Alyssa Blake (:

This blog is dedicated to my absolutely beautiful friend, Alyssa Blake, my S.A.M. (:


God brought our friendship together. No doubt about it. He knew we needed each other, and together we could encourage one another and be there for each other! We've had to deal with similar situations which we could talk about with one another and just listen to each other's struggles. She's always given me accountability when I'm heading off track. It's so nice keeping each other accountable because we both are striving to be dedicated and amazing women of God. God has an amazing guy for this chick and anyone in the world would be lucky to know her! She's so sweet, funny, ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY, ADORABLE inside and out!, inspirational, caring, responsible, hard working, and just an amazing leader! Her future is gonna be so bright wherever God puts her! I'm so lucky to even know someone like her, she makes my days brighter, and I love talking to her! Knowing there's someone in the world that prays for me and loves me as my best friend and sister in Christ is one of the best blessings I can receive! We both love CEF [Child Evangelism Fellowship] and share the same interests in a lot! I just can't express how much I am lucky to have her in my life! We don't have any pictures together [yet] but our friendship has gotten so strong in a small amount of time. I can't wait to continue this amazing friendship and watch it get stronger and stronger! I LOVE YOU ALYSSA BLAKE OOOOBER MUCH! HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY S.A.M.!! (: I hope God continues to pour down blessings as you continue to serve him with that loving heart of yours! Have an AMAZING DAY!!! Praying for you!!! <3 God bless!!

yes, this is written at 12:19 am on the day of your birthday, April 20th, 2011.

Someday Soon

Ever heard the song "Someday Soon" by Francesca Battistelli? It talks about dreaming about her future husband. Have you ever thought about your future husband? I can't tell you how much I have!
My testimony consists of having my heart broken by looking for love in relationships instead of God. God taught me He's the ONLY fill in my heart. Which is so awesome! But He promised me that I will have a guy that will treat me right, be a man of Him, and be my absolute soul mate. He will truly be a blessing and gift from God... Probably way better than I could ever imagine! I always dreamed of my future husband to be a Christian, absolutely hilarious, sweet, amazing smile, and love kids like me! It just stuns me that God is preparing a man for me to live eternity with. Sometimes I just want to meet him already and I just think to myself it would make everything easier! However, I know God has told me I have some waiting to do. Until then, I want to be the best wife possible. In order to do that, I have some work to do.
God needs to make some adjustments in me and prepare me for my husband. I want him to have the best, so I'm really relying on God to prepare me! I'm also choosing to honor God by having an abstinence ring. I promised to God and my future husband that I would not give away my virginity to anyone until I am married. It's one of the biggest gifts I can give to him, and it's proven that people who wait till marriage have a happier and better marriage. [Yeah... I learned that in Sex-Ed in school... hahaha!]. I also want to strive to dress as modest as I can. I want to be a difference, not doing drugs, or drinking, or sleeping around... and even dressing modestly. Modest is HOTTEST (; I want to marry a Christian guy, and if my brother in Christ looks at me dressing immodestly, it's such a turn-off! Plus it's a turn-on to the wrong kind of people and a bad way to seek attention.. 
I can't wait to meet MAH MAN! (: Haha me and him will be a team for God and just honor Him through our relationship, engagement, and marriage! We will be a family on fire for God! I hope and pray for my man as much as I can.... I hope he's doing the same for me. :] God is Good, All the Time & All the Time, God is Good. <3 Hannah

Why is cursing so bad?

If you read my title, I think you know where I'm getting at here. 
Cursing. What is it? Well, my favorite dictionary [Urban Dictionary] gives an amazing definition of it as: "Cursing is when somebody acts or implies that they are better than another person, place, or thing". Okay, Cool Hannah, way to point out what cursing is. My point is, cursing is used to make yourself feel above someone. How do I know this? Ladies and gentlemen, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. I used to curse allll the time! 8th grade was not my hottest year in my Christian walk, I was still learning! That was before I got more seriously committed to God. But looking back on it, I remember how it made me feel cooler in some strange way. Everyone else did it. "They were just words". If you are a Christian reading this and don't understand why cursing is necessarily bad in a sense, stay with me. 


Okay. Hey Christian. Follower of God. Someone who has been born again through Jesus Christ. You know how we're suppose to follow in Jesus's footsteps? Like for example, I always wanted to be like my mom, so I try to follow in her footsteps. Us as Christians, we want to be like Jesus so we follow in his footsteps. When we're using foul language, how does it make Christians look? Everyone knows cursing isn't the friendliest thing on earth. It's highly frowned upon. If you think it isn't friendly, just imagine a cute little girl going up to her friend and saying "Hey b****, here's a flower I picked for you!" That kid doesn't really sound cute anymore, huh? No. See, when I was cursing, I would have people come up to me and say, "Wow, Hannah, I thought you were a Christian." Do you know how EMBARRASSING that was? Very, very embarrassing. So basically, if you're cursing like a sailor and claiming you're a follower of God, if I was a unbeliever, I would think: "HA! yeah, um, WHO'S footsteps is THAT PERSON followin?" It throws off their view of God. And I think you and I both know how much God HATES to be misrepresented.


