Distractions

So last night I decided I should probably catch up on my Bible reading. (I was like four chapters behind.) So I read Hebrews 12 and 13. It took me a while to get my mind centered on God because I had just finished a really sad book and then also I was thinking about a whole bunch of other stuff. And the first two verses of Hebrews 12 says,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we much get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping out eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." (That's NET.)

These verses kind of slapped me in the face, telling me to pay attention. Specifically to my quiet time that night. But it can also be applied to everything. 

One of the first things I was told when I started running was to look straight ahead of me. Not at my feet or the ground in front of my feet, but straight ahead of me. Not surprisingly, it helped. And it works here. When I'm just looking at whatever is straight in front of me, I can run. But once I get distracted by stuff, it gets hard. My form gets sloppy tiring my body out. And then I'm screwed, basically. 

In the same way, if I really want to serve God wholly and get as close to perfect as I can, I need to look right ahead of me, to God. Not thinking about anything else. Throughout everything, not just when I'm supposed to be in church or something. 100% of the time I should be focused on what God wants me to do. 

Which is quite difficult, I might add. Especially since there are things that aren't exactly sinful, but they're distracting me from what's really important. 

In life, don't let yourself get distracted or weighed down by stupid things. Just focus on Jesus and run towards him. 

Okay... I guess that's kind of a short post. But I was just thinking about this last night and then also decided I hadn't blogged in a while so...

I have some other stuff to say, but I wanted this to have it's own post.  

Much love,

Amanda <3

Stream of Consciousness 7

Yeah so... I'm slightly  bored and have an unquenchable desire to write something. And I thought "Hey! I have a perfectly decent blog for this very reason!" So here I am.
My mom got a new keyboard and it's really frustrating because I have to press down harder than I'm used to. So this post will probably take twice as long because I'll have to keep backspacing to re-type words and whatnot.

I added an About Me page. It's over there somewhere... ----> In case you're curious.

Here's a picture in case
you needed to know...

I recently started reading Divergent. Mostly because the movie is coming out and it looked interesting. Even though I have been told multiple times by multiple people that it sucks, I'm reading it. I'm about halfway through since I stayed up until  2 AM (technically 3 AM since it's daylight savings time) reading it. So far I really like it. But, you know, that's subject to change. I think it presents some really interesting concepts. What is bravery? What is selflessness? What is knowledge? In this book the characters must choose only one. Do they want to learn to be brave? honest? peaceful? wise? humble? But then there's this one girl, Tris, who is called "Divergent" because she could belong equally with three of the different groups.
I'm worried that the romance will ruin it, though. And it looks like that's where it's heading. The last few popular teen books I read ended up really sucking. So I'm hoping this one is semi-okay. I might even see the movie.


I'm thinking about joining this writing group at my library. But I hate sharing my writing with people. And this will be people I don't even know. Do you know how terrifying that is? But at the same time, it will help me improve as a writer... So I don't know.


You know what is really hard? Respecting someone even though they've done nothing to earn your respect. You just have to give it to them because they're in a position of authority. Or when someone with less knowledge than you in a certain subjects tell you you're doing it wrong and you have to do what they say because they're in charge of you.
It's honestly one of the hardest things that I struggle with. And then I get reminded that I'm actually not that great, and I should have grace on those people who are just doing the best they can. I need to grit my teeth and bare it and respect authority.


I'm surprised people actually read this. I rarely read blogs.... Thanks for reading!

The other day I tweeted "It's a shame when perfectly decent notebook paper is wasted on something as mundane as History notes." And my History teacher found the tweet. I'm fairly certain he took in personally. Like I was saying his class was a waste of time. But I said "mundane" meaning "dull, not interesting." Not useless. If I wanted to say useless I would have just said useless...
That was one of my more awkward experiences at school.....


A few friends of mine are getting married! I remember when I was young and it was my parent's friends getting married and now it's all of my friends.... And that is strange...


My brother and I went to a Propaganda concert the other night. He's excellent. You should check him out. Right now. One of his songs is on my Songs To Hear page. It's the first one.
 I'll wait........
He's pretty awesome, right? If you want to download both of his albums for free, go to humblebeast.com and you shall not regret it.
One of my favorite things was waiting outside with a group of people who were just there to have a good time. Also, while we were waiting to see if there were still tickets left, Propaganda came out and did a song on the concrete for us because there was a chance we wouldn't get it. I think that's cool when an artist isn't so famous or so stuck up that he won't come out and meet the fans or whatever. I just think it's cool.


Well, I suppose I've bored you enough now. However, I could keep rambling for ever and a day. But no one wants to read that.

Much Love,
Amanda  <3