Amy Emberlyn Ball, An Online Journal

Job, Dr. Jekyll, and Frankenstein

2013-05-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

In February of 2012, I wrote a blog post about a car accident I was in, 2 weeks before the Christmas of 2011, and I described the way God had been changing my perception of His blessings. He was teaching me to trust Him, and to recognize trials as a bigger work He was doing in me. I didn't know that He was just getting started. On March 14, 2012, I watched a woman, named Barbara Connoughy, get run over and killed on 1^st and Main St., in El Cajon. It was a difficult thing for me to deal with. I had also been struggling with depression for about 2 years. It was a tough time, and somewhere in there I became very angry with God. I was of the opinion that I didn't deserve any of this. God was treating me unfairly! What had I done that was so terrible? I go to church. I pray. I even read my Bible! … I didn't deserve this. I was so angry.

Have you read the book of Job? It is my favorite book in the Bible. (Mostly because it mentions dinosaurs and the Ice Age! Seriously, go look it up.) I've read Job many times. It’s very long, so let me give you the abridged version. Job is a righteous man, who has been very blessed by God. He has a lot of property, animals, and children. The Bible says Job offered sacrifices to God every day, and even sacrificed extra animals on behalf of his children, just in case they had sinned. One day, Satan went before God and convinced God to allow him to torture Job to test Job’s loyalty to God. God agreed, and Satan destroyed everything Job owned, including killing Job’s sons and daughters. When that wasn't enough to get Job to curse God, Satan suggested it was because Job still had his health. So, God gave Satan control over that as well, so long as he didn't kill Job. Satan didn't waste any time. He inflicted Job with terrible boils all over his body that were extremely painful (and probably disgusting). Job’s friends came to “comfort” Job by encouraging him to repent for the sins he obviously committed, but Job insisted he was innocent and that God’s punishment was a mistake. Then, out of nowhere, God came down to speak to Job. The last few chapters are of God questioning Job, and very powerfully putting him in his place. My favorite verse from this section is Job 38:4, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.”

This story confused me for a very long time. This was a man who apparently did everything right. The Bible even says so. Job 1:1 says, “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Job’s long winded friends tried to get him to confess his secret sins, but Job denied having any un-confessed sins over and over again.

Alright, we will come back to Job. When I was in high school (I was home schooled), my parents had me use a curriculum that was a study of two different world views. I had to read two books. The first was Frankenstein, and the second was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In Frankenstein, the author, Mary Shelly, tells the story of an ugly monster, who tries to do good at first. He is turned evil by society, however, when no one believes he is actually trying to help, because all they see is an ugly monster. The world view presented in this book is that man is inherently good, and is only bad because circumstances and society make him that way. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, is the story of a man who is tired of doing the right thing all of the time. Dr. Jekyll discovers a way to release his inner “bad”, and begins going out on the town at night as his evil alter ego, Mr. Hyde. Eventually, Mr. Hyde becomes strong enough to gain control of Dr. Jekyll whenever he wants, and he ends up murdering a woman. Dr. Jekyll cannot find a way to get rid of Mr. Hyde, or stop him from taking over, and he kills himself in the end to stop Mr. Hyde. The world view presented here is that man is essentially evil, and it is our job to fight against our sin nature to keep it at bay. The more we exercise our evil selves, the stronger they become, and the harder it will be to make right decisions.

So, here is where I am humbled. When I did the study on these two world views, I decided that I believe the world view of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I am a sinful person. My thoughts are easily corrupted, and my heart is bent toward evil things. I have sinned. I do sin. I am a sinner.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.”

“The wages of sin is death.”

That is a far heavier punishment than the struggles I've faced, or that I will face, in my life, but it is what I deserve. It’s what I have earned. And yet, God paints us the most beautiful picture at the end of that verse. “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.” Even though I am a wretched human being, with wounds and stains, God offers me life forever, and He offers it freely.

I get it now. I understand why God had a problem with Job’s self-righteousness. No matter how good Job was, it could never be good enough. Job had sinned at some point in his life, and that was enough to earn himself the death penalty. And he had no right to question God, and to accuse God of doing the wrong thing. No matter what I have to deal with in my life, no matter how bad things may become, I will never earn the right to question what God is working out in my life. In Job 38:2, God reminds Job of his position when He asks, “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?”

