To those who have a voice...

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
--Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)


As a history major (and in particular, someone who is currently taking a German history course with an emphasis on WWII and the Holocaust), I have spent countless hours studying the horrific events that occurred both within and without Germany. I have read books, watched movies, and even wrote about the persecutions of the Jews, the tragedies of a Baltics region caught between Hitler and Stalin, the violence against Nazi resisters...the list goes on and on.

The most common theme I've found amongst these victims and their suffering is this: they were VOICELESS. Defenseless. Very few were standing in their corner, prepared to fight for their lives even if it cost their own. As a result, millions were persecuted, tortured, and murdered at the hands of their oppressors.

Kind of like today...

There are millions of human beings suffering at the hands of others, and in some cases, very little is being done about it. Human trafficking, domestic violence, abortion, and bullying are only a few examples that destroy millions of human beings each year. Who is speaking up for them?

I will be the first to admit that there are the chosen few that have dedicated time, money, effort, and even their livelihoods to giving a voice to these voiceless victims. But what about the rest of us? Are we speaking on their behalf? Or simply watching on the sidelines as our fellow brothers and sisters are shattered and demolished before our very eyes?

I'm guilty of it too, trust me. I have seen stories of abuse victims and simply breathed a quick prayer before moving on with my life. I've watched videos about the horrors of abortion (and those affiliated with it) and not shared them with others because I was too afraid of "offending them." But lately, I've been realizing that this isn't how it should be.

As a Christian, it's my obligation to fight for them, to give a voice to those are unable to speak for themselves. It's not right for me to sit on the sidelines, living life comfortably while others are hurting, suffering, and even dying but are unable to do anything about it. I have something they don't have: a voice, an ability to fight against the injustice their face. If I don't use it to speak on their behalf, what is the point of having it at all?

Jesus always spoke/moved on behalf of those who were defenseless: the outcasts of society, those who had been neglected and mistreated, the ones who couldn't help themselves and who received help from no one. He ALWAYS fought for them, always changed what they themselves could not. He set the captive free, healed the sick, restored the outcasts, died for the sins of mankind when we couldn't do it ourselves....and fundamentally changed the world in doing so.

Above all, Jesus showed the rest of us how to live. If the God of the universe took the time to come down and act on our behalf, what is our excuse for not doing so for others? We may not have much to offer, but like Jesus, we can offer everything we do have. And most importantly, we can offer our VOICE.

Obviously, it's the Republicans' fault. No, wait, it's the Democrats'.

I saw a Facebook post the other day that irritated me enormously. It read: "Syrian refugees can pretend to be Christians. Republicans do it all the time."

Here we go again.

Why is it that every time some sort of ill-favored law is executed, or rioting occurs, or a tragedy strikes that we immediately blame the other side? The ENTIRE side.

We forget that Republicans or Democrats are not a collective group of people, Each person has their own beliefs, standards, values, etc. Although their beliefs may align more closely with one particular political group, that does not mean their political party defines who they are.

Furthermore, why do we think that it's efficient and productive to point fingers at the other side. I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Independent, STOP POINTING FINGERS. It literally solves nothing.

As I so bluntly pointed out to the friend that shared that insulting picture on Facebook, it serves absolutely no purpose other than to offend the other side. He wasn't helping the Syrian refugees, nor was he trying to bridge the division within our country on the issue by posting that. I say this not to insult him at all, but rather I say it because I think it speaks to our mindset in the United States.

You see, we are always so quick to blame the other side for our problems. It's the Republicans' fault for banning refuge for the Syrian refugees, it's the Democrats fault that Planned Parenthood has become such a powerful corporation (another topic for another time), etc., etc. But we never actually SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

We point fingers and hurl insults at those who share different beliefs than us. We demand respect for what we believe in, but don't know how to give it in the first place. We insist that our government fix the problems in our society, but refuse to pray that God gives them the wisdom to do it, and we refuse to do anything about it ourselves.

Here's the truth, everyone.

STOP POINTING FINGERS. Stop insulting each other on Facebook and believing that you're making a different in the world by sharing some nasty political post. Instead, START DOING SOMETHING. Volunteer, donate money, respectfully appeal to our government and never stop fighting for what you believe in, or do whatever you can do to help. But DO NOT sit here and put the blame on anyone else.

One last thing: Choose to work together. Open your eyes to the similarities in what we believe, not the differences. We can make a difference, everyone, but we can't do it if we're facing the other side, fists raised. Only when we choose to stand together, unified, for the good of the people, can we ever make this country (and dare I say it, maybe even the world) a better place.

Reducing our waste: Environmentalism 101

Hey guys! On this blog, I always try to talk about things I'm passionate about or strongly believe in. One of these things would happen to be the environment. Now, I don't claim to be what some call a "treehugger", whatever that means, but I do think it is extremely important that we take care of God's earth to the best of our ability. In doing so, we are actually caring for other people around the globe (another post for another time; however, if you're interested, I would recommend looking up how our waste affects impoverished areas in countries such as India and China).

