The End of the World....

6pm Saturday May 21st, 2011, has now come and gone and guess what, Harold Camping was wrong yet again. To all those out there that may have fallen for his lies and predictions I what to urge you to seek out the truth and not be so easily swayed by people especially some one with a track record like Camping. He obviously has no authority on predicted such things and should not be taken seriously.

“Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind” (Jeremiah 14:14, NET)

Please do not allow people such as Camping and other corrupt "Christians" sway your opinions and trust in God and his word. These individuals are not representing Christ and are not speaking truth and I would hate to see you forming skepticism of Christianity because of these individuals. They are confused and not following or reading what is really in Scripture. Those false billboards and messages plastering that "the Bible Guaranteeing it" are straight up lies. The Bible actually says,

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father

in Matthew 24:36 and

....The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him

in
Matthew 24:44 I plead with you do not let the lies of these people tell you other wise for they are lies. What now for you disillusioned followers of this most recent end times cult? By God’s grace wake up! (Revelation 3:2). Now is the time to face the truth: Your trust should have been in what Christ has said in His Word, not in what Camping was foisting upon the words of the Bible.

Let us not forget that God's word and his promises are flawless unlike that of Camping and as Proverbs 30: 5-6 reads

Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you as a liar

Camping obviously missed this verse as well as

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book

(Revelation 22:18), admits his faulty calculations as he has now been exposed as the liar he is, just as he was in 1994. Harold Camping’s predictions have been the delusions of his own mind, stories he has made up. They have been the ramblings of a foolish old man. Christ said that many would come “to deceive the elect—if that were possible” (Mark 13:22). False teachers, false brothers, and false philosophies will come to deceive us, but it appears the deceptions will not stick, for they lack truth like the truth that is in the word of God, which with stands from generation to generation. And God will not allow truth to be mixed with falsehood forever. He will shake things. He will shake us to the core, if the core is true and the core is Christ!

Yes Camping his followers and the like have been deceived and been wrong as they have caused others to be deceived and lead a stray but let us not be so quick to judge and condemn them. Condemn there sin yes, but not them for we too are deceived in many ways and it is God alone that has the authority to judge on such matters. May we instead pray for the healing of those who have been devastated and shaken, and let us not be. Do not be so quick to elevate yourself above such people but let us use this situation to further humble ourselves and rely on God's truth not the truth dictated to us by society or even other Christians. Let us pray for Mr. Camping, that he would confess his sin and arrogance and resign from the radio, resign from “public” life. I say this in adherence to the words of Paul, who told Timothy, “command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

Lastly, when all is said and done, Christ will return, the Day of Judgment will one day arrive, and when that happens, there will be no escaping.

In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men

2Peter 3:3-7

Just Because Camping's prediction has come and gone does not now mean we are safe from any future non-since, in fact I fell that this is going to become rapidly more and more common as more and more false prophesies come about, and our eagerness to leave may make us more susceptible to falling for such non-sense. For this reason we must now more than ever stay true in reading God's word and trusting in him completely so we may see the absurdity of such teaching when it is taught to us.

And as for the whole end of the world, in December, 2012, that too is false, so please don't fall for such things. Here’s the deal, my friends. Live life every day as if it were your last day. That doesn’t mean spend the mortgage money on that new Jaguar convertible so you can tool around town repo man comes and collects on the unpaid car loan. That sets up the scenario where Mr. Wells Fargo will knock on your door and politely tell you that the house you love is his, and he wants it back. No what this means is do not leave what ought to be done today till tomorrow. It means make sure that if Jesus did come back tomorrow that you would have everything done that you wanted to do done before then. It means sharing Christ's love to one another rather than holding grudges and hating each other. It means being quite to forgive and slow to anger. Learn to get along. It’s true – everything you DO need to know about life, you probably did learn in kindergarten.

Maybe the Apocalypse predictors should take a lesson from kindergarten. Now, more than ever, we need to learn to stick together. All of us. If it is the end of the world, we’ll be way less frightened if we’re holding hands and facing it together. And if it’s not, we’ll all be a whole lot happier. Now let us stop trying to calculate when and set a date but let us get ready for there is so much to do and so many relationships to build and repair why are we all wasting our time debating when its going to happen when we are not even ready for it. Go for we have been blessed to be a blessing and let us start acting like it is really the End of the World let us actually think about all the things we would wish we had done and let us do them today!

