Bloggers-block

As you can tell, the winter is a very busy time for me. You can tell this by the absence of blog posts. Mind you, I still very much want to blog and will probably pick it back up around spring time. For now, however, I have a close to insane schedule revolving around basketball, school, college apps, IB stuff, my new niece, family, friends, and pleasing those whom I love for Christmas. Honestly, if I could bring myself to blog then I would, but naturally, my limbs and emotions are exhausted by all this stress that I bring upon myself around this time of year. Blogging will be infrequent, I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who actually reads this (haha).

HOWEVER when I do blog, I promise it will be great! Well, by my standards.

For now, all I want to say is to celebrate the holidays with those you can't dream of losing. That may be your family, friends, mentors, or just people whom you are fond of. Remember, giving is a thousand times more important than receiving this time of year. Use your blessings and shed them upon others who are not so fortunate. There's nothing I can press more than using your resources for the greater good. If every person gave even just a little bit of what they have to others around this time of year, a lot of people living in poverty right now would have a slightly less impoverished holiday. That's just a guess, but it seems fairly accurate.

Merry Christmas; As always, I hope you remember the true importance of this holiday. Have a great night everyone!

To live.....

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, and that is all." -oscar wilde

Proof

There may be skeptics about the way in which the world was created, but I'd argue that nobody can truly believe that we, as humans, have no meaning and are basically accidents. Why you ask??? BECAUSE look at this face. Edith, my niece, is such a light. She is proof that there is and always will be good in the world. IN FACT, she is proof that the good will always out weigh the bad. And this good is no mistake. One look at her and my entire day that was filled with negative and detrimental things is now brightened and satisfying. This one baby, speaks volumes to me about life and it's purpose/ my perspective on it.

I know this is kind of a stretch and it may seem like I'm being sarcastic, but I'm serious! I'm very excited to be a mother one day, but for now, Edith will be more than enough :) Maybe I'll elaborate on this a little more later. Goodnight for now!

Doing the best you can.

With that motto, you really can get through anything. Why worry about something, if you truly know you are doing the best you can in the situation you're in and with the resources you're given? Not to say we shouldn't always strive for more. However when something is coming up in our lives that may cause us anxiety, apprehension or fear, we really must take 5 minutes to relax in silence and look at the bigger picture. And this applies to all things, no matter how big or small they may be. I know that we all have craziness in our lives, for me especially during the winter, but recently i've realized how important it is to not let the small things build up until they are dangerously close to spilling over. We are faced with challenges, opportunities, hardships, roadblocks and sadness every day in this world we live in. But hope is what gets us through, that and faith. To have faith is to believe in something you can not visibly or directly see. At least for me, when I wake up in the morning and think to myself "great, today I have three tests, tutoring, a game, two clubs and I have chores when I get home" I quickly dismal down and wear myself out just in the first 5 minutes I'm awake. That, vs. "Today will be good. I won't let anything bring me down, because I am blessed and thankful. And when God is with me, who/what should I fear?" With this mindset, I remember that every day is a blessing and I am truly grateful to wake up every single morning. With that in mind, I am going to bed with a positive attitude because I know that I'm doing the best that I can. This was slightly a pep talk for myself, sorry if it sounded too "me me me" Goodnight!

Need a quote?

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; And for everything you gain, you lose something else."

it's all about your outlook on life; You can either regret or rejoice.

Why do we do what we do?

do do daa do dumm do do do da da da dum de dum dum???!! (sorry that was a bit too much alliteration)

Reasons WDWWD (if you can't figure out what that means..i'm sorry.)
1)FOR OURSELVES This isn't as obvious as it seems. Sometimes, we do things for ourselves that we are meaning to do for other people. For example, volunteering at a homeless shelter. It isn't uncommon that people want gratification for their actions, even though the point/purpose in said person being at the homeless shelter was to serve, well, the people in need. However, too often we put our need for appreciation, our need for attention, before the world's need for humble people to help out their fellow brothers & sisters. The color of our skin, the amount of money we make a year, the car we drive, the friends we have, the hobby's we have, the border in which we live does not take away from the fact that we are all human. We are all bonded together (at least this is my opinion) as God's glorious and purposeful creation. Siblings love each other, they bicker at times, but when one needs something the other is (or should be) available to help. And they shouldn't need a pat on the back for doing it. But sadly, the majority of us do.

2)FOR OTHER PEOPLE We do things for other people on a daily basis. (or so it would seem) On some genuine cases, we are actually doing it for others. It's your moms birthday and you buy her a nice candle. Your 9th grade neighbor needs a ride to school so you take him/her. Your co worker calls you with a hangover and asks you to cover their shift. You help an old lady across the street. You work to put dinner on the table for your family. You do your friends hair for prom. OK ANNA WE GET IT! The point is, there are also reasons in which we think we are doing things for other people, but REALLY we are simply in denial. However, one could argue that, as in the example earlier, working in a homeless shelter and supplying food and a roof for those people is good enough. Who cares why you're there? Don't the ends justify the means? Well my friend, it depends. A person who seeks out gratification wherever they go, and publicize their own good deeds, is only glorifying themselves. This contributes to the accumulation of ones own ego. And I can say that I 100% agree with C.S. Lewis when he wrote in his book Mere Christianity that pride is the worst sin a man can commit. Pride comes from many different sources, but one being the need for recognition of a good deed. Were human, we all do it, but my advise is just be weary and cautious. WOW well I was just interrupted with a coughing fit and I am unable to continue. I just coughed for a straight 15 minutes, darn this winter cold. I coughed up a bit of dinner. TMI? Goodbye friends.

LiNK.

Today at my high school, a non profit organization called LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) came and spoke to a bunch of students. Here's their website if you would like to donate or help contribute to rescue of refugees. Anything and everything can make a difference. If you don't know what's happening in North Korea right now, it's very real and it's something we can change. It takes 2500 $ to fund a rescue of just one refugee. Imagine if the masses all just donated 9 dollars a month (the 9 lives campaign, check it out on the website provided) Can you even imagine how many people would be set free because of your donation? 9 dollars, that's 3 cups of coffee less a month. Don't stay trapped in your own little bubble, know what's going on in the world, and help when you can.

WEBSITE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBzHCVv5GeQ

I'm not who I was

Brandon Heath

Love on top.

BEYONCE.
This freaking woman right here, is amazing. I'm not one to lift people up on a high pedestal or "obsess" over celebrities, but let me tell you, this woman right here is an inspiration

And I always love to support people who inspire me, so buy her album on iTunes! "4". Some of her best songs are Love on top, Start Over, and 1+1 (at least in my opinion)

Assumptions.

I'm in a rush, now is an awful time to write, but I am. AKA, this is really important to me.

