It Starts With You

I wrote a paper roughly two years ago about moral integrity and I just got the urge to share the whole thing. The topic is brushed around and definitely brushed under the rug in today's society... here's a little something for your mind to work with. 

"You don’t have to dig too deep these days to see that our world is drowning in moral failure and that any sense of integrity has been washed away with the rain. If no one see’s it, it didn’t happen. If it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s not bad. If it’s not black, it must be white. Most web engines now have “incognito tabs” where your search history isn’t saved and to the naked eye, you didn’t search bad things, you didn’t watch or listen to bad things, so it doesn’t exist. 

Pornography websites have 70+ million views each day and nearly 4 out of every 1,000 marriages end each year in Minnesota alone. It’s an epidemic that no one seems to care about, no one wants to stop it, no one wants to take the initiative and hold themselves accountable for their actions. 

Integrity: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral  uprightness: he is known to be a man of integrity.” : “the state of being whole and undivided." : "the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction: the  structural integrity of the novel."

When we look at the definition of integrity, we see that it means to be strong, sound, and unified in your construction, your beliefs and your convictions. To be built from a solid foundation and to uphold the principles in all things, seen and unseen. 

Proverbs 10:9 reads “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who  makes his ways crooked will be found out.” 

This, one day, will come as a shock to our culture, the Bible says what it means, “he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” When we lack integrity, we put up a false shield. “Oh! No one is going to see this, or hear this, or know that I thought this, so surely it’s okay for me to do! It’s not ruining my witness, after all!” Negative. Having a lack of integrity will unhinge us. It will tear us apart from the base up. When we think about it our families, our friendships, our ministries, our character, everything we do is founded upon our integrity! 

Those that we lead are looking to us for guidance, especially if you’re in the ministry. People are looking at you saying “Hm, well if they can do it, then it must be okay to do!” Simply because they trust enough in your character and have enough faith in your integrity to base their beliefs on you, believing that you’re living what the Word of God says. 

I hope to never find myself at the gate of Heaven looking into the face of a friend, family member, peer, young teen, etc and have to tell them that they believed in the wrong person, that their salvation was compromised, because I allowed myself to become compromised, that their eternity was in their hands, but was molded by my lack of integrity and disregard for lost souls. 

While we may be playing the part, we’re not always living the part and to me, if you’re in ministry, you should be an open book to at least one person outside of yourself. You should have an accountability partner, in which, they can look and you and say “That’s not right.” so you can dig into the Word of God to find out just what is that true and perfect will of God for your life, as stated in Romans 12:1-2. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern 6what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Blessed and Highly Favored;

Reflecting over my life at various points in the past few weeks, and I found a few things I've learned and have been reminded of almost constantly. So just in case your faith is weary or you have no idea what the future holds or maybe you just are at a point in life where you feel lost - these could be for you. 

1) God never has ever failed me. 

Notice how I didn't say "yet"? He has never failed me and he never will. I've seen hard times, I've seen hell and high water in my own life; yet every single night when I laid my head to rest I felt the peace of God knowing that no matter what I did, or where I went, God loves me and he will never leave me or forsake me. 

2) I am blessed. 

It always baffles me when you ask someone "How's your day?" or "What is one good thing about your week?" and they say, "Meh. It was pretty terrible really. " May I take one second to remind you that you ate breakfast and lunch today, and if you didn't, it was your own choice. To remind you that you woke up in a house with air or heat (depending on where you live). To remind you that you woke up on a mattress, and used a toilet, and drank clean water? To remind you that you woke up this morning with the ability to take a nice, long, deep breath? Because let me tell you, I work with people every single day that don't even have enough breath in their lungs to make a phone call to my office. let alone take a stroll or walk up a flight of stairs. 

You. Are. BLESSED. 

3) I was raised with a square head on my shoulders. 

