Dreams into Plans!

When I turned 13th my mother decided that I needed to have some mentors. I am grateful of that because I learned so much from these outstanding women. One of my mentors is a lawyer; which is the career I want to get into. I learned so many important lessons from her. One of the most important lessons I have learned from her was to follow my dreams and put them to action. She taught me that I have to turned my can'ts into cans and my dreams into plans. I learned that if the obstacle looks difficult I need to call on Jesus to help, but I cannot give up. And instead of just dreaming and wishing for things I need to actually make plans to meet my goals.
Queen Esther also followed this moral. When Haman tricked King Xerxes into signing a decree that Jews should be slaughter, Esther didn't know what to do so she asked God for help and decided that she couldn't wait for someone else to fix the problem, she needed to do it (with the help of God) herself. My mother also chose to follow her gut and go to Atlanta by herself. But before she moved she asked God for guidance. Now that I talked (well typed down) about this topic. I am now going summarize it. (Why? Because it helps get to the point and its fun!)

What I learned:
1. Ask God for guidance and instruction
2. If the obstacle looks difficult ask God for help.
3. Do NOT give up! Try to find a way to overcome the problem.
4. Instead of wishing and dreaming I need to change my dreams INTO plans!

Why am I writing about this?:
Well, I have been dreaming and somewhat planning to get my learner's permit but I have never really got to it. Honestly, it's just pure procrastination. The longer I wait to take the test the longer it will be to get my actual driver's license. So starting tomorrow I am going to study for the test and I will take it next week. I need to work now and play later!

*I challenge you to set a goal and try to accomplish it this week!*

 -Gracelyn Lives

God's Traits

Life is beautiful. Right now as I am writing this I am outside on my back and just appreciating nature. I hear the birds chirping, the trees swaying in the wind, and the weather is just right. It is a beautiful day. I am still in awe that God created this amazing planet and us. Today I decided to write outside because I thought I needed some fresh air. Usually, when I write I am surrounded by noise and distractions so going outside was a great decision. God is like nature. He's warm, inviting, and tranquil. I am so thankful to be apart of God's image and to be able to see his creation. I am starting to see God's traits in other people. Like just yesterday I saw beauty in my grandmother when she was praying for someone over the phone. I saw strength in my friend when he came over to our house for the first time. I could tell that he was nervous and that he was trying to break his awkwardness. I even saw determination in my little brother when he kept dying in the video game he wouldn't give up. Since God's created us in his own image, we have somewhat his inherited traits. For example, lets talk about love. God showed and let us experience love. Without his introduction to love we probably would never get to comprehend and show it to others. Here is my evidence...

With that being said (or typed LOL!) here is a chart of some of God's attrubitues. By the way, He has a lot more than what's listed on the chart.

 

*I challenge you to find out some more of God's characteristics*

-Gracelyn Lives

Overcoming My Temptations

What Would You Do?

Early in the summer, my mother made a rule that my sister and I could not be on our phones for more
than an hour. She didn't want us to lay around the house all day and just stay on our phones during the summer. At first, I didn't understand why she made the rule. I thought that this obstacle would be a breeze and that I could show my mother that I didn't need my phone to have fun. Unfortunately, this rule is soooo much harder than it looks. In the beginning of the process, I felt like I couldn't resist the temptation. I was into my phone that I even ignored the consequences of getting in trouble. I rather be sneaky and get on my phone for more than an hour than be obedient.
Now that I am writing this down it sounds so irresponsible and selfish. Anyway, I didn't realize how much time I spend on my phone. I use it for entertainment, when I'm just bored, when I need to get away from society, when I am in an awkward situation, when I am surrounded with strangers, or etc. My phone was literally a hobby! Now that I have been weaned away from my phone I realized that my emotions and actions have changed (positively of course). I have been more social, a better listener, more interested in others people's lives, more sympathetic, and more outgoing.
Also I have become stronger with saying no to temptation. Don't get me wrong I still get ideas and thoughts in my head, but now I know how to overcome them. And know I am going to explain how. This might not work for you, because EVERYONE has different ways to overcome temptation and that's perfectly okay. But here is how I overcome temptation:

1. Say no to myself either out loud or in my head
2. Think about the consequences
3. Think about how this can affect my loved ones
4. Pray to God and ask for his strength
5. Change the subject to something positive

LOL!