Assumptions ruin relationships you guys. With your friends, family, God, co workers, strangers, everyone. Once you make the decision to not talk to the person you're assuming things about but rather just make the assumption that they did this or they said that, hope is lost. (Unless you end up talking to them.) Communication and honesty are two of the most important factors when it comes to relationships of any form. So why do we decide to be lazy and just assume things? It hurts me to watch and it hurts me to be on the end of the "assumed". Something as a world we need to work on is instead of thinking that melodrama is attractive, let's just solve our problems so there's less pain in the world. A lot of the times, assumptions lead to judgement as well, and that isn't fun for anyone.

So please take this into account, if you are assuming things or are the type of person to believe rumors really easily, take some time to think about what you're doing. How would you feel if it was you who was being judged and talked about in a negative and untruthful light?

Our God is HUGE

How Great is Our God- Louie Giglio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqziOKZ4AE&feature=related&hd=1

Watching this change my life. Thank you Daniel yi! Great video.

Just, happy.

You guys, I'm actually in such a good place right now. You know that feeling when everything just "clicks"? I really do feel as if the more I put myself out there, the more I get rewarded. And what I mean is that by taking risks, so many doors are opened to new and exciting opportunities. Through out these past four years in high school, I have grown to be an advocate for taking risks. By "risks" I ONLY MEAN in a safe sense. Please do not do anything that would damage you/your friends or family physically. I only mean by doing things I never thought I could do, I'm taking risks. By running and jumping into a nuance of experiences. No longer will I crawl through life like a turtle (I actually really like turtles though) but instead I will sprint (when appropriate) and live each day like tomorrow isn't guaranteed. BECAUSE IT'S NOT! This is an exciting/scary fact.

On a side note, I wonder who actually still reads this blog. I have been posting SO much recently and it's a little much to keep up on. If you still read this, will you let me know somehow? Shoot me a text, message or comment on here. I'd really appreciate it :)

HAVE A FANTASTIC NIGHT PEOPLE,
SINCERELY,
LOVING LIFE,
ANNA BARLOW

University of Portland

Seems like it was made for me.
Not gonna tie myself down yet, but the chances of me staying in P-town are pretty high after I went to UP's open house.

Future pilot????? I hope they could handle someone like me. Haha I crack myself up.

NOT TO MENTION it's exactly 1.6 miles away from my gorgeous sister and my niece. I could run there on the daily and announce my presence.

Lookin' forward to the future.

OWS Attacks.

I just needed to say this before I go to bed. Yes, there has been some verbal attacks towards the news crew from people in downtown Portland who are protesting wall street. But let me just say that those attacks have been from oh, I don't know, 1 out of 100 people? Not everyone is like that, we need to stop generalizing groups of people based off of one person's mistakes. I just hope that people don't buy into this whole "occupy wall streeters are hypocrites; they exert violence when they speak of peace!" talk. It may be true for a minuscule amount of cases, but for the majority of Americans, OWS protesters have a RIGHT and a REASON to be out on the streets protesting. You may not understand it, but that just means you should do some actual research instead of watching just one source of news from fox or any other news stations. Get a variety of background on WHAT THIS PROTEST IS ACTUALLY ABOUT; and then see if some sort of understanding crosses your mind. I'm sorry if this sounds a little angry, but I let this kind of stuff get to me pretty easily.

That's my opinion for the night,
Goodnight! Thanks for reading.

Most insightful thing ever.

Happy little post of the night :)

This song just lifted my spirits up high. Thank you taylor swift. You may not have the best voice but you sure know how to inspire emotion.

OURS-TAYLOR SWIFT

Seems like there's always someone who disapproves
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out, my choice is you

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

You never know what people have up their sleeves
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
But I don't care 'cause right now you're mine

And it's not theirs to speculate
If it's wrong and
Your hands are tough
But they are where mine belong and
I'll fight their doubt and give you faith
With this song for you

Are we all sinners if we sin?

I know I've been blogging a lot recently but I just really feel unsettled about something. After breakaway this weekend, I realized I still have a lot to learn about life and Jesus. That is extremely vague, but it's the truth. I also learned that asking questions about things you strongly believe in or want to believe in is necessary if you want to grow in that belief. How can you be a follower of Jesus but not know him as well as you can? How can you follow his word, if you don't know it? Something that unsettles me is when people ignore huge chunks of the bible. It's a common issue, and I don't blame people for doing it. It's a hard piece of literature to interpret and understand. However, I feel that this could be changed if more groups of people interested in dissecting the word of God were established! We can't do it alone, I know I can't, but that's one of the many reasons why community is so important.

COMMUNITY: SO IMPORTANT! If there's one thing you take away from my blog, I HOPE that it's relationships are important and NECESSARY in order to succeed in life. Whether that be relationships with your friends, family, co workers, community, or Jesus.

ALSO!! Before I leave and finish my upsettingly large pile of homework. Please listen to this song, the speaker from Breakaway shared it with us all. His friend is the artist.

"Jesus, Jesus"
-Noah Gundersen

The Monday slumps

I have a horrible case of the Monday slumps. I absolutely feel pessimistic, tired, lazy, and overwhelmed. I'm even procrastinating by blogging and listening to Cold Play when I straight up know I need to be focusing on homework, projects and college stuff. However, I felt compelled to share the lyrics of Coldplay's "Paradise" with you because they touch my heart in many different ways. I highly recommend you purchase this song if not their entire new album.

Paradise
Coldplay

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep
and dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
and the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly


Although this song is slightly depressing, it fits my mood at this moment of time. I'm sorry to all the readers who only see me as optimistic, but I can't be optimistic all the time. Well maybe I can, I just cut myself short.

Have a better afternoon than I'm having!

BREAKAWAY.

For the past three years during the beginning of November, I have been given the amazing opportunity of being a camper at a Younglife retreat called Breakaway lodge. It is located in Gearhart beach, which is really close to cannon. The camp is only friday night-sunday afternoon, but every second is utilized and purposeful. I love this camp so much because it is in the middle of school, which of course implies stress and anxiety. However, this year as a senior who has already gone three times to this wonderful camp, I decided it would be really cool and fun to do work crew instead. The crew consisted of myself, Malia (who's also a senior) Gayle, Taylor and Margo, all of whom are freshman in college. It was a huge reality check; three years ago, if someone had asked me to clean up and serve 85 high schoolers, some of which I'd never met, I'd have said "Are you crazy?" Or something along those lines. But after seeing how much the people in Younglife actually care about me, and support me, I decided I wanted to be apart of that. Serving in work crew was one of the coolest things I've been able to do recently, and I can't wait to apply for Summer staff for a longer term. Also this weekend I got to share my testimony which I NEVER thought I'd ever do in a million years. Of course, 4 minutes doesn't contain everything, and I'd love to share the rest with anyone who's curious.

