Hi guys! This isn't going to be long but I just wanted to check in and update. I feel like so much has happened since I last blogged but I don't even know where to begin. Something new, as you may have noticed by now, is the name change of my blog. I still consider myself to be a 'rebel for Christ' but I just wanted to change things up a little bit. Honestly, with how indecisive I am, I'm surprised I kept the name the same for three years haha. I'll still post the way I always have and all that but I'm just ready for a change.
I hope you're all doing well and having an amazing night!
Love always,
Alicia
P.S. While you're at it, could you check out my latest youtube video? I'll include the link below. Thanks! :)
Hello! I'm wondering if I even have any readers anymore because I keep abandoning this blog...
Anyway, it's finally November and I love it. Despite the fact that I hate the cold weather, November's my favorite month. Thanksgiving is this coming week and I've been thinking about how thankful I am for the things in my life. I have two amazing parents and three beautiful little sisters. I have friends and a boyfriend who I love so much and enjoy, a youth group I can get involved with, a roof over my head and food to eat. Last but definitely not least, I'm alive and have God as my savior. I think He gives us each life for a reason, a specific purpose, and even though it's crazy and messed up and we go through things that hurt really bad, life is beautiful. I'm so thankful for it because there's more good than bad.
I've always been kind of fascinated with humans, with life, with this world. Honestly, when I hear people talk about evolution, I don't understand how people can believe that for the simple reason that everything is too detailed to just have randomly occurred from spontaneous combustion. I'm not bashing people who believe that in any way, I've just never been able to believe that myself because of everything around me, even just from observing general human nature. We're all so beautifully complicated and while we're all the same species, we're all different, unique and that, in my opinion, could only result from a Creator, not the Big Bang.
I don't know, there's things I feel passionately about and this in a way is one of them. I've seriously been considering studying psychology after high school because the human mind honestly fascinates me. I want to take that and use it in therapy because it's in my nature to want to help people who are hurting. I'm just praying that God would bless my future and whatever I decide to do.
I hope you had a great weekend and that you have a great thanksgiving!!
Hello everyone!!!!! So, I haven't posted in a long time... sorry lol. :) I just haven't had anything to post about. Anyway, life has been pretty good here in PA. I'm heading off on a missions trip again in New Jersey. I'm pretty excited for that because that's pretty much the extent of my summer plans right now. We'll be working all week long but it'll be worth it because we'll have blessed others and we'll make a lot of memories. Last year was really great because even though I went to camp the month before and got rid of most of my issues, God still did a lot of work in my life and I know He will this year, too.
Hello!!! I haven't been on lately so I apologize to any of you who have subscribed to Rebel For Christ. I've been busy with school and haven't really had much to blog about, but I want to try and get on more of a schedule with blogging.
Today I'm going to be blogging about a serious topic that really makes me want to do something about this crazy messed up world that we live in. I hope that reading this post inspires you to want to take action as well.
It all started with one girl. This girl spent most of her early teenage years being depressed and suicidal on and off. She eventually came out stronger for it, wanting to make a difference in the lives of broken teens everywhere. That girl is me.
Teens everywhere struggle with serious things like depression, eating and mental disorders that affect them and can lead to very serious long-term consequences. Not one teenager goes through the exact same thing another does, but a lot of similar situations are domestic/sexual violence, being bullied, broken families, depression, self harm, bulimia/anorexia, suicidal thoughts and so much more. People with insecurities pick on other people to make them insecure, which can lead to many things. The world isn't a nice place. Homes are supposed to be a safe haven where no one feels judged, where family members can help and support each other, but for some, going home is dreaded because of things like abuse and fighting. A lot of teenagers don't even live in their real homes and are placed in foster care. A lot of these teens are even treated unfairly.