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life!

You see, when we’re born we see the world in an uncomplicated way. We know what we need, and we ask for it. We like nice people, and we don’t like mean people. We sleep when we’re tired, we eat when we’re hungry, and we stop eating when we’re full. As we grow older, we eat and drink to console ourselves, rather than addressing what’s bothering us. We overwork to avoid close relationships, rather than finding people we can trust to form strong bonds with. We hold grudges, play games, spend more than we make, want things we don’t need, and we get too far away from our basic human needs. In other words, we complicate things.

Here are 100 ways to uncomplicate it... And yes this is a list I have yet to master myself, someday, perhaps.

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds

2. Get up 30 minutes earlier so that you don’t rush/get a ticket while driving too fast/have to explain why you’re late/get fired

3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night so that you think more clearly

4. Stick to your budget

5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare

6. Balance your checkbook

7. Don’t try to be friends with everyone. Cultivate closer relationships with fewer people.

8. Don’t try to do business with everyone. Identify your target client and take very good care of them.

9. Before getting angry, ask yourself if it will really matter in 20 years

10. Focus on being a good person, not on pleasing others

11. Stay home this Saturday, and finish off that nagging chore that you need to finish

12. Kiss and make up

13. Make a weekly menu, and shop for only those items at the market

14. Ask your grandparents the best way to uncomplicate life, and try it for a month, there really is a lot of wisdom in years

15. Fill up your gas tank when it’s half full

16. Don’t drink alcohol when you’re tired, sad or mad

17. Pay your bills on time

18. Get an annual physical examination

19. Say “I love you” to your significant other and to your children. Studies show that more marriages last, and fewer kids use drugs, when these words are spoken every day.

20. For just one day, imagine everyone’s intentions are good because most people’s are

21. Give away clothes that haven’t been worn in two years

22. Throw out clothes that are in disrepair, and can’t be mended

23. When you have a conflict with someone, talk it out. Don’t let it turn into more than it is.

24. Know what your priorities are in life, and act as if they are your priorities

25. Tell the truth

26. Don’t cheat

27. Don’t steal

28. If you’re holding on to a ridiculous grudge, let it go

29. Clean your house weekly, so that it doesn’t become too large a chore

30. Do your best at work, or at school

31. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry

32. Eat when you are hungry

33. Be yourself

34. Say no unapologetically

35. Cook simple meals

36. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses

37. Pay off your car before buying a new one

38. Organise your desk at the office

39. Change your smoke alarm batteries when the clocks spring forward, and again when they fall back

40. Organise your important paperwork

41. Take only half the clothes that you planned to take with you on holiday

42. Help your children with their homework every night, and have an open dialogue with their teachers

43. Have white sheets and white towels in children’s rooms/bathrooms, because they’re easily bleached

44. Spend your time with nice people

45. Avoid drama

46. Don’t text or talk on the phone while driving

47. Turn off the television/video games/computer; they’re time consumers

48. Don’t engage in office politics

49. Refuse to gossip, or talk behind other people’s backs

50. Do the dishes right after dinner

51. Never go to sleep angry

52. Ask nicely for what you need and want

53. Walk 10,000 steps per day to help your heart

54. Do 20 push-ups before speaking in anger

55. Leave work at work

56. Don’t befriend anyone that isn’t trustworthy

57. Don’t envy others

58. Have your oil changed

59. Take vitamin C BEFORE you catch a cold

60. Don’t work more than 8 hours per day

61. Weed your garden weekly

62. Wash your car weekly

63. Have a spring cleaning month every year, and do one room at a time

64. You don’t need to be best friends with work colleagues, but build respectful partnerships

65. Don’t drink and drive

66. Don’t look for reasons to be angry or sad, look for reasons to be happy. You’ll always be able to find plenty of each.