God has a plan. I don’t know what it is, I may not know any of it until it is actually happening (or it has happened and I can look back and think “Ohhhhh…! I see what you did there.”), but I know that God loves me, and He has offered me eternal life. So, I will press on, having accepted what Christ has offered, and I will trust Him. I will remember that it is not my place, or helpful, to pity myself and become angry at God.

James 1: 2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

And Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In all things, even in the messy, uncomfortable, painful, embarrassing, difficult, irritating, and humbling things, God works for the good of those who love him.

7 words you probably use incorrectly.

2012-02-24T15:53:00.001-08:00

You will notice that there are many blue words in this post. Each one is a link to that words definition. Click on them. You may be surprised by what you find. Or maybe not. :)

"Inconceivable!!" - Vizzini
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo Montoya

If you do not know what that quote is from, then you should stop reading this and go here, and then go and watch The Princess Bride this instant!

You're back? Wasn't it excellent? Now we may proceed.

I have compiled a list of words that either do not mean what we think they mean, or words that have completely lost their value and have had their definitions changed in the dictionary because of societies slang use of them.

Let us begin.

Now, because we, who call ourselves English speakers, have taken what was once a beautiful language and slowly devalued it's more powerful words, the dictionary now reflects the definitions we have invented for ourselves. For instance:

1. Decimate.
Previously, I would have told you that to "decimate" something is to wipe it out, or destroy it. False. Or at least it is only partially true. Originally, "decimate" (from Latin) meant to reduce by 1/10th. Surprised? So was I. Of course, the current definition of "decimate" reflects our slang use of it.

Some words have lost their meaning, because we, the undereducated public, instead of looking up the correct definition, have begun to use what ever word we think of to mean what we want to say. Thus creating a working definition for that word, but, at the same time, ignoring the actual definition.

2. Awesome.
This word is used quite flippantly to describe just about anything. Whether it was a mildly interesting story you heard or a taco you ate, the word "awesome" is thrown into the sentence without anyone batting an eye. This is not the correct way to use the word "awesome". And it's entry in the dictionary has not been changed to reflect our poor use of the word. So, there is no excuse. "Awesome" means "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear." The word "awesome" should be reserved for things that are truly magnificent and inspiring of awe (Awe is an interesting one too.) So, unless your taco is particularly inspiring of fear, or great admiration, you should probably use a more appropriate word. An accurate use of the word "awesome" would be in reference to God and His glory.

3. Incredible.
Incredible is supposed to mean that something is "not credible, or impossible to believe". Not so now. We currently lump it together with the other words we use incorrectly like "amazing", "fantastic", and "extraordinary".

4. Great.
"Great" is used incorrectly all the time. And most often by Americans. The British have kept a tighter hold on the original meaning, which is "very large, or of unusual size". "That was a great brownie!" would be an incorrect use of the word. Unless the brownie happened to be unusually large. :) It would also be... unusual for you to refer to yourself as "great" in response to someone asking how you are doing.

5. Good.
This one is particularly annoying to me. When someone asks you how you are doing, you can not be "good" unless you are telling them that you are particularly moral or virtuous. Click on the word to read the actual definitions. There are many.

6. Terrific.
Frightening, terrifying. Enough said.

And finally:

7. Peruse.
We think it means to lightly read through, to skim over. Wrong. In fact, it means quite the opposite. To "peruse" something is to read it thoroughly, and carefully.

Now, I realize that the definitions of these words have changed to reflect our use of them, and I will not be offended if you continue to describe your tacos as awesome. However, it might be worth investing in a Thesaurus so that you can impress your friends. (Don't go over board with it. haha)

Because I love the English language, here is a new word for you: Adamantine. See if you can think of a grammatically correct sentence using this word and post it in the comments.

I hope you have a delightful day!

Blessings

2012-02-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

In preparing to give my testimony a few Sundays ago, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I have been through, and what has been happening in my life lately. I came up with a long list of “bad” things that have happened over the years, or at least things I would change if I could. The list includes things like health concerns, the accident I was in that totaled my car the week before this past Christmas, the crazy time I had trying to find reliable transportation, and relationship struggles. …But then I realized that through all of these things, and the things I am struggling with now, God is doing a good work in me. Somehow, Jesus Christ has taken the things I wish I could cut out of my life completely, and used them for His glory, to break me and then build me back up to be more like Him. I have had to learn to trust in God, even when I don’t understand what He is doing with me, and to keep going, knowing that God will use these situations to strengthen and bless me, and to glorify Him.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

And in Jeremiah 17:7 it says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”

Laura Story recently wrote a song called Blessings (you should listen to it here). In an interview about the song, Laura explained that, after going through some particularly tough times, and feeling like God was withholding his blessings from her, she had to step back and re-evaluate how she viewed God’s blessings. The verses of the song talk about things many of us have asked God for, but may not have received, like health, prosperity, wisdom, and peace. Often times in my life I get frustrated, or even angry, when I think of all the blessings God seems to be withholding from me. In this song, Laura Story suggests that maybe God’s blessings are not always apparent, that the things we look at as trials might actually be one of the many ways God blesses us. The chorus of the song asks “What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”

God does not cause bad things to happen; rather, He takes the bad situations of this life and uses them for good.

