It's Christmas eve and this morning I heard the song Christmas shoes. Ever since childhood, this has been one of my favorite Christmas tunes. I remember when I was younger, I always liked it because I thought it was so cool for a young boy to be buying his mom a present all by himself. I had always wanted to be mature and try to buy Christmas presents by myself also. When the song talks about the mother meeting Jesus that night, I had always thought that Jesus just came and visited the mom on Christmas. The whole song just sounded really fun to me.
As I matured and aged, I still heard this song faithfully every year during Christmas time. As I started to understand this song I was shocked to learn the real meaning of it. The little boy's mother was dying! During Christmas! This just seemed so dreadful. How could they write a song about someone during Christmas time? The stranger who gets to help the boy out was not in the Christmas mood. He was just like how many people are in the stores, stressed out about Christmas and making sure they purchase everything on their list. This little boy teaches the man a lesson. He reminds him about what Christmas is really about. This song always makes me emotional and brings tears to my eyes, as I am reminded of how blessed I am to have healthy family and friends. If you haven't heard this song I strongly encourage you to listen to it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpkI7GW2V34
It seems that this Christmas there has been to much death and sickness. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be missing a loved one, especially during the holiday season. It is easy to get caught up in all the presents you are receiving, but what should be more important are the people you are sharing it with. You and I both need to enjoy the people in our presence and treasure the moments shared with them.
Last night my friends and I went to the light show called Celebrate the Light of the World. This is an awesome show of Christmas lights that is synchronized to Christmas music. It is put on for the Redcross organization. My friends and I had saved a whole jar of change and we donated the whole thing. I'm not quite sure how much it was, but it was an amazing feeling to be giving to those who need it. This light show was exactly what we needed to put us into the Christmas spirit, there was even fake show! The video does not do the show justice but this gives you an idea what it was like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6HkBJL2BT0
And of course, we cannot forget the reason for the season. Jesus Christ, our Lord! It is because, of this birthday boy that we have this holiday. It is important to remember that he came down to earth so save us from our sins. This baby boy saved our lives :)
So, with all that said have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with your family and friends! And remember why Christmas is truly important!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Right People
I'd like to send a shout out to Katie Pieper! Thank you for reading my blog! I would really enjoy it if you would start one also:)
If you've ever taken a look around the cafeteria during lunch you will notice that everybody is sitting in certain groups. Normally, the same people sit with each other every day. It is not common to see people sitting with different people. I never really thought much of this until yesterday, when our LOH (Leaders on the Horizon) group decided to sit together at lunch. We decided to do this because we normally meet on Mondays and this Monday we had school. This made me wonder what people thought of a random group sitting together at lunch. (we have 2 boys and 5 girls from 10th and 11th grade) Ever since I can remember I've sat with the same people at lunch everyday, all the girls in my grade. Yesterday I really enjoyed myself sitting with a new group of people. We had really good conversation that was different than what I normally have. I encourage other people to try sitting with new people. Of course, it is always fun to sit with your friends. But,it is really good to get to know other people and expand your horizons. So instead of sitting with all the "right" people maybe we should try sitting with the "wrong" people. I think it would just be awesome if everybody felt comfortable sitting with anybody in our cafeteria.
If you've ever taken a look around the cafeteria during lunch you will notice that everybody is sitting in certain groups. Normally, the same people sit with each other every day. It is not common to see people sitting with different people. I never really thought much of this until yesterday, when our LOH (Leaders on the Horizon) group decided to sit together at lunch. We decided to do this because we normally meet on Mondays and this Monday we had school. This made me wonder what people thought of a random group sitting together at lunch. (we have 2 boys and 5 girls from 10th and 11th grade) Ever since I can remember I've sat with the same people at lunch everyday, all the girls in my grade. Yesterday I really enjoyed myself sitting with a new group of people. We had really good conversation that was different than what I normally have. I encourage other people to try sitting with new people. Of course, it is always fun to sit with your friends. But,it is really good to get to know other people and expand your horizons. So instead of sitting with all the "right" people maybe we should try sitting with the "wrong" people. I think it would just be awesome if everybody felt comfortable sitting with anybody in our cafeteria.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
First Impressions
Everybody judges. It's our human nature, we can't help it. Or can we? This is what I personally wanted to learn from this project. Some questions I've always wondered are: Why do we judge? What are we judging? What affects do first impressions have? Can judging be prevent? Finally, I know the answers.
