Love all.

Dear readers,

So sorry I haven't written all weekend... I was at Olivia's house.

We have started our conjoined blog about our story of how we came to be best friends/twins/Delivia. It is taking longer than expected, because its hard to explain how we came to be how we are. It's definitely a "God-Thing" as people say. His plan is amazing and He brings amazing people in and out of my life, ans I thank Him for every one of them.

This past Sunday in discussion group we discussed our new series "Go Serve." It was an interesting discussion, but there was one specific topic I didn't agree on. It was stated that people do everything for some sort of recognition. I don't believe that. I don't believe that everything that we do is for attention or for appreciation. There are so many things that people do for others everyday that goes unnoticed. Yes, God does notice everything that we do, but He already knows that we are going to do them, so we aren't exactly doing it for recognition.

Today I started writing a sermon, one about loving one another. About loving everyone around us. Not just our friends and family, but everyone, even those who make us mad. Its not always easy to do that, but we have to try because it is what God tells us to do. Philippians 2:2-5 says "...make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, you should have the same attitude of mind that Christ Jesus had." This passage is a perfect example of how God tells us to live our lives and how to treat others.

When we come in to contact with people in our lives everyday, how do we treat them? Is it how we should be treating them? Look at your relationships and see if they are how they should be.

Have a good day and let God be your pilot.

--Love,

LaneyLou

Let the games begin.

Hello everyone(:

Welcome to day 5 of my blog, this is a milestone for me, in a way... WOOT!

Today was a pretty average day, despite the lack of Sarah and Maddi, who were at Chorus festival... i was very hyper at the end of 3rd period and the beginning of 4th... that was fun :D

However, a friend of mine was telling Paige and I that she was a Christian because she believes in God, but she just wants to live her own life. This puzzled us. I told her "Well Demons believe in God, too." (it's in James) and me and Paige were trying to convince her that it's not your body and it's not your life to live. God gave us life and we need to live it for him. She didn't seem convinced, and Paige had to hold a lot in that she wanted to say to her. It was a testing moment for all of us.

Then, after school, I went to Game Night, hosted by the Interact Club at school. I promised Nicole and Kaitlin I would go, so I had to... But I'm actually glad I did(: It was more fun than I thought a bunch of nerds and some teachers playing board games could have! We laughed and joked and I actually won Chutes and Ladders and me and Kaitlin dominated in Cranium!

It taught me that we don't need all the electronics and crap we think we do. It's as simple as a board game to have some good, clean, pure fun! God created it that way, He made the world so that we could find joy in even the little things. Just looking at a flower He made can bring us so much joy at the beauty He made. Let us notice the beauty of the simple things around us. Take a break from your cellphone or computer and just enjoy life.

Thanks for reading(:

--Love,

LaneyLou

Run this race...

Today was an interesting day in my life...

I started off the day by finishing my blog from last night...

And then I had school.

BUT THEN, I got out of school at 2:45 to go to our first track meet(:

I didn't do as well as I wanted to in the shotput and discus events... but after sitting down for a while and watching so many other people run, I felt left out, I had an urge to run. So me, Summerlin and Maddi all went back to the cement and ran. I beat both of them, and Summerlin assured me that she was actually trying. I was feeling pretty good about myself, and there was a 4 by 4 relay race coming up and they needed one more person... So I said I would do it.

I only had to run one lap, and I was first to run. It was one of the hardest physical things I have ever had to/wanted to do. I am really not that in shape, so it was killer on my body, especially my lungs. I was going okay for the first half, i was behind, but I was going pretty strong.

But once I got to the second curve, my breathing was pretty heavy and I was starting to get dizzy and my vision was blurring. I had to actually slow down and walk, or I probably would have passed out right there. I promised myself before the race started that I would not stop or pass out. Once I got back to the straightaway I pushed myself the rest of the way.I passed the baton to the next runner, and that was it.

I wobbled my way of the track, and I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. However, Coach Cole told me that if I sat or laid down, I would pass out. SO I had to stand up against the wall while my vision was blurring and crossing and my legs felt like rubber and I could hardly breathe.

I can't explain why I decided to run today, but in some ways I'm glad I did. It was physically demanding and I probably looked like an idiot, but I did it. I proved to myself and everyone else watching that I could do it, I can run a lap without completely stopping or passing out. I am proud of myself.

Now, if I had a better lung capacity and more energy, and a little less concussion, I probably would have done a whole lot better. I am glad I did it.

