 3 books right now and I am not being consistent about reading any of them...They are all good and so I just keep skipping around. I should know better than to try to read more than one book at a time but...I've gone against my better judgment. My dad...now he can read multiple books all at once and get through them at a decent pace but apparently the multi-tasking genes didn't make it to me (Maybe it has something to do with the ADHD who knows) BUT I digress...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways since I have become such an inconsistent blogger I decided I would pass on a suggested reading list something to read when your not reading my posts due to infrequency. These are amazing books!! Most of these I am in the process of reading or have just read...however some of them are just my favorites that I highly suggest to you or  they are on my reading list suggested to me by some great and well read friends. SO enjoy.....I give you permission. Get away and stick your nose in a book.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eDo Hard Things...By Alex and Brett Harris\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eCrazy Love....By Francis Chan\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eLove, Sex, and Lasting Relationships...By Chip Ingram\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe Purpose Driven Life....By Rick Warren\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e10 Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives....By Dr. Laura Schlessinger\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe Gutter: Where Life is Meant to Be Lived....By Craig Gross\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eBlue Like Jazz.....By Donald Miller\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eThey Like Jesus But Not The Church....By Dan Kimball\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eLord Save Us From Your Followers...By Dan Merchant\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDesiring God....By John Piper\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhen God weeps....By Johnny Erikson Todda\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDon't waste your life.....By John Piper\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe Dream Giver....By Bruce Wilkinson\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHope you check some of these out...and I would love any suggestions of books to add to my reading list :)\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-1684484593068036033?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/1684484593068036033/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d1684484593068036033","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1684484593068036033"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1684484593068036033"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-ideas.html","title":"Book Ideas"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-6056936105912364196"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-15T17:45:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-15T17:55:41.104-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Graduation Eve"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Hi guys, Once again I am guilty of being a bad blogger. It feels like forever since I've been on..but here I am again. Life has been super crazy lately. I am graduating tomorrow! Can you believe it tomorrow!?....and I still have a ton of stuff to get ready *sigh*.\u003cbr /\u003eI just hope I can make it through the day without crying. I almost cried this morning while I was blow drying my hair.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI can't believe that I'm done..life goes so fast. I was making a board for the reception afterward' s and there are pictures of me at each age..baby, 1 year, 2 year etc. and it ends with my age now (18). I was looking at the little girl I once was and looking at the pictures of me now and thinking..WOW.  I cannot believe I am 18 already. I am graduating, and I'm going to be 19 in September.  I know I have my whole life in front of me..but still I can't help but see where I've been and feel a little sad that I have left all of that behind and its over now...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI guess it just reminds me that I need to take every moment and live it to its fullest because before long it will be gone....So Here's to living in the moment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWell I have family in from Montana visiting for the big day so I better go enjoy them while I have this time with them :)   NO TEARS right?\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-6056936105912364196?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/6056936105912364196/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d6056936105912364196","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6056936105912364196"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6056936105912364196"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/05/graduation-eve.html","title":"Graduation Eve"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-3030660351443523390"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-14T10:40:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-14T11:23:16.205-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"You Found Me"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I know its bad. I have not blogged in forever. I just have not been able to bring myself to write. I have been really overwhelmed. Between graduation, prom, and life I have few spare moments to write and honestly when I have had spare time my desire to write a post has been non existent *gasp*. Yes I know..but its true.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, here I am, I have returned. I've actually missed it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo, how many of you have heard the song \"You Found Me\" by The Fray? probably most of you, its a pretty popular song right now. Well I've been giving a lot of thought to this song lately. Actually this song has been a point of contention around my house lately. I personally love the song. Some don't care for the song because of some theological issues, and some find it disrespectful the way that the Artist questions God in the song. However I think its a beautiful song, not meant to make any theological points but simply to communicate a real struggle between a man and God, a struggle I think many of us have had.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI don't know about you but I don't think its wrong to question God. If you look at the bible many great men questioned God at different times. Look at the poetry that David wrote in the psalms or the read the doubts that Job entertained in the midst of his trials. God is a big boy and he can handle our doubts and questions. These questions don't shake his self-esteem or even damage his relationship with us. I would argue that questions and doubts when honestly voiced can even grow our relationship with God.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur relationship with God is not supposed to be this sterile, safe, and holy thing. Our relationship with God is supposed to simply be real. God knows when we have doubts and I think that he desires for us to talk with him about those doubts. In a romantic relationship if a person is having doubts about the relationship it helps the relationship to discuss those doubts. I think the same is true of us and God. God desires for us to just be real with him. We don't have to put on some strong face and pretend like everything is just great when it isn't.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhy is \"You Found me\" such a popular song right now? Maybe its because this song is registering with people. That can be a little scary..its a little unnerving to me to think that this many people have questioned the timing of God and his good will. Maybe because it makes me face my own fears. I question God, I have lots of doubts and frustrations.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI know in my own life right now I have doubts. Why does God have me where he has me right now? Why can't I be someone else, or somewhere else? Why do so many bad things happen to the people I love?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIts okay to ask questions. When I ask questions I usually know the answer already, but its in those moments of struggle that I can come to terms with the answer.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIts okay to be real. Its okay to be honest. Ask God \"why?\", find the answer and learn to come to terms with it in the process.