You still there? Good :] Okay, so I'm talking about how cursing is bad, but "Hannah? How do you know God thinks its bad?" Well young grasshopper, let's turn our Bibles to JAMES 3. :] " but what does it mean by 'controlling the tongue' Hannah, stop throwing churchy words at me!" Well, basically its talking about the things we say. It's one of the hardest things to do! If you know me, I have the perfect capability to talk for hours [no. kidding.] and I still find it super hard to this day to think before I say stuff. Yeah, you know that saying "Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak"? yeah, I can't tell you how hard that is for me. Thankfully, I'm not the only one, we're all in this together, right? But like I was saying, we don't really THINK about what we're saying! I love the verse that says "Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way." (James 3:10) How convicting is that?! [btw: conviction is not guilt. Conviction is understanding your sin, and your desire to be right with God, guilt is like the opposite, its like a grudge of yourself, if that makes more sense] But think about it, with the same mouth, we can be giving someone a compliment, AND like an hour later, we could be saying some nasty stuff that just tears others down! It's kinda like being two faced, but two mouthed...? Yeah, lets just go with that. But another verse I absolutely love is 1st Timothy 4:12- "No one should despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Did you notice the FIRST thing Paul says is to be an example by SPEECH? Aka: what you say! God wants us to demonstrate a living sacrifice to him, and cursing is not part of the kit and kaboodle.


God called my heart to Child Evangelism Fellowship, and I want to work with kids and telling them about Jesus, for the rest of my life. It's a strong passion, I just light up every time I talk about it. However, I get EXTREMELY defensive for some reason when it comes to people cursing and speaking foully around kids. I understand its the "real world" and all, but kids absorb that realllll quick, and next thing you know, they're going around saying it, not knowing its highly frowned upon! Think about it, going for a job interview, are they going to hire someone who curses constantly, or someone who wont offend public with those words? Some people might think I'm being just "extreme" about this but, I felt like God was laying it on my heart. I gave you only PART of what God says about it, feel free to find even more verses that support my point. I've had people be stunned how I can get upset and not curse. It makes people think when you choose not to do that kind of stuff! Just another way to make a difference in this world. Try it! It takes practice [ I admit, I slip on rare, RARE occasions, but hey, I'm a teenager too, ya know!] but don't give up. 


God bless, 
Your sister in Christ.. Hannah Banana (:

Happy Stress?

I feel like I can get so overwhelmed about things. For example, early February my life was all about the Upperclassman Musical Sweeney Todd  and I would be at school for numerous, numerous hours working my tail off for this production. I would be on the edge and be consumed with stress. The stress really messed with my head and I started to hate to do it. It wasn't until the last two show nights that I absolutely loved being a part of it. I personally dig theatre and being a part of something amazing. I was doing exactly what I love, and I would just push it aside and let stress CONSUME me. A lot of things we do in life we get so consumed in and just forget why we did it in the first place. Now that I look back at Sweeney Todd, I kind of miss it. I mean, it wasn't all absolute chaos, it had its great moments. But, I know for sure, if I actually was more peaceful, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. We can't get little things get us down and ruin our day.. WOW how many times have we heard that before? It's just one of those things you have to experience, can't just hear and listen. Lately, I've been overwhelmed about how God is using me. I feel like I need to be on top of everything and I barely cut myself slack. Yesterday I came up to the conclusion that I need to get my rear in gear and start fundraising for this upcoming summer. Student Leadership University 101 is $715, Chicago is $510, and Christian Youth In Action is around $500 [like 490 or whatever] but all that is $1,725. THAT'S A TAD OVERWHELMING! I'm thinking to myself WHY IN THE WORLD DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS?! Haha but everytime I go up to my Pastor, I'm going off about how stressed I am and how I have NO idea how I'm going to do this and he just smiles and says: "Hannah, calm down. You need to trust God that He will support you and guide you through this. Money is not a big deal, don't make it bigger than it is." Of course I'm thinking to myself: this man is absolutely nuts. But he's honestly right, we stress ourselves too much. I'm one of those people. Telling my parents doesn't help a bit. "Hey dad I need to raise $1,725 by April 24th." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA his answer was to me: "Hannah. I don't have that kind of money." Yeah, my plan in the first place was to NOT get any money from my parents...I've had thoughts of dropping one trip. But this is an AMAZING opportunity to connect with my new church and really get to know the people there. I mean, ever since I moved and started going to this church, I've been desiring more connections with everyone. I'm the type of gal who loves knowing everyone and I admit, I'm kinda of a people person. So I feel obligated to go on these two trips with my new church [btw, for anyone thats lost, those two trips are Chicago and SLU 101, CYIA is with my old church] But whats ALSO stressful is that I have to go to two different mission training sessions on Sundays. Got Life [for my new church] is every Sunday from 5:30-8:15 and Dare to be Daniel [for my old church] is once a month from 6-8pm. Luckily, I kinda worked it out. But it's just Sundays are the last thing from a day of rest.