Our group started out by asking ourselves some key questions. These questions were: What are your first thoughts when you first meet someone? Who do you judge? Are you judged? What matters most? The inside or the outside? What really matters? These questions were used in our survey that we handed out to students among our school. These questions also helped us form our challenge which was to not judge a book by its cover.
A survey and multiple internet sources have proven that the majority of people judge people by their exterior instead of their interior. The first thing a person notices about another person is the color of their skin, their weight, their sex, age, and the clothes they are wearing. Many people also tend to stereotype people before they even talk to them. They will automatically think they are a prep, nerd, ect. by what they appear to be on the outside.
One interesting thing I noticed from our survey was that it was easy for everyone to say that they felt judged by everybody else. When asked who they judged, the majority people were in denial and claimed that they do not judge others. The people who answered no often contradicted themselves in the next question. The question asked what they first noticed about a person. Many people answered with external features such as hair, clothing, and if they're good looking or not. We found very few people who thought about peoples' personalities before their looks.
To prove a point and experience peoples' reactions our group conducted an experiment where we would dress as different stereotypes. The stereotypes we chose were teen mom, obese, preppy, high class, and promiscuous. We all met up at the mall on November 26. We used surveys and video cameras to capture the reactions to our stereotypes.
It was very interesting to see peoples' reactions. We received very many weird looks and comments. Reactions to the teen mom were often shock. People thought teenage girls were too young to have kids. Surprisingly, there were people that would approach the teen mom and ask her questions such as how old the baby was and if they could see it. It seemed that many people did not want to associate with the obese person and often stayed clear of the person. The preppy person did not receive very many odd looks until the person was seen in a goth store. Then the preppy person looked out of place. The high class person drew attention when they were in stores that didn't seem up to their standards. The promiscuous girl received many looks, many males who were shocked by the outfit she was wearing in public. What I thought was most interesting was when we were all standing in one group together. People stared at us as if they were thinking that we shouldn't be together. Since we were different stereotypes people didn't think we should be able to hang out together.
Studies have shown that it is natural to judge a person. Humans are curious so when we see somebody our brain does its best to categorize the person to our understanding. This is okay, but what we need to think about is what we are judging about the person. It makes a huge difference if you are judging the person's inside or outside. The inside is what really matters. Even though it may be hard to not judge a person by the outside, it is doable, and definitely worth the effort.
Our challenge to others is not to judge a book by a cover. Of course, we are not talking about an actual book, we are talking about real, living, breathing human beings! It is not as hard as it sounds. You just have to simply not be so quick to react. When you first see someone, don't think about what kind clothing brand they're wearing or how they should do something different with their hair. Instead stop and think about the good things! Ask yourself questions such as : Are they a person of integrity? How do they treat those around them? How do they apply their skills and talents? Questions like these will help you judge a person by the inside instead of the outside.
If everyone is able to accept this challenge and really work hard at it, our world is going to become a better place. Everyone deserves to be thought of as the person that they really are, not as the person they appear to be on the outside. Please, next time you have thoughts running through your mind about a person's appearance, stop and remember what really matters.
Our group started out by asking ourselves some key questions. These questions were: What are your first thoughts when you first meet someone? Who do you judge? Are you judged? What matters most? The inside or the outside? What really matters? These questions were used in our survey that we handed out to students among our school. These questions also helped us form our challenge which was to not judge a book by its cover.
A survey and multiple internet sources have proven that the majority of people judge people by their exterior instead of their interior. The first thing a person notices about another person is the color of their skin, their weight, their sex, age, and the clothes they are wearing. Many people also tend to stereotype people before they even talk to them. They will automatically think they are a prep, nerd, ect. by what they appear to be on the outside.
One interesting thing I noticed from our survey was that it was easy for everyone to say that they felt judged by everybody else. When asked who they judged, the majority people were in denial and claimed that they do not judge others. The people who answered no often contradicted themselves in the next question. The question asked what they first noticed about a person. Many people answered with external features such as hair, clothing, and if they're good looking or not. We found very few people who thought about peoples' personalities before their looks.
