RF?

Sorry about missing Randomness Friday this week! We had a huge storm that knocked out our power, so I was confined to the meager powers of a cell phone that can only email*sigh*. Anyway, by God's grace, I'll post RF next week and recover from this annoying cramp in my thumbs.

God Bless,

Prayer is Powerful

Thank you all so much for praying yesterday! Lil' Sis is home now, doing just great. In fact, she's acting perfectly normal, other than being really hungry yesterday when she came home.
Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Prayer is truly a powerful thing.

God Bless,

Prayer Request

Hey ya'll. I come before you today with a big favor to ask.

Lil' Sis is having oral surgery today. It's not too much of a big deal, but she'll be in a lot of pain as any patient would be. Also please pray for the millions of children out there in pain, hunger, or suffering in countries such as Haiti, India, China, and many others.

Will you lift up these precious little ones with me?

God Bless,

Click!

I was looking through old photos today, and I saw this one I took at the zoo last year (Okay, the pictures weren't too old). I remember taking the picture then, trying to get a picture of the beautiful creature with the face in a perfect position.

It may not be perfect, but I love it.

I edited the picture only a little, to make everything but the cougar black and white. I think it still looks natural, but brings attention to the cougar's face.

What do you think?

God Bless,

Randomness Friday: Frozen Dog Food and Other Oddities

Thank you, Libby!

Please welcome to AGoMC *drumroll*

*sigh*

I am so sorry folks... We did have a new follower this week, but, alas, something is wrong and no follower is showing up...

Whoever you are who joined, you will be featured next week.

~*~

Frozen dog food? That was probably why you clicked on the title of this post if you are a follower.

This past weekend, I went to my local discount store and was browsing the frozen food section for frozen baby corn (In the end, I didn't find it)... Anyways, I looked at all of the isles, including the frozen delights.

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, cheesecake...

Mmmmmmm..... Aren't you getting hungry?

Pies, popsicles, and frozen dog food

I stopped walking, nearly getting run over by the woman behind me.

"Frozen dog food?" I asked, to no one in particular.

Indeed, right next to the Blue Bell Vanilla Creamy Ice...

Frozen Dog Food...

and Ice Cream...

Frozen Dog Food...

and Ice Cream

Does that seem right to you?

~*~

*squeal in excitement* tobyMac's "Tonight" is due to release February 9, 2010...

It's so close, I'm so EXCITED!

~*~

Okay, so I just joined this awesome site (even though I said I'd never join a "social networking" place) called New Release Tuesday. It's a place for opinions about music and books. People review, add lyrics, and a bunch of other stuff. Even better... If you sign up and start reviewing and commenting, you get points to buy awesome stuff like buttons, stickers, Tshirts, CDs, books, and movies! How cool is that???

If you're a member or would like to join, sign up and find me on there as Prism.

*laughs* What other name would I use?

~*~

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post about changing my profile picture. I have decided not to change it, though my newreleasetuesday account has my button picture as my profile picture...

~*~

I think it would be so cool to have a day or concert where artists sing songs originally performed my other artists. Like, Britt Nicole singing a Francesca Batestelli song.

But then again, an artist's song is unique about them, and that's what makes it special...

~*~

Today was a pretty good Friday, and I'm so glad it's here!

God Bless,

Should I Change My Profile Picture?

Of course, I wouldn't put up a picture of myself, but how about the same picture as the one on my button?

I'm not sure yet....

Please comment on your opinions!

God Bless,

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan Review

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan is the action packed sequel to The Last Thing I Remember. Charlie West used to be a normal high schooler. He had friends, a great training in karate, and even a sweetheart.
But fast forward a year later. Charlie's memory has disappeared and he must rebuild his past. Sounds simple enough, but several things stand in the way. He is on the run from a terrorist group called the "Homelanders" and he is a fugitive from the law, having been convicted with killing his friend and escaping prison. Is there no one he can trust?
But when Charlie makes his way home, he is joined by his friends to solve the mystery of what really happened during the night of the murder. What he discovers is both shocking and astounding.
What happens? You'll have to read The Long Way Home to find out.

This book was really well written as a mystery that keeps the reader guessing through the whole adventure. The characters seem so real, as the setting does. Christian themes are woven throughout the book, and though there were several problems, I couldn't put it down.
This book is great for the guys because of all of the action and martial arts but also for the girls who also like action and a sprinkle of romance. Speaking of romance, I did like the way the author keeps the romance there, but it doesn't have all of the drama. The relationship is clean, self-sacrificing, and quite sweet.
The friendships in this books are strong and unshakable. Though there is much teasing (which is normal of most teenagers), I loved reading the conversations between Charlie and his best friends. 

