You wouldn’t believe the reaction you get when you’re a Christian and you tell another Christian that you don’t attend church on a regular basis.  Seriously, it’s like a kid telling another kid that they don’t go to school.  They give you this really strange look, like “are you sure you’re even a Christian”?  Yes I’m a Christian, no I’m not a perfect Christian, yes I pray everyday, yes I read the Bible as often as I can, but no, I don’t go to church.

I have a bad history with churches, okay?

Actually, I have a bad history with the people in those churches.  But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today, so we’ll save those stories for another time.

I heard a sermon a few months back when I was visiting a church one Sunday that really got to me.  It was about the barriers that keep people from coming to church and being Christians, and one of the things the pastor talked about was a survey that a Christian author had done, and here are some of the things those people said in the survey about Christians:

Christians are:

First I have to take a second to laugh at the “too political” part, because I think everyone already knows that Christians can be a little bit too political, if there is such a thing these days because isn't everyone too political?

The whole time I was listening to this sermon, I was thinking about how everything the pastor said were things that I have been trying to prove my whole life.

Let me pause and just make it clear that I do not hate other Christians.  1 John 4:11 says, “dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  I do, however, believe that Christians should always set a good examples, in a way like how older siblings should be a good examples to their younger siblings.

I see so many good examples of Christians, yet so many ones that do not present the character of what God expects of a Christian.  According to the Bible, Christians should be:

So, with all that being said, let me get back to what this post is actually about.  Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?  Or rather, is it a requirement?

There are two answers to this question.  By society’s standards, yes.  But does the Bible say it is required?  Well it’s not in the 10 Commandments, which are the guidelines to every Christian’s life.  But the Bible does encourage going to church in several passages, such as Ephesians 4:16 which says, “for whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

The key point in that passage is the body, the church is supposed to build itself in love.  The problem with churches these days is that there are some that do not build themselves up in love, because in order for the church body to work properly, every person must be building up other members of the body.  Other members of the body means, of course, Christians.  If we do not build each other up in love, the church cannot function.

I’ve seen it happen.

Finding a church is often like finding a house, it can be a very discouraging and difficult process to find “the perfect church”.  I know for me it has been very frustrating and difficult when people ask me why I don’t go to church, or tell me why I should.  Again, by society’s standards it is apparently a requirement that if you are a Christian, you must attend church regularly.

But for now, I can respond to anyone that asks me about church with: “I just haven’t found the right one”, and you can too if you are currently facing this situation.  But never give up hope, because the perfect church is out there, you just haven’t found it yet.

FALL IS UPON US.

But let’s be real for a second.  I honestly don’t understand why people like fall so much.  It means summer is over, school starts, and the weather gets cold.  What’s so great about those things?  Anyway, I ‘m excited because I have a bunch of fall themed posts planned for the next few months, so make sure you keep updated with my blog by signing up for email updates and following my social media so you’ll be the first to know when I publish a new post.

Today’s blog is all about things to do during fall.  I guess some people call this a “bucket list” and I’ve never made a bucket list before, so let’s see how this goes.  All these things are things you can do on dates, with your best friends, or even by yourself (who needs other people anyway?).  So if you’re bored, hopefully this list will give you some cool ideas of things to do instead of sitting in the house and watching the leaves turn colors.

I went to my first corn maize ever last year (as pictured at the beginning of this post) and loved it!  This is a great fall activity when the weather is nice, and it’s super fun as long as you’re not scared of getting lost…….or of the critters that live in the corn.

I’m way too scared to set foot in a haunted house.  The thought of it creeps me out.  But if you’re looking for a creepy fall adventure, a haunted house is the activity for you.

Did you ever take a field trip to an apple orchard in school?  Guess what, that was probably years ago so it’s time to revisit.  Fall is harvest season so it’s always a good time to pick apples.

This doesn’t have to be for Halloween, if you’re one of those people that aren’t allowed to celebrate it.  Have your friends over, make hot chocolate, and dress up in your favorite costume. 

