High School Drama

Fights, swearing, drugs, and (GROSS) P.D.A. No, I'm not talking about downtown Chicago or even downtown Grand Haven for that matter. This is what I encounter everyday at Grand Haven High School. I've recently been noticing these things more and more as I walk down the hall. It shouldn't be a shocker because I have walked by numerous couples before who feel they need to show how much they "love" each other right in the main hallway. I've also been held up in hallway traffic by people who felt they needed to see who is going to beat up who after school that day. I have seen more crying girls the past week than I have at the Homecoming and Christmas dances who are upset because some guy dumped her or another guy didn't "feel they should take the friendship to the next level". Every 5 minutes(no joke) I'm bombarded with 20 vulgar words and crude humor. Girls are walking around in clothes that barely follow the dress code. They constantly tug on their mini-skirts and shift in their chairs to make sure nobody can see anything. Sorry to say girls- it's a little late for that. It's like I'm stuck in some R-rated movie- EVERYDAY! But no-this is G.H.H.S. Luckily, I have steered clear away from this as far as my friends go. I've managed to ignore some of the negative things that come up at school. It's like I'm in this bubble that can tune out some of the things that I hear and see because I've gotten used to it. Grand Haven isn't as bad as it sounds-you get this stuff in any public school. Although, sometimes I feel like I should welcome a new student by saying, "Hi! Welcome to Grand Haven High School. There's some girls swearing at each other between Pods 3 and 4. There's supposed to be a big fight in a couple of minutes. It should be fun to watch! Then, I'll walk you to history. Your teacher swears up a storm, but he's pretty cool besides that. Again, welcome to G.H.H.S."

One of Those Days......

Ever have one of those days that seem to drag on forever?? Today was that kind of day. I was so proud of myself because I managed to get to bed at 11:45 last night versus every other night that I go to bed at 12:30 or 1. I wanted to make sure I got a good night sleep because I had a history test today that I really needed to be alert for. I got out of bed a little easier this morning, which I'm sure made my mom happy. She is forced to come up to my room and use various tactics in an attempt to get me up each morning-anything from ripping my comfy covers off me to turning on my oh-so-bright light to bouncing my bed(yes, I'm that relentless).

I have science for first hour, so you can imagine how awake I am for that. I really like the class, but we get to watch those science movies from the seventies with a guy who talks in monotone. Just imagine how long it takes before my eye lids slowly start to close and I become a zombie. It got worse as the day went on....

Band-my tone was horrible and I couldn't concentrate on the notes. History-luckily, my test went really well and I managed to stay awake. The only problem: as I got toward the end of my test, I just started to zone out and day dream. Not good! I came back to reality in enough time to finish my two page essay before class ended. Math-pretty awake(thank goodness-we have a test tomorrow). Spanish-I felt really dumb. We were doing partner conversations and I volunteered to present to the class. After we were finished, my teacher asked me questions in spanish. Now, usually I'm pretty good at catching on to what he's asking, but considering I was half asleep, I asked him to repeat his questions several times and told him I collect shoes. English-my teacher commented on how tired I was. He was making his usually jokes and I of course was laughing. He said, "watch Keur over there. She's a couple seconds behind today". Then, he proceeds to portray how tired and slow I look to the class. As the dismissal bell rang, I slowly rose from my seat and sluggishly went down the hall and to the bus. As soon as I hit the seat, I closed my eyes and dozed.

Now, I'm home, wide awake, and my contacts are no longer fuzzy thanks to those wonderful eye drops. I don't have that much homework tonight(thank goodness), so my goal is to get to bed before 11:00. Dare I dream: 10:30? Nah, I probably won't make it.

Evening Jogs With God

Concrete Cross
Originally uploaded by kickeur77.

Ever have "God Moments"? They're the times when you're going about your regular routine and something happens that makes you want to fall to your knees and give praise to God. It could be a conversation, a sermon, or a thought that you know can only be from God.

I have been jogging this week. Now before you applaud me, may I remind you this has been my first time since March and I have come to the realization that I am desperately out of shape. But although I have tried to jog regularly in the past, these past couple of days have been different. I still take the same route and am out of breath when I am finished, but what I do while I'm jogging has changed.

