Celebrating Friendship!

It is 1:00pm here in New York; 6:00pm in Oxford, England. I meant to write this two hours earlier, but alas that didn't happen.  Something significant happened on May 11, 1926 at 4:00pm in Oxford. Anyone want to guess?

Clive Staples Lewis and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien met for the first time. It was the start to a 40+ year friendship that would span three worlds: Narnia, Middle Earth, and this world (the reality of WW1 and WW2 as the backdrop). There, of course, would be hard times during the decades of their friendship, but there would  also be times of encouragement that would craft a bond too deep to be broken.

It's now officially known as International Inklings Day!
The celebrations and more be found here.

A long-awaited update..

     It's been a while since I have posted. It was a very busy last semester of undergraduate classes at college. I had my nursing capstone class which was when I got work alongside a nurse and get a feel for my upcoming career. It was all very exciting. No finals this semster as I only had one other class. Another thing that happened was a new friendship with a wonderful young lady who is a child of God as well. It has been such a blessing to me.

     Since the first of December I have been doing a devotional that was written by Ann Voskamp (and in case you don't know who that is, just look her up by clicking here).  It has been a lovely study and such a joy to unwrap God's greatest gift for us.  The tree is up and decorated. We light delicious smelling candles up every night, all around the house.  It has been a great start to the Christmas/Advent season.

My journey SOUTH.

     It was the first time I had been below the equator...in the southern hemisphere. It was full of new sights, new friends, and new experiences. That remarkable journey took place five months ago, during their winter, in a place called South Africa.
     I didn't just sign up to go on this adventure randomly though, it all started back home, in the small church that I have been going to for all my life. My cousin, Sara, had taken a church group two summers ago and she was offering to go with another group. So, a few months later, after a good amount of praying, me and my twin sister and a bunch of friends boarded a 20-something hour flight to the country of South Africa (with a delightful stop in Heathrow, London airport).
     There are many delightful memories that were made in the two weeks we spent there. I couldn't possibly write about all of them. I met children that made me laugh, care workers who told uplifting tales, and other missionaries who made me feel right at home who had a bottomless supply of love.
     During the trip we had some oppurtunities to walk to some of the childrens' homes, they were called Holy Home Visits. We would have a chance to pray with the family and they would tell us a bit about what they were going through.  Me and a friend, Diana, and the pastor of my church were able to visit a mother who had two young sons. she had a few odd jobs that she did, but nothing that was regularly supplying her with money. The family lives on a rented piece of land, with a shack as their home. The father of the two boys was a logger, and had abandoned his family. In South Africa if there is no supporter then you get a set amount of money to help with school costs and food. The man who owned the property would recieve the money, take the rental money out of it, and then pass the rest to the family (which at that point wasn't that much).
During this conversation the mother told one of the boys to get some drink for us. The older boy, Prince, ran into the shack and came out with three tall glasses and a tall bottle of soda. I remember being so touched by this selfless act. The family has so little, but was willing to give up their soda, to complete strangers. We said our thanks and drank up. Needless to say, it was the best soda I'd ever tasted. We walked the kids to  the care point after that and we all sang on our way. It was great to see the boys were so happy. That memory will always stick with me. Period.
     If there are any other questions, or more stories that you want to hear, you can leave a comment below. You could leave a comment just for fun too. You just had to be there to experience everything that happened to all of us. It was definitely a life-changing experience for me, and I'm sure for the others also.

A Very Happy New Year To All!

So, we have come to the start of a new year.  

To remember my journey on this blog throughout this past year made me very delighted indeed.  

God has been so faithful  and I am very thankful for everyone that has read this blog.  

As a thanks I will included the link to the most popular post that I have written in this past year. 

I love the song included in this post..its such a great inspiration.

http://jnwaldvogel.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-experience-worth-remembering.html

GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN THE NEW YEAR OF 2014!

True Friendship with the King

I was reading the book "Get Lost" this morning (it's become a part of my morning devotions) and something that Dannah wrote about spoke to me...like an arrow piercing the target right in the middle! I am going to paraphrase what she wrote, but with different examples..and of course my own words.  

"Bring me a husband."
          "Heal my stomach ache."
                     "Help me find the right job."
                               "Help me pass my finals...they're hard"
I know my conversations sometimes consist of demands such as these. Do yours too? I bet sometimes they do, I think that every christian does it at some point. God is not a genie though; he is the Almighty God and a King. If you met a king or president would you approach him like that? I hope not. You would enter that friendship with respect and honor. Now, God is above all else on Earth and in Heaven; how can we do that to him?? He is not to be used by us like that. Often we give him a list of things to do, like a wish list. It's not that he doesn't want to hear our needs. It's just that we rarely dwell in his presence to hear his desires for us. I knelt down and asked the Lord to show me the desires he has for my life, will you do that as well? Will you put your life into his hands? Let us, like Evan Roberts, kneel before him and say, in full surrender, "BEND ME, BEND ME."

 

Whom have I in heaven but you? 

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

~Psalm 73:25

There is always a new hope to be found..

