I'm so sorry, everybody, it's been SOOO long! And I promised I'd post soon. I apologise - exams and life got in the way of my blogging progress...

Anyway, I haven't got that much time today, either because I'm going

:) I LOVE ice skating. So it's incredibly awesome to be doing a course and learning how to actually how do it properly. I'm not awful, but I can't do anything fancy. Meeting new people and first lessons and new people are always nerve-wracking, but we'll see how it goes.

And after ice-skating, I'm off

with someone totally amazing and beautiful, whom I absolutely love to pieces :)

We're on the search for ball dresses, for a ball we're off to in December, which is very exciting stuff.

Anyway, I must be off to do all that.

Keep safe everybody. Peace, love and blessings :)

Lizzie xx

Question Time

As you may know, I have exams upcoming, and writing a blog post, depsite my promises, isn't applicable right this minute. I'm sorry! :(

So,  to give you SOMETHING to read, I'm going to be brave and fill out the "Personal Questions Quiz". Eeeek. Here goes.

This is seriously going to get personal, you ready?

YES.

If you were caught cheating, would you fess up?

Yep.

The last time you felt honestly broken?

Only last week.

Are you craving something

?

Not really :)

If you could have one thing right now what would it be?

Being around people who love me.

Would you rather have ten kids, or none?

That's a difficult one. Maybe none at all, although I always would have before said 10. I can do other things with my life. I could even adopt.

What do you hear right now?
Just my fingers on the keyboard. And my stomach grumbling.

Is your bed against more than one of your walls?

Yes, two.

What’s on your mind right now?

This quiz, silly. 

Are you there for your friends?

I'd hope so, but I know I let them down.

Last person to see you cry?

My sister, on Thursday.

What do you do when you get nervous?

Feel sick and need to pee. I'm sorry, but you asked.

Be honest, do you like people in general?

YES! :)

How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids?

If I do have them, it'll be God's plan

Does anyone completely understand you?

Well, there's Jesus :) And my sister must come pretty close.

Do you have a reason to smile right now?

We always have a reason to smile. I have a roof overhead and a relationship with God, don't I?

Has anyone told you they don’t ever wanna lose you?

Yes, and I'll never let her go.

Would you be happier if life had a rewind button?

No, we learn from our mistakes. Believe me, I've made some.

Do you tell your mum or dad everything?

No way!

Does it matter to you if your boyfriend or girlfriend smokes?

Hmmm. Hard one. I guess not, but it's something I'd really rather they didn't. Moralistically, I wouldn't smoke myself.

Are you going to get hurt anytime soon by someone?

Maybe. If I don't, I'll thank God for his mercy, if I do, I'll thank God for giving me a challenge that I know will help me in the future.

This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

I don't think I liked anyone, as more than a friend.

Do you think more about the past, present, or future?

I used to worry about the future and mourn over the past, but now, I guess I'm just enjoying the right now.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

It depends. Usually 6 or 7 hours, but sometimes less, I'm not great at sleeping.

Are you easy to get along with?

I'd hope so. At least, easier than I used to be

Do you hate the last girl you had a conversation with?

On chat, that'd be my sister, who I love. And in person, that'd be... Alex? Who I also love.

What was the last drink that you put in your mouth?

Erm. I can't remember. Water, I expect.

What size bed do you have?

Standard single.

Do you start the water before you get in the shower or when you get in?

Before I get in, I'm not that brave!

Do you like the rain?

In some ways, yes, it's beautiful.

Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?

I don't know. Maybe :)

Have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldn’t do?

Many, many times.

Would people refer to you as a goodie goodie, bad news, or neither?

Goodie goodie... :)

Who were you last in the car with, besides family?

Besides family? Ahh, a babysitting client taking me home.

What’s the last movie you saw in theaters and with who?

Rio, with my family, quite a while back.

Have you ever kissed someone who had a boyfriend/ girlfriend?

No!

Have you ever been hurt by someone you never thought would hurt you?

