i think i've neglected my blog for long enough.

So I haven't blogged in the longest time, and it's on the verge of being "lengen...wait for it...dary" in it's ridiculousness. HIMYM anyone? I've been watching HIMYM a lot recently since my friend forced me to watch it.. too bad it cuts into my hw time. oh well, HIMYM > IB exams right?

ANYWAYS, the main thing I've had on my mind today was about the baptismal service I went to for my friend's sister. I've been thinking about the whole "being Christian" thing a lot recently.. while all of my church friends for the most part grew up in a Christian family, I wasn't raised in one, so all the stories of the Bible, and all the protocol of church life is still new to me! Lately, I've been noticing that a lot of my friends find church boring, and repetitive.. but I guess that since I'm kinda new on the scene, I don't yet feel that way. Going to church is honestly the highest point(s) of my weeks; I've found myself easily choosing to go to church over studying for exams or going to parties with school friends. Although this makes me sound very strong in my faith and the church, my mom recently voiced the very thing that I had been turning over and over in my mind for months: do I go to church for to socialize with my friends? Or am I truly drawn to Christianity itself?

Bringing this question up at the dinner table was both unexpected and relieving for me, because I finally realized that I think that I go for the religion, but I truly stay for my friends.

The thing is, I think that I'm still not used to calling myself a Christian because I don't think that I'm anywhere near what I think a Christian should be like. Although I did go to my church when I was younger, the 8-year hiatus definitely hampered on my spiritual growth. During those 8 years, I'm pretty sure I didn't pick up a single Bible, or say a single prayer. It's hard to continue to do these things at such a young age when the people who immediately surround you, aren't doing those things. I'm not putting anything on my parents for not choosing Christ (although I'm working on bringing them to church), but I'm very thankful that they're very open about religion, and are very willing to allow me to bring Christ into my own life.

After hearing the testimonies of the JV kids about all the things that Christ had done in their lives to open their eyes, I started searching for evidence of God's actions in my own life. I realized that a major change for the better occurred just in the spring of 09. Each year, my cousins tried to get me to register for the church's teens camp. Every year, I refused, stating that "I didn't know anyone", but for some reason, I decided to sign up. It's truly hard to describe how much more satisfying and fulfilling my life has been since then. I think it might be harder for some of my friends from church to understand or appreciate how amazing the church community is, especially if they've grown up in it all their life (but I hope they do). Needless to say, I haven't regretted signing up for camp, to this very day, and I don't think I ever will.

That's just what I've been having in my mind for the past few months. It's a lot to get off my chest, but it had to be done some time!

ckw.