     ANYWAYS. Boy, I really know how to get off track, my greatest apologies. Where I'm trying to get at is that when we are on a journey and things just stress us out, we forget why we did things in the first place. What if we actually attempted to ENJOY what we SIGNED UP FOR?! Haha CRAZY, I know, but imagine how much more we would love doing what we do. For me, I love fundraising but when I get too stressed and all I see is where I can make money, it kinda takes the fun away from the opportunity to tell people WHY I'm raising the money and what God's plan is for me this summer. I guarantee you I will look back at this time and say it was all worth it. Maybe I should start acting like it WILL be worth it and enjoy it. My prayer is that God can improve that area in my character since it's been going on for too long, and if I'm going to be a full-time missionary and get stressed about money, it's like saying : "I doubt God will provide for me even though I'm following His will for my life." That sounds so weird! I need to get the doubt out of my head and continue to learn how to fully surrender and just TRUST God despite all the stress that can overcome me.

    Yeah, a Christian walk isn't a walk in the park. I feel like its walking in a minefield blinded. All you can do is listen to God or you can go your own way and step on a line and blow up and die. Sounds pretty accurate to me.

Is it possible to be a Balanced Busy Bee?

Balance is pretty easy. If there is no eating, and too much eating, the balance would obviously be a "balanced", healthy diet. My life, it's either two extremes. Absolute boredom, or absolute chaos. It kinda proves how hectic things have been since I created this blog about two weeks ago, but today I'm actually writing my first blog. Only because today I've been in my room all day due to my random stomach virus. Sundays are never a day of rest for me, it's pretty much the opposite. Everyday of the week, I'm staying after school. Even if it rains and tennis practice is canceled, I go to get extra help with classes. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get all A's. I'm not very pleased with B's. I honestly try to be perfect too much. Being captain of the J.V. tennis team, and being called the best tennis player on J.V. can really make my head bigger. Getting all A's, being a regular church goer, staying out of trouble, and trying to look nice can really make my head big. I'm always striving for perfection. Even though I know I will never get it, I can't give up for some reason. I may be "the best player on J.V." but when middle of the season comes and I move up to Varsity, I will be the WORST player on Varsity. It's kinda like God. We may be all big and tough and number one on the Earth, but when it comes to God, we're rock bottom. I can get so caught up in my life and whats happening next. About 80% of my thinking is about the next thing, or the future. I daydream about what I want. Man, this blog makes me look really selfish. It's amazing when we pause and take a look at our current life style and just say "is it really worth it?"

I'm not one of those girls always getting in trouble. I don't do drugs, sleep around, drink or any of that. I go to Fellowship of Christian Athletes, YoungLife, Spotswood Baptist Church, Youth Group, and Higher Power. I do mission trips every summer. I've been called into Full-Time missions with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and absolutely LOVE God! I have so much Christian music on my iPhone and mp3. I. Love. It. I want to be absolutely devoted to God and fully surrendered everyday. I strive to be more like God and have more self-control, and more patience. I want to be a difference maker, I truly mean it. But, living a Christian life isn't easy. You're constantly keeping a check on yourself and making you're honoring God with everything you think, say and do. It's not just a decision, it's a daily process proving to God that you're totally game. We can't play God, we win the world for God, since He's the ultimate champion. So many things fly at us while we're trying to win for God, such as relationships, peer pressure, money, stress and so much more. As a teenager in high school, I find everyday challenging since I'm actually trying to live out my faith. Earlier in the year, it was the hardest! I was ON FIRE for God and it made the first couple weeks of being a transfer in a new school the hardest. I would cry, and love to be home. I feel like if school becomes more comforting, I start to check myself and question my faith a little. Am I settling for the world's views? Nowadays, it's a huge statement if you don't do drugs, sleep around, or drink. People who ask me if I do that stuff are literally SHOCKED that there is a teenager that is actually responsible. But why are they responsible? Who taught them to be like that? Living for God and just BEING a good example can make a huge difference as it is. You don't have to say God in every single sentence or wear a million Jesus shirts [you can, but] just being an example and doing what God says is ABSOLUTELY huge! I've learned that this year. Last week, someone came up to me and said "Why are you so nice?" Not to boast, but I honestly get commented on for that a lot for some reason. But this is the first time someone asked me WHY. I smiled and answered: "Well I'm not gonna lie to ya, but it's for sure Jesus Christ. I grew up in a Christian family, accepted Christ when I was 10 and ever since, been livin' the faith." I saw the wonder hit her face. Seed planted.

But like to what I was saying, lately I'm looking for more balance. Keeping a daily surrender with God is not easy, but it's what balances my life. I do have a busy schedule. God says I don't have to give it up, I just need to keep right with him. It's a big responsibility and a big challenge, but He loves me and desires to help me out even when things are moving fast. Being busy isn't bad. It helps you move on from the past and gets you focused on important things. Having a busy life really got my priorities straight. It does test your patience though, especially when times get EXTREMELY stressful. God is the ultimate comforter, and I've got to really experience that. It was actually nice having a day off today and just relaxing and reflecting on my life.

Thank God for stomach viruses.