Yep :/

Your parents are out of town. Would you throw a massive party?

No, this is me. I've just told you I'm a goodie goodie.

Do you regret a past relationship?

You could say that.

Would you rather spend a Friday night at a concert or a crazy party?

Concert. I hate crazy parties.

Do you tend to fall for the same type of person over and over?

Not really.

Have you made a joke about somebody that made them cry?

I hope not.

Do you care too much about your appearance?

I think we all do. I don't wear loads of make-up or anything, but I think we all care more than we should.

Are you a jealous person?

I certainly can be, but not always.

Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?

Nope.

Do you miss anyone?

Yes.

Last person who made you cry?

Won't name names.

Does your ex piss you off?

Nope. Don't really have one, depending on your opinion of "ex".

What are you doing tomorrow?

Funny you asked, because tomorrow's exciting :) But I'm not telling!

Are you the type of person who has a new boyfriend/ girlfriend every week?

Not at all.

Is there anyone you want to come see you?

Yep :)

Ever given your all to someone who walked away?

I guess so. But it's not who she thinks she is. She definitely won't be reading this.

Do you like cotton candy?

Yep :)

Who was the last person you had a serious conversation with?

The gorgeous Jessica.

Are you planning to get knocked up or knock someone up by age 17?

No... I'm a purity girl.

Do you have siblings?

One biological brother, one Sister in Christ.

Have you ever fallen asleep on someone?

Yep! :)

How has the past week been for you?

One word. URGH.

Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?

Yes, I'm talking to him now.

What’s on your mind right now?

This quiz, I swear you asked that before. And tomorrow. Because it's exciting and I'm still not telling.

What were you doing at midnight last night?

Sleeping! YAY!

What is your current mood?

Excited, nervous and hungry.

Who was the first person you talked to today?
My sister on chat.

Will this week be a good one?

I hope so!

Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy?

Yes. Unfortunately it caused what has made me UNHAPPY but, yes, it has.

Who were you with last night?
On the phone to Jess, and then nobody. Just me.

Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?
Not quite :)

Next time you will kiss someone?
I don't know :)

Who should start the kiss, the girl or the boy?
Boy, not because I believe in gender stereotyping but because I'm a wimp.

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

Yes :) And I'm still not telling you.

I should be revising, but procrastination is sweet.

Just had a wonderful couple of days with a wonderful couple of girls!

My parents went to Germany over the weekend, so I got the wonderful opportunity to stay with a very lovely friend of mine and her family. We had a lot of laughs - rushing around, thinking, writing, praying, chatting, singing, making bracelets, laughing together, falling asleep during late night conversations. Awesome weekend.

Then, the next day my beautiful cousin came to stay :) The one that took the picture of the daisy, see last post. We had a girly night in - hair rollers, face masks, nail polishes, make-up, gossip and giggling. Such a funny three nights.


And I've been very excited for many reasons, one of which I will explain all in good time, faithful followers, all in good time.


Anyway, the main purpose of this post was to tell you about a new hobby of mine. I decided when messing around on the home PC that I should try and become a little more computer literate and make a lyrics video. So, after much pondering over the song, and a whole lot of frustration using Windows Movie Maker, I created this video, which I'm a little bit proud of. Take a look?


Sorry for not posting properly :/ Exams to revise for, places to go and people to meet and all that...


On that note, I've got to get off Blogger and go do something vaguely useful.
:)
Every blessing,
Lizzie xx

Makeover! :)

Dear readers,


So, as you can see, I've redecorated a little :)

What do you think?

 It's been great fun, messing around with Picnik, picking out loads of pictures and seeing what I could do with them, choosing colours and fonts and all sorts. I've got loads of advice and been able to look at loads of other gorgeous blogs.

However, I've been more than frustrated. I was talking to a friend while trying to put the header up for the first time, and I might have mentioned (and I quote):

 "I could take it's neck and squeeze it and brutally murder it and stamp on its stupid little head and KILL IT."

