Welcome to Fall!

Hey ya'l!
Fall is officially here (at least as far as the school year is concerned) and that means a few things for Mystery of the Simplex.
1. I (L.) found a cool fall background. (and M. let me put it up:D) What do you think of it?
2. We have all started school again so we may not have as much time to blog :(
3. This doesn't really have to do with fall but I have some really cool ideas for posts and maybe even a new page!:D
4. The anniversary of M. and E.'s first post is coming up so hopefully we can do something cool for that!
So yeah, I am done for now. Have a great semester!
L.

It's the Little Things

Hi readers! M. here; it's been WAY too long since I've posted. Apologies, guys! I've been branching out into other types of writing lately, like spoken word poetry and songwriting (!) but I'm back now with a Simplex story for you today!! (Just a forewarning: it was really awesome.)

By the way, how are you liking L's writing? I'm so excited that she gets to blog with us!

The story kind of begins on Friday night a few weeks ago. I spent the night at a friend's house and we stayed up till 4 in the morning, which was super exhausting but so much fun! We got up around 8:30 that morning and my friends introduced me to a TV show called "Once Upon a Time." I'd never seen it before, but I did enjoy the first two episodes.

While I was watching the show, I checked my email and I'd gotten two pins from L! They were super encouraging and I knew that today would be a good day.

I got home a little before lunchtime and went to get our 15-month old up from his nap. He wasn't feeling too well and had a runny nose, so I sat down on the couch and got to snuggle with him. Now, this child is not a snuggler; he's always up and running around, so I was really suprised that he sat there with me for several minutes! It definitely put a smile on my face.

At 2:00, I went to a lady's house to discuss a weekly childcare job for her kids. I got to meet them and they were so friendly! I was so excited to start working for them next week!

When I got home again, I had a great conversation with my mom about college stuff and got to snuggle with the baby AGAIN!! By this point, I'd started to notice that God was "up to something."

Other things that happened on that Saturday:

The sky outside was GORGEOUS!!
I got compliments on the shirt I was wearing twice in one day!! 
I was able to read several chapters of "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis, which I love!
I got to babysit a family from our church in the evening... 
When I drove home after watching the kids, I heard not one or two, but SIX songs on the radio in a row that encouraged me, blessed me, challenged me, and shifted my focus to Christ!! 
And I had to do dishes and shower when I got home, but I still got to bed before midnight!!!


By halfway through the day, I was starting to catch onto God's scheme. It was like he dumped a bucket of love on me, like never before. it was a day of lots of little things, but they sure counted!!

Lately, I've been using the phrase, "God chose." I've stopped asking God, "Why did you do this bad thing to me?" or "Why did you give me a bad day?" because I know the answer is always, "Because I did!" God doesn't need a reason for doing things in my life; he created me! And as a Christian, I gave Him control of my life, so questioning His motives is, honestly, really counterproductive!

I'm thankful. It really is the little things that make me feel blessed to be alive.

Thanks for reading! And I love hearing from you guys! Comment below!
Until next time! -M.

Summer Testimony

Hey!

So I (L.) have a really long story to share. I am really excited to share it though! Well here we go:

It all started............hmm.....well.... long before I was born actually; when God chose me (Ephesians 1:3-6) and the next big moment was in the garden of Eden when all humans were condemned  (Genesis 3). About 4,000 years latter however my sin and the sin of all others whom God chose was accredited to Jesus so that he could suffer and die in our place at the hands of sinful man. 3 days after that he rose from the dead, concering death so that we could be born again (1 Peter 1:3 and John 3:1-20).
Two thousand years past and I was born with a sinful nature like every other human baby (except Jesus). Then God accredited Jesus righteousness to me though the faith He gave me to believe it.
So there is the super important and amazing prefix. (If you didn't understand or believe any of it please look up the Bible verses and feel free to comment with your thoughts or questions. Also my wording may not be perfect because Salvation is a difficult idea but I hope this won't give any one the wrong impression)
Okay so skip forward a few years to the start of this summer; lets say May 4th. A self centered, teenaged, Christian girl is getting ready for a busy summer. The past three years (since her dad died) have been the hardest of her life and she wonders if the next will be any better.  She doesn't regret everything that happened these past few years and she knows that God has been and is still using it but she has sure done a lot wrong. In fact she feels very humbled and she knows that it is an answer to prayer but she doesn't know what to do with it.