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGod desires for you to discover him in all his goodness and his power and when you dive into the tough questions it gives him a chance to display to you just how big he is. Go ahead dare to discover God.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-3030660351443523390?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/3030660351443523390/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d3030660351443523390","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/3030660351443523390"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/3030660351443523390"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/04/you-found-me.html","title":"You Found Me"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-8125058012285640085"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-28T14:04:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-28T14:30:42.677-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Randomness."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Walking in a Winter Wonderland."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Oh my goodness its snowing!!!I can't believe it, I wore shorts 3 days last week and woke up this morning to an ocean of white outside my bedroom window. So, my day has been spent not much like I planned it...instead of going to see Last chance Harvey in the $2 theater (love the $2 theater) and looking at prom dresses with my friend Rachel, I am eating chili and watching various old classic romances.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIts really not a bad day all in all though...\u003cbr /\u003eI am a little disappointed though..I decided to take pictures of the snow, and only got 3 before my batteries ran out *sigh*\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLife is like that isn't it? its full of disappointments and things rarely follow our plans. I used to get really down and to be honest, sort of have little diva tantrums when things didn't go my way, but I'm learning to get over those.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was looking out the window watching the snow fall from the sky this morning and trying to see each individual shape. They say that no snow flake looks the same, that they are all different. Isn't that amazing? There were thousands of snow flakes landing on the grass in my yard this morning and not one of them was the same....There is intricate beauty everywhere we look..even in something as unappreciated (at least right now) as the snow.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e I pass over beauty all the time and I don't stop to see it or appreciate it.. God gives me a beautiful snowy day to relax at home, he makes each snow flake individually, just so I can spend a little time marveling at how big He is..and all I want to think about is shopping, and the movies, and how cold it is.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGod has created this day for me..he planned it out for me as a special gift. Every day is planned by God, and he is in complete control of every detail including the weather..so today I am going to stop and thank God for this day he has blessed me with..\u003cbr /\u003eEven if today is not exactly what I planned I am going to make the most of it, and chose to be happy and live in the moment of the unexpected. Isn't that what life should be about anyway, living in the moment and rejoicing in the blessings that surround us..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhats the weather like out your way??\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"This is the Day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it Psalm 118:24\"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-8125058012285640085?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/8125058012285640085/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d8125058012285640085","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/8125058012285640085"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/8125058012285640085"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/walking-in-winter-wonderland.html","title":"Walking in a Winter Wonderland."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-6152825865294503824"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-21T10:29:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-21T11:10:33.170-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Marvelous light"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I have been coming to terms with my current reality this week. Its so easy to convince myself that I am something that I am not. As a christian I should be trying my best to become more and more like my God and to love him and others more and more, but I'm realizing that too often I become lukewarm. I trade in the best I could have, and the life God calls me too for mediocrity and for compromise with Gods best.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was on a friends of mine's facebook page and they had this quote on it...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eWe have confused comfort with peace, belief with faith, safety with wisdom, wealth with blessing, and existence with life. And for many of us, our dreams will be buried under the epitaph, \"I refused to let go of what I had\".  -Erwin McManus\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003eThis is exactly where\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eI have been with my life lately. I have become unwilling to let go of what I have for what God has for me. I have a beautiful life with a wonderful boyfriend, a loving family, I have my college plans all laid out nicely, I am comfortable and I am content, but what if God has more for me? What if he has more for you too? Maybe there is more to life than being happy and comfortable. I believe there is, and I have lost sight of it. I am now working on getting that \"more\", that life, back into my focus. I am praying that God would reveal to me what he has for me....I know I am most alive when I follow the dreams he places in my heart instead of the safety of an average and comfy life. \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e1 peter 2:9 says..\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut you are a chosen race, a royal preisthood, a holy nation, A people of his own posession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003eI read this verse earlier this week and I thought I am not in marvelous light, I often follow the calling of God in my life but only as far as the shadows. Sure, I may not be in darkness anymore, I can feel a little warmth from the sun, and I can see (mostly). I don't follow God all the way out into the brightness. I don't go to where I can feel the sun soaking into my skin and let it dance in my hair.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIts so easy to convince myself that the shadows are okay, and to settle for less than I deserve, I think I am good \"enough\". I am kind and loving \"enough\".\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut I know that God is calling me into the light to love with all my heart, to be kind even when others don't deserve it, and to follow his standard and not the standards of others. I want to enter the brightness of Gods kingdom and find joy in the purpose he can give my life.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLuke 11:28\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBlessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo what does all this come down to? Do I really believe what this verse says, do I really believe that obeying God all the way in my life will bring blessings and life better than what I have now?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI am praying I can get to the point when I can really believe it, when I can walk in light and not in shadow, where the colors are brighter and the glory and blessings of God are clearer in my life.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-6152825865294503824?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/6152825865294503824/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d6152825865294503824","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6152825865294503824"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6152825865294503824"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/marvelous-light.html","title":"Marvelous light"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-1219809114128306773"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-16T21:46:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-16T22:10:33.183-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Happenings of late circumstance"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eSo my posts have been really weighty lately, wich isn't bad but to be honest I am a little burnt out right now on the really heavy stuff so I think I'm going to just throw in a mix of different things in this post..