American Sign Language

American Sign Language

By Julianna O.

I am learning ASL, which stands for American Sign Language, and its pretty fun actually. I am learning how to sign to “All This Time” by Britt Nicole. I got the first part down now I have to work on the second part then the chorus (third part) and continuing on. I’ve been learning ASL since I was 2-3 years old. I used to watch “Signing Time”, which are good videos if you are learning Sign Language. I haven’t seen Signing Time since I was at least 12 years old, now I’m 16. I started getting into ASL because I saw “Signing Time” on Youtube, also because I saw some ASL covers of songs, and I was like “What if I do an ASL cover of a song?” I had a few sign language books and cards that I got from my mom. One is a SparkChart for ASL. Another is a set of cards  hat have pronouns, animals, colors and some other categories, I forgot what this set was call. I also have a book called “The Joy Of Signing Activity Book”. but not the book that teaches you the signs, it got lost at my mom’s house. I also found a website called Signing savvy which is a video dictionary of ASL. They have a whole lot of words, nouns, pronouns, animals, adverbs and verbs. I thought it was useful because my SparkChart and the set of cards doesn’t have all of the words that Signing Savvy does. My favorite signs I’ve learned so far is: Helicopter (vehicle), Red (color), Bedroom (place), Saturday (day of the week), Restaurant (place), Buy (buying something), $1 (money), summer (weather), and so many more. I wish to take an American Sign Language class when I go to college or just even take an online course. I think it will be fun and I would love to communicate to the deaf, as well as helping them. I know that God has a great plan for me and that’s why I hope to learn more signs by the end of the year and more of those complicated signs, haven’t found any hard ones yet.

The Past Doesn't Matter!

The Past Doesn't Matter!

 By: Kaitlyn F.

Let’s be real for a second. We have all done something in the past that we want to go back and change. It might be a really embarrassing moment, or we did something that hurt a friend of a family member. We all have those moments in our past, and I bet that as you are reading this, you are sitting there thinking of every incident from your past. For me, I have the incident when a bully made fun of me in first grade, my addiction to pornography in 6^th grade, me breaking my brother’s teeth, and so much more. But guess what,

The Past Doesn’t Matter!!!!!!!

That might surprise some people but it is true. It especially doesn’t matter when it comes to the God’s ability to work in your life. My porn addiction didn’t interfere with God from giving me my blog, “The Kaitlyn Show”, and it didn’t stop him for giving me an opportunity for me to help write on this blog. My bully in 1^st grade didn’t stop God from showing me how courageous and strong I am on the inside. My breaking of my brother’s teeth didn’t prohibit God from making our bond stronger.

God can handle anything you did in the past. The thing is the past doesn’t define you in God’s eyes. We are ALL new creations when we accept Jesus, and that is what God choses to see. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” It is good to review you past to learn from your mistakes, but you past don’t define you. You are a new creation in God, and he has the ability to do anything in your life, no matter how screwed up your past might have been. When you give your past to the Lord, then he can work wonders in you life. You just have to believe that your past is your past, and that God has something way better waiting for you in the future.

Valentine's

Valentine's

By Maryann Y

Every year, my mom and dad do something special for Valentines. They took us night-swimming in 2012 while they ate a quiet dinner by lantern light. I was always asking why I couldn't have the special food, or the Sparkling Grape juice, and for the 7th time in my life, (I'm 11) Daddy would try to explain that Valentine's is for married couples. I understand now that I'm older, but I still ask for the Sparkling Grape juice!

I think Valentine's is a great display of God's love. The couples are like the 'Righteous' in the Bible. I (and my siblings) are the "unbelievers," and though God still loves us, some things are for the 'Righteous,' like a life of eternity with God. So when I'm older and married, I'll probably tell my kids, "No Sparkling Grape juice!"

 In Christ,

     Maryann

LaFe Conference Experience by Amanda M.

 LaFe Conference Experience

By Amanda

I attend Florida Institute of Technology’s Intervarsity College
group in Melbourne, Florida. We have been enjoying reading 
and learning about the Bible for about 2 months. A few people 
got together and founded a Latin Bible study called, LaFe. Even
though I am not of that culture heritage, they welcomed me and I
found their culture so inspiring. Three leaders discussed going to
a conference and invited all of us to attend. So we decided to go
to the LaFe Christian College conference in Tampa, Florida. After
much prayer and discussions, I was able to go. The conference
was Dec. 27-31, 2013.

The girl leader of the group and myself had trouble getting
transportation to Tampa. A staff worker from the conference
arranged for another male college student to pick us up. So we
met the young man who drove us to and from the conference.

Instantly our personalities clicked and we couldn’t wait to
introduce our new driver friend to the rest of our group. The other
male leaders from Bible study were coming from different areas
and we were going to meet up in Tampa. One leader wasn’t able
to make it due to financial and airfare issues.

