Hello Everyone!
I have a newsletter for teen girls called Imagine. We publish all kinds of writing, photography, etc. The website is www.imaginemag.org
I would like to either start an ongoing column or do a one time interview with different graduated Christian young ladies & what they have chosen to do after high school. I think that featuring these young ladies will give our readers a good vision for what God may have in store for them. This will be a great opportunity to share from your heart why you made the decision you did & what your encouragement to young ladies facing the same decision would be.
So, if you are a Christian young lady who has recently (within the past 1-4 years) graduated from high school (this includes homeschool, private & public) & you are interested in being interviewed for Imagine, please send me an email! Also, if you have friends who might be interested - please let me know! I'm looking for people following all different paths for this time in their life!
Thank you! :)
Allison
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Good Resource for Online Degree
For those of you who may be interested in an online degree program, here is a website I found that has a directory of Christian schools that offer full college degrees over the internet.
Take a look: http://www.bakersguide.com/
Take a look: http://www.bakersguide.com/
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Having Purpose in Your Higher Education
So, why are you going to college? Uh, I don't know... because that's what everyone else does, I guess...
Well, what are course are you taking? Um, well, I don't know exactly yet... I think my mom is picking them... I don't really care.
Okay, well, what do you want to do after college? After college? I haven't even thought about that... it's, like, too far into the future. I mean, who knows? I don't really care what I do... as long as I'm making good money.
That's money... but what about like actually doing something worthwhile, for the kingdom of God? Wow, I really have no clue. I mean, I go to church and stuff, but other than that... uh, I don't know.
Yes, that conversation was from my imagination. But doesn't it sound familiar? That is the sort of response you are likely to get if you ask any young person out there today.
I don't know about you, but that is a pathetic excuse of a plan. Where is a life that is started like that going to lead? Nowhere. And fast, too.
As Christians, we must have purpose in these years of preparation for our future lives. We must know what we are learning, why we are learning it, Who we are doing this for, how we are learning, to what end we are learning.
It grieves me greatly to see countless young people going to college for no better reason than that it is the cultural norm. What a shame to see them spending thousands upon thousands of dollars, virtually wasting 2-6 of the most crucial years of their lives... all because that is what is expected of them. If you are going to just drift along aimlessly, why not drift along aimlessly without spending so much money? Or, much better yet, look to the word of God and wise counselors and figure out what you should do with your life.
College can be wonderfully useful. I don't deny that. And God can use even our foolish mistakes for our good and His glory.
But please, please, think long and hard about it before you just jump in because that is what is expected.
Some will be led to go to college to pursue a specific calling. Some will be lead to stay at home, and further their education there. Some will do online courses.
But whatever it is that you do, it is so important that you make that choice consciously, after much prayer and wise counsel, and with a definite purpose.
Well, what are course are you taking? Um, well, I don't know exactly yet... I think my mom is picking them... I don't really care.
Okay, well, what do you want to do after college? After college? I haven't even thought about that... it's, like, too far into the future. I mean, who knows? I don't really care what I do... as long as I'm making good money.
That's money... but what about like actually doing something worthwhile, for the kingdom of God? Wow, I really have no clue. I mean, I go to church and stuff, but other than that... uh, I don't know.
Yes, that conversation was from my imagination. But doesn't it sound familiar? That is the sort of response you are likely to get if you ask any young person out there today.
I don't know about you, but that is a pathetic excuse of a plan. Where is a life that is started like that going to lead? Nowhere. And fast, too.
As Christians, we must have purpose in these years of preparation for our future lives. We must know what we are learning, why we are learning it, Who we are doing this for, how we are learning, to what end we are learning.
It grieves me greatly to see countless young people going to college for no better reason than that it is the cultural norm. What a shame to see them spending thousands upon thousands of dollars, virtually wasting 2-6 of the most crucial years of their lives... all because that is what is expected of them. If you are going to just drift along aimlessly, why not drift along aimlessly without spending so much money? Or, much better yet, look to the word of God and wise counselors and figure out what you should do with your life.
