Lessons, joys, etc // Week 5 + a special occasion

Photo credit to JAB Productions

Lessons:

 ~ 'Still choosing to obey and pray when it seems like God has left' is an awesome concept (see Screwtape quote from this post). However, it is not an excuse for wishy-washy, dry prayer as a direct result of not deliberately seeking God.

 ~ FOCUS => GOD. Always.

 ~ God answers prayers. (Wow, I know - another revolutionary concept!)

 ~ Although I am a mature teenager... I can still be wrong. And my parents still have to correct me sometimes.

Joys:

 ~ 4 days out of 7 seeing friends in person.  

 ~ Discovering I can actually still play in the pool with friends - twice this week, actually!

 ~ First actual proper horse ride. Complete with a few seconds (note - few) of trotting and cantering.

 ~ Getting a kick out of going 30km/h on a farm buggy. (Still not sure how this is, when I can go 110km/h in a car....)

 ~ Cricket in the blazing sunshine (ah, the Aussie Christmas season).

 ~ Being back in the air-conditioning, watching actual cricketers play in the blazing sunshine on TV.

 ~ Book recommendations from a very well-read woman. 

 ~ Last minute-invitations.

 ~ Boys being crazy in the pool.

 ~ Teasing friend. 

 ~ Normal heart-rate (you don't know how awesome this is unless you have a heart condition that makes it race for a few minutes every now and again).

 ~ Gorgeously decorated house interiors. 

 ~ Chatting with friends about movies and The Rebelution.

 ~ Book titles running down a page.

 ~ Rolling rumballs.

 ~ An absolutely unexpected and absolutely lovely chat with one of my younger brother's friends whom I know (i.e. about 4 years younger than me).

 ~ Stir-fry vedgies saturated in butter and flavoured with chicken stock.

 ~ Carols night.

 ~ Friends coming to the carols night.

 ~ Singing carols with friends and family (especially when they're really good singers).

 ~ Siblings in the Nativity tableau.

 ~ Picnic food.

 ~ Camera tripod. 

 ~ Waking up early to write this (better than I expected the experience to be :P).

 ~ My 100th post (this one).

Yes, that is the aforementioned special occasion - my 100th post. I've been anticipating this for a while.... and now it's here, I'm not exactly sure what to say. I feel like an award recipient being prompted to make an impromptu speech. Oh well, here goes.

This blog came out of my crush experience. Having come out the other side and God having given me a passion for purity, I wanted to tell someone. Well, make that everyone. So, my mum said, why not start a blog? And so I did. I started with a welcome post and two pages on purity and crushes (on the sidebar. Actually, they're pretty old now... I'm in the process of re-writing them). And it went from there. Whenever God lays something on my heart or teaches me a lesson appropriate to share with the blogging world, I jump on here and create a post. And you guys read it. And comment (which I LOVE!).

So really, I guess I have three people/groups to thank:

1. My Mum, who suggested this, and who (with Dad) took me through the process of starting a blog, being safe online, etc. Actually, before that, she was the one who taught me a bunch of stuff about crushes and purity etc. And before that... (that's another story).
2. You guys - my followers. I can post all I like, but nothing happens in no-one reads. So thanks for reading, and commenting, and sharing. 
3. God. Of course. None of this would have happened if He hadn't been working. And He's still at work - teaching me stuff that I then share, encouraging others through the posts, etc. Thank you, my Awesome God.

And now, let the wild rumpus start! (a.k.a. let next hundred posts commence!).

Cassie xoxoxo