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003eFirst of all I like to thank Ashley D from \u003ca href\u003d\"turquoiseribbons.blogspot.com\"\u003ehttp://turquoiseribbons.blogspot.com/\u003c/a\u003e for the the blog award she gave me.. its the \"Being me award\" which is given to bloggers that try to impact thier culture and share their convictions through their blog. So thanks Ashley I appreciate it! My first ever blog award, how fun!!!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lNPnMGrwb6Q/Sb8PzgxcjlI/AAAAAAAAACs/KPOuyWhC9cM/s1600-h/beingmeaward+from+Ashley+D+turqoise+ribbons.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 200px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lNPnMGrwb6Q/Sb8PzgxcjlI/AAAAAAAAACs/KPOuyWhC9cM/s320/beingmeaward+from+Ashley+D+turqoise+ribbons.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313983462965546578\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLets see what else has been going on with me..oh my ankle...so I went to the doctor and they put me in physical therapy and are making me wear tennis shoes (wich I hate!!). I am a flip flop, ballet flat kina girl so I am not loving this! However if this will fix my foot I will make do. If this does not work then I will have to have surgery again. SO I am praying hardcore that physical therapy will take care of the problem.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e My boyfriend got back from chicago, he spent spring break thier on a mission trip (so I am glad to have him back I missed him!!) . While there he and some friends lit a couch on fire...they have it on video its really quite funny so I thought I would share (check it out!!)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id\u003d1322462461\u0026amp;ref\u003dts#/video/video.php?v\u003d1121648724398\u0026amp;ref\u003dmf\"\u003ehttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id\u003d1322462461\u0026amp;ref\u003dts#/video/video.php?v\u003d1121648724398\u0026amp;ref\u003dmf\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAlso if you dont have an igoogle page GET ONE I recently got one and am loving it!! If you do have one whats your favorite app, I always appreciate app suggestions!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBTW check out this bible verse I found it here the last couple days and its really been speaking to me, maybe it will touch your heart as well.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHis wounds are your healing, You were lost sheep, with no idea where to go or who you were. Now you are named and kept for good by the shepherd of your souls. 1Peter 2:25\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eAnyhoo I have a ton of school to be working on so I am going to jump that, hope you guys are all having a great start to your week! And don't forget to share your favorite igoogle app with me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThanks, HannahGrace\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-1219809114128306773?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/1219809114128306773/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d1219809114128306773","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1219809114128306773"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1219809114128306773"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/happenings-of-late-circumstance.html","title":"Happenings of late circumstance"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lNPnMGrwb6Q/Sb8PzgxcjlI/AAAAAAAAACs/KPOuyWhC9cM/s72-c/beingmeaward+from+Ashley+D+turqoise+ribbons.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-3581757711557300269"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-12T22:43:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-13T00:03:40.307-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Love. Causes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Compassionate Hearts Needed"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I think to often we get desensitized. I know I do. I mean after you hear about people starving to death, aids, homelessness so many times it just becomes normal right? How is it that we can call ourselves human beings and not be affected when we hear that a child dies every few seconds from starvation, or about the horrible genocide going on? These are questions that I have been asking myself lately, and I'm not sure I have the answer.  I know that I don't get deeply affected every time I hear about someone elses problems, sometimes I shoot a quick prayer up for them, but honestly I usually keep going on with my life...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI really think that this is the wrong response. I don't think that this is okay, I dont think that the bible teaches that this is okay, but yet I am human and if I am honest that is most often my response to other peoples problems.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast Sunday during church, my Sunday school class was looking at the story of this guy named Nehemiah. Nehemiah is this guy in the bible who works for the king. Actually he tests the kings food for poison before the king eats it. Well anyways, Nehemiah is doing his thing when his friends come to visit  and he gets some news. Nehemiah hears that Israels city gates have been destroyed, and he gets pretty upset about it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSee Nehemiah is from Israel (like his distant heritage), and back then city gates are a big deal. If you don't have city gates your screwed because nomadic people and tribes will come in and raid your city. So Nehemiah is crushed to hear this. Which is pretty cool considering that he hardly knows anyone in Israel. For instance I am German (that's my heritage, I have German blood) , but I have never been to Germany, I don't really know anyone over there, and what goes on there does not really affect me. So now apply that to Nehemiah, Nehemiah is not really that close to the stuff going on in Israel but he is still broken over it. The bible actually says that he is so upset that he stops eating, prays, and cries over the broken down city gates.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is an intense response from Nehemiah, and I think its much closer to what the bible teaches. The shortest verse in the bible says \"Jesus wept\" and I have always thought that it was actually a pretty deep verse because if you look at it in context its talking about Jesus crying when he sees the horrible things going on in this city he's looking at. The bible clearly teaches that we should have compassionate hearts for people. But we don't usually blink an eye at other peoples problems...why? I dont think I have ever stopped eating because of what someone else is going through..why? These are questions I have been asking myself all week long.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI have a couple reasons that I think people don't pay attention to others problems..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e#1 We are to caught up in us. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI often get to thinking about myself and what I have to do, and all of my little problems that I don't have time to notice others. I get selfish, and I don't have time for other people.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e#2 We get desensitized.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003eThis is sad but its true. \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eWhen about 50% of marriages in America end in divorce, its hard to be too upset when we hear about so and so's divorce. I mean its normal right? We forget about the heartache that people are going through, and the kids that are having  to choose wich parent to live with, the custody battles. We take people and we turn them into statistics and averages.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e#3 We think that there's nothing we can do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI mean when you get down to it and its time to be honest, what are we supposed to do about divorce? How are we supposed to solve world hunger? These problems are bigger than us...its easier to not see, and its easier to not dream too big. It hurts too much to see the heartache going on around us when we can't even do anything about it. How can we fix anything?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe answer is easy. We can't. We cannot fix world hunger, or stop date rape. We can't keep all drunk drivers off the streets, and live in peace and harmony forever, thats not real. The raw truth is that life hurts, its full of pain and broken things. I am broken, your broken. So is there any hope?