When teens feel like they can't turn to anyone else, they create accounts on social sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as a cry for help, posting pictures of freshly opened scars and statuses saying things like, "Thanks for the support but I can't do it any more. Life has done downhill and, unless it gets better soon, this might be my last post.". They feel hopeless. They're the type of people who affect me the most. It hurts me to know that so many people go through so much, turn to suicide and don't get the help they need because they're convinced that no one truly cares. I was that same way but you know what? People do care and want to help you.
I know that I can't change what thoughts run through people's heads and I know that bad stuff will always continue to happen no matter what, but I still want to make a change. It sounds crazy but I want to help every single hurting individual, no matter how long it takes. I want people to know that it's going to get better and that suicide is only going to make it worse, it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. While the pain of cutting may seem like it helps, it doesn't. Once you do it, there's no going back and you'll always have scars as a reminder. Using drugs and alcohol to "numb the pain" is another long term consequence that can seriously affect you for the rest of your life.
No matter what, there's always hope. You're never alone and can get through anything. I really hope that my story will inspire people to stay strong. No matter who tries to stand in my way, I will change the world someday.
Love always,
Alicia
*If you are going through anything listed in this post, please talk to someone. If you or someone you know is thinking of or has attempted suicide, call the U.S. suicide hotline number (1-800-273-8255) and talk to someone you trust. Don't wait, get help now.
Hello!!!! I had an awesome Christmas this year and feel incredibly blessed! I don't know how early you and your family get up on Christmas morning, but, in my house, my sister wakes up way before 6 a.m. and sits awake. Then, she wakes all of the rest of us up at 5:50 usually and then we wait until 6 for our parents. The last 13 years, I would have a hard time falling asleep and be waking up too early right along with her. Thankfully though, I fell asleep right away and slept soundly this year... until my sister woke me up. :P I forgive her though, I just hope she grows out of that soon. ;)
Bullying has really been on my mind lately. I recently had a friend over who was getting trashed over text and it really hurt to see how affected she was by this girl's words. Talking to another friend about it, she said, "It isn't fair, but there's really nothing you can do." That irritated me in a way, because I want to do something, but I don't even know where to begin and that didn't help. It's just not fair how much people get picked on these days. I really just hate all of it. Sick of being bullied myself and inspired by others' stories, I wrote a song called Stand Up, which I really hope I can share with the world someday. It just drives me insane because we're all people, we all have feelings, so why do others feel the need to take their problems out on those around them. I myself have been a victim of that lately, and it's been from one of the closest people in my life. I guess I'm not the only one so I'm trying not to take it personally but it's just hard to take because I did nothing to deserve it.
I'm glad to be going into a new year quite honestly. 2013 was the best and worst year of my life. I've been through so much and have changed a lot and I have a lot of memories-good and bad- to hold on to. I haven't thought about my New Year's resolutions yet, so I'll need to do that eventually.
I hope that you had an amazing Christmas and that you have a happy New Year!!!!
Hello! So, I've shared quite a few songs on this blog before, and tonight I wanted to share another. This song is by my favorite band and some of my favorite people ever: Behold The Beloved. If you're reading this post you have to check them out... they're amazing! They're from Lancaster, PA and I first heard them as Beyond A Call in East Brunswick, NJ during our mission's trip that we took there. They're all so fun to be around and so talented. We had them play at our Fall Retreat and they did amazing there, too. They're starting to get more serious with their music, and I promised to spread the word, so I thought I'd share here on my blog... assuming it actually has readers. ;)
This song is so amazing and I keep listening to it over and over again. It's one of those songs that has lyrics that speak to you and gets stuck in your head... one that you could listen to everyday for the rest of your life and know that you'll never get tired of it.
Ever since I heard these guys play over the summer, I had hoped that they would start putting out songs of their own and I'm getting my wish so I'm super excited to hear more from them!