The group met up and we became very close spending most of
our time together. We talked, laughed, sang, and they tried to
teach me Spanish. There were 200 members and you could feel
God was in our presence at our conference. It was as if we had
known each other for years. We shared experiences regarding
emotions and relationships. My friend and I decided to honor 
God by fasting from dating. Actually, it is practicing a “True Love
Waits” commitment to God. Later we found out the guys agreed
on the same topic of a commitment to God.

We talked about struggles and family brokenness. Social injustice
is one of the main topics of our discussions. It made me realize
how fortunate my family life has been growing up in a Christian
home. We went to the mall on a free day and ministered to
others by handing out Bible verses to the locals. Every night we
had a different speaker. Each lesson brought new topics regarding
Christian life. We ate every meal together for those five days. We
grew so close to each other and to others in the area. Since
LaFe13 I have been reading my Bible more and investing more into
my devotion time every day! This experience has impacted my life.
My friends still come over and I feel really happy and inspired. I feel so
blessed to have attend this conference and more blessed to have these
important people in my life!

Living for Him, By Ella P.

Living for Him

By Ella P.

Today something happened that changed me... I was at church today. It seemed like a pretty normal service. Just like any other one... That week, the subject was "grace. They gave a definition..."Getting something you don't deserve." It's true. We didn't deserve what Jesus did for us. But he did it anyways. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. My pastor was talking about if you have accepted his Grace. He said a prayer for the people who have, and haven't. And that for everyone that has to start living for God.

I thought I was one of the people who had already accepted him into my life. I prayed, I read the bible, I went to church every week. But what does all of that mean if you don't have a relationship with God? What does it mean when you love him but don't do anything at all to serve him? It means you haven't REALLY accepted God to be a part of your life.

And so I decided that day.. That second... I would get up, and do something! I would serve him! I would really LIVE FOR HIM. He gave me grace. And now I'm living for him. Thank you God, for opening my eyes.

And I ask you to open the eyes of others, so that they may live for you! Amen :)

You are More Than Your Limitation.

Acting for God, By Celina Tolbert

Acting for God
 
By Celina Tolbert

Hey All! My name is Celina Tolbert and I am a 17 year old high school senior. I love God and want him in every aspect of my life. I love performing; including singing, acting, dancing, and modeling. I also love youth ministry and volunteer with my church and Campus Life, a branch of Youth For Christ. I long to travel the world and I plan to live in a big city. I plan on going to college next year in Nashville or Virginia Beach - I'm waiting for God to tell me where to go :)

So anyways, recently, God gave me a huge blessing. As I said, I love performing. I have been singing, dancing, and acting for a while. I have done local, school, and community theatre. A few years back I started doing extra work in movies. I would sit in a church pew for 6 hours or stand at an outdoor concert/revival at 3 a.m. listening to the same song on repeat. I was unpaid*, but happy for the experience. I focused on family friendly and faith based films. I also joined a community club of student filmmakers and auditioned for and acted in a few short films. I wanted to start auditioning for speaking roles, but a few problems arose.

I didn't have any headshots, and I also didn't have any money. Now being an actor without headshots...is impossible. I'm not saying you have to spend $1,000,000 on headshots, but you have to have nice professional looking pictures that show how you look naturally. I wanted to submit my resume for things, but had no pictures to use. Just when I thought nothing was ever going to happen, God gave me an awesome blessing. My photographer friend was having an open house - and asked me to model for her! I would get free photographs and get to add modeling experience to my resume! They turned out great and I didn't have to spend any money!

I was so excited about my new headshots and couldn't wait to start submitting for projects. I submitted for a few and never heard back - no big deal, rejection is a big part of the acting industry. I continued doing extra work, trying to build up my resume. But then I hit a dry patch. There was nothing for me to submit for. Oh sure, there were plenty of inappropriate projects - but I had promised myself that I would stick to my beliefs, no matter how hard it got. And then, right when I again lost hope, God reminded me that he held me in his hand. He showed me an amazing film that would further his kingdom!

I submitted and was asked to audition! I auditioned and thought that it wouldn't really happen. But then I got a callback! I was so nervous before the callback that I couldn't even eat. But when I got there I reminded myself of this advice from a friend - If you are that worried about something, you aren't doing it for God - you're doing it for you. I relaxed and had fun. Before I knew it I was offered a supporting role!

Working on "Secrets in the Fall" was a blast! You can check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/SecretsInTheFall?fref=ts It is set to release next fall. It's predecessor, "Secrets in the Snow"(which I was a background extra in) will be released worldwide in christian book stores and online January 8th, 2013.

You can view my website here: http://celinatolbert.webs.com/

My IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4101176/ feel free to give it a facebook "like"

My youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/celinacts?feature=mhee

*Not all extra work is unpaid. However, if you have no experience, you will most likely start out getting unpaid work. Also, even some speaking roles are unpaid in small, independent films.

My Battle With Depression, By Ella P.

My Battle With Depression

By Ella P.