You can’t even find regular food at the grocery store anymore without it being “pumpkin spice” flavored, which is very annoying for people like me who absolutely despise any kind of food relating to pumpkins.  But if you are a big fan of pumpkin, try some new recipes this fall with pumpkin or apple ingredients.

Have you seen all the creative things you can do with pumpkins?  Hop on Pinterest or create a new design that will be sure to win.

Want some cute fall clothes?  No need to go to the mall and spend hundreds of dollars on 2 shirts.  Find a local consignment shop and track down some trendy clothes- for cheap!

You don’t need a photographer or a nice camera.  Put on some fall colors, grab a few props, and take some Instagram worthy pictures with your iPhone in your backyard!

You can do DIYs any time of the year, but look for some fall craft ideas online or redecorate something you already own!

Some days, it’s just too hard and too cold to leave the house.  These days are perfect for a cup of coffee, a blanket, and a good book.

I hope these things gave you some ideas for the upcoming season and let me know if you have any other ideas!  As always, thank you for reading and I’ll talk to you next time!

Okay so I’m not big on TV and I haven’t watched a lot of the show “X Factor” but I remember watching a clip from one of the episodes of this girl who was severely bullied in school, singing this absolutely beautiful song.  At the end of her performance, one of the judges said to her “all those people that bullied you are at home watching you on TV”.  That video and sentence are the things that inspired me to do what I do.  To me, being successful is the best form of revenge.

When I was younger I thought that revenge meant something more physical such as writing songs like Taylor Swift.  Sure, it can be effective but that’s a lot of time to waste on someone just to let them know you hate them.  And it’s not really satisfying.  Unless of course you become a super star like Taylor Swift did, but the chances of that are very slim.  But of course nothing is impossible.

Anyway, I’m not auditioning for a TV show (a least not yet), but there are things you can do to be successful and above your enemies.  That doesn’t mean you have to think you’re “better than them”, but it is a good mindset to have.  I once witnessed someone say (and I quote) “I’m better than you” to another person and it was probably one of the cruelest things I’ve ever heard in my life.  So please, don’t ever think or say that to someone because that’s definitely not what this post is about.

In the title of this post I used the word “revenge”, but I've decided not to call it that.  The word “revenge” implies that the focus is on the other person, when really it’s about your gain of power.  Plus it sounds really violent and the last thing the world needs is more violence.  So I prefer to use the word “satisfaction”, which can mean “what is owed or due to one, especially in reparation of injustice or wrong”.  Before I actually figured out how much better satisfaction was than revenge……well, I don’t like to think about that time in my life.

So when you’re really angry at someone, it’s hard to think properly, isn’t it?  All you can think about is how much you want them to “pay” or whatever.  But the truth is, that isn’t always the best way to go about revenge, because it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to, and usually you do more work than what it’s worth.  And if you’re being honest with yourself, you’re not satisfied in the end.  That’s right, there’s the key word again.

You might be thinking “well you’re saying all this stuff about being satisfied, but how do I get satisfaction”?  See here’s the lesson it took me so long to learn: it’s not about what you do to them personally, it’s about being the bigger person.  I know, you’ve probably heard that from your mom a million times, but it’s what makes all the difference.  Notice how I said “bigger” and not “better”.  I never said to be better than them because I just don’t promote that stuff.

                How can you be the bigger person when you’re only 5’3”?  If you were fortunate enough to be tall then lucky you, but just like when people ask me how in the world I managed to shove someone who’s over 6 feet into a wall, it’s not really about your physical abilities.  If that were the case, I wouldn’t even be writing this right now.  Being the bigger person means no matter what the other person does, you handle it like a pro.  That means not taking the revenge route, but not letting them bring you down.  A strong person doesn’t do this in an act of hatred, but in small acts of dignity.

                So to sum up all this up in one sentence: don’t get revenge, find satisfactory in being the bigger person, not the better person.

Hey guys, so this is going to be a short and sweet post but since I haven’t posted in a while I just kind of wanted to give you an update on where I’m at in life and the things that have prevented me from blogging.