Anyway, have you ever been in a crowded room and felt as if time was actually slowing down, almost stopping right in front of you? I think that point comes after a really long and tiring day, or maybe that's just me. What I'm getting at is that at breakaway, in the dining hall, I was kind of zoning out at all the chatter and singing going on and felt so calm. Which was weird, considering the place smelled of spicy chicken teriyaki dishes and teenagers. Not to mention everyone was chanting or laughing and screaming. In the midst of the chaos, what did I feel??? peace. Coolest feeling ever, my friends :)

To anyone looking at volunterring/serving in Younglife or any other organization, I highly advise it and would love to look at opportunities with you.

This weekend was fantastic and I'm so glad I got to share it with amazing people from SHS and the leaders as well.

Much Love, Goodnight!

New websites and BREAKAWAY!

I finally got a pinterest- and it's my new outlet when I think I'm going to break and reactivate twitter. It's a great way to promote business's yes, but my hopes for it is that it promotes LOCAL stores as well and maybe even organic clothing, yes? :)

HERE'S MY LINK: http://pinterest.com/annacbarlow/

I just started it so it's slightly bare.

ANYWAY, today at my high school around 3PM the school was evacuated due to a fire. I was in the middle of Jesus Pizza, a club at sunset that I am president of with three other lovely ladies, when all of a sudden the alarm went of. It was the worst possible timing seeing as we had a guest speaker who was about to share something awesome. But I guess God works in mysterious ways, right my friends? Who knows. As we were evacuating some people even took boxes of pizza with them. That made me smile. (If you don't come to this club already, "like" us on Facebook and come to our meetings every other Thursday in room k-2 after school for some free pizza and a brief discussion relating to Jesus or a testimony) So the next club will be probably a continuation of this one and an introduction to a new talk.

TIME FOR THE EXCITING NEWS: I LEAVE FOR BREAKAWAY YOUNGLIFE CAMP TOMORROW!!!!!!! I couldn't be more excited. I get the wonderful opportunity to serve my fellow classmates as well as share this laid back weekend with them. This will be my fourth year going. Here are some pictures of my previous years.

For all that are going, I can't wait to see you there! :)

Have a good afternoon everyone.

let go & LET GOD

One last thing.

I drive myself crazy, and since I don't have a twitter, sometimes I have no where else to talk about it but on here. Why can't people just move on? Life is just waiting for you to take the reigns and go. Run even. Just stop holding on to things that you know are only hurting you and the people around you. Why do people contemplate the same situation over and over again? That's how people start to lose it. Please, if you have something you're holding on to that is only detrimental to your well being and others around you, let go. Granted, the hardest part of moving on is letting go, but speaking from someone who is being impacted by an exact case of "I refuse to let go of my iron grip" syndrome, it's best for everyone. Especially the one directly holding on, but also for everyone. I feel anxious and upset when I know I shouldn't. It's just extra energy being wasted because I get so frustrated about this. Alright, I sound a little insensitive, so I'm just going to quite while i'm ahead.

"Life is like the monkey bars. You have to let go in order to move on."


On a side note; the "situation" I was referring to in regards to my own life, probably has nothing to do with you. So please don't make any assumptions, if you're curious just ask me. Thank you and goodnight everyone.

So, body image...

The way we perceive our physical appearance in high school, both genders, can be such a struggle. I know that every day your confidence is tested whether that be at school with all your peers or just in your own room where the one giving the judgmental up down is you. Here's my opinion on this issue of insecurities. (especially in my own universe, high school) At least to me, the most ravishing beauty (for girls) and the most handsome features are found in the differences we all were blessed with. That bump on your nose? It adds intensity to your otherwise simple face. That butt chin? It goes with your character. The billions of freckles? It conveys something sweet about you. My point is, all these features that you may be insecure about, please don't feel that way! You are so beautiful and I'm NOT just saying that. Beauty transcends far deeper than the flesh, God made you in his image, you're his perfect son or daughter. I think the reason I'm touching base on this issue is that I forgot I'm subscribed to seventeen magazine, and today I got an issue in the mail. I couldn't find a page with out an ad being the center of attention. What were the ads of? Tall, skinny, big chested girls with long flowy hair that reaches all the way down their bronzed backs. Maybe it's just me, but I'm so tired of this being what the media tells me to look like. I will never look like that, but it is what it is right?

Sometimes, the most cliche lines can be really beneficial if you really dive into them. Take a moment to ponder the phrase, "How can you expect someone else to love you if you don't love yourself?" Let it resinate.

What I'm trying to get at is that the beauty comes from the differences. Please don't try and look like "that one girl" at school, because guaranteed you're more beautiful anyway. Just own what you got and work what your mama gave you. I guess your dad should get some credit too.

A change in the weather

Well folks, it's official. Halloween is no longer about trotting around my neighborhood, approaching every single door and reciting "trick or treat" to whoever opens. It's no longer about competing with my best friends on who got the most candy or the biggest chocolate bars. I didn't go shopping for a costume with my mom, and I didn't decorate too much either. There was little to no build up for today, and I carried on with my usual homework routine. Not all of these changes just happened for the first time this year, but I think the reason it hit me so hard is I didn't even hang out with my friends and watch a scary movie or go scare the little kids. Times are changing OFFICIALLY. I think my point is, that little things keep happening this year that remind me how quickly time passes. I will keep reiterating this, but I refuse to let time slip through my fingers anymore. If I could ask for anything right now, it would be the wisdom of using time to the best possible advantage.

What I ended up doing tonight was watching a very sick and twisted 1960's movie called Rosemary's Baby. Then I researched the producer and found out some very unsettling things. I advise you not to do this my friends. Sorry if I just planted a seed.

Goodnight and to those of you who still find it in your hearts to celebrate this holiday like it deserves, Happy Halloween :)

I'm really craving....

This latte from San Francisco

With these people. I love my family.

Prospecting

Well, It's official. All my college apps are done. The anticipation of waiting for the letters of acceptance/rejection have made me slightly on edge and inpatient recently. All I want is the finality of knowing where I will be spending the next 4 years of my life, and what I'll be doing. Like most prospective college students, I am beyond ready to leave my high school and begin fresh. Looking back, so much has happened these last few years in my life, and it's only been 4 years. Not only that, but I've been so limited because I'm young. Going to college will be such a liberating and intense experience. I know I overthink almost everything, but I'd say most high school seniors would agree with me when I say that I am ready to take on college and leave high school once and for all. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Sunset Apollo pride. But it's definitely time to become more independent and grow.

Just incase you're curious, here are my top choices for schools:

My not so secret obsession

Blessed are the weak.