67. Be friendly with your neighbours

68. Return emails and phone messages promptly

69. Schedule in free time

70. Don’t procrastinate

71. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it

72. Be more flexible when you’re able to be

73. Forgive and forget. End of story.

74. Break the consumerism habit…put a three month moratorium in place on buying anything not deemed a necessity

75. Start your diet on September 1, rather than January 1, so that you won’t also have holiday pounds to lose

76. Take care of any health issues or concerns

77. Have your tires rotated

78. Have your brakes checked

79. Have your eyes checked

80. Don’t let your imagination run away with you

81. Let go of perfection in others

82. Let go of perfection in yourself

83. Don’t try to help those that refuse to help themselves

84. Find a way to reduce your commute to work

85. Have an alloted amount of worry time per day/week, that you strictly abide by

86. Drink more water

87. Eat more salmon

88. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill

89. Wear your hair in a classic, easy to care for style

90. Finish what you start

91. Wear classic clothes and shoes that never go out of style

92. Create a daily routine

93. Have a 1, 5, 10 and 20 year plan for your financial and life goals

94. Slow down

95. Eat out less often

96. When you ask your husband which outfit looks best, thank him for his answer and wear the one he liked rather than focusing on why he didn’t like the other one

97. Allow your children to grow up

98. Clean out your garage, and donate anything that hasn’t been used in the past year

99. Stretch every day

100. If a relationship is over, let it go

Making Wise Decisions

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Decision making is the hardest thing in the world for me to do and is something I have always hated from simple things like which flavor Popsicle I wanted, what movie I wanted to watch, where to have my birthday dinner, what shirt to wear, etc. I seriously would have panic attacks all the time when I had to make even the simplest of choices. It was really rather pathetic but I honestly could not handle the possibility that I might pick something someone else wanted. Every time I did end up making a decision it wasn't my own, it was always what I thought someone else would want me to pick. I learned to read people and learned to decide based on them. Consequently decision making got a whole lot easier for me, or so I thought, but in reality I was no better off and in fact completely incapable of deciding things for myself. By the time I finished High-school I had lost my identity in what my friends liked, what my parents liked, etc. I had no idea what I liked. This proposed a big problem as some really big life altering decisions before me such as what was I going to do with my future. I began to realize that some decisions simply could not be made based on what everyone else wanted I was going to have to decide for myself! :(

But how?? I was totally clueless I literally choose my college by flipping a coin....after eminem moe eliminations. Totally scientific I know.... I did have other methods as too but nothing all that effective. So as you can prolly suspect when the important decisions began to arise I was totally clueless and flopped a lot of the time. Turns out my methods of avoiding making decisions got me in a lot more trouble then it would have been to actually take the time and thought to make them the right way.




Decision making is not easy especially when you desperately want to make the right decisions. For me the first thing I had to realize is that there is not always a right and wrong choice and that often times choosing to avoid making a decision or putting it off is far worse then taking a chance and making a decision to do something. Doing nothing is not in anyway helpful. Nevertheless I was able to compile a list of things to consider in making wise and biblical decisions, so I thought I would pass them along in hopes that you will not have to make the mistakes I have made and also in hopes that you might find them as helpful as I have found them to be in my life thus far.

I challenge you to ask yourself these 10 questions the next time you find yourself faced with a difficult decision.


1.) First and foremost ask yourself is there a direct command for it or against it in the Bible.

Exodus 24:7

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."

John 14:15

If you love me, keep my commands.

2.) Next ask is this decision going to cause others to stumble in the faith or will this hurt anyone? In the same way would the alternative do so?

1 Corinthians 8:13

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Romans 14:21

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall

1 Corinthians 8:9

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

3.) Then next thing to ask yourself in making a decision is this activity necessary?

1 Corinthians 6:12

"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.

4.) Then ask will this harm me?

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Matthew 5: 13-16

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

5.) Could this activity become addictive or rob me of my freedom?

Proverbs 6:27

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.

6.) Will this decision or activity promote evil?

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:22

reject every kind of evil.

Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

7.) Can I ask God's blessing on this activity?

John 8:28

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me

Deuteronomy 30:9-10

The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

8.) Would I act differently if Jesus were standing next to me?

Proverbs 15:3

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

Hebrews 4:13

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jeremiah 16:17

My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.

9.) Can I glorify God in this thing?

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

10.) Lastly What would Jesus do?

1 John 2:6

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 Peter 2:21

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Let us start making decisions the right way, let us answer these 10 questions and march forth shining the light of Christ!