When I overcome my temptation to getting on my phone I feel great! I feel like that God is with me and that I can override the Devil's plans. I know that I am MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Philippians 4:13 KJV

 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he hasbeen approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord." 

James 1:12 NKJV

*I challenge you to think about any temptations you have and talk to God about them!* 

-Gracelyn Lives

My Trip 2 Greece

Hey guys! So yesterday I wrote about my trip to Italy and now I am going to finish my adventure by blogging about Greece.

How did we get from Italy to Greece?
We had to take a overnight ferry from Italy to Greece. The boat was very nice and super fast. Here is a video of the view from the boat:

Isn't this beautiful?

The next day we visit the Temple of Apollo. Here are some pictures:

Cool sign leading to the Temple of Apollo

Statue of Atoonis who lived near the Temple of Apollo

The Greece flag flying high

The next day we visited the Parthenon and the Acropolis of Athens. Here is a link if you want to learn some information about these topics: Interesting Facts About the Parthenon and Facts About the Acropolis of Athens 

Anyway, here are some pictures: 

Another view of the Parthenon.

Sideways view of the Parthenon.

Close up view from the Temple of Athena.

My mom and I standing in front of the Parthenon.

Here are some more pictures that don't really fall into the other categories:

Picture of me at the beach.

Got to eat a real Gyro in Athens, Greece!

My outfit for the Greek Evening. 

Visited a Greek beach!

Beautiful stairs leading to the Delphi Archeological Site

 This trip was so much fun! I hope you liked the pictures!


-Gracelyn Lives

Going home.

My Trip 2 Italy

Sorry for taking so long to post these pictures and videos from my trip. Anyway, I had a great time and learned so many new things! I tried to take pictures of almost everything so you can sorta experience the trip too:

Vatican City and The Sistine Chapel

On the 1st day of the trip, we visited the Vatican City museums and the Sistine Chapel

FACTS: The Vatican Muesli (museums) were founded by Pope Julius II, in 1506. Multiple galleries of classical and Renaissance art masterpieces, plus the Sistine Chapel frescoes are held in these museums.

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480 (from Wikipedia). This was my favorite place because it was so breathtaking!
FUN FACT: The Pope forced Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. It took him 12 years to finish the creation. Unfortunately, he became temporarily paralyzed and colorblind because of this.

Here are some pictures of my very 1st day in Rome, Italy!

Rome has such beautiful architecture.

 

Italy has a lot of waterfalls and the water is drinkable.

 

Statues in the Vatican Muesli.

This building used to be a theater for Roman Citizens.

 The Coliseum

The Coliseum was an amphitheater, or a large staduim that was held for public meetings, sporting events, exhibitions during the first century (70-80 AD). Thousands of Roman citizens would come and watch Gladiators fight each other and even exotic animals. This place was very popular! Here is a video below of what it looks like inside:

Me and my mom outside the Coliseum

Me inside the Coliseum

Look how BIG the arches are!

The Arch of Titus.

Loved this spectacular green door!

A random, but beautiful Italian small town.

Capri

Capri is a beautiful tiny island that is next to Italy. This was my favorite place because it was so tranquil and stunning! Here are some pictures and videos to prove it, LOL!

My group and I on a boat in Capri!

     

View of the the city in Capri.

Another pic of me.

View on top of the City in Capri.

Me in Capri!

This looks like it came out of a postcard!

Viewing God's creations in Capri. 

Pompeii

Pompeii was a very interesting but sad place. If you don't know anything about Pompeii click this link:  Historic Info About Pompeii. Anyway here is a video inside the city of Pompeii. 

