Dear Best Friends . . .

My best friends live way too far away. Ohio, Pennslvania, Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennesee, Nevada, South Carolina, Alabama, Indiana . . . and I'm stuck here in California. But about a month ago, I was able to see all of them at a reunion in Lancaster, PA. :) So this blog post is devoted to you guys.

These are the friends who hugged me every time they saw me, made me laugh 'til my sides hurt, were there for me when I was in tears, the ones I knew were there through thick and thin.

You all are the ones I can tell everything to, turn to for anything, and know that there are kids who love me dearly. As my beautiful friend Emilyann says, "it's like having the best support group in the world."

Nico, Justin, Wilbur, Daniel, Myles, You guys were so funny. I mean, you had to be - after all, you made James smile! ;) But thanks for bringing so much fun to the gathering, I'll NEVER forget the laughter we all shared that week.

It's so hard that all of us live so far apart . . . But our friendships are the strongest that we've ever had. The heart grows fonder when it's apart from those it loves, and we all love each other a ton.

Nico loved my sunglasses. :P

Haha. Anyway. For me, ya'll are way more then friends just to have fun with. It's something much deeper than that.

It's about walking with your sisters in Christ, there to support and inspire each other. Girls you have been such an inspiration to me. :)

Elizabeth, Lauren, Valentine and Amanda, it was so amazing getting to know you both better. I miss you!

Ryan, well . . . What can I say? Besides the fact that I love you? That pretty much sums it up. ;)

And to my Emilies - Emilyann and Emily C., my best friends, my soul sisters, I'll never forget those little moments we had together that were so amazingly special. Counting down the days till I see you girls again.

Em, being in classes with you for four years, and getting to see you only a few times, never takes away from the friendship we have. It probably even makes it stronger. I'd love to see you EVERY DAY, bestie. But, a few days a year I guess will have to do. Come back next year. I miss you, girlie.

It's also great being around brothers in Christ who have your back - who'll step in if they see a problem. Respectful, fun, amazing young men who are such an encouragement and joy.

Wilbur and Myles - my own special J brothers ;) We seem to have more inside jokes then the entire school combined. You guys are amazing. (Wilbur you'll be more amazing when you COME BACK to Myles and me in two weeks ;) )

Next year . . . We're going to rock that talent show (maybe). :p Miss you guys, so much.

Oh and Nico.

You made my week. ;) Seeing how fun you were all year, and finally getting to meet you, was really great. You have one of the spunkiest personalities out there and I had a blast, getting to know you. Can't wait to see you next year!

We all share a bond that's so, so special. And I love each and every one of you. So thank you, for being my best friends. =) Leaving ya'll was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Everyone of you are still in my thoughts and prayers!

337 DAYS TILL WE SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN! Whoo hoo!

~Lauren Lee

Fathers Day is Still On for Me :)

It's kinda hard for me, today. Everywhere I go, there are banners saying "make your dad happy! Buy him this or that for fathers day . . . " Or "don't forget, give your dad a hug today" . . . And it's difficult not being able to celebrate having a Dad in my own life. Today is the day that makes me wonder about him. I wonder what he's doing, what's going through his mind, if he's even thinking about me. Right now he's in a world all his own . . . A world that I'm not part of, anymore. So I want to say to you girls out there reading this - Don't take it for granted that you have a Father. Treasure this day, because you have the greatest privledge in being able to celebrate it. Not all girls can.

Embrace it when he's "embarrassing old dad" . . . Actually listen, when he talks to you. As kids we sometimes think we know it all. Don't forget that a godly father holds wisdom about things you don't know yet *gasp!*

I don't and probably will never have the chance that a lot of you girls have, to be loved and cherished by my dad. Even if you don't have the best relationship with him, try to mend that today. Do it, if for no other reason, for the knowledge that not all people have what you do.

Thankfully I'm not left to stare at those banners and advertisements without any sense of love in my life. My heavenly father is more than enough :) He continues to carry me through. He has also put amazing father figures in my life, who have been there in support for my family since the beginning. My sincere and heartfelt thanks and love to Mr. Murphy, Mr. Limon, Mr. Wood, Mr. Etter, and those who have come around me to say "I'm here for you" through words and actions. I've been greatly blessed by your presence in my life. Father's day is still on, for me :)

~Lauren Lee

"See how very greatly our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!" ~1 John 3:1

What's in Your Something Box?

I love airports. I really do. And I was able to spend quite a bit of time in them last week, as I was blessed to travel back east to visit friends. I get such a kick out of people in airports. They look so . . . Stressed. As I sat eating lunch, there was a woman with a fussy newborn to my left, and an old guy who looks like he’s had a vacation-gone-wrong on my right. Everyone, reguardless of who they are, seem to have problems with one thing or the other - It seemed like they were stuck.

Stuck in a box of .... something.

At my connecting flight in Houston, I had a VERY long layover. Desperately attempting to pass the time, I waddled quite naturally into a bookstore nearest my gate. I saw books on love, books on hate . . . books on yoga, books on dieting. Books on, "how to find your life calling" and "how to find the NEW you!" It seemed like everywhere I turned, were books that told people how to get out of their something box. Something being, their looks, their weight . . . . Their obnoxious boyfriends, their jealous girlfriends, their bad childhood, their rebellious children, their defective marriages. These boxes of somethings had kept these people chained to a certain problem in their life, and for some reason, they can't get out. They'll go to self-help books to try to find answers . . . But the reality is,

They're trapped.

In a box.

It's been sealed, and there's no way out.

They are literally bondservants to Satan. Jesus said in John 8:34: "Everyone who sins IS a slave to sin." They can wiggle and squirm, and try to do it themselves, but the reality is that they're stuck. Helpless to conquer their something.

It is a dire situation. Sin is not a small matter. Often times we downsize it, so that we feel better about ourselves. Oh, sin. It's just human nature, right? It doesn't seem like such a big deal. Nobody's perfect. God accepts us as we are. Yes?

No.

Sin. A three letter word.

The most powerful force existing outside of the God's love.

Really think about that for a minute.

It is deadly, and draws people in with the most deceitful and cunning tactics. It is something to be terribly feared, because it will ensnare us in a box, faster than we think - and there's absolutely no hope of us saving ourselves.

Someone else has to be our hero, our savior, our liberator.

"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been SET FREE from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." ~Romans 6:17-18

The freedom found in Christ enables us to reject sin, and embrace righteousness. Once He becomes Lord of our life, our something disappears.

We're free in His grace. :) Thank goodness for His love.

~Lauren Lee

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have becomes slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."