 Right now things seem okay though. She has started blogging on Mystery of the Simplex and enjoys talking about life and theology with her fellow writers. She has a busy month ahead of her with the end of school and the beginning of summer. Fortunately, the next month is full of exciting things she can hardly wait for. Choir Camp is coming at the end of this month and she is excited to learn about Masks and spend time with her Choir friends again. Her sister and M.'s High school graduation is coming up and she has a few parties to go to. Oh yeah and she just got baptized. That was beautiful!
Okay no more third person:
I felt scared at first that I wasn't ready but when I got in the water peace returned and I felt like I was saying my wedding vows to God as I answered the pastors questions with confidence and was excited to proclaim my my love and faith in my Savior as he dunked me in the water and I came back up while the rest of the congregation worshiped God through song. Many friends and family found joy in my obedient proclamation and shared that with me after the service.
The next big part of this story that I remember well is camp. Click here to read the story of my sister's graduation and Camp from my perspective. If you want the short version just read the sections on Wednesday May 28th and Friday May 30th. I know even that is a bit long but it is a big part of this story.

Okay, so the summer continues and I spend several mornings trying to decide whether to wear makeup. I like the way it enhances my face but I hate that I can't take compliments as really about me when people are seeing a doctored up version. So I decide not to ware makeup regularly for now. (I was always looking for compliments and other affirmation to boost my self esteem.)
Now it is August 8th and I am watching my Preforming arts comanys  Kids camp concert. I watched them worship God openly and some even cry on stage. I heard stories from the director and her helpers about how great the camp was and how excited the kids were to honor God. There was even a video made for each child by their parents sharing about how they have seen God working in their lives. It all brought tears to my eyes at the realization that these 7-14-year-olds had more pure faith then I did. I shared my feelings with my sister after I got home that night and she listened patiently and shared some advice but I didn't know how to let go of my desires to be the best and my idea that I should be as good as if not better, then those around me. Anything less then the best had to be imperfect and I couldn't stand it. I knew that I couldn't be perfect in myself and that I had been given the righteous of Christ but I didn't know where to go from there either.
(Hang in there guys! We are now up to next Thursday and the conclusion is near!)
My sister and I got to go to a Christian concert with M., E. and a few other people. I was really excited to spend time with them and hear some of my favorite artists including Jonathan Thulin and Jamie Grace :D. We got there early and found seats where we waited and sang along with the music videos playing on the projector screen. I had trouble getting into the songs and I wanted to talk with my friends but I didn't have anything to say. I thought about praying and I did a little then I started a very forced conversation with M., but before we had really said anything the count down started for the concert.
At first it felt too much like a performance. Like the artists were preforming for their glory and not God's, but sometimes I didn't let it matter and I was real. I cried out to God with the words of the songs and I jumped with joy for the freedom I had. (I admit that often I was focused on the people around me.) Then we got to Jamie Grace. The last artist of the show. I was sad that it was almost over but God used her song "Every Bit of Lovely" to completely change my perspective. First I realized that a song like this wasn't what I was looking for to affirm my own beauty. It wasn't enough to hear a generalization about how we are all beautiful in Gods eyes. I wanted people to tell me that I personally was beautiful (remind you of my makeup decision?) The next thing I realized was that it didn't really matter if I was beautiful or if I felt good about myself.

I don't need the honest compliments I longed for because my life is not about me! Instead of self confidence I need confidence in God (faith). Rather then self esteem I need a better view of The Master.  I don't need to be a better Christian or have stronger faith then the Princess and Dunamiss kids because while that's God's decision and he has plans for those kids as well as me and I should praise Him for the work he has done in them even though it brings out my weakness. I also don't need to be the one to solve every problem or even be the first one to back away because life isn't my show! I don't need to be the best dancer or singer or even the one who understands why she didn't get picked. It doesn't matter if I have it all figured out because God does.
Then after the concert it rained! It was so beautiful!

On Friday I was thinking about it and I realized the application. If God is the master of my life and the very reason I am alive then I need to stop living life to please myself. While I knew this in my head I didn't really live it in my life. My whole life should be for His glory in every way. I really want to do this practically no more having fun for the sake of fun. I want to live my life truly all for Jesus. I should really do nothing just to satisfy my own desires. I want to really live all for Jesus. I want to surrender my life completely to Him! Whether that means waiting in the background while someone else helps one of my best friends through a rough time or washing dishes or reading the Bible when I could be reading a magazine or looking at pinterest.
After thinking about this I checked my Choirs Facebook feed and saw this video and it fit so well! Please watch and remember what I learned.

 Okay, one more thing. I bought Johnathan Thulin CD, The White Room at the concert. When I listened to the song I Am Nothing  I realized how much it has to do with this too.

I have so much more to share but I am sure you are ready for me to stop writing for now. I hope to continue to share about what God is doing in my life over the fall semester (if I can keep up with School that is.)
God loves you! Be His!
L.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
(1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)