As I mentioned before, this book was really well written, and I only found two places in the whole book that were questionable. Near the beginning, Charlie is attacked by one of the Homelanders and takes a set of keys along with money from his assailant. Of course, this makes a way for Charlie to escape with style and survive, but what Charlie thinks is what I found to be interesting.
"Yes, I know the Ten Commandments...But this didn't feel like stealing. The guy was...my killer...I figured he owed me at least this much." [p. 12]
Wait...Charlie's stealing was deserved?
Charlie also hides the truth from his parents when camping out in an abandoned old mansion for fear that they wouldn't let him.
"It's not like I was going to lie about it...I was just going to tell the truth a little late, that's all." [p. 104]
Isn't hiding the truth the same as lying?
He camps out at the mansion for a project, which he gets a good grade on. He does get punished, but because of the grade, Charlie's punishment is drastically reduced. Cleaning out the garage for a day as opposed to being grounded for fourteen days shows some weakness on the part of the parents. If the good grade was really worth it, wouldn't the punishment be do-able?

All in all, I give this book four stars out of a possible five. This book is full of mystery and excitement. The relationships are kept clean and good. This action/adventure book is a great read, but, though it isn't preachy about Christianity, I wouldn't recommend sharing it with a non-Christian friend. Charlie got away with things that in my opinion, he shouldn't have. We should be careful to never be a negative examples for those on the outside looking in.

I recommend this book to Christian teenagers.

Technicalities:

Title: The Long Way Home. The Homelanders Book Two.
Author: Andrew Klavan
Number of Pages: 352
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardback

***Note: I am a member of the Thomas Nelson Blogger Reviewers. Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.***

God Bless,

What Is Prism doing?

Hey everyone! Since RF was sorta short this week, I thought that I had deprived you all of my randomness... That is, if you aren't already sick over my ramblings...

*mutters to self* I do ramble a lot, don't I. Hmmmmm...

Anyways,

What Prism has been listening to:
Britt Nicole (I just got her CD... It's awesome)
Newsboys
Matt Maher
Skillet
RED
Tal & Acacia
Pocket Full of Rocks
Barlowgirl
Fireflight

You can probably tell that my music taste is wide. I'm too undecided to pick a favorite genre

Reading?
The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan (Review to come Tuesday!)
Biography of Jane Austen
Lucy series (I've just finished reviewing the series... However, I have no clue when it's going to be posted!)

I just got back to Tae Kwon Do and it feels different somehow. In the time I've been gone, our school has gotten a lot bigger and the people seem really friendly now. I really like the change... I get excercise, flexibility and strength training, and fun! I sure hope the change is permanent.

Anyways, I was thinking of a new element to my blog. There's a lot if new trends on blogs
nowadays, one of them being interviewing fellow bloggers. I think it seems like a fun thing to do... What do you think? Please vote in the poll and comment.

I'm still accepting questions for the FAQ page. I haven't gotten any yet, so if you have any questions for me, please ask! :)

God Bless,

Randomness Friday: FAQuestions. Ask Away!

Thank you, Libby!

~*~

Please welcome to GoMC...*drumroll*

Abbie

and

Sara Kathryn

Welcome, you awesome gals! Be sure to check out their blogs!

~*~

Okay, so I was working on a project about a webpage we were suppose to "create" (not really, we just typed it out). My partner and I picked an FAQ.

Well, he didn't know what FAQ stood for.

So, of course, I told him, "Frequently Asked Questions!"

(This does have something to do with my blog, by the way)

Please submit questions you would like to be added to the FAQ page. It can be absolutely anything, but I do reserve the right to answer what I feel comfortable answering.

Please no questions about my age or location... As you may have heard, my motto for the blog is, "The magic is in the mystery!"

Also, keep it appropriate, please. Just look at my comment form...

I've heard that a lot lately, but I have no clue why...

Anyway, please ask any question on your mind about me or the blog and I'll do my best to add them to the FAQ page if it's not already there.

That's all for this RF.

Class dismissed! (Dude, I don't know where that came from...)

God Bless,

Christian Rock Music? Is That Possible?

"You call that 'Christian' rock music?"