College can be wonderfully useful. I don't deny that. And God can use even our foolish mistakes for our good and His glory.
But please, please, think long and hard about it before you just jump in because that is what is expected.
Some will be led to go to college to pursue a specific calling. Some will be lead to stay at home, and further their education there. Some will do online courses.
But whatever it is that you do, it is so important that you make that choice consciously, after much prayer and wise counsel, and with a definite purpose.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Preparing During High School
I don’t know about you but one of the most unexpected things that happened to me once I reached high school was the continual amount of people asking me what I wanted to do after high school. This came as a shock to me because I had hardly thought about what I was doing during high school & others already wanted to know what my decision was on my post - high school years!
I often tell people that I’m still deciding what my goals & dreams for my life are. Right now I’m considering each available path & continue to remain open to each one.
However, despite my lack of plans at this time, there are still ways I can be preparing myself for this upcoming stage of life. I’d like to share with you some practical things I’m doing, books I’m reading & tools I’m discovering. Here is a list of some tips & tricks.... :)
These are just a couple things I’m doing right now while I’m still in high school. I’m sure I’ll think of more to share but this is a good list for now. I can’t wait to see what direction God will take me in the years to come.
I often tell people that I’m still deciding what my goals & dreams for my life are. Right now I’m considering each available path & continue to remain open to each one.
However, despite my lack of plans at this time, there are still ways I can be preparing myself for this upcoming stage of life. I’d like to share with you some practical things I’m doing, books I’m reading & tools I’m discovering. Here is a list of some tips & tricks.... :)
- I’m developing experiences that utilize my giftings. People who know me know that I’m gifted in administration, shepherding, encouragement, teaching & creativity. So, I try to find ways to use what God has given me. I lead Bright Lights, run a newsletter for teen girls, write notes of encouragement to my friends, etc.
- I’m also working on developing my interests. Pursuing & studying my interests now will enable me to proficiently use them to serve God & his Kingdom during my single years when I have time to invest in projects & ministries that will use these talents.
- I’m trying to develop a record of leadership & community service. There are opportunities all over the place to gain some experience & serve others. I’ve volunteered at the library assisting with children’s story-times, helped out with my church’s children’s ministry, spent some time helping with odd jobs at the city’s food bank, helped clean up trash off parks & highways & several other things.
- I’m studying for college board tests that may lead to college scholarships like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, etc. If I do decide to attend a college it will be helpful to to have scholarship options & have the test-taking skills mastered. (Helpful books I have found for this include College Prep Genius & any books published by the College Board).
- I’m reading books such as So Much More (by Anna Sophia & Elizabeth Botkin) to help me get a vision for what life would look like staying at home through my single years.
- During my week I keep a balanced emphasis on academic studies & practical homemaking skills. I want to make sure my days are not so academically focused that I have no time for learning sewing, cooking, cleaning, baking, household management & other essentials skills I will need to serve my father & eventually my future husband. I like to work on skills by completing the requirements found in the Keeper’s at Home handbook.
- I put a large emphasis on the study of Christian worldview & apologetics. It will be important for me to be able to defend my faith whether I end up at college or remaining at home. Resources from Answers in Genesis & Biblical Discipleship Ministries top my favorites list. I’ve also attended Worldview Academy once & will be returning for their alumni track this fall.
These are just a couple things I’m doing right now while I’m still in high school. I’m sure I’ll think of more to share but this is a good list for now. I can’t wait to see what direction God will take me in the years to come.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wisdom from my Mother
Well, it's been a while since I've posted on this blog. Some of that may be the fact that I'm still so young & don't feel like I have much advice to offer. :)
This past week my mom & I were able to sit down & do some planning for the rest of my high school years. Always seek the counsel of your parents, they know you best & will be able to help guide you through this sometimes confusing time in your life. During our meeting my mom shared some advice with me about finding out what it is that God has called you to do with your life. Here are a couple things I thought I'd share.
1. Pursue Experiences - Look for opportunities to experience real life jobs, ministries, etc. You may discover an interest or passion you would have never known you had unless you tried.