Tonight was an intensely bittersweet emotional roller coaster. I woke up this morning not realizing what I would be facing just 9 hours later. God works in fantastic mysterious ways my friends.

To unravel how I'm feeling, I'm going to start off by explaining the context. I went to Church tonight, as usual, feeling slightly off balance and edgy. Something was clearly stirring inside me, or rather itching at my skin. I wasn't sure what it was nor how to control it and frankly I still am unsure. After talking things out though with a friend, I think I've figured out the premise of my thoughts.

Now for the realization:
At an early age, I know what I'm head over heels crazy passionate about. I consider this a blessing. I've battled through my life towards this drive and emotional intensity that I am feeling now. My time and energy has been devoted to progress in the direction of my goals and hopes. Clearly, I feel strongly about something. What is it? My faith in Jesus. Not religion, Christianity, the church, my pastor, the bible, no. After tonight, it has been made clear to me! I really am just a disciple of Christ. Being a "Christian" has a lot of religious connotations such as organizations and institutions and critical beliefs. I really don't want to categorize myself anymore. But, now for the unsettling piece. Why don't I show it? Why don't I live, every single day, in awe of Jesus? To most people reading this, it may seem a bit extreme what I'm trying to say. But, if i'm on fire might as well be on fire for God right?? We are our harshest critics.

Anyway, Matthew15 is where the famous "salt & light" lies. I think the key aspect of that verse that people always miss out on is the context of it. Jesus is talking to all of the people with weak spirits, broken lives, empty pockets, diseases, scum of the earth. He tells THEM to be the salt and the light of the earth. He says GO NOW, and spread your light among the people in the world. Those are the people he is speaking to in the sermon on the mount. Not the rich, powerful, religious leaders who think that God "owes" them. (this is a direct message from what I received at Solid Rock tonight by the way, listen to the podcast on itunes)

Also, there's no such thing as a religious formula. No such thing as the "perfect Godly citizen" so we should all just put that behind us and start accepting that we make mistakes and must simply benefit and learn from them. Then, use those mistakes in your testimony to maybe inspire something inside of someone. Vague? Yes but that's the beauty of the unknown. You never know how your testimony could spread and effect others.

This post is a little unorganized and chaotic but I really just want to end with this. I've been through a lot and it has led me to where I am today. WHY in the world would I hide my biggest passion, Jesus, from the rest of the world? Even more, my community of friends/family? I've decided I'm going to stop caring about people in high school's opinions of my faith. If you think I'm a goodie two shoes Christian girl, not only are you wrong, but you are wasting your time with those thoughts. If you have any questions, ask me! I'd love to talk about it. But from now on I'm going to be, or at least try to be, the person that I want to be. I am inspired by God every day and I'm gonna let people know. Kapeesh?

Thanks for listening, I really appreciate it.
Have a fantastic night everyone!

Frustrating. Conflicted.

It's really hard being a democratic liberal and also actively involved in the church. I feel like i'm constantly disagreeing with the people I surround myself with, and I just wish that we could leave politics out of the equation. It has never been an issue until Occupy Wall Street. I personally believe that OWS does have a rather vague goal in mind, but everyone is angry for their own valid and important point. The beauty of a democracy is that people have a right to protest when things aren't right in society, but they don't need to come with the solutions also. That's what politicians are for, that's their job after all. Americans are just remembering they have this right and are standing up for what they believe will benefit this economy and their children. I think it's a great protest and if you do some more research, you'll see this is a purposeful and awesome event in history and it's about time it happens. Social responsibility is necessary for a democracy to work and that's what these people are accomplishing.

NOW THIS IS MY OPINION; but I respect and appreciate those of you who disagree and have valid factual points! That's great, it means you're trying to be involved in what's going on in this country. And it's ok to disagree. I'm just expressing my frustration right now and felt the need to type it out on here rather than on someones wall where I'll get ridiculed.

I hope I didn't lose any readers.

:D

Phil Wickham

His music always gets me through whatever obstacle I'm facing, whether it be big or small. As a high school student, it's easy to get caught up in the craziness and stress of school work. I am prone to anxiety, and I know it's very common so here are two songs that really are keeping me going strong. I just need to remember the bigger picture, I'll be the first to admit that it's hard to do that. My head is always wrapped up in small or melodramatic issues. It's time for all that nonsense to subside.


Beautiful

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who You are
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/phil_wickham/youre_beautiful.html ]
I see You there hanging on a tree
You bled and then You died and then You rose again for me
Now You are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You're beautiful, You're beautiful



This is the day

Can you hear it?
The gentle voice of the Spirit
There's no reason to fear it
He's calling You to life

Just surrender
Run into the arms of the Father
The night is finally over
Take a step into the light

This is the day when the lost are found
This is the day for a new beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing
This is the day
The day when life begins

Can you see it?
A light shines into the darkness
Bringing hope to the hopeless
It's leading you to life

This is the day
When all your sins are washed away
In the waves of His unending grace
Forever you're alive

This is the day when the lost are found
This is the day for a new beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing?
This is the day
The day when life begins

Have no fear, salvation has come and he is here.

The community I live in is beautiful.

Tonight at the Leedy Grange next to bales and off of Saltzman was another Young Life club. The theme was western, which made me really excited because I love anything country and my eyes are rather fond of cowboys ;) Anyway, after a really great club with a skit that I was in (only slightly embarrassing) and a testimony from a strong young man who happens to be one of my best friends, something really beautiful happened. My friend Kendall and I had been wanting to pray with Luke about some things that are going on right now in his life, and so we decided to take him aside after club and pray. However, a few more of our friends were in close proximity so I asked them to join. I wasn't sure how comfortable everyone was with praying out loud, but every single person stepped up and had something encouraging and motivating so say for Luke. I teared up at the sound of my close group of friends and YL leaders prayers. It was magnificent. Moments like these make me want to freeze time, and just thank God for everything. And I mean everything. Every moment that has led me to where I am, right now.

Jesus changes everything.

Also, my friend Annie and I are planning our trip to Africa to work in an orphanage a few days after graduation this summer. It is actually going to happen this time. My excitement can not be contained for very long. Hopefully convincing Bob that I can do this won't be too big of a hassle.

Final insight. The war in the Congo is real, and it's possible to end.

WWW.FALLINGWHISTLES.COM <--copy and paste this into your web browser

watch, listen, read, understand, give.

Thank you

The connection

Divine Romance, Phil Wickham

The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied

This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Thank you Haley for showing it to me. I wish every day I could remember that God's grace is all around me and that I want to be able to show my love for him, in all I do wherever I go.

