Believe it or not, this school year was the best yet!

I couldnt possibly have had a better grade nine year ! :) i felt so close the everyone as the year came to an end, and i miss not having around the ppl who leave gateway (you know who u r). I think of of my classmates will be known for something special to me...i bet i could write a heartfelt tbh for all of them. I felt especially special after r trip to pioneer ranch camp (after Mr.Capton read the story that nearly made me cry...lol)! 

     The Grade nine celebration was a complete hit!!!! i had so much fun seeing everyone dressed in their best, and dressing up myself; i also enjoyed swimming after even though i completely destroyed my beautiful hair ;). i will miss grade nine soo much! : .(

     i will admit though that not all of my year was perfect...i hit some bumps in the road a couple times, but God managed to be there for me the entire way. The hardest faith test though, was not miserable. Im sure youve heard the expression, it's through the difficult times that God's love shows. Although i believe that can be true (as long as you listen for him), it was the exact opposite for me. I believe that hard things happen to us when God is trying to get our attention. And i found myself again and again thinking, "how can my life possibly be this good?" i forget to pray alot of the time, and i always seem to find an excuse of why not to read my bible in my spare time. For me, when everything is going good, i tend to forget God even there, behind the scenes making everything workout okay for me. 

      Thats why i felt so paranoid about it all year, waiting for a tradegy to happen and snap me back into reality...but it never did. And it wasnt until later in the year that i realized it. Your already in reality Shae! You're thinking about how God is controlling your life for you, and you're trusting that he will keep it together for you.


I must admit that i am nervous for next year, but i am really excited as well! :D I will miss all of you that are leaving, and will miss my teachers too. However, i am prepared for a dramatic change, and cant wait to meet lots of new ppl at thurber. thanx to all of the incredible friends in my life this year, because i couldn't have done it without you! <3 

Joshua 1:9 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Apologetics

To define it... a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity. That's a mouthful. Basically, it's defending Christianity. Today in class we read something rather interesting about whether or not to believe in God, and how if your smart, you shouldn't believe in God. I have included it below. 

I usually hate talking about my faith to people, because when i explain it, i don't always realize how the idea of faith might not make sense to others. I mean, people always ask for the evidence! What proves that Christianity is the right faith?! personally, even though i'd love to, i haven't come across any hard evidence proving Christianity. As much as this makes Christianity sound fake and completely made up, there is a certain important element they miss in the article. It's called Faith. 

Faith is believing in what you cannot see. Faith is the final test, and is what makes you a christian. It would be far to easy if God gave us evidence! then everyone would have to believe, and no one would be believing for the right reasons (the ones God wants us to believe for). Hope that makes sense :). 

Intelligent People Don’t Believe in God 

“My friends and I were celebrating at an Italian res'taLu'anl aero ss the street 

from the University of Missouri. I was set to graduate in a few days, and I 

had just accepted aj ob offer: a three-rnonth internship at the Chicago Tribtuze, 

with the promise that if I performed weil, I’d get a permanent job as a 

reporter. At one point during the  somewhere between the bread sticks 

and the Neapolítm ice cream, my best friend, Ersin, made an offhand remark 

about how my internship was  a great gift from God. 

His comment startled me. During the four years I’d known Ersin, I don’t 

think we’d ever talked about religion. 

‘Wait a minute, let me get this straight,” I said. ‘Are you telling me that 

someone as intelligent as you  valedictoiiall, science Whiz, and all that-tliat 

you actually believe that God exists? I always figured you were beyond tha-1t!’ 

It was clear that Ersin was equally surprised. ‘What are you trying to tell 

 he said. ‘Are you saying there isn ’I a God? Are you telling me that 

someone as intelligent as you doesn ’t believe in God? You’ve got to be 

kiddingl’ 

We Were both genuinely astonished. I couldn’t believe that a Sharp person 

like Ersin had actually bought into a fairy tale like the existence of an all-

powerful, all­knoWing Creator ofthe universe. Hadn’t he learned anything at 

college? 

if you cold  my attitude toward God, that would be it: 

Intelligent people didn_`t heli eve in him. All it took was a quick look at the 

evidence to know that Chrisatianìty was nothing but superstition and wishful 

thinking. 