 

Other Pictures

Here are some other pictures and videos that really don't fit into the other sections!

Average Italian Dinner:
1. Simple Salad
2. Pasta (their pasta is more firm than ours) 
3. Gelato (wish this stuff was more popular in America, it was sooo good!)

View from our hotel room @ night.  

                                                         View from our hotel in the morning.

Tomorrow I will blog my trip to Greece! 

-Gracelyn Lives

Trust in God!

Last night I had a strange dream. It was a scary yet interesting dream. The dream was in a post
apocalyptic, world ending setting (kinda like the novels, The Hunger Games and Divergent. One scene I remember so vibrantly was when my family and I were in an large office like building. We were surrounded my people who were dressed in navy blue prison scrubs. All of us were separated into 4 lines. In front of us there was a stage and on the stage were 4 yellow horizontal lines. There were workers were giving the prisoners papers about their future/present occupation. When the worker gives the prisoner their paperwork, they have to determine whether is accurate or not. If the person gets it right then they go to heaven and if they get it wrong then unfortunately, they go to hell. It felt like an EXTREMELY stressful test, because paperwork was the main point on where you spent your eternity! I know this was a very strange. But if you keep reading then you will eventually find out where I am going with this. Ahem...*clears throat because this a long weird story*. My grandma was also in my dream which was strange, but anyway she was the first person of the family to cross the yellow line and transcend into heaven. After that other people were either transcending up or going down. Soon I became afraid because I was doubting my decision. The rest of my family were quick to choose their correct papers and I was the only one left. I remember trembling and crying because I didn't trust my instincts. Then a Bible verse came to my heart which is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) Suddenly,I realized that I needed to trust in the Lord and not my own insticits. After I understood that I soon chose the right paper and transcend up in heaven. That's the end of my dream because my mom woke me up, LOL! I think God gave me a message through my dream, that I needed to trust in him. Then I will be on the right path.

*I challenge to talk and pray to God about your trust relationship with him!*

Have you ever had a dream with a message? If so, please share it in the comments! (only if you want to though) 

I will soon post pictures from my trip. Thank you all for being so patient!

-Gracelyn Lives

Family Matters

Family is very important. Right? This question is very powerful that is why I decided to dig a little deeper on the concept of family to shift our thinking in a more contrastive view. I interviewed different family members about this profound topic and heard some interesting answers. Read below and maybe it will shift your thinking:

Question 1
What is the meaning of family?

Dad: "It is an organic unit consisting a husband, wife and children that loves, shares, corrects,  rebukes, encourages, and combines together to spread God's kingdom on the earth."

Mom: "Family is being loyal, treating others with respect, and will not do anything to cause harm. Family is the representation of love. When you love someone you want to help them not harm them"

Grandma: "Family means so much to mean; words cannot express. Families show love and support one another no matter what the differences are."

Me: "The meaning of family to me is a personal, emotional, and spiritual pact that God has chosen for us."

Sister: "Family isn't just bloodline, but the people that you love and have a spirit connection. Or your family in Christ".

Brother: "I think family means hope and love."


Question 2
Why do you love your family?

Dad: "I love my family because God gave me one in spite of me, my past, my failures, and saw me and my potential to help raise and nurture the next generation."

Mom: "I was created to love. The Lord put love in my heart. It was a simple choice."

Grandma: "I love my family because God is love! God gave me love for my family."

Me: "I love my family because they support me and more importantly introduced me to Jesus Christ."

Sister: "I love my family because I know that they will always be there for me and have my back. They will always support me through thick and thin."

Brother: "I love them because we protect each other a lot. I have great parents and sisters. They love me for me."


Question 3
How has your family made you the person you are today?

Dad: "My family was my biggest supporter, encourager, and motivator for excellence and to life a godly life."

Mom: "They played a part in every area of my life. My family influenced my decisions. I do things based on my life for my children."