Reflecting back on the past year or so, more than I could describe on a quick blog post has changed. All the trials and chaos that I endured was by the grace of God, and it made my stronger and wiser. If you knew me last year compared to now, it's been a very good transformation. I no longer think I am always right, (actually I'm typically always wrong) I try not to ignore "that one kid" in the halls or at lunch, I've let go of the grudges I've held on to for so long, and I've grown towards the person that I want to be in the future. I just really can't wait for college and all the opportunities it will bring. If I could be a nurse, I think I've decided that is my dream job. I just feel like I've been so blessed that I want to go as far as I possibly can in life. My lit teacher is such an inspiration to me as someone who has done as much as he can in life so far and is still going strong. I want to be that woman who never stops, never wastes a fragment of time. Why not start now?

SIMPLE GENIUS

There's nothing better than listening to a song and realizing it COMPLETELY applies to your life, perfectly and beautifully.
Honestly, to all people who hate T Swift, she honestly is my go to girl and has helped me through so many sleepless nights. SO HA! One life changed by a decent voice and excellent yet simple words.

ALSO-this picture just brought me to tears. Haley and Kendall's baptism. I never noticed they were in the background! I thought this picture was just of the friends who came to support, but it's so much more :) I love you all.

Refreshing

I realized today that probably only a few people even read this, and only every once in a while. At first I got a little upset at this thought, but then I changed my mind. I write here for me. If that sounds selfish, that's not the intention. Yes, I hope maybe something I write is beneficial for a soul or two out there, but if not then oh well. My attitude recently has been changing from being a people pleaser to a more healthy balance between making others happy and also myself. I tend to block out my emotions and actual feelings a lot. One of my goals this year is to become more in control, but let God do his work in my life without feeling like I need to control that aspect. Does that make sense? I want to have control over things, but I don't as well. Matthew10:39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it". That is what I mean.

On a different note, the amazing group of campaigner girls that I am blessed to be apart of decided to do something challenging and demanding. For the next few weeks we will be dissecting and trying to comprehend every chapter of Revelations in the bible. There's a reason we don't discuss that book in church-people don't want to hear about the other part of the story. However, we can't just pick and choose which parts of the bible we want to pay attention to. We are motivated to attempt an understanding of what God is really trying to say in the text, and how we can apply it to the here and now, in our lives and others. I am proud of my group for doing this. :) Thank you Carla and Holly for putting up with our demands.

Also, I got asked to homecoming in the cutest way ever last night. He set up a scavenger hunt with 6 clues and a puzzle. I've never been asked in such a creative and fun way before. Major props ;)

YOUNGLIFE finally kicked off last week and I can't wait for the next club-WESTERN THEMED! Everyone needs to get pumped up now. I love the community of Young life go-ers, and I should really thank God more for them and the leaders. You are all amazing :)

Goodnight everyone.

I'm back :)

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

After a roller coaster of events, this verse is what keeps me moving forward.

I haven't blogged recently because I've been experiencing simplistic yet new emotions recently that I have been unable to describe via typing. A series of fortunate events has led me to see, quite blatantly, the change in my character since the beginning of high school. It's such a beautiful thing to realize that everything that has happened in my entire life, has led me to where I am today. If anything had gone different, who knows where I'd be! It makes me appreciate everything in my life that has happened, good and bad. I no longer regret my past mistakes, because I have either learned from them or am in the process of figuring out how to learn from them. That isn't to say that there are not things in my past I wish hadn't happened-but it's out of my control and I'm striving forward now.

I have also become comfortable with the fact that I am going to college, and things will change. Change used to repel me, but I have come to the conclusion that nothing advances with out something changing (which sounds so obvious, but to me, it was a hard realization). The change may not seem directly for the best, but eventually it leads to a success. OH MY THAT RHYMED.

To conclude this short but sweet post, I must say that I am extremely jubilant recently. I always want to hug people and jump around. Yes, I admit that when I am happy I exert myself upon others in public. That came off a little weird.

GOODNIGHT WORLD

Addition to my last post

http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/home/departments/community-involvement/news/local-option-levy---november-2011/

http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/home/departments/community-involvement/local-option-levy/

^^these links are a lot more specific in terms of the Beaverton school district's need for bonds. Make a difference, vote for more moolah for the schools! Thanks :)

If you respect me you'll read this!

I hope that got your attention. I am currently writing this post in order to accomplish multiple things. The first being that I want to help support my favorite stations, OPB and PBS. Become a supporter by donating your time or money, so that broadcasting stays local and TRUE. You don't want your factual news channels or radio stations tampered, do you!!??! So help keep these great news resources local and alive in your area.

(just copy and paste these into your URL browser)

http://www.pbs.org/about/support-our-mission/

http://www.opb.org/support/

NEXT I want to express to any of those reading how frustrating it is to blog for me. I love it, but here's the deal. No matter what I say, I always feel like I am not saying it the right way. As in, I feel like I am limited by my own vocabulary. There's little I can do about this right now, but hopefully in college I'll expand my verbal skills a little farther. I am so jealous of those people who are naturally gifted at using more expressive and specific words on a regular basis. I shouldn't be too hard on myself though because I am a primitive blogger and I haven't had much practice simply writing down what I want to say spontaneously, with little organization.

Another very important topic: If you are eligible to vote and have not yet heard of the school bonds, PLEASE VOTE FOR THEM TO PASS! Here is more information on what exactly it is.

http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2011/09/14/opinion/letters/doc4e6ecb02d8de4042168376.txt

As cliche as this is, The students are the future, and they need the best education they can get to deal with the mess that a certain past president has left for us.

Side note, I am now considering a major in political science. Interesting stuff. Nothing more here.

For the crowd out there who is feelin' optimistic

The things that the Lord does in my life on a daily basis...just wow. Every day I pray, and EVERY day I receive. God is truly amazing.

I was driving home from the YOUNGLIFE T SHIRT GRAB that was at THPRD tonight, and I just had this bubbly sensation going on in my stomach. And no, it wasn't the orange soda I had consumed just moments earlier. Ever since I've been letting go of the control factor in my life, things have been, almost effortlessly on my part, falling into place perfectly. The only limit on blogging is I can't show you how blessed I am, my life is a 'you just had to be there' kind of thing. :)

Anyway, here are some images that add to my cheery mood tonight. Enjoy! God Bless.

Finally, an organized post!

Reasons why I don't like texting all the gosh darn time:

1) Calling a person and discussing whatever said topic is, is immensely quicker and less time consuming than texting them all day.

2) A CRAZY AMOUNT OF EMOTION IS LOST WHILE TEXTING-you can't see there facial expressions, hear their voice, tone, sarcasm, or even clearly understand what mood they're in.

3) A leading cause of fights in high school is directly linked to text messaging. It also creates an easy way for people to say things they wouldn't say in person. (as does any internet or social networking site)

4) Serious conversations are tempting through text because you feel bolder-but if you can't do it in person, then it's not substantial or even genuine at ALL. No exceptions...