2. Seek God - Continually ask God for guidance and direction for your life. Ask Him what He wants you to become.
3. Have Direction - While it is important to seek God in everything you should also have a general direction of where you want to head. You can't just sit in a boat without a rudder & hope that the sails will billow bringing you to where you need to go. You have to set the rudder in the right direction & then let God billow your sail.
4. Don't Feel Obligation - Just because someone tells you that you should become a rocket scientist or that they want you to undertake a certain ministry doesn't mean you have to. My mom was asked to teach for a new church school & she did simply because they wanted her to do it. Now that she looks back, she realizes that it probably wasn't the best use of that time in her life. Because she felt she had to fill this need she ended up wasting a couple years she could have used for something more fruitful.
What is some advice you've received from your parents about navigating the future?
Coming Soon: I'm working on writing a post about what I'm doing now to prepare myself for whatever path I take after high school.
This past week my mom & I were able to sit down & do some planning for the rest of my high school years. Always seek the counsel of your parents, they know you best & will be able to help guide you through this sometimes confusing time in your life. During our meeting my mom shared some advice with me about finding out what it is that God has called you to do with your life. Here are a couple things I thought I'd share.
1. Pursue Experiences - Look for opportunities to experience real life jobs, ministries, etc. You may discover an interest or passion you would have never known you had unless you tried.
2. Seek God - Continually ask God for guidance and direction for your life. Ask Him what He wants you to become.
3. Have Direction - While it is important to seek God in everything you should also have a general direction of where you want to head. You can't just sit in a boat without a rudder & hope that the sails will billow bringing you to where you need to go. You have to set the rudder in the right direction & then let God billow your sail.
4. Don't Feel Obligation - Just because someone tells you that you should become a rocket scientist or that they want you to undertake a certain ministry doesn't mean you have to. My mom was asked to teach for a new church school & she did simply because they wanted her to do it. Now that she looks back, she realizes that it probably wasn't the best use of that time in her life. Because she felt she had to fill this need she ended up wasting a couple years she could have used for something more fruitful.
What is some advice you've received from your parents about navigating the future?
Coming Soon: I'm working on writing a post about what I'm doing now to prepare myself for whatever path I take after high school.
Progress!
I was looking over my list of things that I said I'd be doing here at home... and was happy to see that I am making progress on many of them! :)
1. Learn Japanese--I bought a book and have been doing it nearly daily
2. "Take over" the kitchen for a month or more :) -- I have been doing more shopping and I made supper yesterday
3. Continue to develop my photography, maybe take a course at the community college--I have continued to develop my skills in this area, mainly by just practicing
4. Continue Bright Lights --We are planning some of this year's meetings ahead of time. Yeah!
5. Lead a study about "Before You Meet Prince Charming" --We are in the middle of this study. It's going pretty well, except that everyone in the study (all 5 of us :) got sick recently, so we're behind
6. Help out families in our church with taking care of their children and cleaning etc... --I am sceduled to go help a mom today!
7. Continue taking care of our little vegetable garden --Well, I took care of it until it died. :) We have some major soil problems. Microscopic things that kill plants. :( We're hoping to do another one in the fall (The joys of FL gardening!)
8. Continue paying bills, etc... for my Dad's business --Still paying bills!
9. Continue writing, but do more --I have been working on my writing, mainly blogging, but I may be writing for the newspaper soon
10. One on One discipleship's with girls in BL would be great... Don't know if it will work... --So far no progress on that...
11.Teach William and Matthew how to read --They are learning!!
12. Help teach at our Home School coops --I haven't really done much of that... yet
13. Teach a writing class here at home -- We haven't started school yet. 14. Possibly a knitting class--My first attempt didn't work-no one came. :) But I found out that some people actually were interested, so I'll have to try again.