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat if we stopped trying to tackle world hunger and just tried to tackle what we could? Maybe we can't stop divorce but does that mean we should give up showing compassion? What if we could hold the hand of a friend as she goes through a divorce. What if we could help out the homeless guy instead of just driving by and getting annoyed at him for making us feel guilty. What if we could help people, love people, and actually do what the bible commands not suggests.\u003cbr /\u003eI was reading in James today and I read where it says...\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eDon't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e Anyone who sets himself up as \"religious\" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003eSo what can we do?\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003eWe could put down the giant banner reading \"its all about me\" and look around us, we could try..we have to try, how else will there ever be change? Everything that's ever been done in the world didn't get done by the people saying we can't.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003eHere are some easy things you can do right now. Follow this link \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.prisoneralert.com\"\u003ehttp://www.prisoneralert.com/\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eit will take you to a website where you can write encouraging letters to Christians in other countries who are in prison for following Jesus. I did it earlier today, and its really easy it will walk you through really fast.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOr follow this link\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.compassion.com/global-food-crisis\"\u003e http://www.compassion.com/global-food-crisis/?referer\u003d98495\u0026amp;utm_campaign\u003dgfcradio-klove-98495\u003c/a\u003e it will take you to a place where you can donate $13 and feed a starving child for a month.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMahatama Ghandi once said \"Be the change you want to see in the world\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e  \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-3581757711557300269?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/3581757711557300269/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d3581757711557300269","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/3581757711557300269"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/3581757711557300269"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/compassionate-hearts-needed.html","title":"Compassionate Hearts Needed"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-1081092691778064672"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-10T09:37:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-10T10:03:29.298-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Randomness."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Random updates"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I am getting ready to go to the doctor soon. There have been complications with my ankle surgery and I am going in to find out what is wrong. I'm kinda nervous about it, so I appreciate any prayers! I really hope I get some good news, because if my ankle is messed up its going to ruin my college plans. The program I am doing in the fall has been something I've wanted to do for nearly 5 years...so I am really hoping for good news!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI have been reading the book \"crazy love\" and its really been challenging me in some areas of my life. I am working to be more in love with God. Too often I say I love God but what I really love is what he can give me, or the way he makes me feel.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e I don't love him for who he is, and sometimes I dont even want to spend time with him. These realizations are making me try new things. Last night I was spending time in scripture with the specific purpose of focusing in on who God is, and I made this list. It's a list of everything God is or has been for me, there is a quality for every letter in the alphabet. If you have never done this I encourage you to try it. It really helps you focus on who God is, and when you realize and appreciate that it makes it easier to live a life of worship, its easier not to worry ect. Here is the list I made but go ahead and give it a try yourself.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAdventurous\u003cbr /\u003eBold\u003cbr /\u003eCareful with me (see last post)\u003cbr /\u003eDelighted by His people.\u003cbr /\u003eEverlasting\u003cbr /\u003eFather\u003cbr /\u003eGood\u003cbr /\u003eHope\u003cbr /\u003eInviting\u003cbr /\u003eJealous\u003cbr /\u003eKing of the universe\u003cbr /\u003eLover of me\u003cbr /\u003eMighty\u003cbr /\u003eNon-stop presence in my life\u003cbr /\u003eOpposer of evil\u003cbr /\u003eProtector\u003cbr /\u003eQualified\u003cbr /\u003eRighteousness for me\u003cbr /\u003eSafety\u003cbr /\u003eTrustworthy\u003cbr /\u003eUnchanging\u003cbr /\u003eVery Real\u003cbr /\u003eWorld Maker\u003cbr /\u003eXtreme with his love\u003cbr /\u003eYesterday's, today's, and tommorows' God\u003cbr /\u003eZealous in his purpose\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-1081092691778064672?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/1081092691778064672/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d1081092691778064672","title":"7 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1081092691778064672"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1081092691778064672"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/random-updates.html","title":"Random updates"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"7"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-7286025706848708613"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-05T20:28:00.003-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-05T21:05:51.495-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The slide."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I'm going through a hard spot in my life right now. I keep finding myself getting caught up in worry, this has always been a problem for me. I know that worrying will not fix anything, I know that I should live in the moment, I know that I should trust God and that he will take care of me but sometimes that can be really hard.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI work at a daycare, and there is this little kid his name is Kahner, he is 2. He thinks he is really something, Mr. Independent, he likes to do everything by himself, and hates to follow rules. So today (thankyou God for the beautiful weather!!) we went outside to play. Outside there is this great big yellow slide, the kids love it! Well, all the 2 year olds are a little intimidated by the slide, they want to go down it, but they won't unless you catch them or hold thier hand while they go.\u003cbr /\u003eThat is all the kids ecxept Kahner. Kahner will not hold your hand or let you catch him, he wants to do it himself.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow this slide has a pretty good slant, so the kids really do go pretty fast down the slide. The little kids really have a lot of fun going down it. I mean they whiz down this thing, especially the 2 year old class, they seem to be just the right weight, not too heavy, not too light. I was watching Kahner go down the slide today, Mr. Independant. He would not let me help him. As I watched I noticed that when he went down the slide he would stick his arms and legs out against the sides of the slide, so he wouldn't go too fast. He practically crawled down the slide in comparison to all the other 2 year olds.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe other kids let me help them, they trust me, they believe that I am going to catch them, or that I wont let go of thier hand, and let them hurdle into the gravel and mud at the bottom. They dont push thier hands and feet into the sides to slow themselves down. They go full speed, rocketing down the slide, having a ball.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday at work as I watched Kahner go down the slide it was like God said something to me..he said..  \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003esee thats what you do? \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you imagine life is like the slide, all these kids are going down it full speed, really having fun, and getting the most out of the slide. They rocket down it without any fear because they trust the person at the bottom who is waiting to catch them. Kahner however goes slowly down the slide pushing his hands and feet into the side. He is scared to go too fast, and he doesn't get as much fun out of the slide because he is unwilling to trust anyone to help him down.