5) So many awkward things can happen. Sending a text to someone random when you meant to send it to the person you've been texting all day...awk. Or butt dials, awkward flirting, creepy people, etc. etc.

6) Phones die during conversations, people don't. (hopefully)

7) Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and texting 24/7 makes the fire kinda die out quick

8) If it was that important, you'd call


I UNDERSTAND that texting is a great way to communicate things like grocery lists, quick questions, and chatting every once in a while with people but jeez people, we are wasting away the precious days that we've been graced with! One of my goals this year is to spend more time in reality than on some technological device. Believe it or not, my generation has more conversations on the inernet than in real life...craaaazyyy. Alright well that's my rant for the night, if you want to talk to me don't be scared to text me but just know that I prefer calls :) MUCHLOVE

ps shout out to my friends who started blogs: Trevor Allen, Kendall Davis, Eric Webber and Anna Duncan (soon Jake Peterson)

My top 5 values

I was watching a PBS viewing of a man who had established his top five values, and with that he decided to strive for his dreams and in everything he did, use those values. It intrigued me to blog about MY top five values. They are in no specific order, because they are all of equal importance and work together to make up a unified whole.

1) Kindness

2) Faith

3) Honesty

4) Open-mindedness

5) Charity

With that being said, I really believe that if someone strives to achieve (noticed, strives) all of these values, then the world would, simply stated, become a much better place to live.
Of course, we all falter and can not actually live up to the expectations we set for ourselves. But if we don't set any, then how do we know what were trying to accomplish? Without goals, our lives would be an inconsistent mess of confusion, chaos, anger, depression, etc. etc. As a senior in high school, this type of behavior is not uncommon. Teenagers sometimes believe that nobody can tell them what to do! Not even themselves? And they follow no pattern in their actions. The result, is drama drama drama and more drama. Not to mention loneliness and counter-productivity. People fascinate me in my school. It's actually become a hobby with my friends to just watch some of the lives of the people who attend Sunset, like it's public television or something. Very entertaining, although not desirable.

Anyway, I feel really good today. I'll update you on how long my good mood lasts. Although I refuse to limit myself; If I have my way, it'll last a very, very long time. Thanks for listening :)

Ps Abe Lincoln was the first to use emoticons in a speach-he drew a smiley face next to the words just so he'd remember to smile. Thanks Mr. Ciebert for that fun fact of the day. (my IB english II teacher)

Come what may.

Proverbs 12:25
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

These are some of my favorite verses this week. No matter who you are, where you are from, or what your story is, a fresh start is awaiting you. It's NEVER too late to become brand new. Ever. So do what you've always wanted to do, don't dwell on the past, and don't worry about the future. Simply live your life in awe of God's grace and do all things to honor him and the world you live in. At least that's my perspective. :)


Also, Come what may, the title of this post, is from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Once again I can't stop listening to it, because it's such an inspiring and emotive song.

Lots of Love.

IT'S BEEN SO LONG

Well, it has been a week. But that feels like an awfully long time, according to my friend AJ who pretty much told me I'm a slacker at blogging.

ANYWAY-school started off with a bang-aka 3 hours of homework a night. But I made a bet with my good friend Annie that we are going to be optimistic all year about our education. After all, it's free! Well, not really. We still have to pay for IB exams and what not, but it is definitely all worth while in the end.

Recently I've been extremely overjoyed with life. I've been noticing all the small and beautiful things that I haven't taken the time to look at before. I've been praying every night about how grateful I am for my life and the people/things in it. Even my dog, Wilson. He's the cutest darn pug I ever set my eyes upon, and he's mine :) But my point is, ever since I've changed my mindset from slightly anxious and apprehensive about the future to a more positive and reassured one, I've been feeling incredible! And, things have been going my way (which is awesome). I think something that really helped me was prayer and lists. I guess I'm now not only a blogger, but a list lover. (Bucket lists being my favorite) Another thing I've been keeping consistent at is exercising. Like my parents and just about everyone else in the world always says, to be healthy is to be a well rounded person in terms of mind, soul and body.

I don't really have anything important or cool to say at the moment, I'm just procrastinating from studying history. Thanks for listening :)

FRESH START-

but that's what they always say.

HI. My name is Anna Barlow. I start my senior year of high school tomorrow at Sunset. I will slowly be getting back into my routine of waking up at 645, leaving at 710, getting coffee at Papa's Haven off of Cornell, then heading to Sunset around 730, which I know is earlier than most seniors prefer to get there. I am rather picky when it comes to routines-especially for school. I don't really know why.

SENIOR YEAR CHECK LIST
-Finish the year with outstanding grades
-Take advantage of EVERY opportunity that comes my way, after all it's my last chance to leave my mark on SHS
-Make friends with everyone (it's possible)
-Get into the college I want
-Be happy
-^Off of that, continue a healthy relationship with Jesus
-Don't stress
-Do everything as if it were my last time doing it (which it is this year)
-NOOOO PROCRASTINATION
-Get help if needed
-Don't skip a single class and ONLY miss it if severely suffering from the plague
-Eat healthy
-Drink tons of water
-HAAAAVE FUUUUUUUN


I have mixed feelings about this last year. I hope it's not the last time I see certain people. It's a very bittersweet feeling, don't ya think?

Country girl

So tonight I went to the Oregon State Fair with some of the best girls around. It was so fun-and The Band Perry was even performing! We got decent seats for only 24 dollars and ended up sitting by nice company (except the people behind us...rude). Anyway, while listening to the music I was overcome by a feeling of happiness. I LOVE country music. Country anything, really. And I had forgotten! I feel like a southern country girl at heart. Honestly, something about it just makes me feel so good. ALSO I would literally do anything for T Swift tickets. My friend just won some on KUPL and I am SOOO jealous. So if anyone gots the hook up....you know who to tell.

I will post pictures of the fair later :) It was so much fun! Especially during this busy weeks of preparing and applying for college.

A year for new relations

With school starting around the corner, I've been doing a lot of thinking. (well more than a typical summers day) As a senior, my hope is that my class can at least make an attempt to break down some of the cliche cliques and groups that we've established over these past three years. Yes, it's good to have people who you are close friends with and trust, but it's equally if not more important to reach out to those who may not be as good at making friends as you. If a mass of people, all together, decided to make a change to how we act towards those left out, it would seem almost un real. I've always been an optimistic soul but I just have this fantasy of a school where we are all kind to each other despite our differences. I mean really, it's easier to be nice anyway instead of putting in all that extra effort to be mean. Right?

I just wrote this to blab about my hope for SHS this year. I also hope people will be more genuine and up front with their feelings and emotions. That could reduce the amount of cyber bullying we see every single hour on twitter (that may be an exaggeration). Anyway, I went to sky high yesterday and am SORE. It's slightly embarrassing.