This song has challenged me to look at my life as a bigger picture. To see the things I would call trials as blessings. The accident I was in at Christmas time was not fun. Essentially my car was pushed under an SUV by another car, on the freeway. And, though I wish I could still say I’ve never been in an accident, I have realized something important. My red 1993 Ford Probe had become a symbol to me of the things I could do on my own without God’s help. I relied primarily on the things I had, and the things I seemed to be able to accomplish on my own, and I had stopped relying on God for my strength and comfort. That accident, and the loss of my car, forced me to look at what matters in my life, like that I survived an accident that could easily have killed me, and it has brought me back to my Savior, which is a true blessing.

In James 1: 2-4 it says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

As you go about this day, reflect on the things in your life that have been trials, and consider that God may have been using them for a greater purpose, and remember what it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.”

Trust and Wait.

2012-01-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

God asks us to trust. Not to plan, not to worry, only to trust.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. - Proverbs 3:5 NIV

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. - Psalm 91:2 KJV

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. - Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. - Psalm 37:3 NIV

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. - Isaiah 26:4 NIV

O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. - Psalm 7:1 KJV

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. - Proverbs 30:5 KJV

He asks us to trust and wait.

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. - Psalm 40:1 NIV

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. - Psalm 27:14 NIV

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. - James 5:11 ESV

Waiting is the hardest thing I've ever done. I am so easily discouraged, so quickly distracted from the goal: waiting on Jesus for His best, and perfect plan.

"Immediately the boy's father exclaimed,

'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"

- Mark 9:24

In Our Truest Form

2011-03-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

In Our Truest Form
By: Dylan DeCrausaz

Have you ever sat and thought about existence as a whole? Existentialism is a very interesting concept. God started EVERYTHING…Heaven, our Galaxy and a billion others, humans, life itself…all for what? Really to glorify himself, as He so deserves as our creator and heavenly Father. And it all takes place in a humongous thing called the Universe. What IS the Universe? Is there anything beyond it? Or is that simply incomprehensible to anything other than a perfect being?

We’re getting ahead of ourselves slightly…What exactly is LIFE?! It’s something we don’t have to think about, or try to do. We just do it; we live. It’s the ability to experience consciousness, which we can’t do when we’re dead. Have you ever thought about before you were born? You didn’t comprehend anything, you weren’t waiting billions of years to be born, it was neither light nor dark; you simply didn’t exist. What an outrageously difficult thought to comprehend!

Now try this on for size: your whole existence as a person, the fiber and essence of who you are, is the opposite of who you’re supposed to be. Who you are now is a product of a selfish and grave mistake made long, long ago…You can’t help it, but you’re defective. You’ve been cursed with a disease ever since the moment you breathed your first breath. You’ve never experienced your full potential as God intended. You’ve been an imperfect sinner destined for death ever since you awakened from non-existence…

The cure is simple, no shot, no medication, no surgery of any kind; it’s simply a relationship with and dedication to Jesus Christ. What a thought: one day, having accepted Christ as your savior and followed him, you will see what it is like to TRULY live. Sometimes it can seem as if this is all there is to life; we focus so much on the moment and stress of life that we forget there’s such a larger picture. I’m not saying life isn’t good now, I happen to love the life I have. But imagine what life would be like if we weren’t broken as we are now! How much potential we have…

A lot of people think of a relationship with God as a burden. God is so greatly associated with mainstream religion and the oppressive legalism that comes with it. People are turned off to the idea that they have to work to earn salvation; they have to be something they’re incapable of being to earn God’s love. This could not be further from the truth. God didn’t intend for us to view Him as an obligation. He simply wants an eternal communion with us, which was His intention from the start. He isn’t far from or foreign to us, but many of us choose to see it that way. Why?