Me running that lap was something hard for me. And it's a good example of doing hard things. There's a book I have read called "Do Hard Things" all about how we need to do the things that are hard for us. The book was actually inspired by the authors' blog... Maybe mine will inspire something great?

But my point is that even though something is hard for us, we should try to do them because we may surprise ourselves and others. That hard thing doesn't have to be running, It can be talking to someone new or even talking to someone about God. Whether the hard thing is big or small, it is important to try. It was hard for Jesus to die for us, but He did it anyways because he loves us.

That's all I have for tonight because it's my bedtime.

Thanks for reading(:

--Love,

LaneyLou

Friends and Family.

Hello Dear Readers(:

Welcome back to my blog, this is number 3, WOOT! And I am using MY computer, and though the screen is blue, the typing experience is much more enjoyable(:

Well, today was day 2 of my head injury, but other than a slight bit of dizziness and a major headache, i was fine. However, i did get tired of repeating the story when people would ask "DUDE, what happened to your face?!?" But hey, I got a miniscule amount of popularity for the day...

Tonight, i was unable to attend my usual church, but not for a bad reason, but because I went to Hopewell to hear Paige's testimony(: It was unbelievably awesome and the amount of tears shed in the room is uncountable. What I mostly learned was that we need to forgive the people in our lives who have wronged us, just as God has forgiven us. The pastor spoke more on this and at the end called those who felt they needed to forgive someone who has wronged them in a big way, to the alter and Paige prayed over them. I got to go up and sit with Candace to let her know I was there for her. If you want to know about her journey, I ENCOURAGE you to read her blog! (http://candybear379.blogspot.com/2010/03/adoption.html) Her journey and her love for Jesus through all of it is pretty incredible. Love ya girl(:

I know I have told you about my life changing decisions at D-Now, and they are helping me already, but there seems to be one part of my life I have no control over.

At school, it's easier than I thought. Loving people I don't know too well, or sharing with someone I do, it comes pretty easily to me with the help of God. But as they say, home is where the heart is, but this "they" isn't me. Living the way I know I should isn't as easy for me. I know my family loves me, but that doesn't help too much. I think it's because, if someone at school is rude to me, or I don't want to talk to them, I don't have to. But at home, I live with these people, some contact is usually needed.

My brother and I, we are getting along much better since D-Now, but we still have our brother and sister moments, but hey, it's natural. However, my parents I find much harder to deal with.

For some reason, when my parents tell me to do something, it angers me. I don't want to stop what I'm doing to do some chore or whatever it is I am being told to do. And it's not even the chore that seems to bother me, it's being told to do something and being expected to leap up and do it immediately, no matter what I am doing. It makes me so angry. Especially when I am trying to finish up my blog before bedtime and I keep getting told to do things.

Having my mom or dad walk into my room when I am say, doing my hair or makeup or doing my homework, and telling me "Clean this place up, it looks like a bomb went off!" Just makes me want to scream. I can't just stop with half of my hair or makeup done to clean my room!

And most of the time its evident that my parents just DON'T understand me. They think I'm just like them and go through the same kind of stuff, but I DON'T. This is a new day and age, and I am a completely different person! And another thing is when my dad tells me "If I woulda said that to my dad, he woulda punched me across the room!" because that's what HIS dad's response to things was. If he thinks its gonna tell me how to act, it doesn't help at all.

And some of the rules in my house are just flat out unfair. Like this one: NO flip flops or short-shorts unless its 60 degrees outside. ARE YOU KIDDING? I mean, if it's cold and rainy, I understand... but if it's about 50 I should be able to wear flip flops! I'm in school the whole time, it's not like I'm running around outside, I'm just sitting there. And another rule I despise is my bedtime. If you ask me, 9:30 is a joke. I mean, I know I need my sleep and whatnot, but that doesn't mean I require a set bedtime, especially one so early! I actually enjoy sleeping, so I would go to bed at a reasonable hour on my own anyways!

But even though my parents frustrate me so much, I know I have to obey them. It's really harder for me than it should be, and i wish I could just carry over my attitude from school to home, but it seems that even if I walk in the door in a good mood, I am mad at someone or something by the time I go to bed. As my mom always says "you have the ability to change the mood in a room, Delaney." But it seems to only work when I'm in a bad mood. When I'm in a good mood, it seems everyone else has to be in a bad mood, which unfortunately brings me down too.

And I am tired of living in a house where we can't all just be happy and love each other. This world has so many problems, and I want to be contributing to the good, but i feel like I am in a place where happiness is smothered. I know my mom will be reading this, but this is how I feel.