But to be honest, that’s all I had ever really given the evidence: a quick 

look. And I was happy to keep it that Way for years-until one day, my life 

took a strange turn, pushing me into an all-out investigation into the facts 

surrounding the case for Christianity.” 

Religions...Broken down

1) Which religions believe in a literal heaven? Which don't?
DO: Mormon, Christianity, Islam
DON'T:  Hinduiasm, Buddhism, Judaism
2) Which religions worship only one God? Which worship no Gods, or many Gods?
ONE: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism,
MANY/NONE: Mormon
3)Which religions believe that humans will face one final judgement by an eternal God? Which ones believe in a continual cycle of rebirth until perfection is achieved?
CYCLE: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism
ONE: Christianity, Mormon, Islam
4) Which religions believe that some type of salvation comes through what we do? 
All of them do, to some extent. 


Below are some statements. I have highlighted the possible ones.


A) There is only one God and there are many gods and there is no god at all.


B) A person dies only once and dies many times over through reincarnation. 


C) It is possible that one of the above religions is true?


D) Is it possible that all of the above religions are true?


E) Is it possible that none of the above statements are true?


F) I can know with a reasonable certainty whether or not a religion is true.

The Apostles’ Creed

Today in class we talked about the apostles' creed. I highlighted the certain statements that i truly believe in below. Just because i might have left some out doesn't mean i don't believe it, it just means it's not absolute to me.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth. (1)

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, (2)

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, (3)

born of the Virgin Mary, (4)

suffered under Pontius Pilate, (5)

was crucified, died, and was buried; (6)

he descended into hell. (7)

On the third day he rose again; (8)

he ascended into heaven, (9)

he is seated at the right hand of the Father, (10)

and he will come to judge the living and the dead. (11)

I believe in the Holy Spirit, (12)

the holy catholic Church, (13)

the communion of saints, (14)

the forgiveness of sins, (15)

the resurrection of the body, (16)

and the life everlasting. Amen. (17)

I would like to talk a little more about the last line, "and the life everlasting. Amen."

Let's get to the true meaning of everlasting life. Looking at the Bible, there are several verses that mention everlasting life. John 3:16- For god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This verse talks about how believing in God will get you to heaven (where you will have eternal life) instead of dying and going to hell. Okay it's not THAT simple, there is more too it. But you'll just have to read to find out. :)

Consuming kids

This documentary talks about how advertisements that are targeted at innocent children and teenagers. Apparently there used to be a law that prohibited companies from advertising their products using things that triggered the emotions and extreme interest of children.

    I feel used. There is no better way to describe how i felt after watching that video. Normally when i watch documentaries, i am careful to analyze bias, but in this video, i felt like i really agreed and related to what they were saying.

    I was very shocked of how they researched children, and that they followed them into showers and baths (and the washrooms). They analyzed their behavior just to sell products?! That's horrible! 

    I don't think there needs to be a law about targeting kids, but i do think kids need to be educating and told about what marketers do to them. It's not fair, and this video provides all the information needed to realize that.

Top 5 most intense questions to ask God:

1.What day is the world going to end?
2.What happens to all the children who die before they learn about God?
3.How can a loving God send people to hell? How can a holy God let sinful people into heaven?
4.If you really exist, why dont you prove it and show yourself to the world?
5.Is the bible really God's straight up word? or did the people writing it leave things out?

What will i ask God the moment I get to heaven?

There are many questions i would like to ask God, but these are just a few on my mind...
1. If you knew we would eventually sin and destroy your beautiful world, why wouldn't you just make heaven and and put us there right from the start?
2. Why do you give us second chances?....and third chances...and trillionth chances...
3. Why do you love me so much? 
4. How can you love every single person in the world? Especially after we betrayed you so many times...
5. How come you created man first? jk! Can you give me a tour of heaven? :D