The answer is sad but oh so true: we are who we are, and who we are is foreign to God. The DNA coursing through our very veins is intertwined with sin. Our nature is to do things our way, to turn from God and pursue the broken life we live now. But try to imagine please, the unimaginable: God’s undying love for every one of us. That love is the essence of who God is, pure love. It’s a biased suggestion, I know, but wouldn’t you rather choose God? To live life in your truest form?

I am a dreamer.

2011-02-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

I had a crazy dream last night! It is about time for me to sleep again, so I am going to post this in a very rough form. So, without further ado, here is my dream in all of it's craziness:

My dream began with my Mom dying from cancer. Two days after her funeral I found a note in the book I was reading (which happened to be Frankenstein). It was in my Mom's hand writing, and it said that life was still worth living. I was a little freaked out, because we had just buried my Mom. In my dream I showed the note to my friends Zach, and Kendra. They both encouraged me, and said my Mom was right, and that God wanted to teach me something through this hardship. I tried to set my mind on living life to the fullest, but I was failing. Depression was overwhelming me. Then I found a note taped to my mirror (in my Mom's hand writing) that said I could be a blessing to those around me, if I learned to live selflessly. I was shocked. I lived (even in my dream) in Utah, and my family (and anyone I could picture having my Mom's notes and putting them around my house) lived in California. (I cried a lot in this dream) I talked to my Dad about it. He seemed confused. After I got off work I was driving home when the DJ on the radio said he had a note for a very special person. He said that Amy's Mom wanted her to know she loves her, and the most important thing is to live for Jesus, and keep moving forward so we can bring others to Jesus. I nearly crashed my car. (You will remember that this was all a dream.) I didn't talk to anyone all evening, and went to bed early. That night I had a dream (in my dream?) about my Mom. She was trying to speak to me, but I couldn't understand the language she was using. There were two other people there too. Shining people. They looked like they understood what my Mom was trying to say. I woke up feeling very light. I was the happiest I had been since my Mom passed away. I made a mental note to try to apply these messages my Mom seemed to be sending me to my life that day. Some time passed, and things seemed to be alright. That is when the dream became less specific and vivid. And this "brief" description is getting crazy long.

Because the last part was significantly less clear, I am not going to elaborate. I discovered that the two people in my dream with my Mom were angels. They were helping her encourage me by getting me her messages (translating what she was trying to say). I started envolving myself in many different ministries, and learned what it means to live like you are dying. Which is what my Mom's last message was to me. I turned on the music in my car, and the song "Live Like You Were Dying", by Tim McGraw was playing, then when I got to my work I pulled out my iPod and plugged in the head phones. Immediately, the same song began to play. I walked into the store that I work at, and the music, which is usually pop songs, was the same song! It seemed very odd. As I stuffed my bag and coat into my locker a note fell out of my coat pocket. It said "Live like you were dying, Amy." It was written in my Mom's hand writing on the back of some lyrics I had printed out for a song called "When You Come Home", by Mark Schultz. That is when I woke up.

And there you go. I had a dream that taught me a lesson. You can listen to "Live Like You Were Dying" here, and read the lyrics of "When You Come Home" here.

I am awesome!

2011-01-26T16:09:00.000-08:00

My good friends Kendra Bailey, Rachael Howard, and I have started a video blog on Youtube.com. We are having a lot of fun. We call our channel PSYoureAwesome.
Sad that they weren't originally included in our channel, my brother Josiah, and our friend Zach Trimmer started their own channel PSYoureLame. It is pretty neat, you should check it out too!
This is a short post, but I wanted to tell you about this project because I am excited about it! :)

P.S. You're awesome!

I am posting another blog.

2011-01-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't written a blog in awhile, and, while I would like to be able to tell you that it is due to the fact that I have been overwhelmingly busy with important things, I just can't. The truth is that I haven't been able to think of anything that seemed worthy of it's own blog entry. There have been a few things that, when compiled, make up a somewhat interesting post. Here are those things:

1. I left my phone in a restroom while I was at Disneyland at the beginning of this month. I was super upset, but maintained my faith in the Disneyland Lost & Found people. I once lost my backpack at Disneyland and they sent it to me 3 days later! My phone didn't arrive in 3 days, but they did send it to me about 2 weeks later! I was overjoyed to have it back. I had over 200 text messages waiting for me. :) Thank you Disneylnd L&L people! I love you!

2. I started attending a Bible study in downtown Salt Lake. It has been really good for me. The regular meetings have helped me to regulate my own personal Bible studies. I have also had fun hanging out with some of the people I met at the Bible study during the week.