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn life I often choose not to trust, I want to do things my own way. I worry, instead of believing that there is someone at the bottom of the slide to catch me. I push my hands and feet into the side of the slide, because I'm scared of going to fast, and I miss out on fully enjoying life. If I would only trust that God is there, and that he has my back I could rocket down the slide getting full joy out of it. Instead I hold back. I give 50% and I get back 50%.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe very end of the Verse 1 Peter 5:7 (in the message version) talks about this, it says \"Live Carefree before God, he is most careful with you.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI want to live carefree, I want to ecxpierence the full joy of life instead of 50%. I need to trust God. He is waiting at the bottom to catch me \"He is careful with me\" he will not let me hit the gravel. He cares for me just like I care for the kids as they go down the slide. I am his daughter and he will not hurt me, he wants me trust him. He wants me to be able to rocket through life, full of joy because he is carefully watching over me waiting to catch me at the bottom.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-7286025706848708613?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/7286025706848708613/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d7286025706848708613","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7286025706848708613"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7286025706848708613"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/slide.html","title":"The slide."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-5750350796440737017"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-04T09:19:00.002-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-04T09:22:46.449-06:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"You never let go"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"So I don't have time to write a post right now because I am in the middle of doing school, however I watched this earlier this morning on youtube and wanted to share..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI think that this sheds a little more light on the subject of my last post..In hard times, in the midst of all our crap God still loves and holds onto us..check this out (love Rob Bell).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LYKa9E1xzao\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LYKa9E1xzao\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-5750350796440737017?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/5750350796440737017/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d5750350796440737017","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/5750350796440737017"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/5750350796440737017"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/03/you-never-let-go.html","title":"You never let go"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-535311963692244543"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-26T22:18:00.003-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-27T13:57:44.914-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God. Bible. Relationships."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"dissconnected (phone lines down)"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center; font-family: verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);\"\u003eI've never had the traditional teenager, parent relationship. To be honest me and my parents get along pretty good, sure we fight every now and then, but for the most part we are pretty close. I share with my parents most everything and really trust them and respect their opinions on most subjects.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI remember though when I was about oh 12years old or so and I really was not allowed to have a boyfriend. I could have guy friends and my parents were pretty trusting of me and everything, but I could not have a boyfriend. However there was this kid named logan that had started coming to our church and I really liked him! He was cute and...well really at the age of 12 that was what really mattered to me. So a couple weeks after knowing one another he asked me out. I told him I couldn't date but this guy still pursued me...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHe wrote me this really cute love note one day (you know something like roses are red violets are blue) anyways, I totally fell for him. We started going out. We would pass love notes back and forth and held hands, keeping it a secret from my parents..well we stayed together all summer and into the beginning of the school year (until he cheated on me). I remember during this time me and my parents relationship really took a toll. It was really hard for me to keep this big secret from them..it was even harder for me after the break up because I was totally heartbroken.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis guy had been my first love (using the word loosely) and even worse than that, he had cheated on me. I remember crying myself to sleep every night for almost a year. Even at a young age I really took the whole thing to heart. I remember thinking What was wrong with me, that he didn't stay with me? I felt rejected and very worthless.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMy mom would come into my room at night and ask me what was wrong, but I couldn't tell her..I wanted to so bad, but I knew she would be upset and disappointed with me for breaking there rules so I kept it a secret. I had broken our relationship when I had broken thier rules, I could no longer share or be honest with my parents, the great relationship I had before with them was gone.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is what happens between us and God,when we break Gods rules (the ten commandments), it ruins our relationship with God. Our sin separates us from God. The worst part is that our \"sin\" tears us away from God on earth and in eternity as well.God wants to be with us and often we want to be with God. God isn't playing hide and seek with humans he created us to know him and love and be loved by him. Its our fault we feel so distant.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI think often in life we wonder why God seems so far away we wonder if he is even there. We doubt God's love for us and even his existence because we can't feel him in our lives, or see the proof of his work. We begin to blame him for not being there for us We have to realize God has never left us.\u003cbr /\u003eGod does not walk away from us, we walk away from God..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUntil we clean the sin out of our lives we cannot have the beautiful relationship God longs to have with us. We shut God out of our lives and then wonder why he hasn't shown up. We need to clean out our lives so we can reconnect with God.\u003cbr /\u003e God is stretching out his arms and longing to understand us, we just need to unclog the sin that is blocking the lines of communication.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLook! Listen! Gods arms are not amputated-he can still save.\u003cbr /\u003eGods ears are not stopped up- he can still hear.\u003cbr /\u003eThere's nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you.\u003cbr /\u003eYour wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God.\u003cbr /\u003eYour sins got between you so that he does not hear.\u003cbr /\u003eIsaiah 59:2 (the message)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBUT\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf my God defined people respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I'll be there ready for you: I'll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their lands to health. 2 chronicles 7:14\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-535311963692244543?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/535311963692244543/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d535311963692244543","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/535311963692244543"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/535311963692244543"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/02/dissconnected-phone-lines-down.html","title":"dissconnected (phone lines down)"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-4346782232008598682"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-23T17:57:00.002-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-23T18:26:20.418-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"What I believe"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"So Christianity, there are a lot of different perspectives on it. You will hear a lot of people say a lot  of different things about it..but a lot of the time I really feel like Christianity get misrepresented. I am so tired as a christian of hearing anyone and everyone talking about Christianity when they  really know nothing about it..