So first off, I was working pretty much full time this summer.  I got an awesome job at such an awesome place and I just want to take a minute to say that while I was working there, it never really felt like “work”.  I didn’t do it for the money really (although it did help tremendously with my college fund haha), but more because I just loved being surrounded by good people in a good work environment.  So I spent most of my summer there and it was very exhausting sometimes and by the time I got home, I never really felt like writing a blog post to be completely honest with you.  But since I’ll be starting school this coming week, I won’t be working as much, even though I sincerely wish I could. But unfortunately there just aren’t enough hours in a day.

I don’t think I’ve ever shared this on my blog before, but for those of you that don’t know, I am going into my 5^th year in 4-H.   Being a member of 4-H has been such a wonderful experience and I can’t even begin to tell you about all the amazing things I’ve done and the great people I’ve met.  The summer is always a busy time for 4-H members because the first week of July is probably one of my favorite weeks out of the year because it’s fair week.  That’s right, the loud music, fried food, big rides…..that may be your idea of the fair, but for a 4-H member it means getting your projects done in time, making sure you have all your paperwork filled out for your animal, and being in the big white barns 24/7.  All that is a lot more work than what it seems, but it does pay off.  I’ve met so many amazing people and gained a lot of leadership experience that has been so useful to have.  So if you’re interested and have any questions about the program, feel free to ask me and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability!  You can also go to 4-h.org for more information.

Along with those things, there have also been some personal things I’ve been going through over the last few months.  I’m not quite ready to name any specific details because I’m still in the healing process.  If you’ve ever dealt with something traumatic then you know what it’s like.  One day you don’t think about it at all then the next thing you know you can’t get rid of the thoughts.  Every day is different.  When you wake up you never know what that day will bring, but you can learn to control those thoughts if they come.  It’s a lot easier said than done, but that’s why it takes time.  Everyone heals differently, and for me it takes a long time for the scars to be completely washed away.  So that’s where I’m at right now.  But the past few weeks have been so much better than a month ago, so I’m very pleased with the progress I’ve made so far and hopefully it will only continue to go up from here.

The last thing I want to talk about in this little update is some changes I’m going to make.  I already wrote a post about change awhile back, but these changes aren’t really changes that happen on the outside, but more like changes on the inside.  When the school year started, I decided there were some things I need to do differently.  The first one of those changes is right here on my blog.  I don’t want the posts to be months apart, but I can’t really commit to doing a weekly schedule during the school year.  So for now, I’ve just decided to post as often as I can.  Sometimes it will be weekly, sometimes it will be every other week, and it will always be on different days.  I’ve decided that this is the best way to stay committed, and so I don’t feel pressured to post on a certain day.  So hopefully I can make some good posts for you to read and still post them often.

Another thing that I just started doing is being healthier in general.  I’ve never really been unhealthy, but I downloaded an app called “Lifesum”, which helps you make sure you’re eating healthy and drinking enough water.  It’s such a nice and helpful thing so if you’re looking to lose or gain weight, or just want to maintain your health, this app is so helpful.  I’m not becoming a “health freak” or anything like that, but eating a balanced diet is important, not only physically but mentally too.  I will let you know more about how that’s going in a few weeks, but so far it’s helped me make a lot healthier food choices and made me realize how dehydrated I was!

The last thing I want to mention before I go is my photography.  I haven’t taken a lot of pictures recently, and I think that was mostly because there’s not really anything interesting at my house to take pictures of (except of course when I’m out somewhere), and the camera I have isn’t the best, but I’m going to try to work a lot harder on that during the school year, so if you want to see the pictures I take, you can go to my photography page on this blog, and make sure to follow my photography page on Instagram (@a_moment_in.time) and like my Facebook page (under Megan’s Photography or @megan’s.photography17).  Hopefully there will be some great pictures coming soon!

This was a lot longer than I expected but thank you for sticking with me over my break and reading all my posts.  Your support means so much and I hope to write some good stuff for you to read in the future!