15. Continue blogging --Doing some now! :P
16. Studying math (not that I like, but that I need it. :) --I need to do more math!!
17. Maybe a course on graphic design at the community college --I don't know if I'll do that...
18. Cleaning, etc... here at home --Working on that
19. I would like to do an internship with the Mallys (founders of Bright Lights), not sure if that will happen, though.
20. A missions trip-- Maybe next year
21. Continue supporting the missionaries in India that we know --They started a Bright Lights group!!
22. Continue developing my skills in knitting, embroidery, sewing, etc... and learning new ones-- I have been learning new knitting stiches lately! Very fun.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Guest Post by Daniel Osborne
I asked Daniel if he would share his college experiences with us, so we can all learn from them. Enjoy! -Carissa
I would have to say that my college experience was different from almost anyone else, but I think you may benefit from what God has taught me over the last several years through my college experiences. I was home schooled and had the opportunity to start attending the community college while I was in high school. I guess you could say that my decision to go to college was before high school even started. I avoided classes such as English, Psychology, Biology, History, Sociology, etc... and focused on classes like math, chemistry, computer, etc. This decision was based on the fact that I had heard reports from other trusted Christians about the inappropriate content within many of the classes first mentioned. I did not want a secular view of these subjects. Subjects like math, chemistry, and computers don't tend to have too much opening for a secular worldview.
God lead me to California Baptist University (which is the only school I applied for), so when I graduated high school, I transferred to California Baptist University. I decided to live at home because dorm life at almost any school (Christian or non-Christian) is generally not healthy. I spent one night in the dorms. Loud music until like 1 am... video games and movies (many not appropriate) everywhere... etc. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child (Proverbs 22:15). While most don't consider college aged people as "kids"... it was clear that they were indeed "kids". I'm not trying to down talk anyone, but I want you to have an accurate description of dorm life.
I decided to be a computer science major. It was interesting how God worked that out. My older sister needed to take a computer programming class in order to graduate with her AA degree and asked if I would take it with her. I went ahead and took it with her... I loved it... she didn't at all. God works in unique ways. Anyway, I had a couple personal dreams... I really wanted to play baseball, and I really wanted to lead worship. I tried out for the baseball team at CBU and found that there were like 120 guys trying out for like not even 5 spots. I definitely didn't make it. I was disappointed. I had auditioned (playing piano) for a small group from CBU that had come to my church and so I auditioned again for the choir director. I play by ear, so this obviously didn't go well either. He asked me to sing for him a little bit and on the spot, offered me a $2,000 scholarship to sing in the choir. This was totally unexpected. I didn't have an amazing voice or anything, but God allowed the choir director to see some potential in me. I ended up having to take voice lessons... yet another huge blessing. This really gave me the preparation I needed to be more capable of leading worship. After a year, CBU dropped their computer science major and wanted me to become a business major. I tried taking one class and within a week of starting that class, I called mom after class one day and told her that I had to transfer to a new school. I was greatly blessed by the Biblical teaching at CBU as well as the hours without end of worship during choir practice and concerts. I loved the school. The people were very nice... food was very good... chapels were usually good... etc. God moved us to a different church during this time and we met a family with a daughter about to start going to CBU. Her parents started a Bible study which gave me an opportunity to lead worship. This was (and is) a great blessing! On a side note, God provided in incredible ways and I ended up paying only $400 per semester for tuition. Not only did He bless me with this, but He also blessed me with a job working for one of my instructors as a software developer.
Within a couple days of mom calling around, she found La Sierra University. They offered me virtually the same scholarship amounts at CBU. I was quite surprised! God really blessed! I transferred there as a computer science major. La Sierra is a much more liberal [Christian] school. We had chapels such as: Women's Rights, Black Appreciation Month, Safe Sex, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves, but we were not having women's rights issues in our school... we weren't having a segregation of black and white people... and we are a bunch of singles! Abstinence anyone? What we really need is to hear the Word of God preached... not these side secular-based topics. Again, I lived at home... heard many horror stories about dorm life. I really have no desire to live in that kind of environment 24/7. The Bible classes were quite challenging for me... probably something that would have been extremely unhealthy for me in my first year of school, but God used the unbiblical teaching to challenge me to know and apply His Word more than ever before. I often ended up in debates with teachers. I had a teacher even say that he disagreed with God on a part of scripture. It was not easy, but God used it for my good. They built a baseball field, and God blessed me with the opportunity to play baseball... thus fulfilling my other dream. Most of our games were on Sunday (since it is a Seventh Day Adventist school). This was obviously a challenge for me since I went to church on Sunday. My initial thought was that I'd go to a different church that has a super early service on those days, but changed my mind when I really started thinking about it. God is to be number one in my life and if baseball doesn't fit that... so be it. God gave me favor in the eyes of the coach and he let me miss whenever I needed to. This is not at all normal for coaches of college teams. This opened up several opportunities to talk with these guys about the Lord and why I do what I do... why I don't use profane language... why I don't listen to secular music... etc. It was a challenge in that there was that constant negative influence, but God used it to help strengthen me. I learned dependence on His Word to purify and cleanse my mind.