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI mean the best way to really know something is to experience it right?? Well its the same way with Christianity you can't really know what the whole thing is about unless you've experienced it first hand.. SO born out of frustration at hearing over and over again misrepresentations of what I believe. I have decided to roughly share the basics of what I believe in my next 6 posts..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLets get started. first off I believe that..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eGod created us to be with and have a relationship with him.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis part of Christianity is really very important, it shows that I believe in God, and it shows a lot about the God I believe in and how I believe that God relates to humans. These beliefs are built off of #1 the Bible (what I as a christian take as my source of truth for life), but I don't blindly follow the bible I have reason behind my faith as well... \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e I mean think about this..have you ever looked at the stars, or the mountains or taken time to think about how many complex atoms fit into one tree out of the tons of trees on earth? The universe is clearly gorgeous and amazing. When I look at these things I have a hard time believing they were made by random chance, I think that these things clearly had a creator and designer, that a higher power had to have designed things so beautiful and complex.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAlso get this, on our planet are billions of people, and all of these billions of people desire relationships, even though that makes little to no sense. I mean when you are in a relationship romantically, or other you are opening yourself up to the possibility of hurt and rejection. But for some reason we still desire relationships. In fact babies who live in orphanages and are provided the essentials for living but are never held or touched lovingly, often die. This makes no sense. Why do we desire and even require relationships when one would think we would have learned that loving others only opens yourself up to pain? I think its because God has created us to have a relationship with him. We have been designed to give and recieve love, its at the core of our being.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is one of my favorite things about christianity because I think its so cool that God wants a relationship with us, that he created us to have a relationship with him. I mean why would a God want us? but I believe for some wild reason he does..this is one of the coolest things in the whole world in my opinion.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways thats the first of these 6 posts..out of curiosity what do you believe about God? or do you believe in a God?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOh and just for a quick update on my life..I had a good valentines..anthony liked my gift and made me a little book of poetry that he wrote for me..way sweet! Hope your guy's valentines was great as well...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHannahGrace.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-4346782232008598682?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/4346782232008598682/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d4346782232008598682","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/4346782232008598682"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/4346782232008598682"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-i-believe.html","title":"What I believe"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-1283329097652936032"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-13T17:26:00.004-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-17T13:20:53.483-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Love."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"True Love"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Hey guys,\u003cbr /\u003eI am back!! Finally! I've missed blogging..its just that I've been so busy, and so exhausted.\u003cbr /\u003eSo Valentines day is tomorrow! Yikes! I love valentines but usually its not quite as exciting as I would really like it to be. lol. I guess I have high expectations, so this year I am trying to keep my expectations low.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnyways speaking of love and valentines, I've been spending a lot of time looking at verses about love. There are so many! Here are a few of my favorites...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThe Lord God is with you, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe is mighty to save, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe will take great delight in you, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe will quiet you with his love,\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHe will rejoice over you with singing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eZephaniah 3:17\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e(I love to think of the image of God singing over me with his love)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eAnd so we know and rely on the Love God has for us. God is love. whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1John 4:16\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e(This verse has been so true, so many loves have let me down, but my Gods love is something I can fully rely on)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThis is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1John 3:16\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003elet me touch on that last verse for a minute, I love that verse because I think its SO true..how do we know what love is, REAL love? We should look at the designer of love to know what real love is, and that would be God. God designed love. Actually he did more than that, He is Love, so God knows what love is, and his word says that \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.\" \u003c/span\u003ethis is way more profound than it sounds, its deeper than a John 3:16 sunday school lesson on love, its SO much more personal.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWant to get a grasp on what love really is look at the example that Christ has been. He exhibits to us what God says true love is..instead of going into this big long thing, let me show you what I mean. Check out the drama, its about God and us, its one of the most amazing love story's ever.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/lSwCOs-uXzU\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/lSwCOs-uXzU\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI don't know where you are with God or anything but this valentines whether it is amazing or Not focus on grasping this one thing God loves you..he is singing over you with his love, and his love is truer than any other.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-1283329097652936032?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/1283329097652936032/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d1283329097652936032","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1283329097652936032"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/1283329097652936032"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/02/true-love_13.html","title":"True Love"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-6689599253451753336"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-10T21:41:00.005-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-17T13:28:47.995-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Randomness."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Writers block."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Yes I know I should write, and I know its important, and I know its been 10 days since my last post..I just cannot find the emotional energy right now...I will write again. But for now I need to just do some thinking and deal with life..i covet any prayers...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHannah Grace\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-6689599253451753336?