Grandma: "The Lord made me who I am today! My family also supported me."

Me: My family has introduced me to Jesus Christ, given me values, and pushed me to do my absolute best."

Sister: "They raised me with their values and they taught me lessons through what they have experience in the past."

Brother: "My family has made me the person I am because they showed me love, took care of me, and helped me."


Question (more like a statement) 4
Describe one fond memory you had with your family.

Dad: "Here is one good memory: My family and I traveled to Tennessee and stayed in a beautiful log cabin. When we drove back home we unexpectedly took a different route on the Smokies Mountains and stopped, took some pictures, play with the snow, and just enjoyed each others company."

Mom: "When my family and I took an adventurous road trip from South Corolina all the way to Washington D.C." 

Grandma: "Just going to church with my family and the beach were great memories. Also visitng friends and relatives were also fun."

Me: "One memory I remember was when: My family and I would be on a road trip at night and mostly everyone was asleep except me and my father. Gospel music would play softly in the background and for some reason I would feel close with my family, warm, cozy, and safe from the mayhem of the outside world."

Sister: "I remember when we got our first dog, Princess, and we played with her in the living room. That was really fun!"

Brother: "I remember a memory when my sisters and were little and our parents were playing with us in the family room."


*Now that you read some intriguing answers and descriptions. I challenge you to answer these questions yourself and even maybe interview your family members like I did.*

I learned some key points like....

1. everyone can benefit from having a family
2. everyone has fond memories from their family
3. most everyone has experienced love from a family member
4. God gave us families for a reason
5. everyone wants and needs a family
5. family is VERY important

-Gracelyn Lives

How to Ditch the Cliques

Yesterday I just got back home from an 11 hour flight from Athens, Greece to Frankfurt, Germany then to Atlanta, Georgia. Tomorrow I will write about all the stuff that happened in Italy, then the next day Greece. Anyway, the trip was fun and I learned a lot of interesting things during the past 10 days. But I will tell (actually write) about that topic later. I have never been out of the country, or an airplane before, and been on a trip that long. This trip really opened up my eyes and I feel more well rounded. My mother and I went to Greece and Italy with my school, Georgia Cyber Academy and EF (Education First) tours took care of everything. It was an really awesome trip because we had such an amazing experience and tour guide. Other students and teachers also went on the trip, since all of the kids (and me)  goes to a cyber school (a public school but on the internet) we haven't seen anyone in person, so we actually "met" everyone at the airport. At first I was a little nervous because I did not know any of the students and my roommates who I would be sharing a hotel room for the next 10 days. Thankfully, I got great room mates. Some students went on the trip by themselves and they did not know anyone personally.
I like to study people and their behaviors, so I definitely noticed the characteristics of my classmates. At first everyone was shy and nervous which is reasonable because we did not know anyone. But soon people started meeting others and everyone was friendly. After the 2nd or 3rd day, we all got adjusted to our environment, surroundings, and people. But during this trip I learn how cliques/groups are started because unfortunately, I was in it. Ahem... *sighs* (because this is a hefty explanation). Initially, everyone was nice to each other felt included and important. But when we got used to everyone cliques began to form. In my opinion, cliques are formed behind the scenes and the key ingredients are judgement and gossip. Here's a deeper explanation:

When Person A dislikes or judges Person B's actions or behavior, Person A can talk about how he doesn't like Person B to Person C which causes gossip. Gossip always leads to separation and judgement leads to a wrong perspective of the person's view point. Both ingredients lead to cliques. 

