The Internet: To all my contacts, and to WordPress.

I’m not going to start this off like an informative essay, people don’t ever seem to like that kind of thing.
So, I’m going to start off untraditionally by giving away the subject in a few, simply sentences.
The Internet is just like real life. There’s entertainment, communities, chats, and what many people deem to be ignored: danger.

Are you saying you’re giving a lecture on internet dangers?

No, I’m done with my little lectures. I’m going to try and put this a way you all will listen.
First of all, a few things of noticed on the internet.

First of all, flirting. Don’t do it. C’mon, what’s the point? Chances are you’ll never meet the person. And many people who flirt, are also sick people behind computer screens. Don’t give off that impression to people. Adults have their E-Harmony, and other dating sites. However, many of you are pre-teens, teens, etc. Maybe one or two adults thrown in.

Trust is a big thing in life and it can also be a big thing on the internet. However, unlike in real life, you don’t know the people you’re really talking to. Oh, they sent you a photo? Not proof at all. Sound like a kid? There’s cops on the internet, which I am grateful for, that pose as kids to trap predators. Nobody knows the difference. And, aside from the cops who are trying to help, there’s the predators who have evil intentions and sick minds.

So you’re saying not to trust people?

In a way, yes. This isn’t really life. Don’t put all your faith and trust into someone.
If you spend time talking to someone, you may discover they are not the person you thought
they were. I’m not an adult giving advice to kids that they should be careful on the internet.
I’m a teenager saying, the internet is full of lying, deceit, and anything else you can think of,
just like the real world. Would you simply walk up to anyone in real life, and have a conversation
with them? Sometimes, maybe. Other times, you wouldn’t. So why on the internet?

Next thing I want to address.
For the Christians on here who are trying to spread the word of God.
Don’t go about telling people every little thing that comes to mind,
Every single thing that you think would be good to say. Because what you want to say, isn’t necessarily what God wants
you to say. We don’t need the wisdom of man, what we need is the wisdom of God!
So pray before you speak, and even then, don’t just jump right into a conversation with someone.

If someone is not a Christian, or if you deem them as a sinner or needing help, don’t just start telling them
things about Christianity. Sometimes it may help, other times it may make them detest Christianity all the more
and annoy them. God has a way of getting to anyone. He may or may not use you as a witness to people. When he doesn’t,
don’t try to be a self-proclaimed witness. Let God take care of it. If he wants you to do it, listen, and he will lead you to
do his will. If he doesn’t, be a light in this world of darkness. Don’t talk about normal things that most teenagers do.
Sex, drugs, I don’t care. Whatever is of the world is common conversation, what isn’t of the world is things that are just,
pure, and wholesome. Let those things be your guides, not things of the world.

Don’t tell people they are going to hell. That’s not the way of God. Many churches use fear to bring sinners "to God."
Be a true Christian and show God’s love. Not condemnation! God is a merciful, loving father, and he wants the best for us.
We are to love our neighbors, and our enemies, not tell them they are going to hell. Talk to people kindly, don’t talk about
people behind their backs (even one the internet!) and be a real Christian, to the point where it will be evident you are the real
deal. Not the average, religious, Bible-reading, Church-going, and yet under all the layers, worldly Christian.
Be the children of God.

Thanks for reading. =)

P.F. Changs

A few days ago we went out for Chinese food, amidst the cold Nebraskan weather. Snow had been coming down in relentless heaps over the past days, and the layers had built up to over a foot.

First we tried egg drop soup. It’s a bit like chicken noodle soup, but the first bites are packed with more taste than any chicken noodle soup I’ve had.

Then came an herb tea, and the main dish: shrimp on fried rice.

Overall, a very good meal.

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The Dawn of a Book

I’ve finished my first novel, and it feels good to get it off my shoulders. A 3-year project, and it’s now complete! I hope to send it into a publisher this month before Christmas.

Right now I’m typing the whole thing up… best part, right? Haha… not really. Intermingling poetry too, to add to the story.

Another Competition!

The other competition is over and done with, and we had another today.

After a long drive, we arrived in a ‘country-region’ of Nebraska. We were having a competition, and had the possibility of going to the state competition. Well… that went down the drain. The judges absolutely loved the performance, and I was a bit nervous as usual, but the play came together perfectly. Everyone did a great job! Well – sitting at home, tired, and not so enthusiastic in my writing, one can probably guess the outcome of our play. We got 3rd Place. “Wait… that doesn’t make sense!” Nope, the only thing that kept us from runner-up or 1st place was going over-time. If you go over 30 minutes, you get dropped a ranking. I topped the day off by laying in the grass in front of our closed school, staring up at the sky.

Going to Competition!