My parents raised me to be a hard worker, to put in the time and the energy for what you want. To help those who don't have what you have. To be generous whenever the idea strikes you. To be kind, even to those that don't deserve it. Every single day, I can think of one instance where my mom would turn to me and say "Kill them with kindness." 

I don't think we realize that when people are angry with us, it's probably not about us. You don't know what someone is going through in their personal/home life or in their mind for that matter. Kindness is such a foreign concept these days that people actually don't know how to respond because it's not the response that they were expecting. 

Kill them with kindness. 

4) Friends, friends, friends. 

If you know me even in the slightest. You know that my friends mean the world to me and that I would trudge dungeons and walk on hot coals for the people I love. I am crazy blessed with the most incredible people in my life that genuinely look out for my well being and love me despite my sometimes bad attitude and big mouth. Everyone needs those people. Be that person. Love unconditionally. 

** that doesn't mean to put up with crap. If someone is treating you poorly or doesn't believe in you or talks down to you constantly, you have every right to walk away from that situation. That doesn't mean you don't love them (or that you shouldn't still treat them in a loving manner), it means that you love and respect yourself enough to walk away from potentially toxic situations. and that is definitely okay. 

5) I wake up every morning with a new song.

No joke.

I wake up every single morning with a new song on my mind. One day the lyrics are "some call it foolish and impossible but for every heart it rescues, it's a miracle. It's nothing less than scandalous, this love that took our place. Just call it what it is, call it grace." and sometimes it's a simple song like "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus..." because even if I was the most angry person in the world, or even if I made all the wrong choices or even if I don't feel worthy of His love, I wake up to it each and every day. I wake up each and every day with something to live for. And that, my friends is why God is just that cool. 

As Trent Cory would sing "True Freedom, is living life on purpose!"

This was supposed to be shorter. hahaha. so there is 5 awesome things about my life. Find 5 in your own and make sure you count them every single day.

Be good to yourself. Have a good rest of the week.  Be blessed. :)

You Are Great

I've noticed a lot of talk lately, within my friend circles, within young church groups, everywhere. 

"I'm not her. Why can't I be her? She's prettier than me, skinnier than me, she's more loved than I am. She's funny and charismatic or she's quiet and reserved and WHY CAN'T I BE HER?!"

Simple. God didn't make you to be someone else. That would be boring. You would be offering what someone else is offering. There is no market for that.

Over the last year I've gone on my own little "Who Am I?" rampage. I wouldn't say I never knew who I was, but that I wasn't living who I was and how I was called to live. I've always had an opinion, but it was never spoken (okay, maybe it was). I've always cared, but never put much action to it. I've always just had this intense, crazy, passionate love for my friends. They're MY people. But I never knew really just how to express that. 

So roughly a year ago, maybe longer, I decided that whatever my ideas were, and my dreams and my rampages and my beliefs... those things were/are a part of me and I need to let those fly. 

Now I wouldn't say I'm perfect and completely happy with myself all the time. Because I'm human and no human is. 

But I would say I'm content with WHO I am. Just not HOW I am. I think there is an ever changing definition of self satisfaction based on personal "checkpoints" if you will, in life. You come this far, the definition tweaks a bit. You come a little further, it changes again. I wouldn't say that this is unattainable but rather you learn who you want to be and what really matters in life, and you change that definition and keep working towards it. 

It actually tends to sadden me, how many people are truly uncomfortable with who they are, how they are, how they look, how they act... all based on someone else's predetermined standard of who they should be. 

I don't really know 100% where this post is going, but just incase someone needs to hear it, here it is.

You are great. What you've been through, what you've accomplished. Every fear you've faced and every trial you've had to endure was and is making you into the person that God has made you and called you to be. Please listen to me. You are called to be greater than standing in front of the mirror wishing you were someone else. I hate to break it to you, but ladies, you're never going to be prettier than her or skinnier than her or have her personality! You're just not, because you, are you. Guys, you're never going to be as outgoing or as good looking or as strong or as spiritual as some other guy, because you are not some other guy. 