Yeah, Blogger was really annoying me. It was kind of my fault, I must say - I am a very inexperienced blogger, especially on the design front. However, I've learnt an awful lot in the process of doing this.


But I certainly cannot take all the credit for the makeover.


Thank you very much indeed to the lovely Fizi Kizi - author of Take To The Sky..., who has put up with my incessant questions. She's given me so much advice, on starting the blog, on my posts and on... well, just about everything else I do in my life. Be sure to check out her blog - it's awesome.


The picture in the header of the rainbow - that's courtesy of Joey, thank you :)


The other photo? Well... I think it's so awesome that I need to post it again.

Daisy by Megan

The girl who took this photo is amazing. As a friend, a girl, a photographer - and my cousin.


What do you think? There's a new Contact Me page. Let me know.


Sorry, people, wasn't the most interesting post, I know.
I'll be posting something more helpful soon, promise :)


Love,
Lizzie xx

The Little Things

It's been a grey day.

You know the ones. Nothing's quite coloured, or memorable. Everything's dulled, it feels as if everything's in shadow. Your sunshine is nowhere to be seen behind the thick grey cloud. And the monochrome is tiring. It's all a little too sharp, but never sharp enough.


I felt stuck in those shadows in a big way today. But what got me through was the little things.


A blackcurrant Soother from a very lovely person indeed for my sore throat. An uplifting song on my mp3 player that I sat listening to on the bus, dreading the day ahead. Rehearsing a song at my concert band that brought back pretty memories. Sitting on the sofa with my tortoise. Somebody singing a crazy song and making me giggle in maths, though before I had felt more like crying. A hug from someone wonderful. My watch matching what I was wearing in the evening.


There were times I felt, frankly, completely rubbish. But all of these things put the colour into my day. We can't live in black and white. Colours are vital in our lives - they help young children to develop and directly influence how we feel and what we do. And it's the little things that shone a beautiful spectrum of colour into even the deepest of the shadows. I didn't feel 100% - I was ill, exhausted and next to nothing was going right.


I love this quote. I'd love to say that the name of my blog was inspired by it, but when I saw this quote, my blog had already been up, named and running for a few months.


"Someday all you will have to light your way will be a single ray of hope and that will be enough."
Kobi Yamada


I love this.


It might be all dark, it might be colourless. But we've got to get through. We're not always blessed with a huge, amazing source of help, but we've often got something more powerful - or more likely many, many things that together are more powerful that will get us through. Even in the darkness, a single ray of hope - because hope is that strong and beautiful - is sufficient to light up the path.


It mightn't be entirely clear, but it's enough to get you through while you search for a lamp.

I wanna be... shiny! :)

Mmm... I like shiny things :)

I like pretty pieces of silver jewellery that catch the light, with delicate chains and smooth pendants.

I like satin, it's gorgeous drape and the way it falls so elegantly.

I like the stars in the sky, and the calm feeling I get when I look up at them as I let my worries just drift away - a calm, clear, warm evening, knowing I'm not alone.

I like tinsel! I love the "nearly Christmas" buzz that goes with it.

I like conkers in Autumn, crunching through dry leaves with a coat on.

I like gel pens and how they look so pretty, whatever you draw on.

I like tin foil that hasn't been creased or crumpled... it's so perfect and pretty!

I like rippling water on Summer evenings, catching the sunlight, catching my eye.

I like sweet wrappers and those little silver balls you get on cakes.

I like colourful jewels and stained glass windows, I like golden candlesticks and dewy droplets on blades of glass.

And you know what? I strive to be shiny.

She's really lost it this time... I knew she was a little weird, but really, what is she on about? 

I'm not talking about taking a pot of ceramic silver paint and painting myself from head to toe. Though I wouldn't mind a silver nail polish... but that's not what I'm getting at.

As followers of Jesus, we've been given a light.

""You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven...""

I love this verse. Let's take it apart.

When we became followers of Jesus, a light was bestowed upon us. Firstly, what the flip does that mean?