While I jogged, I used to listen to my worship CD's and tune out my hectic world for 20 minutes. I quickly found out that it was difficult to carry my massive CD player(I should really get an iPod), so on Monday I decided to go without it and reflect on my day. As I made my way down my steep driveway, I instantly felt the urge to pray. It was one of those "God Moments" again. I felt God prompting me to pray-to take these precious 20 minutes to pour out my heart to Him and give Him praise for how He has been working in my life. I took this time to pray for my friends, my family, my youth group and First Priority. I surrendered my burdens that had been consuming my thoughts and my life. Ultimately, I spent this time with God-my best friend. I admit, my relationship with Christ is not at the level I think it should be at. But really, do we ever achieve that level of intimacy? There are new things to learn and ways to grow that I don't think we will ever truly be satisfied. But I think that is the best way to establish the relationship because it is through our spiritual ups and downs that we grow even closer to God. My life is proof of that. Be alert to the "God Moments" that occur everyday in life. God may be trying to tell you something that will strengthen your spiritual walk. God has incredible plans for us and WILL make them known(especially in subtle ways)! Take time to talk to God. He's a great listener and an awesome jogging partner.

Lo Siento

I know I have numerous type-o's in the previous blog. Believe me, I've tried three times to fix the post, but it won't change anything when I publish it! So, sorry and just try to overlook my flaws in writing! Have a great day!

Late Night Chats and Krispy Kreams

Jackson Hall-BBC
Originally uploaded by kickeur77.

Sitting at my home computer, I was in awe at what I was reading on the screen: NO holding hands. Students are not to attend movie theaters during either semesters(including weekends and breaks). For a classroom setting, men must wear collared shirts tucked into neat dress pants. Men cannot have any facial hair except for mustaches. Curfew is 10:30 on weekdays and 12:30 on weekends. Wow. Will I be able to handle this? I'm not a rebel(far from it), but I do have a little more freedom when it comes to some things. I'm allowed to go to certain movies. The rule is not so much pertaining to me, but what about the couples on campus who want to show that they like each other and can't hold hands? I bet all the guys are going to be like robots, wearing the same clothes and having the same hair style. I'm going to go to visit this school with an open mind. Maybe the rules won't seem as strict when I am there.<br />
I was actually right! Baptist Bible College is the total opposite of what I thought. They do have the rules described in the oh-so-thorough handbook, but they don't even seem like a problem. There are great relationships that have been established at this school and even though it's probably tough at times, I think the couples are fine with the guidelines that have been set for them. The movie thing isn't a big deal because most students go home and can watch movies. The men are not robots. They all have their own style with both the hair and clothes. And they can be as casual as they want when they're not in class(same as girls). And the curfew is not a problem at all. By having a curfew, it forces you to actually do some homework. Dorms are so much fun after curfew, too. Some of the most fun times at college are the times spent with the people in your dorm when you're all together and being crazy.

I love BBC. I've only visited 3 other colleges besides this one, but I feel this college is the best one so far(I'm still keeping a VERY close eye on Moody, though). By experiencing dorm life and classes and the campus as a whole, I can totally see myself at BBC. Just by spending that short time at the college, I've grown spiritually. Everyone is so on fire for God! You can see it in their lifestyle and they way the interact with one another. Since it's a smaller campus, everyone is really personal, which I like a lot. The girls in the dorm took time to get to know me and asked me tons of questions about who I am in Christ and other parts of my life. This gave me a chance to give my testimony and explain my future goals. Everyone is so friendly and open. I went to Krispy Kream for small groups with some girls from the dorm and we shared prayer requests. I stayed up 'til 2 a.m. with two girls talking about the same stuff my close friends and I talk about. We were talking about guys and relationships, but they were really trying to seek God's wisdom for these things. We were describing our standards for what we feel would be God-honoring relationships. I could just sense that God is the absolute TOP priority in lives of each student. I love that! I want that in a college.

So, long story short(kinda late for that, sorry), BBC is an awesome college. It has great structured programs for your major. They have tons of activities to get involved in locally and socials on campus. And the most important part is that you know Christ is the center of this campus. BBC is all about equipping students for ministry and living godly lives when they graduate. I'm definately going to keep looking at different colleges, but as of now, BBC is one of my top places. I feel I would grow so much spiritally at BBC and I'm really excited about that. And the fact that Krispy Kream is right down the road is definately a plus!