Do not let your personal standard of who you should be, be dictated by the minds and opinions of someone that is not you. 

Read you Bible, talk to your Pastor, talk to your Youth Leader. Make goals for yourself and put some action behind them. Be kind, be a GOOD person, and work for who you want to be. But please, do NOT waste another day staring at yourself in the mirror, picturing someone else. 

Put your big kid pants on, and figure out who you want to be, where you want to go. Pray about it. Make it happen. and get some one-on-one support from a Godly influence somewhere in-between when you need it. 

Good? Good. Go get 'em killa!

There's Gonna be Revival in the Land;

About 30 hours ago our boots hit the ground in Fairmont, MN. Now... I know what you're thinking, "Here goes the white girl with her cliche "my life is changed!" post. No. This is different. Maybe not. Oh well. Read on my friends, read on.

I was headed to Fairmont with the intent to work. You know, expecting some hard labor, power through it, and feel pretty good about myself. Something along those lines... but what I got was so much more. In honor of Brother Vaughn, I'm gonna say something I tend to hear him say frequently. "I'm going to be transparent with you", about EVERYTHING that I saw and felt in Fairmont, so you can get a glimpse of the greatest that is in store for the city of Fairmont.

We got into town, got dinner and walked into the Vaughn's house to eat, as we were sitting there, Preston started speaking with us about the town, the people, the other churches, the mission field and the connections that had already been made. I'm not sure what I expected from this, but I know I got more than I had bargained for. Never before have I seen such passion within a family for a city that sincerely needs revival the way I did that night. I'm not an emotional person, but I'll admit. I was ready to tear up.

Preston and Gail went on talking about how many doors God was opening, and there was no coincidence in the matter, God is working in Fairmont. We were told about the condition of the building and the state it was in now, after ample work on it thus far and throughout this somewhat lengthy introduction to our Missions weekend (of which I was definitely enjoying), and the power of God was so real it could have brought me to prayer in that moment, in all honesty.

I didn't know what to expect from the church, but after all I'd heard, I was ready to see it and do what needed done. We walked in and I'm not sure that I've ever seen such a beautiful church building before (okay, mine is. But I'm a bit biased.) even with the dirt and grime and everything that still needed to be done, there was a potential and an expectancy for that building and city like I'd only felt before for my own city of Bloomington/Minneapolis.

We started dividing out the work, and I offered to start cleaning, we went straight for the bathrooms and man oh man... did we clean! Those floors haven't seen the light of day like they saw last night! They were sparkling and we were proud of the progress. With floors, toilets and sinks cleaned, walls wiped down, etc. We moved onto painting. Music blasting and laughter in full swing, you could take a look around and see the future of this church in such a powerful way. SO MUCH POTENTIAL. This place was seriously transforming before our eyes... I can't lie, I was really proud of the progress. Wood was being cleaned, trim, walls and doors were being painted and the church basement started to come to life.

We turned in for the evening after singing a song or two (or three, very roughly might I add) in the sanctuary. It was late, we were tired and exhausted but we are still crazy so we went to Perkins to get food and hang out. WE HAD A BLAST. The laughter was so real, secrets were shared and funny stories were told. It's hard to ever come across a better night, but... you know, bedtime.

Saturday, we get coffee (first world problems) and went to the church and got to work. WALLS WERE PAINTED. Were they ever! WOW. So much painting. It was a good day. We sang, we danced around (aka, I danced around) we painted and everything else.