The play I was mainly in was chosen for competition, so we’ll be heading out tomorrow. Just ran a MapQuest… which ended up being "a hundred times better than that Google Map" [paraphrased from "mother"]. So, thought I had a break? Not really.

The Life… of an Actor!

I’m typing up this entry at home, in a fairly calm setting. Nothing to do… boredom, right? Hardly, barely an hour ago we had our matinée performance for the "little kids" (K-8th Grade). After working hard on the play, memorizing, doing blocking [the motions of a play], and so on, one would expect everything to be fine… but that was not the case here! Actually, in reality, we messed up a few times, but we covered it up with hilarious… improvisation. "Your ethics are…!~" Yes, pick on the poor, broken down father [my part, of sorts], drive him to tears by challenging his ethics. Oh poor, cruel world! Why must thy hand be so swift, so forceful with thine comment! Well, it’s all over now… right? Heh… no. I’m leaving in a few minutes for the evening performance, our official school performance. Break a leg!~ …Um, I’d rather not.

The Cuban Sandwhich… with dessert.

Lately, I’ve been on a culinary expedition of my own, trying various things, I never would have given a second glance before. My last birthday gave me an oppurtunity to try something that I may encounter again in the oh so near future, Escargot. Translation, snail.
Snail? One may ask. Why would you ever want to eat something so slimy, so absolutely disgusting (notice that the person has never tried it themselves), and so… so… weird! Well, because it’s good! Snail doesn’t have much taste alone, what you’re really tasting is the sauce, flavoring, whichever name you wish to place on this positively magnificent taste. For me, it was garlic butter, and some other various French spices. My rating, for this usually wrongly despised dish? Great! Don’t go based off it’s looks, sometimes the most disgusting looking dish, can be the most amazing in flavor.

Today, I had a Cuban Sandwhich, which tasted mostly of pork, pickles, and mustard. With the first bite, the pork was what stood out as the prominent flavor, complimented by the bit of mustard, bread, and other additions. Although the numerous pickles, and massive layer of mustard may have been quite overwhelming in some aspects, I actually quite enjoyed it.

After my daring expedition with the Cuban Sandwhich, I had Dutch Apple Cheesecake for dessert. As cheesecake is a favorite of mine, I am quite biast in my rating, so I won’t even bother. All I’ll say is, to me, cheesecake is one of the best desserts around. Especially if you can handle those rich flavors, and, it’s always a plus if you enjoy them too.

Those are, in short, the highlights of my Saturday. I’m looking forward to the cuisine, landscape, and oppurtunities, that France will offer me, early next year.

City Life

The mountain towers above the landscape, a beauty to behold. A distant sunset of orange, pink, and crimson, complimented by the blue surroundings of the mountainous countryside. My Gmail account. In reality, life in this part of Nebraska is much different. Nice, scenic neighborhoods, but nothing overly unique to mark this place as a world tourist attraction. I wake up late, and after reading for awhile, am aroused by the smell of hot, fresh, cinnamon rolls. Oh the humanity… the usual Saturday cartoons, the Travel Channel specials, and History’s end of the world, is what television brings to the table. Cartoons, outgrown. I venture into a new episode of Anthony Bourdain’s, No Reservations. That is what I call, a lazy Saturday morning.

The straight, and simple facts, are these: Nebraska is home to two large, and well known cities, Lincoln, and Omaha. Omaha being the largest city in the state, and holding various national headquarters, as the beloved, Godfather’s Pizza, Lincoln has it’s own companies as well, and is the state’s capital. A majority of the state is dedicated to growing corn, soybeans, and various other agricultural products.

Book Update

Here’s tonight’s "progress-check" of my book…

The Christian Light and Worldly Darkness

The Christian Light and Worldly Darkness

Conveyed by God

Many times, High Schoolers want to do what’s cool, and popular, in short, what everyone else is doing. And today, what’s cool is not necessarily what’s right. Time and time again, teenagers fall into sin, because everyone else is committing sin. Christians, and non-Christians alike, face something that is commonly referred to as: Peer Pressure.

Now, I’m sure you’ve all been told about peer pressure, but this will go beyond peer pressure.

/// God is great. He’s a father who looks down upon us with love, and for those of you who’ve seen the Louie Giglio video “How Great is Our God,” you’ll know he’s definitely a big God too! I really loved that video, so, I’m going to quote it for those of you who haven’t, or don’t remember, seeing it. God is huge, so we got that point down, now what’s this have to do with peer pressure? We’ll get to that in a minute. “If the earth were the size of a golf ball, the son would be 15 feet in diameter… enough to fill a school bus with golf balls.”\

Romans 12

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012&version=NKJV