So, this post is dedicated to outlining a few minor (but important) steps that you can take to reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill. :)


1. Recycle, recycle, recycle!!
This is something you hear ALL THE TIME. However, I think this is extremely important. The EPA estimates that about 75% of what Americans waste is recyclable, but only 30% is actually recycled. This means that, by recycling everything that you can possibly recycle, you would reduce waste by 45% than what it already is. That is HUGE!!

**Please note that there are some restrictions to recycling depending on where you live. For instance, my county does not recycle Styrofoam plastic, so it either has to be thrown away or taken to a place that does recycle them.

****Also, NEVER leave food or other organic waste on recyclable material. If it makes it to the recycling plant, it will actually ruin the entire batch of recyclable materials and they will be thrown out.


2. Compost
Composting may sound a little gross and overwhelming when you think of having to collect a bunch of waste and putting it in a container to decay until it becomes fertilizer. However, composting is actually way easier and not as disgusting as it sounds.

There is a massive list of materials that can be composted, and all you have to do is throw it in a bin and rotate it every few days to speed up the process. If you don't own a bin, you can set up a small area in your yard, fence it off, and dump the scraps there. If you live in an apartment complex or do not have a yard to yourself, you may be able to toss them in a container and give them to a local composting program or even local farmers.

Below is a small list of things you can compost (for an extensive list, please visit: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/100-things-you-can-compost or google "things you can compost"):

• Cardboard
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Eggshells
• Fireplace ashes (only from natural wood)
• Grass clippings
• Hair and fur (human and animal)
• Hay/straw
• Plants
• Leaves
• Shredded Newspaper
• Uncoated paper (small pieces=easier to compost)
• Sawdust
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Yard trimmings

***To reduce the smell, it's important to create a good balance between organic (such as plants and eggshells) and inorganic material (such as paper and cardboard)

3. Reuse!

Okay, so you're probably thinking I'm copying this post from the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle campaign. However, I promise I'm not! That being said, this is probably one of my favorite ways to reduce waste, mainly because there are a number of endless possibilities when reusing trash. You can take some that's old and seemingly useless and make it into something super cool and very useful!

When I took a Recycling class last January, one of our group projects was to create something useful out of trash. The outcome was amazing. One group took a K-Cup and created a plant cup out of it, while another group took a 2-liter Coke bottle and created a toothbrush/toothpaste holder. My group created a food stand out of recycled cardboard, paper, and food cans. If you're lacking ideas, simply go on Pinterest or a similar website to get some inspiration!

While these methods may not seem like a lot, it has the ability to reduce waste by a ton! So, I would encourage you to try a couple of these out and see what happens. :)

Sources:

http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/100-things-you-can-compost

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-way-easier-you-think?gclid=CjwKEAiAtefDBRDTnbDnvM735xISJABlvGOvApg0EM4khTF63bmNuyn9bLYE7QCtI5SqRGei-VHhKxoCdmDw_wcB

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-recycling

New Years Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Can you believe 2016 is over already? That was a super fun and super exhausting year! Anyways...since 2017 is here, I thought I would share my New Year's Resolutions with you guys. They might be kind of lame (I'm not going deep here, haha) 😊

1. Get more involved with the body of Christ and fellowship with others more (no more Friday nights at home! :D)

2. Focus more on my relationship with God and a little less on everything else.

3. Cut back on responsibilities and distractions (no 18-19 credit hour semesters hours with 3 jobs!!!)

4. Get healthier, even if that doesn't include losing weight!

5. Give up meat.....OH WAIT, I already did that last year! Well, how about that? It's January 2nd and I've already completed a resolution. 😉

Please feel free to comment below with some of your New Year's Resolutions! I would love to hear some of them! <3

Happy New Year!

Self-Worth: Make it a Movement

You are more than your grades.

You are more than a number on a scale.

You are more than your figure or physique.

You are more than the people that surround you.

You are more than your present circumstances.

You are more than your annual income or your material possessions.

You are more than your past.

You are more than your failures.

You are more than your successes.

You are more than what other people think of you.

You are more than what you think about yourself.

You are more.

Infinitely more.

And you are ALWAYS worth it.

#selfworth #makeitamovement

Book signing and Christmas Party

Sorry the post is so late, but I thought I would share a few pictures from our book signing and Christmas party. Thanks to all who have supported our latest anthology Hodgepodge: An Anthology by the Heartland Christian Writers!! <3 

My mom and I upon arriving at the party. :)

Some of the writers as we were signing the books...such a wonderful group of people!! <3

Our book!! If you haven't had the chance yet, check it out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major distributors. Also, feel free to check out L2L2 Publishing...the best publishing company in the world! :) <3