My only comment really about the people I had the opportunity of sharing ministry with is this, I never ever knew how effective and well oiled a team could be, until this weekend. We all really did grow closer and became more unified as a group by working. Hmm... gonna sneak a preach here, when you put your hands to work, unity will grow and strengthen. Okay, I'm done. Obviously with my temper and impatience, tensions were a little high by the end of the day, I am fully to blame for my impatience with anyone and everyone today. haha. We all know me. ;)

At the end of our work day, I looked around the basement and was amazed at the transformation that took place. I'm not gonna lie. I was VERY proud of our work! Wow oh wow. SO GOOD. It looks so good! Is it done? No. But that's okay because any progress made is progress made. It wasn't done yesterday and it's come so far in just a day. So we're done working, we're sore, we're tired, we went upstairs and took pictures and it was time to get dinner and say goodbye. Of which we did and the goodbyes weren't bad or long, we knew we were all exhausted and needed to get on the road. On the way back from Fairmont, our car had conversation about how incredible the Vaughn family is and how wonderful the church is and all of the work we'd gotten done. It's hard to not talk about. I was told to blog this because we all know I use too many words for just a facebook post! :)

I just gave you a lot of useless information but here's what I'm getting at. Ministry has many different outlets, all hold their own importance for different seasons of life and different seasons of change, and I've seen MANY different sides of ministry in my life. I've either seen it or lived it and I can tell you now, singing is important, preaching is important, being an usher is important, etc. Every ministry holds value, however, I've never felt like I had this weekend. I clean my church frequently and I coordinate the cleaning at my church, so I am no stranger to labor for the cause... but I've learned so much about this weekend and I hold no regrets on what I sacrificed to be there and how I spent my time. It was worth every back aching moment because I will NEVER know the impact that my "sacrifice" made this weekend. I will never know just how far this ministry today, will affect their community tomorrow.

Connections are being made, God is most definitely working in that city and I'm so thrilled to have been a small piece in the puzzle in what is going to take place there. Every moment counts, every interaction counts, every smile and helping hand counts... why? Because every soul counts. Every single one.

I can't live in Fairmont and I don't have much money to give to the efforts of their church and mission... but here's what I can do. I can give my time and effort like I did this weekend. I can pray for the Vaughn's and Fairmont. I can fast for their city when I fast for my city and I can continue to encourage them and their family when doubt starts creeping in. You know it will. You don't walk into a city to save souls and expect no kind of retaliation from the enemy. You just don't. I am so privileged to know the Vaughn family and to have visited the city of Fairmont, MN, I am privileged to have had the opportunity to ministry in one of the most un-appealing ways and I am privileged to have ministered with the people I got to minister with this weekend.

The call on the Vaughn family is so strong and it is no doubt exactly where they were called to be. I most definitely caught the vision for that city this weekend and I'm so excited to see the outcome of the sacrifice of labor and love that has been poured into this Home Missions effort.

Thank you for the opportunity to be there this weekend, there was truly no other place I'd rather have been!

Below are before and after photos (before is on bottom and after is on top) They're not the best photos, but hopefully you can catch a glimpse of what we accomplished in a short 24-hours!

Again, I'm blessed and humbled. Go forth and be blessed! :)

Thanks for taking the time to read this and please don't forget to hold the Vaughn family and the city of Fairmont up in your prayers.

{Places of Creativity}

I lead a busy life. Meaning that I rarely have a clean room. Yeah, I've read all of the pins on organization and easy cleaning "to-do's" but I'd rather spend my life, well, living.

Back to the cleaning thing. It DOES happen. It's just rare. First things first, my bed is always empty, ready for me to crawl in at any time of day. My night stand? It's usually cluttered with inconsequential items from my pockets and my purse and whatnot. and my chair in the corner? My beautiful navy chair that was really an answer to prayer, the chair that over looks my gorgeous bookcase (also an answer to prayer) and the very same chair that over looks my beautiful dresser that I found as a dump, and reclaimed as my own (in a lovely blue, I might add). That chair is often covered in clothes and weekend bags and my backpack and my computer case and often my computer that sits on top.

It's sad really. My chair is my quiet place of creativity. Where my thoughts form their own life, in blogging, in my journal, in my prayers, it's my place. My place of joy where writing is easy and life is simple.