Happiness- 1. Feeling pleasure: feeling or showing pleasure, contentment, or joy.

                I’ve been feeling it so I guess it’s time to do the showing part.  As I explained in my last post, I’ve gone through a lot of changes in the past few months and still am, as the world is always changing around us.  The problem was that I wasn’t changing with it.  It took a lot of work and tears, but I’m finally to the point where I don’t live like I did before.  I have a way better outlook on life now, and it’s been such a relief to be out of the dark.

                How do you feel when you’re happy?  Do you jump up and down like a little kid?  Are you at a loss for words?  For me, it depends on what it is that’s making me happy (sounds weird, I know, but then again I’ve never been what they call “normal”).  Usually I get really energetic and I get this weird feeling in my stomach.  Some people call them butterflies, but when I’m happy it feels like the whole zoo is in there.  Also, I tend to ramble a lot about the most random things (why?  I have no clue).  But whatever you do/feel, it usually makes you feel REALLY good.

                How do you feel when you make someone happy?  This might even be better than the feeling of being happy yourself, because making someone else laugh is probably one of my favorite things (not like I’m funny or anything but I try).  It just gives you a really good feeling.  It’s hard to explain, but it’s so satisfying.  But with this kind of happiness, there is also a risk of you not being happy.  I know, life is complicated like that, but really this is when manipulation can happen.  You have to be careful.  You can get so caught up in someone else’s happiness that you may not see yourself slowly crumbling.  I know what it’s like, believe me. 

                Being a selfless person is something that isn’t easy.  You’re way more vulnerable to people when you’re not selfish, because lets be real, nobody likes selfish people.  I’ve met some of them and they’re not pleasant.  All you really want is someone to care about you, right?  Manipulation is a tricky thing, and some people are REALLY good at it.  So good that you might not even realize it at first.  Or if you’re one of the unfortunate ones, you might never realize it.   People can get tricked into so many things when they’re being manipulated.  This is why you have to be careful when choosing who you’re close with.  Making other people happy is a good feeling, but when you’re becoming depressed because of it, it’s not a good thing.

Here are 8 signs of emotional manipulation:

                Some people are SO good at it that they may not even realize they’re doing it.  They care about their own happiness, but not yours.  They know that they’re happy, but they don’t care about you.  And maybe you don’t care about you either.  You’re SO focused on making them happy that you don’t even notice your own feelings anymore.

                But the best kind of happiness is mutual.  Two people that are equally happy with each other.  And trust me, you will know when this happens because the feeling is so strong.  It’s worth waiting years for, and it’s also worth the problems that come with it.  How can there be problems with happiness?  The thing is, it’s not the happiness part that’s the problem.  It’s other people outside of that happiness that are the problem.  And I don’t know why the world is like this, but some people just can’t accept that you’re happy.  Maybe this won’t even happen to you, I don’t know.  But it’s happened to me many times and let me warn you that people WILL try to purposely ruin your happiness.

                It’s part of manipulation.  They make you think that they’re helping you, but really all they’re trying to do is ruin that happiness for you.  The best thing you can do for yourself is to ignore it.  In my opinion, why would you let someone ruin your happiness?  Even if you end up hurt later, at least you were happy for a while.  That’s the way I think of it anyway. 

                Happiness is the best feeling in the world.  Nothing is better than being happy and everyone should get a taste of it in one way or another.  Be patient.  Wait for the right thing, the right one, and you’ll feel better than you ever have before.  Sometimes you might have to fight for it, but it’s worth it.

Leave a comment and tell me what makes you happy!

XOXO,

-Megan

There are many reasons why I haven’t been posting as often as usual (my sincere apologies), but I really don’t care to explain them all so I’m just going to go through a few of the main ones. 