My vacation to Colorado was great! I got to hang out with some great friends, see my family, and I caught the worst cold I've probably ever had in forever. It was good to find out that I didn't have to sing on my youth group's worship team until next week because, while I can talk again, my singing voice is... well... it's sad, that's what. It's driving me insane to not be able to use my voice but I guess it won't last forever. :)
Life is amazing right now and there really isn't much I would change. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm alive, I have an amazing family and second family at church who love me, I have amazing friends in Colorado and in Pennsylvania, and I'm blessed to have an amazing God who's never failed and never will. I'm very lucky-as are we all- to be forgiven so quickly and loved so much by Someone so amazing, Someone Who's love I will never even begin to deserve. I don't think that, with how my life has been this past year, I could ever stop believing in Him. Joining my youth group started a fire, but being baptized in the Holy Spirit and feeling the changes in me made it burn infinitely.
I hope that you have an amazing week and that you're feeling blessed!
Hello again! Yes, there has been quite a delay since my last post, no, I am not dead. Not much has been going on lately, just school pretty much. We're heading off to Colorado soon and I'm super excited to see my family and friends again! While I don't want to move back there, I love going out to visit. It's been over a year since last time, so I'm pretty excited.
Here in my area of PA it's kind of been snowing on and off, but there isn't very much of it. Even so, I'm officially sick of it. I just don't like the cold because I have to take my dog, Serena, out on a leash several times a day and it's freezing outside. As you can imagine, that doesn't make it very fun.
Right now I'm nice and warm though, sprawled out in the living room on the loveseat with my laptop. I have youth group tonight, and, even though I've been on for two weeks in a row, I wish that it was my turn to sing on the worship team. Oh well; I can wait a week. :)
I probably have said this a bajillion times before, but I adore the month of November and can't even explain why. To me, it has this "cozy" feeling to it; it's cold, but usually the holidays have a warm type of feeling to them. Ya know? Maybe it's the food on Thanksgiving... I don't know. ;)
Anyhoo, as I type this post, I'm wondering about how anyone reading this is doing. How is life going for you? I know that there's people all over the world who are hurting and I wish I could reach out and help them because I know what it feels like to be hurting and to want someone to be there, but you're too shy to ask for help. I have a friend that I've been emailing and I can tell that this person is weighed down by something, but I stopped asking if they were okay because I know that they're really not and that if this person wants to talk, they will. I'm just have a... well, like, a sixth sense to where I can see if people are hurting in some way. I spent a month falling back into the thoughts and feelings I was having before camp in the summer and that was hard; I never thought I'd get out of that. One day though, I said, "Satan, in the name of Jesus, I am done with this and refuse to entertain these thoughts anymore." and I've been better ever since. I just want to thank my family, my youth pastor, and my bestest friend (gurl, ya know who you are!) for being there for me once again and for helping me out of the dark pit I was in. Another thank you to a certain friend of mine at youth. This person is so great and has inspired me to keep going.
I hope your life is great and that you have an amazing Thanksgiving! I say that now because I'll be surprised if I can think of something to post about by next week.
Love,
Alicia
P.S. I changed my Fine Arts song yet again, but it won't change again. ;) Here it is...
Hello! I'm having a very hard time believing that it's almost November already! I put another video on YouTube that I'll put on the link for if you want to watch. :)
This post, like my last one, actually is from a paper that I had to write for school that I wanted to put up on my blog. The topic is Faith.
According to 2 Peter 1:2-8, we are to have faith in God. The dictionary definition of the word, 'faith', is: belief; trust; religious conviction; system of beliefs; fidelity to one's promises. A big part of faith to me would be the words belief and trust; belief in God and His Word, and trust in the fact that, even in the darkest hours, He's still by your side and always will be.
In Ephesians 2:2-9, it says that we are saved by the grace of God, and not by the works of man. Not one of us ever have or will have deserved His grace. God could've just left us all hell-bound like we all deserve, but instead, He sacrificed His own Son to die on a cross and shed blood for our sins, just so we would be able to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Of course, just because Jesus died for our sins, that doesn't automatically mean that we're going to Heaven. There's only one way to Heaven and it doesn't come out of being a good person. The only way to Heaven is through Jesus. John 14:6 says, "... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." You have to repent to God of your sins and surrender your former ways to God and ask Him into your heart and your life. That doesn't mean you can't do anything other than church though; you can still have fun, but you want to try not to cross back into what you used to do. In Hebrews 11:1, the Bible's definition of faith is this: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." It also talks in Hebrews 12:2 about Jesus; the author and finisher of our faith; "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. No one can be forced into a relationship with Christ, but it's the best relationship you'll ever have. God knows you better than anyone else and no matter what, through thick and thin, He's always going to be there, even when no one else is.