My chair often gets covered up beneath the madness of the life I live. Sometimes, that's okay with me. But as I was cleaning it off tonight, I un-covered it's beauty in a new light. So frequently we get really busy, we throw clothes, trash, clutter, bags, so on and so forth, and it lands where it may. However, too frequently, all of these things end up right in the place that hold us up the most. Right into our places of creativity and peace and simplicity. Stifling the words that your mind is trying to breathe life into, silencing our peace and taking away our simple joys in life.

Today is a new day. As I write this, 12:01am rolled around. It's literally a new day. Take 20 minutes (or longer) to clean off your place. Both physically and mentally.  Yesterday doesn't have to dictate your happiness today, if you don't take ahold of your schedule, your schedule will take ahold of you. and that only results in stifled creativity and happiness. So grab a trash bag and a laundry basket and go to the place where it all fell... the clothes, the trash, the clutter, the forgotten to-do lists and the failures of yesterday, and un-cover your place. Your place of creativity, peace, simplicity and inspiration. Find your happy place once again and turn off the phone and the TV and the radio and the outside world and just let your mind work, let the words flow, and let God speak.

How to: Tips for being a Better Person... Confidant... Friend.

Change is such a silly thing. But such an important thing really. I happens everyday, every moment of the day.

You change with every choice you make, with every circumstance you face and with every single day that passes. 

Every day when you wake up, you decide who you're going to be, or who you want to be. Want to be - is really the change I'm writing about today. 

Change happens; you cannot avoid it. You can direct it. You can guide it. You can inspire it. But you can't avoid it. (by resisting change, you're changing, btw.)

I've been thinking about change a lot recently. How to do it, when to do it, why we do it. I just had no idea how to address the issue, no idea how to put it into words, which is a change for me. I'm usually really good with putting thoughts into words. But not this time. I hope I do the topic justice. 

In my opinion, the number one killer of change/inspiration, is the people around you. 

In everything I've tried to do in life, in every choice I've made in favor of change, had it supporters, and it's non-supporters. 

The first thing I have to address when it comes to change/change killers is friendships. 

What kind of a friend are you? Are you conditional? Are you only there to get something out of it? Are you loving and supporting? Are you mad when someone doesn't handle their situations the way you would? Are you frequently upset or negative? 

These are really random questions to ask yourself but they can't be left un-answered. 

I used to be a really cold/hard/negative/mean person. Granted I was like... 8-13 in that stage, it was still me. There was no one person to blame for the way I thought and acted. Just me. I wanted to change. This post is an accumulation of how I've done it so far. 

"You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can control your reaction to what happens to you."

In short, it's how you react to everything, that makes you into the person you are and have yet to become. I was thinking the other day, "I love making new friends, because you can choose right then who you want to be, really. You can change who you are if you want to, and they don't know any different. A clean slate." 

Should that be how it is? Absolutely not. I understand that people make bad choices, I understand that people mess up and aren't who they should be sometimes, but once a person recognizes this, it's your job as a friend to say "Listen, I know what you've done, I know how you've treated me, I know how you've been before, but if you want to change that, if you want to become different, if you want to improve your character, I'm going to forget the past (as best as I can) and let you do that, and love your through it." 

Same goes for this situation, if you're friends with someone, and your previous relationship is like a student/mentor kind of thing and you give them that room for growth, that room to change, you absolutely CANNOT start acting different or hostile when that student comes to the same level as you. Once they've put themselves through growth and they've done the hard things and faced change and made themselves better for it, you cannot get upset or bitter when that person surpasses you in their life, in their ministry, in their faith, etc. 

Being in the teacher/mentor role in a friendship/relationship is an incredible thing to be apart of, you're helping someone shape their life, by being their friend, by being a sound board, by being there for them and giving advice when necessary, you're helping someone shape their CHARACTER. But if they become bigger than you, if they grow beyond the extent of needing your advice, to where you can just be friends and interact on the same level, accept it!  