This week it is my prayer that I will be able to bring my love of God and others into my own home. I pray that I will obey my parents without backtalk and love them like the Lord loves me.

Until next time,

--Love,

LaneyLou

My face hurts.

Today was an interesting day in the life of Delaney...

The morning started out pretty well, though I woke up later than I wanted and had to finish my homework at school. I saw Summerlin and bought a coke, then we went to join the prayer circle started by Carlie and agreed to by the lovely BITAs, including me(:

Then i went about my day as usual, including a test and DBQ in APUSH, which I am very confident about. Not much else exciting happened... until track practice.

I was laying on the ground minding my own business, searching for four-leaf clovers with Candace and Maddi while Julian ans Summerlin watched and made fun of us... lovely. Then a stray discus came out of nowhere and smacked me dead in the face. OUCH! I swear I blacked out for a second. I know it was an accident, and I am not angry with the person who rolled it.

I am not seriously injured as far as i know, in case you are worried... and I should be at school tomorrow...

Well other than my head injury, my day was pretty usual.

However, I did take some time to evaluate my life... and this is what I came up with:

I have a lot of friends. Some close, and some not so close. Some who lift me up and bring me towards God and love me no matter what, and some who don't as much. Now, I am glad that I am surrounded by people who love me, whether they show it or not.

Some of my closest friends, I have noticed are actually bringing me down. and by that i mean, they don't lead me toward the Lord, and usually away from Him and down the path of gossiping and making fun of others, which is not right. And I know it is a usual thing for people to do, especially among teenage girls, but I am choosing to not be normal.

My favorite verse/life motto is Phillipians 2:5 which says "In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind that Christ Jesus had." Making fun of or gossiping about others is not the way God would treat people, so I am trying my hardest to stay away from those things.

Now, I am not going to get rid of my friends, because well, they are my friends. But it is my hope and prayer that i will be able to help build a burning fire for Jesus like the one i have inside me, and their love for God will lead them away from the sins of the Lord, like mine. Most of my friends are Christians or at least believe in God, but they are "fake" as Sam Bhatt would say. And I want to help them become real, to make their love for God real, because if you ask me, the love of God is pretty amazing.

Also I was able to spend some time in my bible. I am reading 1 Peter, as suggested by my wonderful friend Paige(: I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good book on how God says to live your life.

May your day be filled with love and peace!

Until next time...

--Love,

LaneyLou

Awakening my Blog.

Hello dear people who are reading this...

This is my first blog(:

I am pretty excited to join the blogging community because I always enjoy sharing my thoughts and insights with others, and this is a wonderful way to do so.

Well, if you don't know too terribly much about me....

My name is Delaney, and I am 15. I am in 10th grade and I LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

I am pretty funny and I love music and spending time with my friends and my God(:

I go to an awesome church and I am part of an awesome small group called BITA.

My favorite colors are lime green and hot pink and my favorite food is steak, rare.

Okay... here comes the "blog" part of this.

I very recently went to an event called Disciple Now with my church, and it has already changed my life. I have been a Christian for most of my life, but I didn't always act like one, unfortunately. I like to do things that are easy, rather than doing the hard things that I should do, in other words, I'm a slacker. And I had unfortunately been slacking when it came to God. Yes, I would go to church and serve the Lord by serving others, but its easy to serve God when you are surrounded by a bunch of other Christians. It's not as easy to live for God when the people around you aren't. I was slacking, and I wasn't okay with that.

At Disciple Now our theme was Awaken. Now, I have been a Christian for a long time, like I said, but not an awake and alive one. Our wonderfully talented speaker for the weekend was Sam Bhatt, and his passion for Jesus Christ has inspired me in so many ways. His message to us was that we need to awaken from our slumber and awaken from our ignorance of our sins and live the way God tells us to. To let the love of God flow through us and shine through us and change how we treat others, especially the "Josephs" in our lives. And that is exactly what I plan to do.

This weekend I was also changed in other ways. For a little while now, I have wanted to be an Orthodontist, an odd dream for a girl who is disgusted by spit. But this weekend, during one of the songs by the amazing Matt Papa band, the words said "Whom shall i send? Who will go for us?" and i heard an voice clearly say "Delaney." It sounded somewhat like the guitar, but it was clearly saying my name. I was a bit spooked and actually gasped when I heard it. It's not too often that the Lord speaks to us that clearly, and when He does, He means it. I believe that this was God's way of calling me to ministry. I'm not sure what field of it yet, but I am praying about it constantly and I know God will reveal his plan to me.

Thanks so much for reading my first blog and you can expect many more to come(:

--Love,

LaneyLou