"Light." What's light in itself? Light's what keeps the world going around. It's what keeps us all alive. Don't we describe sorrows and depression as living in darkness? Well, light is the opposite! Light is what fills us up. Light is what helps us to SEE.

In holding light, we help eachother to find the truths we all seek.

Light is what leads us, and others. Light is what's leading us into the arms of Jesus.

And hiding our light is totally unproductive, and... perhaps even ungrateful? It's a beautiful gift we're blessed to have been given by God!

But that's what Jesus is going on about when he says "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl." It's true. Imagine you've been given a torch. You and your friends are out at night - do you turn the torch on and put it in your pocket so neither you nor your friends get any benefit from it? That helps no-one - you're just wasting the battery!

No, you get the torch out, and you all walk home safely. You benefit from the light.

""In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven...""

You get out your light and people are grateful. People are glad, and maybe next time, they'll remember to bring a torch too! And the more light, the safer and easier it is for you and your friends. It doesn't mean the dangers aren't there, but you are in a much better position to deal with them.

Another thing about you and your friends? You're in this together. You're shining your light for them to see, you're inspiring them - but you're together, and that's important. God loves the church - and church just means people coming together for God. He loves fellowship and it's important for our faith to stay strong. 

Modern technology can be such a pain! Being young doesn't make it any less complicated, though people sometimes think we must have it easy. But that's not the case and for a lot of us, the problem is switching on the torch. You've fiddled about with it for ages, you've tried everything. But you really don't know how to switch the light on.

Well. The answer is nice and cheesy :)

LOVE

Told you so! There is SO much material in the Bible about love. Because, as 1 John 4:16 tells us, God IS Love. So switch that torch on by the means of love. It's about the way you look on life and treat other people. It's about talking to that girl who no-one else speaks to, as Jesus would talk to those with leprosy or outcasts, though no-one else would. It's about being unconditional in our forgiveness, it's about seeing past appearances and peoples' pasts and simply having a place in your heart for everyone.

Does that sound difficult? Maybe. Do you need a big heart? Yes. How do you make your heart bigger? Let the Holy Spirit into your heart.

Get inspired - read 1 Corinthians 13. It's a gorgeous chapter, you've probably read it before.

Get your light out - put it on a lampstand and shine for the world.

• This Little Light, LZ7 - it's a wonderful song, which, awesomely, is about what I have written today. I love it! LZ7 are pretty cool.
• Scripture Union Holiday Camps - these are AMAAAZING! I went to Bcoz Ur Wrth It a while ago, and this Summer I went to Get Real! - it was the best birthday I've ever had and pretty much the most amazing week of my life. I loved it - SO MUCH! :D Brits, check it out. They are well worth going too.
• RISE, Rachel & Jason Gardner - A book I recently bought, which is excellent - for any Christian - young or old, male of female, at any stage in your walk. Rachel's Cherished is equally wonderful. I'd recommend Cherished for girls aged 11 - 18. It's great!

Forever Protected

Hey!

Firstly, I apologise sincerely. I haven't posted anything in an extremely long time. I've been busy away on some fantastic trips and holidays... perhaps more posts on that later :)

So, when I finally got time to put pen to paper, it took ages to gather the inspiration to write a post, and I still hadn't thought of anything... when I went on holiday again - an adventure camping holiday in France, canoeing down the Ardèche river, climbing, kayaking, abseiling and more. The long and short of it is that I was, once again, very busy.

However, inspirations struck when I was sitting at a wobbly wooden table in a cold, windy marquee one evening in France. Outside, it was dark and pouring it down, a violent thunderstorm shaking the trees - quite a difference from the 40º dry day heat on the river.

But in this appalling weather, I was sitting with a pack of cards, precariously balanced in a pyramid formation, where I slowly built the tower taller, wider. It wasn't easy, what with the wind making the table tremble, and my shaky hands doing everything possible to salvage my tower. Whenever it fell, I sat back down, and started again.