Every class in every subject ends. Sometimes we're the teacher/mentor, sometimes we're the students, sometimes we attend classes with friends and grow together, and sometimes, some students finish that class and leave it behind, while you have to stay and finish it alone, or vice versa. Don't allow these advancements/setbacks to make you bitter, allow them to make you better. 

If a friend is better than you, that's okay. If a friend is not, that's okay. 

My advice? It's working for me everyday. I'm not perfect, but all of these tend to help me, even though I'm still working on a few. 

How to: Tip for Being a Better Person... Confidant... Friend: (in no particular order, really)


Build. Build people up. Find someones good qualities, and build on them, find someones bad qualities and try to show that person how to build those up into good qualities and talents and characterizations. But please, don't ever tear someone down, "Just because you can" or because "You can speak your mind and get away with it." Build everyone up. "Hey! I really don't know you, but your outfit is really cute." or "Hey, the way you find the best in every situation, that's really inspiring." or even "You've really inspired me to do this (or that), and I did it with no regrets!" Let people know why they're amazing. Because every single person has greatness inside of them. "It costs you nothing to be an encouragement to someone else." -KL

Push Boundaries. Life is exciting and scary and thrilling but sometimes we get comfortable with where we are. Try to be the friend that is supportive, but also the friend that always suggests/advocates for the option that pushes someone a little farther than they're used to going. Don't push it THAT far though. I'm not talking about throwing someone off the ledge when they're not ready, but if they're contemplating growth outside of their comfort zone, encourage it. The best thing to do in this situation is to lead by example. Push your own comfort zones, do things you've never done, do things that scare you, speak in public, sing in public, talk to a stranger (safely, of course), smile at anyone you see, wave while driving. These things often make us nervous and a little uneasy. "What if they think I'm crazy for smiling?!" Yeah, they'll think you're crazy. Crazy NICE. haha! Just go for it, honestly. 

"You miss 100% of the chances that you don't take." Live on the edge a bit. 


Facilitate growth. Allow your friends to make better choices, while loving them through the bad choices. Allow them to speak, dress, or act differently without you treating them differently. Whether it's for the good or bad. Sometimes people come into church, most of them don't want a big production made out of them coming to God or coming back to God, or even leaving God, and sometimes we think "Well, that's silly. That's not the choice I would make." THAT IS SO RIGHT. In fact, it's so OKAY. It's not the choice you would make because it's not your choice to make. Just love them through the change. Don't be flustered when someone isn't who you want them to be. 

Be Steady. Generally, people will never return the affection, love, or generosity that you show them. You can be the best of all friends, and the other person probably won't be. That's okay. It's exhausting, but it's okay. Live by example. Be kind, be thoughtful, be spontaneous, be generous and never look back. 

Lock it up and throw away the key. If someone shares a secret with you, don't share it with the world. I've had my own faults in this area, it's something I'm really working on. Be that sounding board. Be like the walls when you're told confidential information. You know when people say "If these walls could speak...." people marvel at what they would say, what they've seen, the secrets they've been told, etc. The walls can't speak, and for a good reason. Be a wall when necessary and don't ever jeopardize that. 

"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how."

"Don't be scared to tell someone the truth." ** addendum ** IN LOVE. Don't be afraid to tell the truth, IN LOVE. Sometimes it just has to be said, it's okay to say it, it really is. 

"Never suppress a generous thought." 

My good friend Lecrae (okay, so not really friends, but still) said, "If they ain't seen Jesus, they don't want to see the sequal." 

What a great way to say that you may be the only representation of Jesus that they'll ever see. When it comes to friends, strangers, waiters, cashiers, baristas, etc. Show them love and kindness, because Jesus showed you love and kindness. Show them Jesus. 

"Forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in YOU." - C.S. Lewis 
* this rings true with friends and strangers alike. God did it for you, try doing it for someone else.

The End. (for now). 

Can You be Pursuaded?

I'm on a kick pertaining to books right now - and possibly forever - so bear with me. 