Romans 1:16-17 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.". I actually have, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" written on my sneakers. God is always going to be a huge part of my life, and, since I've developed such a passion for Him, I've come to the realization that there's no going back; I'm never not going to be obsessed with Him, but I don't care.
A lot of times, you really do have to have faith and trust that God's going to work things out. I've been struggling lately, but I'm not giving up because He's helped me get through it before, and He'll definitely do it again.
Hello! So, today, I'm going to be talking about a subject I've talked about before, but wanted to post about again; friendship.
Friendship is a
beautiful thing; it’s nice to know that you have someone in life that you can
be yourself with, share your feelings, and go through life with. Unfortunately,
real friends are hard to find.There is
a quote from Aristotle that says, “He has no friend who has many friends.” I’ve
learned that is only too true. You can surround yourself with many people you
deem your friends, but it’s very rare that more than one or even any of them
are really true friends that are worth having around.
I always thought it
would be nice if you could tell if friends were fake like you do money; hold
them up to the sun to see if they really are what they appear to be. My own
friends have proven counterfeit. Some that I’ve gone through struggles with,
our friendships have survived to tell the tale, but others hit the pavement and
blew up.
When choosing your friends, choose
carefully. Also, you should strive to be the person that you yourself would
want to be friends with.
I hope you have a great weekend! I'd also like to say, "Happy Birthday!" to my almost 12 year old sister, Ariana! Love you, girl!
Hello! I went to my Fall Retreat this past weekend and had the most amazing time! God did a lot in my life and in the lives of my friends. It was amazing and I can't wait for the next one! While we were there though, I could tell that everyone around me were hurting and even the members of the band could sense it when they showed up; an attack of Satan on our lives. It hurt to feel all of that pain because I was praying with a friend of mine and he looked like he was trying so hard not to cry, and when I asked him if he was okay, he said, 'I'll live', and I knew that he meant that he was anything but okay. The Holy Spirit really did work in our lives though and as we were all standing there praying, that negativeness went away. It was an amazing weekend and I'm so glad we did that because God really was at work there.
Normally I have some long post with something to say about things I want to address, but today, I'm not really sure I have anything. That's why I posted late. Have a great week and I pray that God's doing amazing things in your life, too! Love, Alicia
Hello! Today I've stopped to really think about my life, and I was shocked to discover that I'm now 14 years old, I've started my freshman year in high school, I've been in and out of quite a few relationships (unfortunately), and, above all, life is speeding by faster than I realized... I mean, we're already almost in October! These things are facts that I already know, but haven't ever really stopped to think about it. Life has thrown a lot at me, I've grown stronger- wounded and scarred inside-, I've grown much closer to God, and I've grown into a young woman that I never really thought I'd be, but one I'm very proud to be. Honestly, I'm a little bit scared of the future, especially with everything going on right now! I just lost, well, maybe not lost, but as far as I know, me and one of my best friends will never have the same relationship that we did again because of recent events. We aren't even talking but we're going to be seeing each other soon and it's killing me not to know how she's being affected. It hurts because we'd been close for a while and I miss being able to talk to her and see her and to have her friendship. I've just had to pray about it and trust that God will do only what's best for me. I really just wish things would slow down for a little bit. Life is crazy, and I'm kind of sick of the curveballs, but I'm trying to trust that God has a plan and a purpose, like it says in Jeremiah 29:11.