Goodnight world!

Happy Sunday :)

I hope everyone is enjoying this sunny weather!
I thought this song was very beautiful and since I couldn't find the lyrics online I just listened to it and wrote down a few quick lines that stuck out to me.

Marvel-Strangers & Pilgrims

I believe, I believe, and you marvel over me, maker of the galaxy, marveling.
Overcome,
Overcome, all my enemies are
Overrun.
I believe, I believe, and you marvel over me, maker of the galaxy, marveling.
A Father to the fatherless, defender of the wilderness you rescued my soul, you lifted your own.

I beleive, I believe, and you marvel over me, maker of the galaxy, marveling.

One of the most beautiful songs.

This song was on a free CD I picked up at my church in downtown Portland, Solid Rock. Music truly has an amazing impact on my mood and overall mindset. Thank you Solid Rock for your generosity!

SONG-OVERDUE
ARTIST-STRANGERS & PILGRIMS
ALBUM-SAINTS

I can't seem to find the lyrics but buy the album!!! IT IS AMAZING I promise it won't let you down if you are in need of some good, deep, heart felt worship music.

My internet hasn't been working!

So that is why I have been lacking in the blogging realm. But I promise I have not run out of things to say, I am just full of words practically at all times. (this could be good, or bad, depending on your perspective) Anyway, I guess I have been thinking a lot about friends and relationships, basically what I've learned this summer. So here's my quick say. (hehe quick always means sort of long when I say it)

Through out our lives, certain people make substantial impacts on us during a specific time or phase, then they more than likely become distant and then disappear form our lives completely. (At least that’s been the pattern in my life.) People who you thought you’d be close to forever even sometimes fade from our every day routines. But when someone stays apparent in your life, when your bond is strong enough to last years and years to come, that’s when you know your relationship is special. All my middle and high school life I have felt as if I transition from group to group seasonally. We have fun doing surface level things, but nothing I’d remember in twenty years as beneficial and significant. Due to the unstable group of friends I possessed, I myself became insecure and lacked balance. One of the pastors at the church I attend (who also stands as my role model) once said, “Bad company creates bad character”, which I have learned, the hard way, to be true. I consider myself a strong, open minded and fun human being all around, but when I surrounded myself with people who didn’t share my opinions or ideas or general morals, my assets became foggy and hidden. No longer was I as sure of myself as I had been even in primary school. However as time went on, and I experienced many different people who came and went in my life, I learned a very important life lesson. Instead of surrounding myself with people that I wanted to like me, I needed to surround myself with the ones who I wanted to be better for. And by better, I mean more loving, caring, respectful, mindful, purposeful, spiritual, intellectual, and overall just a well rounded person. I needed to surround myself with people who I genuinely cared about through out all parts of the year, instead of on occasion when it was convenient for us. Friends need to be people who you don’t feel awkward or intimidated around. I have learned that friends care for you no matter how broken or disheveled you may be at times. If they get the pleasure to be friends with you at your best, then they sure as hell need to be able to handle you at your worst. After all, God made us to be in relationships with people, and that means through the bad times and the good. :)

Long Live Life

Hello friends. The other day my friend deciphered the meaning behind these song lyrics, and I discovered that this song became a lot better once I truly understood it. The meaning may seem obvious, but when a song becomes popular to everyone the deeper meaning within it usually gets muted behind loud people "singing" (or screeching) the lyrics. I Thought it was a very inspirational song and that everyone could benefit from appreciating the quality.

Coldplay-Viva La Vida

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

late Wednesday night thought: I'm gonna smile because I deserve to.

Everyone has hardships in their lives-it's just how things work. The turmoil we go through in our life seems so devastating at the time of its occurrence, but then as time progresses we allow the turmoil to become less important to us. Personally, I have learned, (or at least am in the process of trying to accept) that shoving things to the back of my mind and "forgetting" about them does NOT in fact make the issues go away! I know, I'm basically the next Einstein. This seems incredibly obvious, but it has taken me all of junior high and 3 years of high school to begin to wrap my brain around that statement. It is SO easy, SOOOO easy to pretend things didn't actually happen or belittle their importance or impact in our lives. But I tell you now my dear friends: FACE YOUR PROBLEMS, DEAL WITH YOUR INSECURITIES, COMMUNICATE HOW YOU FEEL. We get strong reactions for a reason. What's their point or sense if we are supposed to just ignore them? It makes me sick at night. It's funny, just like when I eat something nasty or undercooked, I have a very physical reaction when I am trying to keep my problems hidden. That makes it very clear to me that it's just not right. I thank God every day that I have friends who I can share my thoughts and feelings with. But it's still a struggle to fully accept and deal with my issues, and I'm sure you can relate. But I promise you, whatever you are dealing with, it too shall pass. And I have full faith and trust in my God that through him I can accomplish wonders, things beyond my imagination. And I can accomplish all that despite my troubles.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Hope prevails my friends. Always. To end on a pleasant note, this verse always helps me end my day with a smile on my face.

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Seattle Bound! (again)

Tomorrow I get to spend the day with two of my great friends in the one and only Seattle! We are picking up my sister who has been in Europe the entire summer exploring and being adventurous. I admire her a lot. Seattle is my second favorite city in the entire world so far, next to Portland :) Not sure why but it always makes me feel rejuvenated and inspired seeing all the cool hand-made trinkets at Pikes Place. This post was pretty empty but I just thought I'd share, after all this is my blog. Goodbye :)

MATTHEW22:37-39

“Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your soul....You shall love thy neighbor as thyself”.

To me, that’s the strongest, most important part of Christianity. It is the basis of what I stand for and believe in.

Unlike other earthly leaders, anarchists, kings, dictators, monarchs, capitalists, republicans or democrats, God doesn’t just say “honor me,” and stop there. He makes it a point to say HONOR YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. That statement is fully loaded with ideas. We have such a caring and loving God, unlike any ruler of this past or present world. He loves us, unconditionally. And by that I mean he loves us no matter what, expecting nothing in return. Jesus’s death burial and resurrection gives us HOPE for our future, and knowledge that what we do on this earth does not just disintegrate when our bodies sink into the earth. What we do now, matters. We must try with every fiber in our being to mirror this world with what God’s kingdom will look like. If we don’t, then all the worldly tragedies such as poverty, famine, abuse, disease, cruelty, greediness and murder will keep on getting larger in supply. I believe a giant misconception of believers is that what we do now, doesn’t really “count” or “matter” because were destined to be with God in his kingdom. Really? Then what’s the point in life? Life is not a mistake. God intended us to live on this Earth and love each other and ourself. He WANTED us to have emotions and relationships. He wanted to be in a relationship with us, here on Earth. Sadly, words are limited, and lots of information gets misconstrued in translation or simply in trying to get out an idea. Luckily we have the Bible and prayer to dig deeper in our own understanding of what it means to “follow Jesus” and to love God. It’s OK to have questions and doubts. If we simply agreed with everything that other people believed in, our world would be an even larger ignorant mess than it is now. But I do recommend, from my own personal experiences and others that i’ve witnessed, to at least be open to the good news of the Lord if you have never been exposed to this kind of thinking or idea before. You won’t regret it.