There were several mess-ups as time went on... my advisor made a mistake and I took the wrong class... the man that granted the scholarships retired and so I lost those... etc. It was quite a challenge... not knowing how I was going to pay for school or if I would graduate on time. God used this to help grow me in dependence on Him for my financial needs. He always provided enough to make it through. He is so good! God worked in the teacher's hearts as well as the administrators of the school so that they would allow me to take 24.5 credits at once... and have directed studies in 3 classes which were not being offered that quarter (one-on-one with the teacher). This is not at all normal for college professors! Without this, I would not have been able to afford the next quarter of school. My bank was emptied, but God got me through.
I guess you could say that my college years were full of challenges, but God used them for my good. I have seen people grow in the Lord during their college years... I have also seen many fall away from Him. If we become self-dependent rather than dependent on Him, we will fall quickly. God has given me a passion for those that have fallen away from Him. I have seen it both with those going to college and those not attending college. The biggest thing is putting yourself with people that build you up in the Lord. Let your parents get to know your friends... let your parents give you advice. If they see negative influences popping out in you, take it seriously! Don't hide from any problem or negative influence you might have... face it and deal with it immediately. Let godly people into your life... whether it be a pastor (for guys) or his wife (for the ladies), get to know them... pray with them... let them see your heart... be accountable to them. Get involved in serving Him. When you are serving Him, you don't have time to fall away from Him. If God moves you out of one position of service, move to another. We can never serve Him enough. These things will act as a safeguard against you falling away from Him.
I would have to say that my college experience was different from almost anyone else, but I think you may benefit from what God has taught me over the last several years through my college experiences. I was home schooled and had the opportunity to start attending the community college while I was in high school. I guess you could say that my decision to go to college was before high school even started. I avoided classes such as English, Psychology, Biology, History, Sociology, etc... and focused on classes like math, chemistry, computer, etc. This decision was based on the fact that I had heard reports from other trusted Christians about the inappropriate content within many of the classes first mentioned. I did not want a secular view of these subjects. Subjects like math, chemistry, and computers don't tend to have too much opening for a secular worldview.
God lead me to California Baptist University (which is the only school I applied for), so when I graduated high school, I transferred to California Baptist University. I decided to live at home because dorm life at almost any school (Christian or non-Christian) is generally not healthy. I spent one night in the dorms. Loud music until like 1 am... video games and movies (many not appropriate) everywhere... etc. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child (Proverbs 22:15). While most don't consider college aged people as "kids"... it was clear that they were indeed "kids". I'm not trying to down talk anyone, but I want you to have an accurate description of dorm life.