To prove a point and experience peoples' reactions our group conducted an experiment where we would dress as different stereotypes. The stereotypes we chose were teen mom, obese, preppy, high class, and promiscuous. We all met up at the mall on November 26. We used surveys and video cameras to capture the reactions to our stereotypes.
It was very interesting to see peoples' reactions. We received very many weird looks and comments. Reactions to the teen mom were often shock. People thought teenage girls were too young to have kids. Surprisingly, there were people that would approach the teen mom and ask her questions such as how old the baby was and if they could see it. It seemed that many people did not want to associate with the obese person and often stayed clear of the person. The preppy person did not receive very many odd looks until the person was seen in a goth store. Then the preppy person looked out of place. The high class person drew attention when they were in stores that didn't seem up to their standards. The promiscuous girl received many looks, many males who were shocked by the outfit she was wearing in public. What I thought was most interesting was when we were all standing in one group together. People stared at us as if they were thinking that we shouldn't be together. Since we were different stereotypes people didn't think we should be able to hang out together.
Studies have shown that it is natural to judge a person. Humans are curious so when we see somebody our brain does its best to categorize the person to our understanding. This is okay, but what we need to think about is what we are judging about the person. It makes a huge difference if you are judging the person's inside or outside. The inside is what really matters. Even though it may be hard to not judge a person by the outside, it is doable, and definitely worth the effort.
Our challenge to others is not to judge a book by a cover. Of course, we are not talking about an actual book, we are talking about real, living, breathing human beings! It is not as hard as it sounds. You just have to simply not be so quick to react. When you first see someone, don't think about what kind clothing brand they're wearing or how they should do something different with their hair. Instead stop and think about the good things! Ask yourself questions such as : Are they a person of integrity? How do they treat those around them? How do they apply their skills and talents? Questions like these will help you judge a person by the inside instead of the outside.
If everyone is able to accept this challenge and really work hard at it, our world is going to become a better place. Everyone deserves to be thought of as the person that they really are, not as the person they appear to be on the outside. Please, next time you have thoughts running through your mind about a person's appearance, stop and remember what really matters.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Can't Get Over You
These words are definitely how I'm feeling. In awe of the Lord :)
"Can't Get Over You" Lyrics
by Anthem Lights | from the album Anthem Lights
I love the way You love like no other
It's got nothing to do with anything that I do
Time and time again You forgive me
So this time I choose to stay here with You
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
Here in the arms of my Father
Only grace can be found
So I lay my fears down
Nothing is the same anymore
You've changed me from the inside out
Now my heart is beating and it's singing won't You...
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same, oh Lord
I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same, oh Lord
Even through the good and the bad times
You stay the same
So my song will remain
Lord...
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
There's nothing I can't do
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
"Can't Get Over You" Lyrics
by Anthem Lights | from the album Anthem Lights
I love the way You love like no other
It's got nothing to do with anything that I do
Time and time again You forgive me
So this time I choose to stay here with You
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
Here in the arms of my Father
Only grace can be found
So I lay my fears down
Nothing is the same anymore
You've changed me from the inside out
Now my heart is beating and it's singing won't You...
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same, oh Lord
I can't get over the way
Your love stays the same, oh Lord
Even through the good and the bad times
You stay the same
So my song will remain
Lord...
Hold me
Pull me just a little bit closer
I don't want to lose this moment
You're love has covered me
And now I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
I can't get over You
There's nothing I can't do
I just can't get over You
I can't get over You
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Hmmm...
Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself. Right now I'm being honnest with myself when I admit that I suck at blogging. But here goes nothing,
This year I've realized that staying home is not so bad. I tend to find myself always going, going, going with friends, and not spending enough time at home with my family. This is really sad because, I love my family and there are some days I feel like I don't even see them because I am so busy. It is good to have good friends, but it is also important to remember your family and spend quality time with them. I have learned that I have just as much fun or more with my family as I do with my friends. So next time before you go out, think twice :)
This year I've realized that staying home is not so bad. I tend to find myself always going, going, going with friends, and not spending enough time at home with my family. This is really sad because, I love my family and there are some days I feel like I don't even see them because I am so busy. It is good to have good friends, but it is also important to remember your family and spend quality time with them. I have learned that I have just as much fun or more with my family as I do with my friends. So next time before you go out, think twice :)
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