Even Though School's Started, I'm Still Alive!!!

 Hey y'all! Just thought I'd update you on my 2014-15 school year! I'm sorry if all you get is my school, but hey, admit it. Challenge III is interesting!! :)

Here are two of the poems that I wrote this past week. For the first one, all I was required to do was go through the dictionary and find words that sounded neat. It didn't matter what they meant.  Then I had to assemble them into a poem that didn't need to make sense.  Fun! :)

The Hullabaloo of Junket

Disparity sighs and sashimi swims. 
Quarrys of bees swarm while shoals lightly shimmer.
Puckish people selling blurbs, yammering all the while.
Senile boats rest on small pit-a-pats. 
Mizzen smoke over fires.
The sun chases the rubellas.
Heigh-ho, as the junket is off to go garbling.

This next poem is based off of a childhood memory.

--GRACE--

It was 2003, 
It was my sister and me. 
Getting ready for church, 
Not wanting to be late.

Doing the usual routine,
Brush your hair and brush your teeth.
"Don't forget your Bible"
We sparkled and shone.

She was heading out the door,
I was begging her to wait.
Shoving my feet into shiny, black shoes,
While racing to the car.

To my left stood our neighbor's house,
Quiet. Still. Waiting.
Their truck sitting patiently in their drive
Told me they hadn't left for church.

Two hours later
My sister and I were chattering about the play.
We were finally in the cast
And choosing who we'd invite.

When speed bumps told me
We were almost home. 
I saw a sight that made me hush...

A big, black pickup, 
Wishing he'd been driven today.
At that moment I'd made up my mind, 
And I was going to follow through.

A few short days later,
I found my feet running next door.
My little hand reached up.

3 rapid knocks and the door creaked open.
Silence fell. 
"Mr. and Mrs. Ihlenburg,
will you come to church to see my play?"

All it took was a question
And the Holy Ghost to change 2 hearts.
They became family to us,
And we called them from then on
"Uncle" Andy and "Aunt" Rhonda.

Soon after his change of heart,
Uncle Andy met his Savior.
We were crestfallen at his departure,
But exulted in his new life.

God makes glory through little things. 

I hope you enjoyed those!! I (hopefully) will be posting more often.
~Christina J. 

My composition

 Hello, this is Rebekah posting! 

I know it's been a while; I had a very busy freshman year, but now summer is finally here! Last semester, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone a little bit and took an online class in Music Theory.  One of our final projects was to create an original composition and perform it.  I had attempted this previously and either ran out of musical ideas or grew bored of my song.  But in this online course, we had a professional composer help us out along the way; giving us tips and ideas.  The task was frustrating at times but gave me a new love of music and composing.  And I had the satisfaction of seeing a piece through to the end! 

I decided to write a piece for harp and viola so Christina and I could play together.  I gave it the title "Valley in the Mountains."  It was actually inspired by a location in a story that I am currently writing but you'll have to wait much longer before you get that creation! :) 

I hope this works... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoQnl-Sq5MU&feature=youtu.be

 

What Do You Think...

Here is another one of my school papers. I hope I'm not boring y'all. I have something more interesting that I could post very soon. :) Keep waiting.
~Christina

The book Born Again, written by Chuck Colson, is a very good book.  It contains a lot about politics, which interested me.  He also wrote about his own personal life, which was absorbing.  Chuck Colson was able to put his point across without making it too difficult to understand.  There were many questions that popped up along the way.  But the one that was chosen for the topic of this paper was: which is more important, the individual or the whole group?  And what does our culture say about it?  I am going to give you my personal opinion in this essay.

    In the book, Born Again, Chuck Colson touches on this topic briefly.  He quotes from C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, “If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization,  which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual.  But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilization, compared with his, is only a moment.”  Colson was shocked at hearing that the lowliest individual is more important than the state or the whole nation.  He had previously believed that the state exists only to serve the individual, created and maintained only with the individual’s consent, but over time, politics had changed him.  What had happened to him was that when a person spends time in gdovernment, he or she becomes absolutely intent on preserving the institution of the state.  In my opinion, if you don’t believe in God then you are pushed to 1 of 2 extremes.   

    Many godless dictators and totalitarian regimes believe that the individual is more important than the whole group.  In the beginning of the quote, from C.S. Lewis’ book, it says,  “If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization,  which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual.”  The dictators care more about the country.  Why?  Well, they don’t believe that people have an afterlife, in heaven or hell, so they don’t care about the individual.

Recently, there have been several songs that American music artists have written  that seem to point to the other extreme.  In our culture, self is the only thing that matters -- almost like nobody else exists.  A lot of the songs that have come out also are telling  teens that they are more important than other people.  Everything is about you, you, you.  It is almost like some people can’t live without the reassurance of knowing that they are important.  But this view is selfish.

    I think that both the individual and the group are important.  I should live my life for others -- my family, my church, my country because that is what Christ did for us. John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” However, I am, as an individual, also infinitely important. The King of the Universe died for ME!  And He did it for you too!  I know I focus on the individual more because I have more of a chance of witnessing to a person one on one.

    In conclusion, I think that our country is focusing too much on the individual and many other countries focus too much on the group.  Christ brings balance. 

Please feel free to leave a comment (I want to hear other people's opinions also) and tell me what you think whether the individual or the whole group more important?