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is something I have unfortunately had to face and think about a lot this year. In doing so, I finally come to realize what everyone means when they say they hate goodbyes, or that goodbyes are so hard. I guess I always knew that but I never really had to so goodbye so much or in such drastic situations until very recently and now it is as if it is all coming at me at once. I mean growing up there was always the goodbye when you left for vacation and then again when you left to go back home and yes those were especially hard coming back from our beach houses when I was little and they where so huge and exciting, I never wanted to go home. There was also the goodbyes we said when going to school or going to a friends house, but I always knew my parents would be back and most likely a whole lot quicker than I wanted them too. Then there was saying goodbye to my friends this I admit was a little harder but I always knew it was only very temporary. Even when I moved several times although I hated it, there really was no really feeling of goodbye for me none that seemed like I was missing something I wasn't moving very far and I knew my friends are just a drive or a phone call away. As I grew up many of my friends and I then parted ways but there where still no goodbyes we just kinda gradually drifted to the point that when it came time for me to move I really had nothing to say goodbye to and was frankly happy to be leaving. Yeah up until my senior year of high school I had never had to say any real goodbyes. I had never had a boy friend so there was no one to have to break up with, I never moved very far or lost any of my close friends, apart from one in fifth grade but it was not all that traumatic and least that I can recall, I never had anyone really close to me die there was my great Aunt but mostly I just remembered her from Christmas gatherings and had not really known her neither did I really know my great grandpa when he die when I was really young, nor would I have understood all that well. So in many ways I can most assuredly say I had a very blessed childhood free of the bad kind of goodbyes. Back then a goodbye was simply what you said at the end of the day or at the end of a phone call to someone you would likely see the next day or in a few hours.
Looking back it really seems as if things were so much simpler back then and I was so naive to what would soon come. Now as a senior after four years at Houghton I have had to experience a lot more goodbyes that were not nearly as easy as ending a conversation. And if there has been one thing I have learned in the process it is that goodbyes make you think, they make you realize what you've had, what you've lost and what you've taken for granted. My journey to experience what it really means to have to say goodbye began in the summer of 2006. First I had to say goodbye to High school and everyone there. This for me was not all that hard as I had never really fit in all that well anyways but it was still a goodbye for me as it meant that I was soon to leave home and begin the next chapter of my live no longer having the comforts of a High School to go to but rather would have to go to college. Yet before venturing off I had to say goodbye to my parents and loved ones and my country as I ventured off on my first missions trip to Guyana South America, of course I had been on many retreats before but this was the longest I had ever been away from home and certainly a lot farther than I had ever been. It wasn't too hard for me to say goodbye but I know it was for much of my family terrified of what might happen. But what was really hard was saying goodbye when it came time to come home. During my time in Guyana I had fallen in love with everyone there and felt so at home and so much a part of them as if I belonged there and it was heart breaking to have to go and leave all of those kids and everyone we meet behind as well as having to leave my new found home land beyond. Lets just say that was the longest flight I will every have experienced as I kept hoping that somehow we would turn around and just be stuck there forever. This was my first time experiencing what it felt like to have to say goodbye. Nothing could have been worse I cried for a long time and really longed to go back and made it my goal, but it was still possible to go back so that made the goodbye so much easier and I could still write and I did write and call on rare occasions and it made that goodbye not so bad.