     I never thought that you could get so many messages from one movie. I just didn't think it could happen. But, it actually can happen. And it did. For me, at least. The movies name is "New Hope." It was made last year, in 2012. Now, without further adieu  I'd like to tell you about the lessons I found in the movie. 

~WARNING: If you haven't seen the movie I'd recommend watching it before you read anything below, because I'll be talking about some of the plot and I don't want to ruin it for you!~ 

     

     God DOES Care

After losing her boyfriend Chase to suicide, Jasmine starts to believe that God doesn't care about "some troubled high school kid." Michael, the preacher's kid, who is also new in town, reassures her that God does care. He tells her "We all have struggles, but God hasn't given up on you." God doesn't give up on anyone, especially those that are going through struggles.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says; "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

God also tells us; “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Heb.13:5).” 

     There will be PEACE

After losing a son, things will never go back to the way they were, but Chase's parents want it to. They go to counseling with the new pastor (Michael's father). Sometimes we don't think we will ever get past the current struggle, but God promises us peace, and his unfailing love. 

Isaiah 54:10 says: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." 

     Love those that  DON'T love you back

Michael's father explains this one pretty well in the movie. He says "Loving the ones that love us, that's easy, anybody can do that. It's loving the ones that hate us..well, that's the real challenge." It can be a challenge, physically and emotionally, and Michael takes the challenge. Sometimes, a friendship can be born out of the greatest challenges of our life. 

God tells us; "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44)."

     Losing someone you loved, is NEVER easy

Lucas Green is eighteen and just went through the tragic loss of his brother. They must have been close in age because they played high school basketball together. I could never image losing my twin sister or brother at this age, but it could happen..today, tomorrow, or fifty years from now (or if I'm lucky I could die before they do..LOL). Lucas takes his anger out at Michael the most because Michael plays Chase's position on the basketball team and starts dating Chase's girlfriend. At the end, Michael tells Lucas that he'll never give up on him..and that proves true. The movie ends and then their are pictures that tell of a wonderful friendship between the two. 

I ABSOLUTELY recommend watching this film. I have never felt so touched by a movie even though I didn't shed any tears. I think it reminded me of some great lessons, that I'll never forget. It's an unforgettable and powerful film!

Winter Weekend Retreat

     This past weekend I was at a youth retreat. I had an amazing time with friends; new and old. We slept in dorm-like rooms (girls on one side of the building, boys on the other side), with 4 or 5 other people. Laughter could be heard down the long hall at any point during the day. We did all different activities such as; basketball, volleyball, card games, shuffleboard, and even sumo-wrestling (which was quite fun to watch also). When we weren't having fun, we were in God's presence.
     An evangelist named Glen Badonsky was the special speaker and had us laughing and crying. He had a special sense of humor, but when alter call came we all went up to worship with him. He broke through with the humor and we were built up with our tears. He has a ministry in India called Double Portion Ministries. I truly felt the holy spirit in the chapel this year.

   

     We had worship time, which is always my favorite time. We sang a lot of contemporary songs. Some were "Stand" by Hillsong, "10,000 reasons" by Matt Redman, and "Promises" by Parachute band. Raising our hands in worship always makes me thankful that I have a God I can reach out to and he'll hear me and answer me.

Let's hop over to "My Journey Thru"...

So, I was reading posts from my friends that I haven't read in a while mainly because of college. I thought this post was amazing, so I'm going to share it with all of you. May it bless you as it blessed me. :-) 

http://my-journey-thru.blogspot.com/2012/12/pure.html

Thank you, Lord

    School has finally finished and I have successfully completed my first year if college. The Lord has certainly helped me and kept me throughout the hard times. I want to thank all of those who were praying for me: THANK YOU! 
    You would think that I would have lots of time to write new posts, but that is not the case yet. Me and my twin sister are going to France next Wednesday, the 23rd of May. We are so excited to be going. The Honors program at our college offers this trip to all of the honors students, and me and my sister chose to go. A lot of our new friends are also going so it will be fun. Although we have made many new friends, most aren't Christians. I would be grateful if you would pray for all of them. 
   Me and my twin sister joined the christian group at our college and became friends with everyone there, but only two from that group of about twenty will be going with us to France (most are not freshman, so they went last year on the trip to France if they are in the Honors Program). 
    Again, thank you for your constant prayers. I will be praying for all of those who view this blog. 
    May God Bless You and Keep You, Julie Waldvogel 

"Ten Commandments Of Friendship"

1. Speak to people = there is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting
2. Smile at people = it takes seventy-two muscles to frown and only fourteen to smile
3. Call people by name = the sweetest music to anyone's ear is the sound of their own name
4. Be friendly and helpful =  if you would have friends, then be friendly
5. Be cordial = speak and act as if everything you do were a real pleasure 
6. Be genuinely interested in people = you can like everyone if you try
7. Be generous with praise = cautious with criticism 
8. Be considerate of the feelings of others = it will be appreciated
9. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others
10. Be alert to give services = what counts most in  life is what we do for others

(These are great to live by but, I did not come up with these, a man named Roy B. Zuck came up with them. I copied them from a book called: A young woman after God's own heart by Elizabeth George, who cited them.)