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/6689599253451753336/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d6689599253451753336","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6689599253451753336"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/6689599253451753336"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/02/writers-block.html","title":"Writers block."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-7071920640606249426"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-01T16:18:00.007-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-17T13:29:29.908-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"God."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"My story."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"When I was little I had a really great life. I was really blessed to have a wonderful family, and just an all in all, good life. I have been lucky (or i guess blessed really) to have few dark clouds in my life and lots of smooth sailing. However my life definitely was not perfect and I went through my fair share of hard times.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMy dad is a student pastor, and has been since I was really little. With the whole role of being a pastor's kid, I remember growing up feeling a lot of pressure on me. I felt a lot of pressure to be good, and to know all the answers in Sunday school. I wanted to please everyone..and make everyone happy with me. We lived in Montana most of my early childhood, and school was not easy for me either. I had a really hard time fitting in at the christian school I attended. I don't know if I was just weird and annoying as a little kid, or if our family's economic status (which was considerably lower than most my other classmates family's) affected my social life, but I definitely did not fit in at school.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e  This was just the beginning of a lot of confusing things that happened between the ages of 4-8 in my life. My best friend who lived down the road in the trailer park we lived, had a lot of family issues, and those issues really affected me at a young age. I guess that's the terrible thing about sin, it doesn't affect just you, it affects everyone around you as well. My friends house always smelled like pot, because her mom and her mom's boyfriend were addicts. I wasn't allowed to go to my friends house, we had to play at my house. But I was a really stubborn child growing up, and not really known for my hallmark goodness. So I went over there to play a lot without my parents knowing.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMy friend's \"dad\" was not just an addict, he was a child abuser as well. I remember one time when I went over to my friends house and she took me into this back room (I think I was about 5) and showed me the pictures her \"dad\" liked to take of her. They were child porn of her. Another time I went over to her house and her dad took her and me into his bedroom. He molested my friend right there in front of me. She thought it was a great game, she had no clue, what was really being done to her, for her this was normal. I watched, I had never seen anything like that before and didn't really know what to think...what do you think when you see something like that at the age of 5-6?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis happened a couple different times when I went over there. I never told anyone. I was never told to keep it a secret, and I think somehow, deep inside of me, I new what I had seen was wrong...but I also had this feeling that what I saw, when I went to my friends house, was something you did not talk about, and so I never said anything. I am amazed that for some reason, that man never laid a hand on me..I don't understand why..the only thing I can figure is that Gods hand was on me and protecting me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e So as a kid I felt really lost. I felt a lot of pressure to be good and to make people happy, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fit in at school. This was a big source of frustration for me. I also felt dirty a lot, and confused, and even angry because of the things I had seen at my friends. I don't think I could have explained these feelings that were happening inside of me then, but in retro-spect these are the names I would tag to the way I remember feeling.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e  Right before my 8th birthday my family moved to Missouri. I did not want to move to Missouri!! I remember when we moved here, and all I could think was how could my parents move me to a place where I have NO friends, and there are so many bugs, and the sun is so hot.\u003cbr /\u003eThe time I spent living there at our first house in Missouri was a bad time for me. I was obsessed with being the best, and the most popular etc. (I think a lot of that came from my history). I managed to get in with the most popular girls in our area somehow. In order to be friends with them though, I really hurt a lot of other people. I was not a nice person, I picked on kids who were not in our group, and betrayed some of my less popular friends.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEven after I became part of that group though, I still felt lonely, and not good enough. I would cry a lot because I felt so disconnected from everyone, and I felt like I was not able to connect. I didn't really know what was wrong with me but I was miserable...I was not very happy with the person I was....I was hanging out with girls who were 2 and even 4-6 years older than me too, this exposed me to things at a lot younger age than is normal for a kid.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThen at the age of 11 I was sitting at my church one day and there was this guy up there talking, I don't remember exactly what he was talking about, but I do remember the sudden thought I had. In conjunction with trying to fit in socially and earn peoples approval I had been doing the same thing spiritually. I remember sitting there and it almost felt like someone just pushed this thought into my head. I thought, I can't earn Gods approval, and thats what I've been trying to do. I can't be good enough to make God happy with me, he already loves me and he already offers me grace, its a gift and I need to just take it, I cannot earn it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was only 11, so I dont have any awesome story like, I no longer took drugs and I stopped being a prostitute or anything like that. But I do remember what it felt like to know that God accepted me, that I didn't have to try anymore to make him happy. I have a favorite quote from a Reliant K song that says this \"The Beauty of Grace is that it makes life not fair\" I love that quote because thats what I got that night sitting at church, not listening to the sermon...and even though I dont have an amazing life changing story to tell you. I know that's the day that I met God and that I started a friendship with him that is still going today and that will keep going.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI dont have to earn love, I already have it, I dont have to feel confused, and alone, because God get's me, and is with me. He was with me during the break up I had with my boyfriend this last summer, he's been with me as I make important college decisions. I have one constant in life, my God, and the fact that he loves me, and wants me despite anything I do. Thank God that grace is not fair.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-7071920640606249426?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/7071920640606249426/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d7071920640606249426","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7071920640606249426"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7071920640606249426"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-story.html","title":"My story."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-8063674666879982729"},"published":{"$t":"2009-01-29T22:01:00.006-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-17T13:30:19.953-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"College."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bible."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Future."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Worry wart."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"So life lately...its been more than a little hectic for me. I feel like sometimes God likes to have fun with me and play with my head. I know that doesn't really match his character, but feelings don't have to be right or wrong they just are.