3. Speaking of hanging out with peeps. I went with some of the sweetest people, Robyn, Joel, and Krista, to a restaurant called Moochies. It was delicious! I had my first Philly Cheesesteak. It made me want to go to Philly. haha

4. I have continued working at Charlotte Russe, and I really enjoy it. Sales isn't as bad as people told me it would be. Some times I feel a bit like a car salesman, trying to push something on someone that they don't really need/want, but most of the time I just have fun helping people.

5. The weather has greatly improved. Today it was actually "warm" (47 degrees) and sunny! It made me feel like I was in California again... almost. :)

There it is. Some of the things I have been thinking about, but couldn't make into a full blog.

I am a Black Friday survivor.

2010-11-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

Instead of going to sleep like I wanted to Thanksgiving night, I went in to work. It was a bit insane. I worked from 11:30pm Thursday night to 5am Friday morning. I was stationed at the front of the store to encourage people to keep the line from forming across the door-way, and to monitor the distribution of Red Bull our store decided to give away. When the doors to the mall were opened at midnight chaos ensued. People of all ages were running down the halls, screaming and laughing. I was rather scared for my life. As soon as people discovered that we were giving away Red Bull they came storming into our store in huge waves. Luckily, I was able to position myself behind the pyramid we had formed with the cases, and was able to keep from being trampled. Once all the Red Bull was gone I was assigned to the fitting rooms, and I spent the rest of the night running around like a headless chicken putting things away, and helping people find things.

Once my shift was over, I drove home, exhausted, and slept for 10 hours. As soon as I woke up I took a shower and began preparing myself for another 5 hour Black Friday shift from 5pm-10pm. While this later shift was slightly less hectic, I am still thoroughly worn out. Everything hurts. My neck, back, legs, and, most severely, my feet. The best part? I get to work again tomorrow from 1pm-5pm...! Woo hoo! :)

I am a turkey eater.

2010-11-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This day has been fabulous! Although I was unable to fly back to CA to be with my immediate family, and I miss them terribly, I had a wonderful time thanking our Lord for his blessings with my extended family here in UT. Everything was delicious! Mashed potatoes and gravy are my all time favorite Thanksgiving dish. I am thankful for the time preparing the food with people I love, and then sitting down to eat an excellent meal! My contribution was the making of a 'Pink, Fluffy Cranberry Salad'. It had whipped cream, marshmallows, cranberry sauce, and pineapple chunks in it. Yummy! I hope that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving! A special shout out to my beloved family in California: Mom, Dad, Josiah, Matthew, Amanda, Elizabeth(!), Nehemiah, Mary, Darren, Rebekah, Claire, Josh, Grace, the Howards (wish we were related), and my San Bernardino church family!

Some of the things I am thankful for:
Family
Friends
Freedom
Health
Weather (snow!)
My car (even if it isn't 4WD)
The US mail service
Text messaging :)

Don't forget to remain thankful for our many blessings throughout the year, as we wait for the next Turkey Day!

P.S. And also, congratulations to, Apple, the turkey that was pardoned by President Obama this year! :)

I am cold... always.

2010-11-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

I am always cold. My brothers used to tell me I was a reptile, and incapable of producing my own body heat. Sometimes I think it must be true. That may have been why God chose to put me in a beautifully sunny, and warm, environment during my childhood (So Cal). However, I recently made a big change in my life, and moved to Utah. Where, as evidenced by the large amount of snow falling from the sky, it is freezing!! Apparently, there is a difference between a "jacket" and a "coat". My California "coat" (which is really just a jacket, I have been told) doesn't cut it here. My lovely second cousin-in-law, Crystal DeGreef (pictured here with her two beautiful daughters and two dogs), has been teasing me about my idea of winter clothing. :) Suffice it to say, that I will be adding to my wardrobe as soon as possible.

Regardless of the fact that I always feel cold, I LOVE cold weather! Snow is fantastic! I have been like a little kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. I have made a snowman, done several snow angels, and eaten a considerable amount of (clean) snow. I have been awed by the beauty of snow. Having only seen it fall from the sky one other time, I can't resist running outside and just standing in the cold silence when it snows at night. Something I find very interesting is how very bright the world seems when it has snowed, even at midnight. Snow is amazing! And I love it! The end. :)

I am a writer.