It looked a bit like this, only bigger... and maybe not as neat :)
I would have taken my own photograph, only there were cheeky  11 year old boys running around, and I couldn't risk going to get the camera for fear of them ruining it in my absence.
This picture does not belong to me

It reminded my of these song lyrics...

"The way you move is like a full on rainstorm and I'm a house of cards."

This is from Taylor Swift's Sparks Fly, which is a song on her latest album Speak Now. Though, unless I'm very much mistaken, it was around before, but only a live version was around, the studio version came about on Speak Now. But whatever, I might be talking complete fiction here. I'll get my research guy to look it up for me. Oh, wait, I don't have a research guy. I could do it myself but I'm very pushed for time writing this post, I'm nowhere near done and here I am rambling about facts I don't know are true, and whether or not they are true. And researching it would have been quicker, or perhaps not mentioning at all would have been best. WHAT AM I ON ABOUT?

ANYWAY, I digress (just a little...) ;)

Do you ever feel like a house of cards in a rainstorm? I certainly do. Sometimes the world seems just a little too big, too strong, too powerful, and we're so tiny in comparison to the day's events. Sometimes a situation looks more like a vast rockface, with risk of avalanche at the single touch.

And you're shaking violently. The wind is beating and sending tremors through you. And the table beneath you might give out any moment.

But whenever the house of cards is shaking, is there not someone leaning over it, protecting it from the wind? If a card is to fall or slip out of place, is there not someone slotting it back in, in fact adding more cards as reinforcement, strengthening you?

Readers, I'm writing this because I want you to know that God is there when you feel like a house of cards in the rain. He's protecting you at every gust of wind, he's making you stronger every time you are damaged.

If you fall, you don't need to worry. Because he's going to pick you up, and start all over again. And you're going to be three times as strong.

"Is he not strong enough? Is he not pure enough to break me, pour me out and start again?"

-- Strong Enough, Stacie Orrico

You can start afresh. You can begin again, and he'll build you up, so beautifully, carefully.

Don't be afraid of climbing higher and higher. God is completely in control, and if you fall, he's always there to pick you up. It's easy to feel that the higher you climb, the further it is to fall. I disagree. Think of a house of cards, and their pyramid formation. For your house of  cards to get taller, the base has to get bigger, stronger. Harder to break. So you won't fall as far.

And sometimes, God takes us back to nothing, when we think we're doing so well. Why, you think? Why would my loving, beautiful God be so cruel to me? It makes us all doubt our faith at times, but it's OK. You DO have a loving God - he's not hurting you, but making you better, perfecting you to be the person that he planned you to be.

""For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.""

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Are you hurting? He has his plans. "Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways", Proverbs tells us. A new perspective, new friends, renewed thinking and relationships can all be gained through experiencing pain. A fresh start sometimes means breaking walls down first.

Another bit of wisdom from Proverbs that is very much adored by a friend and I is this:
"The Lord has determined our path, how then can anyone understand the direction his own life is taking?"

Proverbs 20:24 (GNB)

He's got our plan in his hands. You don't need to analyse why he might be doing it, it might not come clear for a very long time yet. Step back and trust God to carry out his plans.

You are protected.

This picture does not belong to me

• Strong Enough, Stacie Orrico - as quoted above - this is a beautiful song. It gives me hope, remembering I can start again, and my sins are forgiven, because of God.
• Lead Me To The Cross, The Rubyz - There's a few versions of this song, I think that The Rubyz do it very well.
• The Reason For God, Timothy Keller -This is a great book. You know those religious questions that bother us all - how can a kind God punish people? How can there only be one true religion? It answers it all in great detail. It can get a bit complicated, but it's an excellent book, I just bought it. I would recommend this for people with any religious belief - Keller is very respectful of any other religion, just as he promises to be in the Foreword. It's not really directed at Christians, just EVERYBODY, answering the questions that we all ponder.
• Sparks Fly, Taylor Swift - Again, I quoted this song above. Have a listen, I think it's a good song.