I've heard about this topic a lot, but mostly from people in their thirties or forties when they talk to teen musicians. Especially from the Bible teachers from the video school I have been involved with for the past couple of years.

1. "Rock" music is evil, "Christian" or not...

2. Christian rock music is a tool to reach our generation...

What's true? Depends on how you look at it.

I'd say that music comes from God. I mean, music is a part of our worship at church, right? David wrote a TON of songs in the thickest book of the Bible. He danced his way through town when the Ark of the Covenant was brought home. God gave us music as a way to connect to other people and express emotions in an amazing art medium. Music is truly a God-given art.

I've heard it said that just the beat and instrumentation of rock music is repulsive and satanic. In my opinion, I'd say not necessarily.

NOTE: I may be biased since my favorite kind of music is [Christian] mild rock.

Indeed the beat of the music may get you pumped, but the question is... what for? Is it to go after girls/guys and drugs? Or does the music influence you to chase after God and be like Christ with all of your being?

I've seen some of the scary stuff at some places. Some popular TV shows have displayed rock music that is grossly immoral and/or satanic. I saw some bizarre behavior and coarse language. Many people who have seen that kind of stuff automatically think Christian music is like that. Not at all! 

Many artists, yes Christian too, have interesting clothing. It may be a band with the popular haircut or all black clothing. I have yet to see a Christian band push it too far. I have not yet seen a true Christian band with:

a) Immodest clothing (both men and women)

b) Vulgar speech

c) Subtly arousing people to get involved in immorality

By "Christian" I mean truly Christian. Some bands hide under the umbrella of religious music, but they do not reflect it in the way they act, dress, and sing. I can even think of a few now. But, for the most part, Christian bands do their best to reach out and sing about Jesus. Wouldn't you agree?

 Let us narrow our view to a sub-genre of the Christian music world.

"Screamo" Christian Music- honestly the music can be terrifying. Usually I like to survey the band's attitude before I label them as something I want to listen to. Yes, I have some songs with screaming in my library, but they only have about two to four seconds of screaming in the whole song, and even then I've set the EQ to put it in the background (if it already isn't). I would absolutely go deaf or insane if I listened to a full screamo song.

I know it pumps up the adrenalin, but why? What is it about screaming that rouses the emotions? Is it the absolute desperation or roughness to the voice? Is it the fact that screams can chill the blood and cause young people to feel invincible? Is it the absolute pain being expressed?

As a person who does not readily enjoy screamo music, I cannot truly tell you why certain people like screaming music. I simply do not understand the logic to the whole subgenre. I believe that screamo rock music could very well be close to the brink of satanic.

What are your opinions on screaming during songs?

The thing is, I've seen a lot of people surrender their lives to Jesus when going to a Christian concert. Hundreds of teens have given their lives to Him. True Christian music has a genuine way of reaching out. But I believe there is a fine line between true Christian music and non. Especially nowadays, when artists are trying to be more modern and can be a little unsure of when to draw the line.

As you decide whether or not you want to follow a popular band, think about these things:

1. Are the lyrics wholesome and pleasing to God?

2. How is the music portrayed (artists' general attitude, way of bringing the music, response of the crowd, ect.)

3. How does it make me feel? (Good? Bad? Downright Angry?)

God Bless,



P.S. This post may seem familiar to you who have been following GoMC for a while. This post is the slightly edited version of a post published in June of last year.

The Lost Get Found

I absolutely love this video, and Britt Nicole!

Randomness Friday: First of 2010, Radio Adventures, and Other Oddities!

Thank you, Libby!

*NEWS*


It's feels like it's been so long since I last posted, but the reason was because of (of course) the holidays and a big decision I made...

Randomness Friday is no longer a blog carnival. It just didn't catch on, which is totally okay :) I'm still going to do it, though! I love RF!

~*~

Please welcome to GoMC *drumroll*

Glow Fish
and
Emily Shae

Welcome, welcome! Thanks so much for following!
New total: 62!
All of you followers rock!

~*~

New this week?

Well, Prism has found a new love... Adventures in Odyssey!

Yes, the radio adventures produced by Focus on the Family have recaptured my attention! I've found them entertaining, engaging, and uplifting.

I also looked at their website, whitsend.org, and found that every day, they let listeners listen to a free episode. They also have a podcast that showcases popular episodes now and then with behind-the-scenes clips.