2010-11-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

Most of you may have seen that I am working on writing a novel. (If you haven't seen it, the link is that small orange box to the left.) I have attempted to write a story before. However, I was only 15 at the time, and my writing left much to be desired. It was also hand written, which was a pain, so I am excited to have found a website that I can publish my writing on for others to read.
There is not much for me to say about myself as a writer, so I will show you some of my writing. This is something I wrote on February 19, 2009 in my English class at San Bernardino Valley Community College. At the beginning of each class my teacher, Mark Henry, played us a song and asked us to write about the song or a related topic. I wish I could remember the title of the song we listened to on this day, but here is what I wrote.

The street where I live appears quiet and calm. The wind blows softly through the trees, and the sun shines on the rooftops. There is not a lot of traffic, so the neighborhood kids can ride their bikes back and forth down the deserted road. That is my neighborhood during the day. Night time, however, is a different story. As the sun goes down a tension begins to build. Families retreat into their houses to finish the evening behind locked doors. The moon casts an eerie glow upon the ground, and the gentle breeze through the trees becomes a low moan. It is during this time that the evil creatures of the night begin their dark prowl. Eggs are thrown, windows are smashed, and hopes and dreams are crushed. These creatures would have remained invisible to me, if not for the window that was missing from my car when I woke up one morning.
-By Amy Ball

I find that I thoroughly enjoy writing in story form. I like to play with the descriptions, and see how vividly I can portray a certain idea or scene. Words make me happy. I want to write a short story just so I can incorporate the word "implode" into the plot. Maybe I will... :)

I am a follower of Christ.

2010-11-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

My series of "I am..." posts would not be complete with out a post about my belief in Jesus Christ. I recently moved to the state of Utah, where the Latter Day Saint (also known as Mormon) church is very prominent. The LDS faith teaches many things that do not follow God's scripture. They believe that Jesus (God's only Son) is the brother of Satan... They also do not believe that it is through the gift of Jesus Christ's death on the cross that we are saved. They do not understand the concept of God's grace. Mormons believe that salvation must be earned. It breaks my heart. They appear, on the outside, to have everything together. They are generally fairly wealthy, they attend church regularly, they tithe, they help the needy, they do everything a good Christian ought to do, but they do it for the wrong reason. As a follower of Christ, I know that nothing I could ever do would be enough to earn my way into heaven. I believe that it is only through acceptance of Jesus' free gift on the cross that I have a place in God's kingdom. And I am eternally (literally) grateful. God's love covers a multitude of sins.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
It says nothing about earning your way into heaven.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
Again, it says nothing about earning your way into heaven.

This is what I believe: That God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to be brutally crucified on a cross, that He died and rose again three days later, and that it is through His sacrifice that I do not have to pay the price (death) for my sins. I feel a great burden to share God's grace and forgiveness with the Mormons I now come in contact with regularly.

In a previous post, I mentioned my manager at Charlotte Russe, Heidi. I would appreciate it if you would remember to pray for her, as she is a Mormon, and is likely under the impression that she has to earn her way into heaven with out the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I would also ask that you pray for me. Pray that I will be given an opportunity to share my belief in Jesus' free gift, and that I will take advantage of that opportunity.

A follower of Christ,
Amy

I am a sales associate.

2010-11-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that retail is heaps different than working in the food industry. My experience in the food industry tells me that I have to be constantly moving or there is obviously not enough work to do, and I would get sent home. According to my manager at Charlotte Russe, Heidi, I can just stand around pretending to straighten things while I wait for customers to come in. It is brilliant! The problem would be my lack of comfortable shoes. Muscles I didn't know existed are aching, and my feet have blisters. Everyone keeps telling me that I will "toughen up" though, so I am looking forward to the day when I don't feel about 94 when it comes time for me to clock out. In the mean time, I will be busy trying to remember all the various promotions (all denim is only $20! haha), and trying to figure out what the fashion trends are right now. Apparently, I know very little about fashion. I need to work on that. As my final thought in this blog I would like to tell you that it is 45 degrees and incredibly windy here in Sandy, Utah. Snow is expected on Saturday! I love snow! I intend to make lots of snowmen. :)

Until next time,
Amy

I am officially a blogger.

2010-11-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

I have decided to try out this whole blog thing. It is late tonight and I need to go to bed soon, so this will be short. Tomorrow I work at my new job, at Charlotte Russe, from 9am-2pm. I will type out a proper post tomorrow, but until then I will leave you with one of my favorite songs by JJ Heller - Love Me.
Also, here is my favorite dog right now, the Bernese Mountain Dog. I want a puppy! :) Thanks for taking the time to read this.

God Bless,
Amy