Anna's Ideas

There's no denying it; 2020 has been an interesting year, definitely one for the history books. Recently, as I think we all have been doing, I've been reflecting on the past twelve months.  Over the past few days, especially, I've been taking some extra time to think back and glean from all of these memories. One such time, I was listening to the radio and reading through old journal entries.  I realized then just how memories I can, and have, associated with music.  Scrolling through my playlist, I often point out, "oh, yeah!  I remember the first time I heard this song!" Or, "remember? That was when this was happening." So, I thought, let's take a creative twist on the traditional end-of-the-year reflections. "Five More Minutes" (Scotty McCreery): December 31, 2019 I had actually listened to Scotty's book, Go Big or Go Home,  back in late October or November 2019.  Before then, I never paid close attention to his music.  But after I r...

Rescuer’s Facade Note: this poem was co-written with my friend, Brianna Harpel.  She and I also wrote another poem (Where Monsters Prey), which is published on her blog. To read more of her poetry, please check out her blog, Spread the Spark .  -=- I look into so many eyes Trying to see inside But all I get are masks Empty, soulless, yet ready to be allied.    Setting all emotion aside, I must remember my guise. Remember the bigger picture that I can’t let my anger compromise, That which I negotiate. Pretending to be, this monstrosity To want to buy these children, Strip of modesty,  Take advantage of poverty.  Commit every atrocity…  That I am here to fight.  Focus. Focus for my sanity,  On the truth, The real reason I am here. To gather up the information  That may release them from fear. Masquerade a little longer To gather up these chains.  Striving to keep hidden The prayers, coursing through my veins.  The prayers to take...

Battle Cry Written by Kimberly Grace -=- Flags being torn, & flags going up. . Red and blue, lines drawn across     the field of brothers. . Words of hate, and words of pride. Pushing, shoving, hearts moaning a battle cry. . This is us, we the people. Of different blood, but one family. . United we stand, divided we fall. In God we trust, our All in all. . But do we? The gods, ourselves, we serve. . Our hearts ache, our hearts cry. Why, oh why? . It is our own fault. It is our own fault we die.

There are certain questions that everyone, especially those of us who consider ourselves Christians, will come face to face with at some point or another. Sometimes we ask those questions ourselves, and sometimes, the questions are asked by a non-believer. One of those questions is one I hear often asked by atheists who are trying to prove that God cannot exist: "why does a good God allow bad things to happen?" This question can be challenging to answer. Too many times, Christians shrug their shoulders and slouch down in their seats, maybe hesitantly saying something about God being in control, or sinfulness, or anything else to get the focus onto someone or something else. Thankfully, there is an answer to this question that is rooted in the Bible. It Starts With Creation In the beginning, God created. That first sentence in the Bible is so familiar that many Christians often overlook the power of it. God created everything. That includes you and me. This means that as Creat...

I wasn't there when it happened, I don't have the memories. But that doesn't mean It's not remembered. Every year, on this day, I remember. I listen. I watch. I will never forget. Every year, on this day, I think. I pray. I remember. I will never forget. I hear the stories, I hear of pain, And even though I wasn't there, I remember. I will never forget. I watch the footage, I listen to the news, And I will remember. I have not forgotten.

Most of us are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan as found in Luke chapter 10.  You know, that story Jesus told about the man who was traveling on a road when he was attacked by robbers and beaten badly.  Not long after, a priest saw this man, but not wanting to become "unclean," or ruin his reputation, he passed by on the other side of the road.  A Levite also chose to ignore this man and crossed to the other side of the road to be able to walk around this man.  Finally, a Samaritan, who was not regarded highly in that culture, saw this man and took it upon himself to help this man, and even paid an innkeeper to take care of this man and his wounds.  Yep, that's the parable I'm talking about. Jesus told us to let this be an example of how we are to treat others.  And yet, there are so many people around us every day that we often don't give a second thought.  I'm thinking of that quiet girl who has a locker next to yours, that homeless ma...

Hope Which leaves me with Regret I can't hold on to Hope and love All that's left is Empty feelings No more Faith... [Now read it backwards, with the last line first and the first line last] https://storybird.com/flash-fiction/faith-hope-love/d1ssxn

In the beginning, God created a perfect world. He then created humans in His image to have a perfect relationship with Him. After came the fall, where our perfect relationship became broken because of the sinful choices man had made. We became separated from God. The Lord promised a New Kingdom to his people, which includes all the nations, for the first kingdom was lost. He chose to create a Holy Nation through Abraham, which became Israel. The Israelites came to live in the Promised Land and live under the law and king, which God gave them. God then sent prophets to tell all that there was a Son of God who would take the form of man to live the life we should have lived and die the death we should have died. Jesus Christ came and fulfilled those prophecies, living a life of service and miracles, proving His position as the Son of God. He then died a sacrificial death so that whoever believes in Him can be reconciled with God and live an eternal life with Him in heaven. He came back t...

"To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:3 Recently, I came across a TED talk video that discussed four different lessons of creativity: letting go, paying attention to the world around us, embracing challenges, embracing loss. I was challenged to decide which of these four lessons was most meaningful to me. After much thought, I finally came to a conclusion. Although each message is important, it is the last item in this list that most resonates with me. In that video, Joel Meyerowitz talks about photographing the World Trade Center after 9/11, and he realized that that record would be erased unless we made a point for it not to be. I think we all need to remember that, right now especially, time may heal all wounds, but it also erases them. It can be ...

"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You." Psalms 63:3 Recently, I have been wanting to write a poem with the phrase "better than life" as a recurring line or theme. That is when I started looking at Psalm 63 and realized the timeliness of it. This is a prayer of worship, but it is also a prayer of surrender. Today, we can get so easily caught up in everything of this empty world, but David reminds us that God's "lovingkindness is better than life."  Things of this world do not matter. But we are also reminded that there is more than just this life. We are also reminded that if we are in Christ, we are no longer of this world. "...My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water." Psalms 63:1 How easy it is to forget what fills us. How often do we go to something else, something that does not last, looking for it to satisfy our thirst? Let's ...

In this time of fear and unknown variables, what does our Father call us to do? We are called to stand out, to be noticeably different. 1 Peter 3:15 says to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…" So, how are we supposed to respond to COVID-19 and the fear that has accompanied it? In answering this question, I must address the fear of the unknown. There is a reason the Bible says "do not fear" so many times. Throughout history, people have almost always been afraid of what they do not know. However, we do not need to be afraid, because we know that there is One who does know everything. We can lose the sense of fear by giving Him control. If we choose to listen to our feelings and everything the world tells us, we will continue to live in fear. But if we surrender our fear to God, He can and will replace it with an overwhelming feeling of peace. This peace will influence our actions and the wa...