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo I have had this great plan for my life since like 8th grade . After High school I've been planning on doing this missions program called fusion. This has been my plan (some of you may be laughing right now because this is SO like God...he's not really into following peoples plans..). Well now I'm not sure its the right thing to do. Finances are kinda an issue right now, and a lot of stuff has come up that is making me doubt my plan. So I have been super stressed...about what is the right thing to do. However I was reading in Romans 7 and 8 today and listen to what this says.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious and free life. Focusing on the self is the opp0site of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed with self, ignores God, ends up thinking about self more than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God is not pleased at being ignored.\"\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo I've been thinking about what this says, and I've decided, I am not going to worry about my problems because then I will \"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eignore who God is and what he is doing\". \u003c/span\u003eMy problems are really nothing to worry about. Instead I am going to pursue God and when I do that I will know who he is and what he has for me. I want like this passage of scripture promises \"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eA spacious and free life\"\u003c/span\u003e. I am tired of being tied down with worries! So pray for me as I make some tough decisions in the next couple months...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow enough with all this serious business, I would like to do something other than hit you guys over the head with heavy issues or complain to you all the time. I really am doing super great!! Here's some good news..\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e-For those of you who may have remembered my friend and india boy thank you for your prayers, and I am happy to report that the whole situation has worked out wonderfully!!\u003cbr /\u003e-I get my cast off Tuesday! I cant wait to walk again.\u003cbr /\u003e-I recently started a journal of my favorite quotes..its lots of fun to keep (you should try it.)\u003cbr /\u003e-Valentines Day is coming up..I am ecxited for that, I need to come up with something special to do for anthony.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd for now i think that shall be it..I HAD planned on keeping this post short.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out this cool video, I found on youtube. Neat story. \u003cobject width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/xBsgZlRlVyE\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/xBsgZlRlVyE\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;rel\u003d0\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"265\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-8063674666879982729?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/8063674666879982729/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d8063674666879982729","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/8063674666879982729"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/8063674666879982729"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/01/worry-wart.html","title":"Worry wart."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316152226759757446.post-7636284024450572298"},"published":{"$t":"2009-01-28T12:28:00.008-06:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-17T13:31:32.588-06:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Faith."},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Life."}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Caught Up.."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I don't know about you, but I get caught up. I get caught up in my own life. Sometimes I become consumed with me, and with my problems. It often feel like I am being swallowed into the abyss of my problems, and that all I can see is the hurdles I have to over come. I cease to think about others, because all I can see are my own needs. I stop looking at the big picture, and I look at the little piece of life going on, with my name on it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow let me tell you something I have learned about happiness. I've learned it slowly over the course of the past 4 summers, and it often feels like I have to learn it over, and over, and over again. It seems like life is like that, you learn something, and get it down, only to discover that you've forgotten what you've learned, and have to learn it again. It reminds me of the part of the bible that talks about how we are God's clay pots, and he has to break us and mold us, and break us and mold us, to get us into the right shape. I often get broken and remolded.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut onto the topic at hand. Every summer, for the last 4 summers, I have spent a week in inner city St. Louis. While I am there I work at an inner city church and lead VBS with a group of High school students. We spend the whole week working with inner city kids and teens, teaching them about God and stuff, and just getting to know them, and love on them. Its really fun, but its also really hard, I'm not going to lie.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe spend a week sleeping on the floor, we usually get about 5 hours a night. All the girls from out team shower together at a local college, and we are limited to 5 minute showers maximum. During the day we go and pick the kids up on buses, teach them thier lessons, hang with them, play games. Then we feed them lunch, send them home, and go back to the church and clean up our messes, and eat lunch sometime between 1 and 2pm. Its a long and very tiring day, let alone week!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYet its the highlight of my summer! I love going, and look forward to it all year! The reason? Because when I do things for others, it makes me so happy. I love to see the looks on the little kids faces when they see you (so many of them are starved for attention), I love to provide a safe place for these kids to play and learn about God for awhile, without the pressures of thier home life or the fear that many of them have due to the violence that is a regular part of thier everyday lives. I love to talk with teen girls around my age, I love to get to know them, and share Christ's love with them! During my summers in East St Louis I have learned one thing about how to be happy. If you want to be happy then think about making others happy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen I live my life for others, this is when I am happiest! Lately I haven't been doing so well with this I have been focused on me a lot. However I am being broken and remolded again and starting to find the joy that comes in serving and looking at the big picture. So need an uplift? Help someone else, come up with some reasons to be thankful, and look at the big picture (its bigger than you).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eP.S. check out the video its really great, and totally matches the topic of the post..love the hands (its so creative).\u003ccenter\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.muvids.com/the_rocket_summer_videos/\"\u003eThe Rocket Summer\u003c/a\u003e - \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.muvids.com/4296_video_the_rocket_summer_do_you_feel\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eDo You Feel\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://muvids.tv/auto/5/4296.php\" flashvars\u003d\"loop\u003d\" fs\u003d\"1\" allownetworking\u003d\"internal\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" pluginspage\u003d\"http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\" width\u003d\"320\" height\u003d\"280\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/center\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6316152226759757446-7636284024450572298?l\u003dhannahgracettcl.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/feeds/7636284024450572298/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d6316152226759757446\u0026postID\u003d7636284024450572298","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7636284024450572298"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6316152226759757446/posts/default/7636284024450572298"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://hannahgracettcl.blogspot.com/2009/01/caught-up.html","title":"Caught Up.."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Hannah Grace"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/06151612524758883915"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17703829574055211471"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}}]}});