simple what happened?

I apologize blogger world.
I didn't go to I Am Second this past Monday.
I had to study for a huge test that I had the following day at 9:30.
This test was Biology.
This class has been kicking my butt this semester and this test was very crucial to my grade (I didn't do so well on the last test).
I am in the process though of getting the video and the scripture for this week so I can blog about it to you guys.
Have a great weekend guys! I am going home to Pilot to see my family and celebrate my brother's birthday. Also I'm having a shopping day with mom.
Be prepared for some blogs about these days.
:)

simple happy birthday bro.

Today someone whom I love very much turned 40. 

This someone has always been there for me.

This person was there cheering me on at the state tournament for softball this past year.

This person was the one that congratulated me on our 4th championship first.

I talked to this person in between games, they kept me calm from all the pressure that was building to win the games.

This person flew out to Seattle, Washington to watch me play in the Little League World Series.

I miss this person very much.

This person just got a job.

This person has 2 beautiful daughters, they are 8&3. They also have a beautiful wife, who is amazing with little children.

This person will go out of their way to do anything for me.

This person will talk to me late at night if something is bothering me.

This person will not let anyone hurt me by any means.

This person, I can joke around with about anything.

This person knows how to make me laugh, no matter what the situation.

Whenever we hang out, go get lunch, anything, I always end up in tears from laughing so hard.

This person influenced me to go to UNC-Charlotte. 

This is this person's simple happy birthday.

This person, I am taking them out to eat for this special day.

This person is: my brother, Michael Kiser.

I love you dearly Michael, I hope your birthday was all that you ever wanted. Thank you so much for all that you do. I will see you this Friday and we can celebrate your birthday! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I love you.

simple born again.

I am way late for I Am Second Mondays.
I'm sorry and vow to blog on time.

Last week I made the commitment to blog about that week and to share it with one of my friends whom I had lost contact with. We actually started talking again, slowly at first, but it's better now. Also, things are starting to look up for them. This week I made the commitment to patch things up with my family. We have been getting into arguments lately and it shouldn't be happening. We are all adjusting to me moving away to college and it just has been tough to deal with. Hopefully things will start looking up and we can all adjust to my moving away. Cross your fingers.

This week we watched the Jim Munroe video.
He is a magician and there was a time in his life where he was questioning God and all of his wonders. He just thought it to be a magic trick. Jim was diagnosed with lukemia and the rarest form of it. He had a slim chance of surviving. He was in major need of a bone marrow transplant.Since he had the rarest form of this cancer, he needed the absolute perfect match. The doctors found only one match, a 19 year old girl. She was more than happy to donate for his cause. Once he went through the tests to prepare for this transplant, and his body accepted this new blood, he went back to his normal lifestyle and is currently in remission. He knows that God made him anew and helped him to be born again. He understands that God works in mysterious ways and will come to you even at your lowest point in your life. God was walking beside and with Jim his entire life, Jim just didn't realize it until the transplant took place. Jim was so thankful that this girl donated for him, and knows that this was the works of God.

The reading from this week is a story where Jesus talks to Nicodemus about how to reach the kingdom of God. (It's a little long just to let you know.)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus answered him, "Are you not the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,  but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

John 3:1-18.

I highly suggest watching this video. It's so inspirational.



simple break.

Fall break.
Something every college student looks forward to.
Something where the college closes for at least 2 days.
Something I extremely needed.

I went home this weekend for fall break. It was amazing to not have to worry about any work, homework due, etc. I could do whatever I pleased. Slept as late as I wanted to, and was lazy all day. I got to hang out with the bestfriend, and we caught each other up on our new experiences, worries, everything you could possibly think of. Mother treated me to a pedicure. I watched the bestfriend cheer at the homecoming football game. I watched plenty of college football. I watched my Steelers beat the Titans 38-17. I played a little bit of softball with my lovelys. 

Now I'm at work, wishing that fall break didn't end tomorrow. Tomorrow, classes start back. Mounds of homework will begin. Stress will start to settle back in over due dates. Basically reality starts back tomorrow. All I got to say to that is bring it. I'm ready for it.

simple why do bad things happen?

Sorry I am two days late on I Am Second Mondays.

But I promise to do better.

Last week I made a commitment to start blogging about my group and to be nicer to my roommate.

I was successful at this, to the point that me and my roommate actually went to dinner twice this past week. I left her 3 sticky notes saying that I hope she had an amazing day and that classes went well and fast. One day she had a test the next day and I sent her some encouragement on hoping that she did well on her exam.

This week that I had made the commitment to blog about this Monday and to share it to one of my friends whom I thought that this video corresponded best to. This girl is one of my really good friends. I'm not going to say her name but I hope that this video gives her encouragement for this month. I have lost touch with her ever since coming to college, and I also hope that we will starting talking once again. I miss her. 

Monday, we watched the video about Bethany Hamilton. Little did I know that "Soul Surfer" was based off of her true story. She had her arm bitten off (is that correct grammar?) by a shark while she was surfing one day. She talks about her struggles with understanding why this happened to her and why God "chose" her to have this done to her. This lady has to be the strongest person I know because she put her faith in God and accepted her fate. She even starting surfing again! Of course this had to be a struggle for her because she had only one arm, but she was determined not to let this one unfortunate moment in her life to keep her from her passion, surfing. She has accomplished so much in her life all because she didn't let life get her down. She just put her faith in God. Sometimes we may not understand why God does what he does, but he always has a purpose for it. We need to always look at the positive side of life, and not at the negative. This is so much easier said than done, but we should always strive to do so.

This is a story out of the 9th chapter of John. It explains how if we do put our faith in God, he can heal us in so many ways, other than just physical.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was.

Others said, "No, he only looks like him."

But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

"How then were your eyes opened?" they asked.

He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

"Where is this man?" they asked him.

"I don't know," he said.

The man was then taken before a council of religious leaders where they questioned him about his healing. However, because they could not accept his testimony that his healing was of God and that Jesus was from God, they threw the man out of the synagogue.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

John 9:1-12, 35-41

I think I may go watch some Soul Surfer now.

Have a great rest of the week!