In your life, I suggest that you take a minute and think about everything in your life; slow it down and take a deep breath... life won't be like this for long. Have a great week!!!! Love, Alicia
Hello!!! So, I finally decided which song I'm doing for Fine Arts; I'm doing Need You Know by Plumb and I'm doing a duet with one of my best friends to This Is The Stuff... so I'll be doing a Francesca Batistelli after all! :)
Anyway, today I want to talk about the name of my blog a little bit and how now it means a lot more to me in my life than it did when I started the blog last May.
Life lately has been crazy, and I've had to give things up and really think hard about certain things in my life; do they really belong there? I know I must be on the right track with my faith because, recently, I feel like I've been "attacked" in the area of my faith in ways that I never would've imagined would ever happen. A big portion of it is peer pressure.
Rebel For Christ was the name I chose for my blog because of the fact that it sounded cool, and that I heard the song Rebel by Lecrae and it said that the only rebellion left really is reading your Bible, going to Church and praying because no one is doing that anymore. I knew whenever I heard that song for the first time that I wanted to live rebellious for Jesus, but I didn't know where to begin exactly. Lately though, I've realized exactly how I'm living a rebel; I'm being myself! Ever since I started going to my youth group last August, my life has been changed so much and I developed a passion for God that I won't ever lose. I can't even guarantee being around if I hadn't gone to youth group; it saved me in so many ways, but not everyone is having an easy time accepting that this is who I am... even some people who are closest to me. Don't get me wrong... I'm not going to change my faith just because I'm viewed as a goody-goody church girl sometimes, but the comments I've heard lately have bothered me because they've come from someone close in my life... and that's where the word Rebel comes in. In the midst of everything, I was praying that God would help me to not be angry at this person and I was praying that He'd bless their life, and it was then that God gave me another Secret Name; rebel.
When I brought home the rock that has my first Secret Name, warrior, on it, I contemplated drawing a design or writing something on the blank side, but I felt that I should leave it blank, so I did. Now, it's not blank, but has another name on it. I'm a warrior because I was strong enough to overcome everything that Satan tried to throw at me; suicide, thoughts of self-harm, depression and thoughts of inadequacy. I'm a rebel because I've chosen to live a good life that glorifies God and leaves me little to regret in terms of the rebellion everyone else goes after. I've literally just come to the realization that both of my names suggest that I'm strong... a fighter... a fighter for what's right and good and pure. I have more strength now than ever before and I'm determined to never give in to Satan again; never to let myself be corrupted by the ways of the world.
I just want to take a quick minute to thank my parents, my sisters, my youth pastor and my second family at youth group. I love you all and thank you for your support, acceptance of who I am and for continuing to be there for me in the good, bad and the very ugliest of times. Again, thanks and I love you!
To all those teens out there who are bullied at school for your faith, don't give in to the peer pressure... rebel against it because not being ashamed and growing closer to God will stop them in their tracks because then they realize that their snide remarks have no effect on you. Be the light in their lives... be a rebel.
Love, Alicia :)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Hello! So, I started off another week of school by waking up at 7 a.m., finishing most of my book work by lunch (which, by the way, consists of tons of reading! Last week, I had to read King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table and this week I have to read Great Expectations. If you haven't guessed, most of my required reading this year is old classics), and then struggling to survive biology. To make things worse, I think I caught some sort of cold, so I'm sneezing and sniffling with a tissue always nearby. It must just be the weather or something like that.
I'm really looking forward to the upcoming few weeks! My youth group is doing a Fall Retreat and it's going to be really awesome, the homeschool dances I went to last school year start up again on the 21st and Fine Arts starts the day after! I'm really excited for that; I would've done it last year, but we thought we'd be moving back to Colorado, so my parents said that I could this year if we were still here! My only problem is deciding which song I should sing. I'm stuck between Free To Be Me and It's Your Life, both by Francesca Batistelli.
Nothing else is really new here in PA for me. How's your September going? Try not to get frustrated with school; maybe it won't get easier... but it'll be much harder if you are down about it... not that I don't tell myself this every single day. :)