But then 5 days after returning I had to face the biggest goodbye of my life going to college where I would spend the next four years and leaving my home and family behind. Granted there was a part of me that was very excited about this prospect but a even bigger part of me was terrified. Up until Guyana I was always very reserved and very rarely did anything a part from my family and I had no idea what I would do with out then being there 24 seven and worse yet my mom was losing it as I was her first and she was not at all prepared to see me go. So that was really hard but nothing really like a goodbye with no hope as there was still all the Hellos to look forward too all the people I would meet and there was at least some excitement and hope of what was to come for me. So no I still had not experienced my first goodbye. And then came college life where I soon would have to learn a new kind of goodbye where my friends would move and transfer one by one begging with my roommate Holly, then Tali, and Rissia and Allision, and many others. Saying goodbye was always hard especially when I would come back the next semester and see them gone. There were also all my senior friends that would graduate and move on which was always really hard. There were also those that moved away from back home and my bosses that would have to move as well, which was always sad. Yet on the brighter side it was always some what expected and we were just an e-mail, facebook message, im, drive, or phone call away. So that too although hard was nothing I couldn't handle.
Then came the challenge the goodbye no one ever wants to make within a week of the last summer two of my friends were killed in accidents. Although they were not my closest friends I did know them well and it really came to a shock to me how friends my age could be dying and I was not at all prepared to say goodbye to them or let them out of my life. It was then that I hard to learn first of all the reality of death and that I needed to get my life together as I may end up like them but more so that I may not have forever with those I love so it was time I put them and treated them and did all the things I wish I could with them now will I still could. I also learned that good-byes will always hurt, pictures can never replace being there, memories forget the hard times, words can never replace feelings, and heroes often go unsung. Perhaps it is that some people just aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. Its like some people just come through our lives to bring us something: a gift, a blessing, a lesson we need to learn, and that's why they're here. It is so hard to think like this and in this positive light when you have lost someone or had to say goodbye. But now I know I will always have the gift that the people I have had to say goodbye to have brought into my life and I will never give that up. I am so grateful for all those that have been a part of my life and although I wish I could have more time and maybe still can I will never forget the gift and the good times I have had. One of my favorite quotes is that "You never leave someone behind, you take a part of them with you and leave a part of yourself behind." I have found this to be so true for all the hard goodbyes I have had to make as I have left some of me behind but carried some of them with me.

Perhaps and even harder goodbye came for me this January as I had to say goodbye to my first love who I had thought I was to marry my now ex fiancee, Pat. Break-ups as I hear are never easy and mine sure was not an exception. It was the messiest and hardest thing I ever have had to do and I have to do it just a bout a million times everyday. What is hardest is not saying goodbye to the hope of our future and the dream of our wedding and our family and our house and all of that which hurts so much and is so hard to say goodbye too. But what is hardest is having to say goodbye to my best friend on top of all of that and having to lose him and no longer have anyone to talk to all through the night no longer have someone to call crying about my bad day. Pat was that for me I have never really had that with anyone else so it is so hard to have to say goodbye to someone I love so much and someone I shared every one of my deepest darkest secrets too. In was then I realized how hard goodbyes are and how much I can hate them. It is a if when you say goodbye that you forget to tell your heart how to live without them. Or at least that is something I am still trying to learn. I have learned to laugh and I sure have learned to cry but I donno that I will ever master the art of saying goodbye.

As graduation lurks around the corner I hate to face it but there is bound to be many many more goodbyes of so many awesome friends and of Houghton which as much as I may hate to admit I will surely surely miss especially when the bills start piling up and I am out on the street with no friends and no job. Well hopefully that won't happen but I am in many ways dreading graduation as much as I am longing to be done. As so many of those I have come to love will be moving on getting married and living there own lives and moving far away that although we may promise to keep in touch I know it will never quite be the same. I am so sad to see it all come to a close and it is so saddening to think of all the things I will miss all the mouse noises late at night the fact that our celling is caving in, the trips to Letchworth Pines, Angelica, the Maple Tree Inn and the truck stop. Yes I know I will miss it all the fact that McDonald's or Walmart are over a half hour a way and that it is freezing all year round, and chapels and yes even the crazy freshman couples. I will miss it I know. But more importantly I will miss all my friends all the late nights all the laughs, all the crazy parting, oh yeah I will miss all our talks all our laughs and memories. But this time as I say goodbye I am going to take what I have had to learn over my last four years with me. And that is saying goodbye is so much easier when you find the good in it. There is aways something good in it. I know that my time here at Houghton and my time with each and everyone here was a tremendous and incredible gift that I will take with me and cherish forever. And I am so grateful for me. I have also learned in saying goodbye that God knows best and that he has something far greater in mind for me and that this is only a small part of the picture and that there is so much more to say hello to and be exacted for what is to come rather than saddened by what has come to pass.


In closing I want you all to know that there is no need to be dismayed at goodbyes, for goodbyes although they never feel good they are in fact necessary before we can meet again and meeting again, after moments or a lifetime if it be, is certain worth it for the chance to say Hello again. Know that with every goodbye God will offer a new Hello. So Hello world it is good too meet you and it will surly be exciting what else you have in store. Although I will always miss that which I have had to and will have to say goodbye to I will always be grateful to know I have things to say goodbye to and even better things too say Hello too.