The unequal grounds

JUST TO CLARIFY: This is not an online diary. I just sometimes have things I'd like to say and don't wanna pester my friends about them, so I pester you.

Today my extremely intellectual and insightful buddy Fritz brought up a very good discussion topic while enjoying a nice summer's breeze. Out of the 7 billion people in the world, we are such a small fraction. We live in a tiny section of the world. And we are wealthier than the majority of the world. We have practically unlimited access to food, water, shelter, health facilities, entertainment, nice nature walks, lakes, our friends, family, music; the list goes on. My point is, people in most parts of Africa haven't even stepped foot into a place like where we live. They've never seen a movie, never eaten popcorn while laughing at its pathetic stupidity. Why is the world so insanely disproportional and unequal? Better question; what can WE do to equal it out. One person won't change the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are starving in Africa, or that a bunch of rebels in Europe are burning down buildings and causing riots. But in large numbers, people are powerful. This is a democracy, we have the responsibility (and thank God we do) to make a difference and BE the change. Now is a more crucial and important time than ever to take action and open your mind to the possibility of helping make a critical change to these people's lives who are in desperate need.

I know that recently all I've been talking about is these issues in Africa and the corrupted world we live in, but I completely and totally have faith in our God and our people. With God's amazing grace, we can do this. It doesn't matter our age, location or social status. Just start small, but please, something needs to be done about these crazy epidemics and it involves us.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED THAT MY LITTLE BRAIN THOUGHT OF AT THE TOP OF MY HEAD:
-volunteer for places like Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Cor, Peace Cor, OFA, etc.
-send money for Africa to the reliable resources on cbs.com to validate it doesn't accidentally get sent to terrorists
-get educated and be a leader
-be progressive, but not foolish

This post was very unorganized and random; my apologies

GIANT realization/reality check

I know that we hear about this stuff all the time through the news, the paper, our parents, teachers, ads, billboards, or whatever it may be, but it's time to take action. Today, I was driving home from a movie with my close friend Haley, and a giant realization smacked us over the heads. Americans indulge in a disgusting amount of food, cloths, jewelry, shoes, watches, tvs, appliances, technology or whatever we desire. Haley brought up a good point. Imagine a 1.99 app on an itouch. A game you'll probably play for a week, maybe 2, maybe a month if it's good. That money could be donated towards the aid to help the people in Africa out of their poverty stricken state. I know this money wouldn't make a difference if only one person donated, but can you imagine if an entire mass of people were selfless for a day? Instead of buying that new pair of designer jeans, put that money to use by researching a trustworthy business that sends the money over to aids that help build shelters or deliver food for these desperate people. Also, in a perfect world all the crime ridden activities along with famine, pollution, inflation, corruption and what not would not exist or at least exist in a lot smaller amount because people would just love on one another. Just a thought. I think a lot.

Gorgeous Day

As you all know, today in Portland Oregon was absolutely gorgeous. I started it out by going to Besaw's on NW 23rd and Thurman St. with Haley and Mia. I gotta say, it was the best breakfast I have had in quite some time. (I ordered the breakfast sandwich and I HIGHLY recommend it.) Then later at home I did college research and started essays. There's nothing weirder than starting college essays. I still feel like I belong in Mrs. Case's 5th grade health class learning about womanly products for the first time. Anyway, after that I worked out for around 3 hours. I guess you can say I'm pretty much running off of ib profin right now. Then I watched a free online lifetime version of J.K Rowling's life; It was very inspiring and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS; even if you think they aren't "practical". You won't be happy or succeed in something that you don't truly want to do. I hope my generation doesn't succumb to the lie that the media engulfs us with. The lie that says you must make a ton of money to be able to achieve happiness; and that money can lead you to your "dreams". I guess there's a tint of truth in that last statement; if your dream is to buy a large boat and go sailing for a year, money could be quite helpful. However in my opinion there's nothing more satisfying than doing something or achieving some goal for purposes other than money. For instance, being apart of Younglife has made me realize how many amazing people that God has inspired to help teenagers. They devote all of there time to kids like us FOR FREE, because it's something they truly believe in. One day I hope to do something along those lines.

Thanks for listening to my random spiel on my day and thoughts. :)

Quotes to live by

Every once in a while a few inspirational/motivational sayings, lyrics or quotes can really help boost someones mood. Here are some of my favorite quotes from a collection of sources, hope it cheers you up!

Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Treat others how you want to be treated.

You'll lose 100% of the shots you don't take.

Knowledge is limited, Imagination knows no boundaries.

Give thanks for what you are know, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.

I'm really sorry these aren't cited :/ I wrote them down on a previous date and I guess I didn't give the writers credit. I'll add more later and maybe even create some of my own :) Goodbye!
ALSO I am fully aware these are extremely cliche and corny. They are also very true, so just bare with me.

Ponder that

Love is always bestowed as a gift--freely, willingly, and with out expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love -Leo Buscaglia

Inspired

Lately I have been feeling an immense about of blessings from every direction of my life. I got to go BACK to the most beautiful place on earth with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. My grandma got surgery for breast cancer and came out CANCER FREE. My friends are.... I don't even have words for them. They are there for me no matter what and accept me for who I am, and I love them so much. My family is adoring and cares so much about me. The college search is going well and I feel extremely guided in the right direction. I feel a strong connection with God and really want to learn more about theology so I can be one step closer in fully understanding the history of the bible. I just feel like things are slowly falling into place, and couldn't be more thankful.

But then, the world is not about Anna Barlow. It consists of thousands of people, and a large portion of them are starving or living in severe poverty. I strongly believe that it is our duty as citizens of America to help these countries in any reasonable way we can. Instead of indulging in selfish pleasures, maybe we should adopt a child from Somalia or another desperate country. Instead of buying a new pair of jeans to add to the 10 already in our closet, send that money to an organization who helps aid or send food/water to these places. John Mark's talk about life and the mindset we have while living really made me think clearly about how self-obsessed we truly are as Americans. I hope that everyone believes in themselves enough to make a difference, ANY small donation or prayer for those in need helps. BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD :)

To find out ways to donate, go here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/somalia-suffering-from-famine-how-you-can-help/2011/07/20/gIQAGdQ6PI_blog.html