Musical Musician

I play the saxophone, piano, and guitar. I am great at the saxophone. I can play piano, but I’m not the best. I am learning guitar and I will probably be a good player. I used to play trumpet, but my parents said I couldn’t blow into the instrument.

Now I might be able to play three instruments and you might say that I am a musician. Yes, I am a musician, but I meet people that play more instruments than me. This makes me pretty jealous because I wish I could play so many instruments as them.

I have been thinking about how I want to play so many instruments because I think that that will make myself more musical. Now I look at myself and realized that I have to learn more about the instruments I am currently playing and that I have to learn even more about music itself.

Playing twenty instruments doesn’t make you musical unless you can play music with your heart. Knowing music inside and out along with your instrument makes you a musical.

Important Quotes

“Rather than viewing a brief relapse back to inactivity as a failure, treat it as a challenge and try to get back on track as soon as possible.” –Jimmy Connors

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” –Rose Kennedy

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” –Pablo Picasso

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.”             -Mary Bateson

“If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for.” –Florence Shinn

“When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your whole attention on them.” –Michael LeBoeuf

“Think big right now; you can always make it smaller later.”              –Sass Jordan

“Have a bias toward action – let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.” –Indira Gandhi

“…I’m the sort of person who makes lists just so that I know I’m going to be able to cross certain things off. ‘Yes, I’ve accomplished that. It’s done.’” –Michelle Gilders

The Bible in Full

Thomas Jefferson, the third American president, started to work on his own edition of the Bible in 1804. Jefferson had studied about religions and of religious figures for a long time. He once wrote, “Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.” Jefferson was fascinated about Jesus, but didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God.

Jefferson’s view of Jesus had brought him to the point to where he began his editions of the Bible. His first edition was called The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth and is was a forty-six page extract. It held the teachings of Jesus in a form that the it was organized by topic.

Jefferson continued on a project that took fifteen years to complete. The project basically rewrote the Bible. Jefferson started the project to rewrite the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). He wanted to write what he thought Jesus said and did. The main reason Jefferson rewrote the Bible was probably because he didn’t believe in the miracles of Jesus.

This story about Thomas Jefferson is a great example of a man who doesn’t believe in the Bible in full. Jefferson read the gospels, disagreed with what he didn’t believe, and rewrote the gospels in his way.

II Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” These verses are like John 3:16. John 3:16 talks about the purpose of Jesus coming on earth and II Timothy 3:16-17 talks about the purpose of the Bible. It’s kind of funny that both references have 3:16 in it!

Anyway, those two verses tell us that the Bible was created by God and is used to teach us, to tell us what we have done wrong, to correct us, and to train us to do what is right. That means that even if you disagree, my friend, the Bible is still right. Rejecting the Bible is like rejecting God, Himself.

Jefferson read the Bible and said that the Bible was not right and then he tried to change it. If every human changed the Bible to what they think it should say, then we would never have a connection with God. The Bible is like a key to Jesus and then to God. The Bible is the tool to a holy and righteous life. Just because you say that you don’t believe that Jesus walked on water doesn’t mean you go and change that. Believe the Bible because it is true and right. Keep the Bible how it’s written. Believe the Bible how it’s written. Apply the Bible how it’s written. Keep, believe, and apply is the Bible in full in your life.

© 2010-PRESENT.  All right reserved

School Advice: Article 1

There is a lot of advice you could get about school. Anyone who has gone to school will have advice for you about how to succeed in school. People could write books about advice for school. Well, I have advice to give you about school.

The first thing that I must say is important is organization. Staying organized at all times will always help you. If you know where your stuff is and when stuff is due, then that is one step in being organized. Be organized.

Also, study. Study for tests and quizzes. Study days before the test or quiz by having chunks studied everyday. And no matter how easy and test or quiz my seem, still study hard because you will usually regret if you didn’t. Paying attention during class is also studying. Study.

Take notes. Write stuff down and/or record stuff if you can. Review your notes and make sure they are understandable and easy to read. Be able to hear the teacher and do not be distracted. Sit where you will be attentive. Ask questions if you have to. Ask the stupidest question about anything that you do not understand, but please don’t ask questions that are plainly unnecessary and that waste class time.

Finish homework as soon as you can. Do want you hate the most so if will be done. Make sure your writing is legible and make sure you put your completed homework in your backpack. Make a list of homework you have to do and cross of the completed homework that is put back in your backpack. If you have no homework and have nothing to do except wasting your time, start doing other homework that is coming up or review your homework or notes. And do not stress yourself. Take a break at least on the weekend.

© 2009-PRESENT.  All right reserved

Abundant, But Blind

Would you stand up and say, “I am blessed completely by God. I might not have what my neighbor has, but I have things that make me completely blessed.”? Honestly, would you say something like that because I believe you would. I believe your life in blessed no matter how many excuses you can give me.

I know I would stand up and say that I am truly blessed by God. I am honestly blessed as a young, smart, creative, talented, and handsome teenager. I don’t care what your negative opinion could be because I know I am smart, talented, handsome, creative, skilled, athletic, and so on. God has given me all that.

God has blessed physically. He has put me in the family I am in. He has given me great parents I can learn from and a wonderful sister. He has also given my family and I a house. My sister and I have our separate rooms and my mom tells us to be thankful for that. Thankful for having separate rooms? Well, yes. I should be thankful for having my own room because some people have only one or two rooms like my dad did as a child in Romania. I also have food and water. I have a laptop, mp3 player, cell phone, and a camera. I can play saxophone, piano, and guitar. I can name so many ideas.

My point in saying all that I have said is that we should be thankful for everything we have. Hey, that underwear that you are wearing right now (if you are wearing underwear) is something you should be thankful for.

I am living an abundant life, but I am blind at times. What I mean by the phrase “I am blind” is that I do not see how blessed I am as a Christian born in a Christian family. I am even blessed to be born in a Christian family.

My challenge for you and I is to wake up everyday thanking God for three things we have that make us blessed. Those three things must be different every single day. And believe me when I tell you that you will have different things to be thankful for. So don’t be blind when you are abundant.

© 2009-PRESENT.  All right reserved