I highly recommend buying/listening on the radio/listening online the Adventures in Odyssey shows to families. :)
~*~

This week was really weird. It was freezing cold yesterday and is today. Below zero! At least where I live we haven't gotten to -50, but it was still cold.

A lot of the schools in my area canceled, but today? There was school, but it was okay.

We didn't really do much since a LOT of people weren't there:)
~*~

It's weird how I always draw when I'm bored. Doodling, actually. I was "daydreaming" of a scene for my story, and this is what I drew. A new king must address his people and he is encouraged by a best friend. What do you think?
~*~

God Bless,

Tag!

Tagged by Milly :)

Rule: Answer all questions with one word

Where is your cell phone? Schoolbag
Significant other? Future
Your mother? Home
Your father? Work
Your favorite thing? Imagination
Your dream last night? Bizarre
Your favorite drink? Soda
What room are you in? Study
Your hobby? Many... (can't choose!)
Your fear? Contention
Where do you want to be in 6 years? College
Where were you last night? Bed
Something that you aren't? Bubbly
Wish list item? Music
Last thing you did? School
What are you wearing? Grey
TV? No
Name one of your pets: Belle
Friends? Hilarious
Your life?Adventures
Your mood?Tranquil
Missing someone?*sigh*
Drinking? No
Your car?Dealership
Something you're not wearing? Ring
Your favorite store?Christian
Your favorite color? Purple
When is the last time you cried?Forgot
Where do you go to over and over?School
My favorite place to eat? Home
Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? Fantasy

Well, that was fun! And...concise :)

I tag: Anyone who is wearing green!

God Bless,

Review of The Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson

The Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson is the exciting conclusion to the Door Within Trilogy. Darkness begins to envelope the Realm as the evil usurper, Paragor, begins to unleash his forces. The Glimpses, inhabitants of the Realm, still loyal to the good King Eliam must stand strong and be wiling to sacrifice their all for the hope of finally defeating Paragor. Aidan and Antoinette, both teens from our world who we met in the previous books, both meet in the realm as they attempt to escape from Paragor's clutches. They find the Realm a very different place; they find the Realm a world preparing for the biggest battle, the final storm.
Will they be able to get out of Paragory alive? Will the forces of the King win? Will the legendary heroes prophesied to bring victory show up?
Find out in the Final storm.
I must say that I love the way that everything culminates in the final book.  Heroes use what they have learned, characters that we have not seen in a long time show up, and the puzzle becomes clear. This book also shows, which is my favorite thing about it, that death is not the end for Christians.
However, I felt bogged down a lot by conversations that seemed to slow the plot down. Some elements of the story came almost too fast in places, and the reader suddenly learns a very important fact about Antoinette in a sudden comment she makes. It seems to me that the fact should have been presented in a more attention-getting way, because a reader could very well be confused or miss the new revelation entirely.
All in all, I recommend this book to readers age nine and up. Fantasy and adventure fans alike will highly enjoy this epic fantasy. As an avid fan of Mr. Batson's work, I can tell you, it only gets better from here!

God Bless,

Prism's Accountability...

Okay, I've noticed that I've been overplanning... Promising to do a series of posts, promising to write about this or that, ect. It's not on purpose, I can assure you. I'm working on doing what I say on this blog. Will you forgive me?

Shall we start off with my Christmas to-do list? 

I promised to...

~Do a Christmas Puzzle I did last year. I did this one. It was 550 pieces of awesomeness. I hope to add a puzzle with more pieces next time around. But it was done in three days, just in time for Christmas Eve! 

~Make a gingerbreak house! I did try, but it just didn't work out. I later found out that the "gingerbread" house was really a "yucky packed sugar thingies" house. It was gross...

~Read!!!! Ah, I read to my hearts content... It was so beautiful.

~Sleep in!!! Do you even have to ask? SO did it! *grins*


~Write! I finished a full edit of my book, realizing at the same time how much work I have to do to make my writing...tolerable.

~Finish my pirates coloring book?This was an iffy from the beginning. It didn't work out...



So I'm getting better, and I hope you'll bear with me... I'll do my best to do things that I intend to, and be more honest to myself about my limitations. I suppose you could call it a New Year's Resolution...

God Bless,

Happy New Year!

2010! It's amazing that we're already a decade into the 21st century.

May God bless you and yours each and every day of the year 2010.

Here's to more adventures, stories, hard times, good times, and growth in God!

God Bless,



P.S. The picture of fireworks is not mine. It was found on the Google Image Search.