A Call to Die

When you read that statement you probably thought of suicide bombers, soldiers, or martyrs. But the truth is we all have a call to Die, To die to our self every day, and live in Jesus Christ. A Call to Die is a forty day, devotional type book that goes through a forty day journey of fasting from the word and feasting on God. The book was written by a man named David Nasser that was a Muslim until he was a freshman in high school. His family kicked him out of the house when he told them he was going to be baptized but eventually every member of his family came to Christ. I have heard his speak and he is amazing. The way he has persevered in his faith after facing so much adversity is amazing. We probably all have friends and family that are Christians, and most of us still find it too hard to throw out the things of this world and pick us your Cross. This was the first devotional book I ever did. I was a freshman in high school and had come to a brand new understanding of Christ the summer before when I went to church camp for the first time. I had truly dedicated my life to Christ for the first time that January. It was probably around may and I decided to stop feeding off of everyone Else's knowledge and relationships and decide to start my own, just me and God. People had really hurt me in the past, when I was in Jr. high. The rumors about me were terrible and the people starting them were the people I called friends, I had no where to turn and I was spiraling down a destructive path at the age of 14. His words opened my mind and made me want to learn more, be a better person and help more people and realize that people are always going to theme down. Nasser said,

“I realized people are always going to let you down. Churches will always let you down but Jesus Himself never will. He was the one calling me, and I said, ‘Jesus, I want You to save me from myself, from religion, from performance, from all these different things. It doesn’t mean that struggle goes away. It doesn’t mean that persecution goes away. It doesn’t mean that doubt goes away. It just means that you begin a new journey as a new you and that you’re not alone.”

As I tried and tried to do as the church, the Bible and the book told me I began to realize that, I would never be able to do it all, but then I read theses words.

“It’s not that salvation is easy. It’s that salvation is impossible when it comes to you being good enough because when are you good enough? When are you ever righteous enough? When are you ever pure enough? If there’s one thing I know I’m going to be consistent in today, it’s in being inconsistent. We all fail everyday."

I have done the 40 day fast from this book 3 times, every time I learned more and got something else out of it. Doing this blog over it just got me excited and I just want to do it again. I just wanted to briefly describe to you one of the devotionals for the day. Day 1 is called take up your cross. The verse used is Matthew 16:24, Then Jesus said to his disciples, "if anyone would come after me, he mus deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

The first thing you must do is deny yourself. That is your innate selfishness. Your selfish ambitions to rise above others,our behaviors to get what we want when we want it, our attitude of caring only for out own interests and putting our own needs first. These selfish interests include gossiping, criticizing, cursing, lying, stealing, and acting selfishly in any way shape or form.

Next is obeying where God leads you wherever that might me. This means being attentive of what he wants when it comes to you friends, schools you attend, careers to pursue, who to marry,and how far to go in significant relationships. There is a journal with questions at the end of every devotional with a bible verse to learn and memorize every 3 days. I learned so much when I did this when it came to knowledge about the Bible and it truly helped me in my personal relationship with Christ and I would suggest it to anyone.

I love to Sleep!

The fourth series on my list is The Phoebe grant series by Laura Jensen Walker. The Two books in this series are called dreaming in black and white and dreaming it technicolor. I do love to sleep, in fact it is probably my favorite pass time, but I prefer to dream while I'm awake, thus, I am in love with these books. These books are in my favorite genre, Christian fiction. These books aren't the left behind type of Christian fiction though, they are so close to life that any christian girl trying to fight off the things of this world can relate. Walker has had quite a life before she came to write Christian Fiction! She joined the air force and traveled the world after graduation but a year after she got married she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the defeat of cancer that made her decide to take the plunge and become an author. walker states, "Strangely enough, I’m grateful for the cancer because it compelled me to follow the dreams God placed in my heart as a little girl. Dreams He has since made come true—once I stepped out in faith." She writes about real life problems in the Phoebe Grant series as well as her other books. Phoebe Grant is every one's favorite movie geek-unbeatable at trivia, convinced that all the world's a movie screen. She can organize a four-hankie chick-flickathon with a wave of her tall, nonfat, double mocha. And she's a shoo-in for the job of her dreams-movie reviewer for the newspaper where she works and then Alex Spencer-not only gorgeous but also a film buff, perfectly cast for a celluloid kiss and a fade to sunset. Unfortunately, Alex is the villain who sends Phoebe packing to the last place on earth she wants to be-back home to boring little Barley, California. But then Alex arrives in Barely and the plot thickens. The book is Witty and realistic and reminds me a lot of my favorite show, the Gilmore Girls with its humor and fast passed dialog. In Dreaming in technicolor the happy ending begins to shatter and Phoebe is trying to put humpdy dumpdy back together again. Its disastrous but all well that ends well. All girls should read this! Its a great read that isn't just another trashy novel. With ups and downs in her love life most girls can relate and enjoy the fact that they aren't the only ones who's life, at times doesn't make sense.

Things of Nature

Twilight New Moon Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

are all have to do with Nature but they are also the names of Stephenie Meyer's Series about vampires. Did you know she's a Mormon? I didn't until recently. Well anyway, this book has gotten so much attention from teenagers and adults are age. I feel like these were a good think for the Y generation because a generation who might not have read 5 books in their life that they weren't required to read, picked up a book and found interest in reading again. I am an avid reader but I have friends that haven't enjoyed reading since the second grade that simply just couldn't put this book down.

The girls all drool over Edward Cullen,

and although I think it is mostly girls that got into this series, the boys I'm sure like the blood, gore and violence and the chance that someone is almost always going to die. Since it is fiction is was nice, to read something that wasn't so...real. Its nice to step out of the world. As we have grown up from fairy tails to reality, the world is telling us to keep our feet planted firmly on the ground and not to bother with things that wont give you a foot up in life. Take this computer class for example. Its practical. Most parents want us to be learning things and doing things that are useful, not reading about vampires.

My father wanted me to go to college and major in public administration,something practical, but my mother is a bit more of a free spirit and encourages me to read whatever I please and do whatever I please. I feel like books like these are not at all a distraction from the "important" things of this world but they allow us to gain a different perspective on things like morals, and life and and get our brains going. Watching TV can be thoughtless as we watch as the plot follows a predictable story line but when u read, it can get your blood flowing as well as your emotions, and your thoughts. Reading improves your vocabulary and allows you to sound more educated when you speak. My sister is a publishing major at an art school in Boston called Emerson College and she feels like twilight it trash, written all about sex, but to advocate abstinence. Although she might be right, I really truly believe that anything that gets young adults reading for fun for maybe the first time in their lives, can do nothing but good; thus, advocating my blog title, reading is knowledge. Anything to bring knowledge to the people. Any girl can get her hopes up about her very own Edward Cullen who is much more that normal but can see the differences in a very normal girl. I believe that Stephenie Meyers' books bring hope to those who are looking for that special someone, and that is important too.