Gift of Music (finding God in music)

I went roller skating with my friends last night. Later at home, after a good three hours of invigorating exercise, fun, soda, and more fun, I couldn't get those songs out of my head. Whip My Hair by Willow Smith, Replay by Iyaz, and well, Party In the USA by Miley Cyrus. Thank God the dirty songs didn't get stuck in my head. Anyway, while I was singing these songs over and over and making a playlist due to the fact that they were lodged in my brain, I was thinking. How can I find Jesus in these songs? In these secular songs?
I want to find Jesus in all the parts of my life.
Sure, I might just rattle off a lame 'well, God made music so...'
But then I stopped and thought about that 'lame' answer.
Really thought about it.

You guys, God gave us music.
He didn't have to.
Music, the thing that virtually everyone in the world understands. The speed, the beat, the pitch, the variation, the buzz, the deep sounds, the light sounds, the loud, the quiet.
God could have made our world monotone. Or, He could have made it silent.
"Hey guys, what if we put a bit more breath into our talking, and put it to rythym?"
The thought probably wouldn't even cross our minds if God didn't create music- if it didn't exist.
But He did. And it's incredible.
An absolutely amazing gift.

And as big as music is, as much as it varies and spreads out...
God is bigger.
He created it.
Music is His, and He's given us the ability to make it. The beats, the buzz, the twang, however we do- It's His gift to us, we'd better use it.
Let's praise Him with it.

1 Chronicles 13:8- David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

Afraid to be Weird (Finding God in finger food)

I strongly oppose the practice of eating with one's fingers. It is childish, unnatural, and messy. It shows a lack of maturity and a proper knowledge of eating habits.

I never eat with my fingers.

I always eat with my mouth.

In contrast, I do not have a problem with the concept of picking one's food up with one's fingers and delivering it to one's mouth to subsequently consume. Why are we so convinced that the use of metal or plastic tools with several points on the end to pick up our food is more 'natural' than the tools capable of grabbing, pinching, squeezing, plucking, lifting, holding, etc. that came free with these bodies we have?
It's messy, you complain. There is an art to eating with one's fingers, just as there is an art to eating with chopsticks or even a fork or spoon. A small child is just as likely, maybe even more so, to make a mess with his utensils as with his hands, the more instinctive option.
Don't get me wrong, whoever invented forks was a very capable and intelligent person.
But since when does a good idea have to become the norm?
Since when does the original become impolite?

Since when do we care so much?

Why don't we eat with our fingers?
Because people will look down on us. We'd be called uncivilized. Rude. Different.
Strange.
Because we wouldn't be like everyone else.
Abnormal.
The word. Abnormal. It seems to have a bad connotation.
What's wrong with being weird?
There's the kind of weird that is wrong, but that's not what I'm dealing with here.
Why are we afraid to be weird?
Now, I'm sure most people are content to just conform to society. It's not wrong to use your fork, after all. But isn't imposing your beliefs on others considered wrong and why America was started? Okay okay, I'm taking this too far. That last sentence was unnecessary. Back to my point.

We're afraid to be weird for Jesus.
Many of us are. It's not that easy to just observe a group of people for a while and figure out which ones are Christians. Aren't we supposed to stand out? Aren't we supposed to be a shining light?
But we're so afraid of being pointed at that we blend right in. Sure, we might say 'God Bless' as we leave a place, or wear our Christian T-shirts, but as soon as we feel the Holy Spirit prompting us to approach a stranger or co-worker and strike up a conversation or even ask if they would like prayer, many of us turn our thoughts elsewhere, ignore the little tug except to perhaps pray a quick prayer quietly in our heads and hope that covers it.
We do this.
I do this.
Aren't we supposed to be different?

We aren't like everyone else.
But we sure do act like it.
Maybe we don't want to use our forks.
But we still do.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!

Well, my friend updated her blog and it reminded me that perhaps I should too?
So I am, and you can't stop me. Well, I guess you could. You could sneak up on me and knife me and exit the browser window, but that wouldn't be very nice. At all. D:

I really like my current theme. It's all Otani-ish. I just chose it randomly (to replace my Soul Eater background because I really dislike that show now, it scarred me x_x), but I changed the colors to match and it's really pretty. Lovely Complex is a good anime, so you should watch it.

Speaking of anime. I have about three friends who have told me to watch Clannad. *does not have time*
Seriously guys, I've been so busy with college preparation and school, etc, that I've been watching anime, movies, and TV shows a lot less. Which kinda makes me sad, because I like being a nerd for things i like. XD
School is not really one of those things.

I've started to exercise more now. That's a good thing. I try to do Wii Fit about 3 times a week, and today i went on a five minute run/walk down the street in my socks. >3
Last night, I played in the street in the dark. I'm such a daredevil. :P

I've been reading diet books and learning to write timed essays. Fuuun. Nooottt.
Well, at least now I know how to over-analyze the labels on every single product in the grocery store! :D

Nah, I kid. It really has been helpful. Despite the pain of reading books I'd rather not be reading. Meh meh meh.

I want to watch some homestarrunner videos now. But I will refrain. Why? Dumb question. Claire + school + homestarrunner = unfinished school.

"Meh." -The Cheat

Oh! I should mention that doll photography is one of my hobbies now. See, my best friend got into fashion doll collecting, which is cool. I would look at the dolls every time I went to the store so I could let her know what there was. I even got her her first Liv. The School's Out Daniela, because it looked like something she'd love. And wouldn't you know it, I started wanting a doll. A Liv Katie. X3
I had already photographed my old Barbies a few times and enjoyed it, but somewhere during this time I realized it would be a fantastic hobby. When Bethany got me a Katie for my birthday, I was so happy and took it everywhere and took a gazillion and five shots. (Yes, yes, I am sixteen, in case you forgot.)
Soon after, my grandparents got me a Moxie Teenz Melrose. (Technically they gave me birthday money and I bought it, but y'know. :3)
I haven't gotten a ton of good photos of her yet, because her eyelashes are so thick that the flash looks really funky and I need to use natural light. However, I haven't had many chances to take her outside or near a window yet. XD

Wow, that was long.

Other than that, I've been planning and kind of writing a fanfiction of Ouran High School Host Club, wasting time playing DDR on my iPod, and uh, doing school and college research and SAT study and blah.

OH OH OH I've been using iTunes to discover more music that i like. *crazy face* I have about three artists to look into now.

*really needs to stop blogging*

So, ta-ta. :3