When a person talks bad about someone and judges them, often the person will choose not to be around them and stay with people they like. Orignially, I thought that cliques just happened and they couldn't be controlled but I learned how they are created during this trip. The kids started judging others and talking about them to their friends which caused them to separated. In the beginning our bond was strong but later on in the trip the bond became weaker. I think their is a connection with elementary school and middle school. Everyone is friends or colleagues with each other in elementary but cliques begin to for in middle school. Maybe younger children did not have a full understanding of judgement, but I am going to move on so I can get to the point. Before I said I was apart of the whole mess and I was. At first I communicated to everyone because I accepted everyone, but soon I saw their behaviors in a different light. Suddenly, I did not want to be around them anymore because I judged their actions and behaviors which caused my relationship with them to weaken. Unintentionally, I began to reject the person. Rejection is like a karma. If you show some rejection to a person they will probably try to reject you all together first because they do not want to be hurt. I didn't understand why others where rejecting me but then I realized that I showed some rejection to them first.
Fortunately, my mother and God taught me how to solve this problem. Drum roll please!!! Which is..... To love others the way they are and pray for them instead of judge! One morning I was in a sour mood because I saw something I did not like from a friend. My mom told me that I had to release the anger because it really wasn't worth it. I can't control people's actions and I cannot be moved by their decisions. In fact, Jesus already knew that Judas was going to reject and betray him but he still showed him love in spite of Judas' wrong doings. I believe that if everyone loved the person for who they are and not their actions and prayed for them instead of judge them. Then it will be easier to ditch the cliques and soon more people's self esteem and confidence can be lifted up. Since most people wants to be loved and be cherished, this method is possible because it can benefit everyone. I am extremely thankful that I learned this lesson because I can prevent rejections towards others and my self.

*I challenge you to write down 5 good qualities about a person dislike and try to view them as person God created them to be but not their actions* 


(Look forward to tomorrow and Monday because I will be showing pictures and videos from my trip)

-Gracelyn Lives

Letting Go...

It is very effortless to store up anger and bitterness inside your heart than it is to release it. But storing up anger causes more problems in the future then you would expect it. I can definitely relate to this problem. In one of my previous post I talked about losing a friend (Saying Goodbye to My 2nd Best Friend). I still was a hurt about the situation and stored some bitterness in my heart. But here's the suprising part, I didn't even know it! It all started on a Sunday afternoon and I was in a great mood because my cousins were visiting. While we were having a pleasant time being in each other's company, my phone beeped from a text message. This wasn't really shocking because my friends usually text me on the weekends. But what was suprising was that my friend texted me that the person I had a problem with wanted to talk to me. Here's how the conversation went:

Friend: Hey Gracelyn. Jessica* wants to talk to you.
Me: WHAT? Why does she want to talk to me?
Friend: I don't know. I think she wants to apologize or something. She really misses you.
Me: That's her lost then. She should of said sorry a looonggg time ago.
Friend: Are you okay you sound really hurt about it. What happened?

After my friend asked me the question the first thought I had in my mind was to defend myself. But then suddenly I knew that she was right and thought, why am I so hurt about this? This happened months ago and if I was supposedly forgiven her why and I still upset? For the next couple of days, this problem really set in my heart. I was taken aback that I still was upset and I really wasn't free. When I read my Bible I found this verse "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) I realized that I needed to forgive her because God has forgiven me and has never held any grudges against me. After learning this important message I decided to text the person I was upset with because I couldn't waste another minute being angry with her. Soon she apologized and now we are back friends again.  I am happy that my friend (the one who texted me) showed me what was really in my heart. That is why I am sharing my personal thoughts with you today because I want to show you the amazing results when you simply forgive and let go. So to wrap this up here are the 2 main points I am trying to address:

1. I need to check my heart to see if I have "hidden grudges" against people. 
2. It's not worth holding bitterness because it causes more problems. 

*name was changed

*I challenge you to also check your heart and ask God to set you free*

-Gracelyn Lives

#HelpGraceGet2Greece please check out my website: http://gracelyn47.wix.com/greeceitalytrip  or donate to my school website: https://personal.eftours.com/secure/make-donation.aspx?poid=DBE569FD&utm_medium=web&utm_source=paxsecure&utm_campaign=fundraising

 Also, please donate so I can go to Greece and Italy next month. My goal is to get 10 people to donate $10 by June 14th! Will you please donate?