I am a reader. I owe this portion of my life to my mom and my grade school teacher. I like to believe - and do - that my mom read as an escape from everyday life, whatever the reason, whatever the matter, she fell in love with Karen Kingsbury books, and encouraged me to do the very same. I now own 50+ of her books. 

and Ms. Kris Newman, my Teacher, Friend, Moscow Mom, personal proof-reader, my writing friend and everything in-between. She taught my school for one year. One year, and changed my life. Made me fall in love with worlds outside of my own. Encouraged me to see the beauty in written words and magical, mysterious places. 

The frequent misconception of books is that they're a world contained within two walls - whether paperback or hardcover - walls, none the less. But this is false. Books are created with the intention to be read, and to be released from the walls of their binding and spine into your imagination, and to take you on an adventure from there.

One of the beauties of books is this - If I read a book, no one else is going to see it the same way. You cannot read a book without expanding your imagination. Why? Because you are literally giving form and bringing to life, another world. If I say "They walked down their quiet, hometown, street together. Autumn leaves falling around them as they recall the memories of the past, reminiscing about the summers and winters and years gone by." You just created a street in your mind, completely different - I'm sure - than the one I pictured. You created a place within your mind of two people and the nostalgia of their past. Changing from autumn leaves falling, to summer and then to winter, and then back again. 

Am I too inspired by books? I don't believe that's possible, but maybe. Reading books, helps you to understand other people. By being able to step into another world, and step into the shoes of another person as they think and make decisions, and face unforeseen circumstances, is a magical thing that happens to you. You are expanding your mind to the thinking of someone else, and that my friend is why a reader, is NEVER narrow minded. Readers can see a situation objectively, completely unbiased. They can empathize with more people, and therefore, be able to relate to and help more people.

A lot of people may disagree with this one, and it's really just a personal opinion. But I think that readers made better friends. ;)

Reasons why books are better than e-books:
- You can read them in the sun. 
- They make your shelves look pretty. 
- You can get them signed. 
- They smell good. 
- You don't have to charge them to prevent electronic death. 
- You get the gratification of flipping through the pages.

Reasons why books are better than their movie:
- Because no one is telling you how to picture the story. You can use your own mind. I'm sure Hollywood just loves that.
- Movies are over in 2 hours, meanwhile books take hours, if not days to read. 
- Movies leave out too many details. 
- Movie trailers spoil the entire thing. Leaving nothing to the imagination. 
- Your imagination is limitless and there are limits to what can be represented in a movie.
- Books are cheaper than movies and provide longer entertainment. 

I may have gotten carried away, but some things need to be said. ;) 

If you can't stand your life, read a book, then change it. Books are inspiration between two covers. It can lead you to finding out what to do with your life, or just what to do next. It can remind you of the beauty in life, the beauty in the mundane, and the beauty of your very own imagination. 

You will never read a book and not take something away from it. Every book teaches you something, even if it's just to make a list of books to never read again. You'll get something from it. :)

I was reading a book as my friend Kayla walked into the room and she said "Oh man! If I would have known this was going to be a party, I would have brought my book!" haha. I love Kayla. Kayla good. :) This accurately describes my life. 

Other good and important reasons for reading books:
- It is said that readers are two and a half times LESS likely to get Alzheimer's. 
- You learn something new everyday.
- Reading is therapeutic and costs less than a therapist... depending on how many books you buy, that is. 
- Reading enhances memory - I think this is probably synonymous with #1 - but oh well. 
- Reading expands your vocabulary. Always good! 
- You live many lives. 

So there you have it. You're less likely to get Alzheimer's. You're more likely to succeed in careers and life. You can better empathize with people. You live many, many, many lives. Your imagination grows. Your shelves look pretty. You will be more literate. You won't need a therapist - unless you read the Divergent series, that is. You will have access to a never ending well of inspiration. and you'll make a better friend.


If I haven't inspired to you try reading yet, this post has failed me. haha! What do you have to lose?

Happy reading. :)