Door

By Megan Dennis

You can only do two things

Open and close

That is your job for eternity

Letting things in and then shutting them out

It’s kind of like the way humans work

We open our doors to let in visitors

And shut them out when we realize they were just unwanted guests

They brought cookies to share

While you sat and talked by the fireplace

Making small talk about the weather and things with no significance

Maybe they looked into your soul farther than you wanted them to

They panicked and ran away once they saw what was past the skin

You called after them, screaming their name until your mouth was dry

But by then they were already far out the door

That stupid door

The way you use a door symbolizes your emotions

Whether you walk quickly and slam it, making the pictures on the wall shift

Or if you walk slowly and linger for a moment in the doorway

You might look over your shoulder to have one last glance at what you’re leaving behind

It’s unfortunate that very few of those people will walk back through the door

But the few that do will lock it behind them

Anyway, so yes, that was my first finished piece since the end of March I believe.  I’m very proud of it considering I know very little about poetry and haven’t written very many poems but I’m actually starting to like it so maybe there will be more poetry on this blog in the future.

            This second part of the post is something I’m SO excited to tell you about.  I’ve been thinking about this post for days and I can’t wait to share this with you.  I’ve had a lot going on these past few months, some of which I explained at the beginning of this post, but also some personal things which I will not name specifically.  Most of them have to do with my ongoing battle of trying to get along with people (haha).  But all laughter aside, I have been facing issues such as the feelings of rejection, depression, and being taken advantage of.  I’ve always tried to be nice and friendly.  You know, the kind of person people like?  The problem was that I think there IS such a thing as being too nice.

            Everyone likes nice people.  It’s a natural human characteristic to be drawn to nice people.  Maybe that’s why I spent all those nights tossing and turning because I couldn’t escape this feeling that for some reason I was supposed to apologize.  And if you know me at all, you know that I also value my dignity.  Probably even more than I value my ability to be nice.  So anyway, I couldn’t shake this feeling that I was MEANT to apologize for something that I probably didn’t have to apologize for.  It’s difficult to explain.  But I kind of felt like it was one of those God things where he was sending me a message to tell me to apologize to this person who probably didn’t even want to see my name pop up on their screen like they did when I sent that message that I instantly regretted.  And once they responded, I regretted it even more.

            A long, personal story aside as to what happened after that, I felt even worse than I did when I apologized.  I mean, how could something that I felt was so right to do, feel so wrong now?  It was really messed up, let me tell you.  But yet again, I found myself being the nice one, and before I knew it, they used that to their biggest advantage.  And then one day they never replied to me again.  Deep down, I’m glad it’s over because it shattered all of the confidence I had in myself, and I found myself in a deep pain I had never experienced before.

            This pain was different, because instead of what I would normally feel after an incident like that, I felt this need for something.  I knew that it couldn’t stay the same.  Something needed to change.  Actually, everything needed to change.  I don’t know why exactly, but all I know is that it needed to change.  And I started with my hair.

I never knew a haircut could change not just your appearance, but your entire outlook on things.  I felt like a completely different person after that.  Like a load had been lifted off my shoulders.  But still, that haircut wasn’t enough.  I needed more change.  The changes I went through emotionally are hard to put into words and I’m sitting here now trying to find a way to explain it to you.  Change has always been so hard for me, but this time it was easy because I wanted it so badly.  I knew things could not stay the way they were and I couldn’t allow myself to stay how I was.  I’ll probably still allow people to waltz in and out, but maybe I’ll recognize it sooner rather than later and save myself from being somewhere I don’t want to be. 

            Here’s the thing.  If you’re under the impression that people dictate your feelings and emotions- you’re wrong.  They can if you let them, but not letting them control you will give you the upper hand and they won’t win the battle.  They want you to give in, they want you to feel the way THEY want you to feel.  Don’t let them grab you.  Don’t let them control you.  That’s the key to it, and it took me all these years to figure it out.  I still don’t have it all the way figured out, and I will never understand why human beings are so cruel, but we can change ourselves for US and not for other people.

Thank you for being patient with me during my absence, and I hope to get on a regular schedule again soon.  I’m hoping I can create way better content for you now that I’ve finally become the person I’ve always wanted to be.  And you can too if you stay strong and stay positive.  I love you!!

XOXO

-Megan