update

i guess its time to update, and tell everyone just a little of all that has changed, and what is going on now in my life. since i have moved out here to Ca, so much is different! i no longer have teachers who truly want me to learn the most i can, they are just there because that is where life put them or something. not all fo them are like this though. i guess god is really taking care of me. three of my 6 teachers are christians, and 2 of them go to my churh! its kind of strange-the public school system. the actual work is so simple and easy, but school itself just drains me. i guess the emotional energies required to process through ALL of the information thrown at me, deciphering what is really true from what is not makes up most of the pull. I have just made anastonishing revalation about the way they indocrinate everyone now though: it is not a frontal assault towards our eyes, ears, or any physical senses; it is a slow seeping stream of post-modern theology that soon becomes part of the very person, allowing them to make new judgements based on their new-found "knowlege". for example, in my tolerence class (english) we are not being taught directly that christians are bad, and homosexuality is not bad, and tolerence is the only way; we are learing about little changes of the conciousness that makes you more sympathetic towards those with differences. and i find nothing wrong with that. the bad part somes when i found myself sitting in church, and was thinking "how insular of him" (insular being our new vocabulary word that means close-minded). then i realized what was slowly happening to me and it is crazy how easily you can be pulled off course if your final destination is not constantly in front of you. Also, in little bible-belt oklahoma, the danger for me was to get sucked into complacency, and taking for granted the fact that I new the one true God. Here, i have to hang onto the fact that i know him, and he knows me, eveyday. That has to become a part of my very identity. I really have to make a concious decision to make time for god everyday, or else he WILL be put aside for "later". I do not pray that i will spend more time with god, i pray that he will give me a longing to be with him, beucae i do make time for things that i truely desire. i hope that i desire God above all else.

we are very actively involved int he church here, i have no idea how it all happened so fast, but now another girl and i are in charge of the youth band, my dad i the leader of the 9-10 grade guys, dad hasstarte a small group that is based on the book "the Case for a Creator" be Lee Strobel. Good book! anyway, there is a little update for everyone, and i hope to hear from you all soon!

love you guys,
Bri

China Pics

a part of the great wall where the old wall is still visible (the brown part)

A teenager roasting meatsticks.

The front of the little gate man's house.

thats all i have time for right now.

Bri

discussion prompt

I've been thinking alot recently, and just want to discuss some things that sometimes befudle (love that word) me. ok here are a few questions i would like to have answered:

1. how does God view suicide?
2. why is cussing so wrong?
3. why is tolerence intollerable, and where would it go if followed through to conclusion?

if you have any ideas on the above, i would love to discuss them and get a few ideas! =)

later,
Bri

here is a picture of me and mom outside of a coffee shop in Berkeley. i have got to get some pictures of where we live and our youth group and school. ive got to learn how to upload pictures from my phone..

Just Starting

Yay! I FINALLY have a blog! wow..times are changing. i just moved from the bible belt of oklahoma to liberal city in berkeley. god is seriously streching me in alot of ways. for example, i have this one class at my new school(public!) that's subject for the year is tolerence and justice. its pretty much all propaganda. Ms. Krouse was talking about how people used to judge gay people until we discovered that homosexuality is accually just something in our DNA. well, i went up to her after class and asked where she got her information. she said she did not remember and she most likely read it somewhere.hahah..well i have tons of stories like that and its onkly the first week. but i can't talk much right now.

One last thing. could you all just pray for me and my family right now? We are all really going through alot. i just started public school, my dad has a new job, my mom may have to start working, and forrest was in school, but was taken out and is now going to be homeschooled. i guess the things we need prayer for are:
1. strength to endure in such a liberal place
2. friends that will encourage us spiritually
3. ajustment to a new life

thank you guys so much! i love and miss all of you!!!
Bri