I decided to be a computer science major. It was interesting how God worked that out. My older sister needed to take a computer programming class in order to graduate with her AA degree and asked if I would take it with her. I went ahead and took it with her... I loved it... she didn't at all. God works in unique ways. Anyway, I had a couple personal dreams... I really wanted to play baseball, and I really wanted to lead worship. I tried out for the baseball team at CBU and found that there were like 120 guys trying out for like not even 5 spots. I definitely didn't make it. I was disappointed. I had auditioned (playing piano) for a small group from CBU that had come to my church and so I auditioned again for the choir director. I play by ear, so this obviously didn't go well either. He asked me to sing for him a little bit and on the spot, offered me a $2,000 scholarship to sing in the choir. This was totally unexpected. I didn't have an amazing voice or anything, but God allowed the choir director to see some potential in me. I ended up having to take voice lessons... yet another huge blessing. This really gave me the preparation I needed to be more capable of leading worship. After a year, CBU dropped their computer science major and wanted me to become a business major. I tried taking one class and within a week of starting that class, I called mom after class one day and told her that I had to transfer to a new school. I was greatly blessed by the Biblical teaching at CBU as well as the hours without end of worship during choir practice and concerts. I loved the school. The people were very nice... food was very good... chapels were usually good... etc. God moved us to a different church during this time and we met a family with a daughter about to start going to CBU. Her parents started a Bible study which gave me an opportunity to lead worship. This was (and is) a great blessing! On a side note, God provided in incredible ways and I ended up paying only $400 per semester for tuition. Not only did He bless me with this, but He also blessed me with a job working for one of my instructors as a software developer.
Within a couple days of mom calling around, she found La Sierra University. They offered me virtually the same scholarship amounts at CBU. I was quite surprised! God really blessed! I transferred there as a computer science major. La Sierra is a much more liberal [Christian] school. We had chapels such as: Women's Rights, Black Appreciation Month, Safe Sex, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves, but we were not having women's rights issues in our school... we weren't having a segregation of black and white people... and we are a bunch of singles! Abstinence anyone? What we really need is to hear the Word of God preached... not these side secular-based topics. Again, I lived at home... heard many horror stories about dorm life. I really have no desire to live in that kind of environment 24/7. The Bible classes were quite challenging for me... probably something that would have been extremely unhealthy for me in my first year of school, but God used the unbiblical teaching to challenge me to know and apply His Word more than ever before. I often ended up in debates with teachers. I had a teacher even say that he disagreed with God on a part of scripture. It was not easy, but God used it for my good. They built a baseball field, and God blessed me with the opportunity to play baseball... thus fulfilling my other dream. Most of our games were on Sunday (since it is a Seventh Day Adventist school). This was obviously a challenge for me since I went to church on Sunday. My initial thought was that I'd go to a different church that has a super early service on those days, but changed my mind when I really started thinking about it. God is to be number one in my life and if baseball doesn't fit that... so be it. God gave me favor in the eyes of the coach and he let me miss whenever I needed to. This is not at all normal for coaches of college teams. This opened up several opportunities to talk with these guys about the Lord and why I do what I do... why I don't use profane language... why I don't listen to secular music... etc. It was a challenge in that there was that constant negative influence, but God used it to help strengthen me. I learned dependence on His Word to purify and cleanse my mind.
There were several mess-ups as time went on... my advisor made a mistake and I took the wrong class... the man that granted the scholarships retired and so I lost those... etc. It was quite a challenge... not knowing how I was going to pay for school or if I would graduate on time. God used this to help grow me in dependence on Him for my financial needs. He always provided enough to make it through. He is so good! God worked in the teacher's hearts as well as the administrators of the school so that they would allow me to take 24.5 credits at once... and have directed studies in 3 classes which were not being offered that quarter (one-on-one with the teacher). This is not at all normal for college professors! Without this, I would not have been able to afford the next quarter of school. My bank was emptied, but God got me through.
I guess you could say that my college years were full of challenges, but God used them for my good. I have seen people grow in the Lord during their college years... I have also seen many fall away from Him. If we become self-dependent rather than dependent on Him, we will fall quickly. God has given me a passion for those that have fallen away from Him. I have seen it both with those going to college and those not attending college. The biggest thing is putting yourself with people that build you up in the Lord. Let your parents get to know your friends... let your parents give you advice. If they see negative influences popping out in you, take it seriously! Don't hide from any problem or negative influence you might have... face it and deal with it immediately. Let godly people into your life... whether it be a pastor (for guys) or his wife (for the ladies), get to know them... pray with them... let them see your heart... be accountable to them. Get involved in serving Him. When you are serving Him, you don't have time to fall away from Him. If God moves you out of one position of service, move to another. We can never serve Him enough. These things will act as a safeguard against you falling away from Him.
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