I guess it all started with what seemed like harmless teasing. I'd always been made fun of. "You're so weird."
"You're fat."
Seemed harmless, it never bothered me. Only recently did it change. A while back, I had a bit of a style change. I wore dark clothes, dark make up, ect. I was labeled emo, scene, and goth for what I looked like, and what I liked. I listened to metal and screamo type music. This is when the bullying got worse. Over text, over the internet, and even face to face.

"Worthless."
"Emo."
"Go kill yourself."
"Everyone hates you."
"Don't you have anything better to do than watch yourself bleed all day? Get some friends, emo whore."
"Gross."
"Fat."
"Ugly."

And much more. That's not quite the worst. People would push me, laugh at me, say things, text things, and message me things. There was even a point where a group of girls would follow me around everyday and harass me. I was so alone. I had no friends, and the "friends" I did have never wanted to be seen with me. I became extremely depressed, and began to hate myself.

I can never describe in words the depression, the emptiness, the loneliness I felt. I hated myself. I saw myself just as everyone said: Ugly, fat useless, alone, hated, unloved, unwanted, gross, disgrace, better off dead. The bullying died down slightly, but I still felt the same.

I became so depressed, felt so empty, and so worthless, I began to cut myself.
I started with cutting my arms, not so it would bleed, but so it would leave a scar. This became my addiction. My outlet.
As my depression continued, the self harm only got worse... I started cutting deeper, so it would bleed, using whatever objects were available. I would even cut during class when I couldn't take it anymore.
I would cut my stomach, my hips, my wrists; I was a mess.

Later I realized the thing that bothered me the most. I saw myself as fat.
Extremely fat...
So of course, in desperation, I stopped eating. I limited my calories to about 200 calories a day. Later realizing this wasn't working, after about a week, I started eating regularly again. I still felt fat. I still felt gross.

One day, my mom made me take of my jacket and saw some cuts on my wrist. I told her what I did...
She obviously was not happy. She made me see counseling, as I currently am.
This only helped for a short amount of time. I still felt alone, and just horrible. Angry, alone, depressed, scared, confused. I wanted to kill myself. Though I've never attempted, I've come close. So incredibly close, it's scary. I stopped cutting for about a month, but then started without my mom knowing. I would cut my stomach, and sometimes on my legs where she wouldn't see. I then found out I had been diagnosed with a disease called body dysmorphic disorder, which is a mental illness that affects less than one percent of the US population. It's a disease where I'm so obsessed with my imperfections, real or made up, I cannot function correctly, or focus at all. It's associated with social anxiety and depression.

I had such low self esteem, that's all I could focus on. All I did was compare myself to other girls, who I considered perfect. My grades began to drop, which my parents never knew why. Every time I looked in the mirror, all I did was think,
"You're too fat."
"You're so gross."
"You're disgusting."
I do have serious social anxiety. Being around crowds of people make me uncomfortable, and I start hyperventalating. I can't eat in front of people. I only wear skinny jeans, and jackets, hoodies, and guy shirts, because I feel too fat to wear anything else.

I feel like my parents don't accept me, especially when my mom tells me that I need to lose weight. I wish my mom was home more, but she often chooses to do things elsewhere. My sister hates me. She hurts me. Physically and verbally. They all think I'm goth...

People are constantly staring at me, looking at me like there's something wrong with me. Looking at me like I'm some kind of monster. All of my friends left me, and some harass me.

I had to fake a smile everyday. I refused to show people I was hurt. Over time, I've developed serious trust problems. It seemed as if every time
I let someone new in my life, they would leave. Leave with all my secrets.
I'm isolated, and always push people away. People call me a bully, but I'm just afraid.

What does this all have to do with God?

It was God that saved me from suicide. It was God, that though I have disagreements with some of the Christian "rules," he saved me from myself. He gave me a reason to live.

I'd be lying if I said I was better. I still hate myself, I still wish I could be someone else, I still wish I was dead... I still hate being alone, and I've come bitter towards the world... But I'm on the road to recovery. One day, I will get better. Thanks to God, thanks to the few people who support me.. It's been over 2 weeks since I last made a cut. <3

I made this, not with incredible detail, and left out some things for the purpose of my own privacy, but to explain what has happened to me. I've completely left this path that God had for me, for my own selfish reasons. Depression is no reason to abandon God, though it did feel at times he abandoned me. If that was the case, I'd be dead.

I would never kill myself.. Because I have reasons to live. I will live, and I will try to be strong. For God. And for myself.

Throughout this time, I feel as if I am not good enough for God. Like I don't deserve him. But over time, I know I'll see that His forgiveness is offered freely, constantly, and wholly, and I can never do anything to make Him love me more, or less. I used to only see-yes-I have probably over a hundred scars on my body, but the emotional scarring is what truly affected me. This entire situation has only made me stronger.
My name is Ella, and this is my story.
Stay strong. xoxo <3