ready to sacrifice~

This was a post I wrote for www.livesharp.org (go check it out! :)) a while ago, but I thought I'd re-share it on here.

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Recently, as I have been reading through “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrand (founder of Voice of the Martyrs), I have become greatly convicted about how I live my life. All around the world, there are people giving their very lives to spread the Gospel, like Jesus commanded, and then here we are.
Because persecution (physical, at least) is “dormant” here in America, we usually give little thought to what is going on in other parts of the world.

We are content to live our comfortable lives going about our own business – sitting in our warm houses, spending time on our computers, texting friends, and going to church just because it’s routine. But what if suddenly, America turned Communist? What if soldiers suddenly ransacked our houses for Bibles, burned our churches to the ground, and threw us in prison? Would we be ready? Ready to sacrifice anything, even our lives for the sake of the Gospel?
We need to be ready now. We must study the Word. Memorize Scripture. Pray with all our soul and might. Witness. There are people across the world, giving their all for the sake of Christ. How much more, we Americans, who have freedom of speech, actions, and religion, should spread the Word! I’m preaching to myself, someone who has no boldness to go out of my way to give the Gospel to a lost soul. It very well may be that you readers are the same. This is all the more reason to read the Word of God and spend time with the Lord. The more we know Christ, the more we love Him, and will give anything to show others the way to Him, “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12). He is our boldness.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of a evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

To infinity and beyond~
~Bethany
贝萨妮

background~

Background, by Lecrae.
I could play the background. I could play the background. Cause I know sometimes I get in the way. So won't You take the lead, lead, lead, lead, lead. So won't You take the lead, lead, lead, lead, lead. And I can play the background, the background. And You can take the lead.  
It's evident You run the show, so let me back down. You take the leading role, and I'll play the background. I know I miss my cues, know I forget my lines; I'm sticking to Your script, and I'm reading all Your signs. I don't need my name in lights. I don't need a starring role. And why gain the whole wide world, if I'm just gonna lose my soul. And my ways ain't purified, I'll live according to Your Word. I can't endure this life without Your wisdom being heard. So word to every dancer for a pop star, Cause we all play the background, but mine's a Rock Star. Yeah. So if you need me I'll be stage right. Prayin' the whole world will start embracing stage fright. So let me fall back and stop giving my suggestions cause when I follow my obsessions I end up confessing. That I'm not that impressive, matter of fact I'm who I are. A trail of star dust leading to the Superstar.
I had a dream that I was captain of my soul. I was master of my fate, lost control, and then I sank. So I don't want to take the lead cause I'm prone to make mistakes. All these folks that follow me gonna end up in the wrong place. So, just let me shadow You, and just let me trace Your lines. Matter of fact just take my pen. Here, You create my rhymes. Cause if I do this by myself I'm scared that I'll succeed. And no longer trust in You, cause I only trust in me. And see, that's how you end up headed to destruction. Paving a road to nowhere. Pour your life out for nothing. You pulled my card, I'm bluffing You know what's in my hand. Me, I just roll to trust You, You cause the dice to land. I'm in control of nothing. Follow You at any cost. Some call it sovereign will, all I know is You the boss. And man I'm so at ease. I'm so content. I play the background like it's an instrument.
I know I'm safest when I'm in Your will and trust Your word. And I know I'm dangerous when I trust myself, my vision blurred. And I ain't got no time to play life's foolish games. Got plenty aims, but do they really glorify Your name? And it's a shame the way I want to do these things for You, yet, don't even cling to You. Take time to sit and glean from You. It seems that You were patient in my ignorance. If ignorance is bliss, its cause she never heard of this.

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What amazing and TRUE words. This song has spoken to me soo much, SO many times. It's so humbling. It makes me want to know God more. These words. They were all crammed into a rap song. Here's just a quick rant about rap music before I..."rap up". Haha. *PUN SIGHTING* No, I mean "wrap up". ;D Many people who I have talked to have said that they don't think "Christian" can be paired with rap music. "Why use the world's music?" I know. When someone first mentions rap, especially to conservative Christians, it strikes fear into the heart. First thing you think is probably Enimem or something. (By the way, I have never listened to Enimem and never will, thank you very much.) But after I found the Christian group, "Lecrae", my view has changed. I think that God can greatly use Christian rap music for His glory. He has spoken to me through many of these songs; they all make me want to know God more, and they draw me closer to Himself. They make me want to do radical things for Him and His glory. You know what's cool about these songs? A whole SERMON can be packed into one 5 minute song! There are so many good ones out there, and I think that a lot of Christians miss out because they throw the baby out with the bathwater. And, to answer the question, "Why use the world's music?" We are living in a new day in age. There are new styles of music, just as styles have changed over all of history. This generation listens to rap music, pop music, rock music, etc. How are we going to reach them with music if we use the kind of music that they never listen to? It all rotates around the nucleus : the words. And the words that I have heard in contemporary Christian's music are glorifying to God and advance His kingdom.

I'm probably going to get a lot of bad looks and flak for this. But I had to share what was on my heart. God is using these musicians for His glory. And I'm not saying you have to listen to Christian rap, like at all, I just wanted to say that God is with these artists.

Oh, and one last thing. I don't like listening to Christian rap too much because it bangs on my head after a while and gives me a headache, but the words in these songs are gems. :D

Here is the song that the lyrics above were from. :)

To infinity and beyond!

~Bethany 贝萨妮~

new year and stuff~

So, guys, how was your New Year's?? :)

I mean, who couldn't?

Well, mine was great!!

Both of my sisters and my brother-in-law were here for almost a week, and we had a blast, as usual!! (Family is Awe-sommme!) It was full of Just Dance Disney (wahoooo!!! :D), googaga-ing over 

our lovely and precious kittycat (hehehe :)) --->,

opening belated Christmas presents, eating amazzzing snacky foods, etc. All of that fun stuff.

Oh, and we looked up our names in Chinese, to see what they mean, depending on the symbols they consist of. Ok, so THAT was FUN and HILARIOUS!!!! 

We started out with Amanda's. The symbols of her name are:

ā = a surname, or a symbol used in transliterating foreign words.

阿

màn = graceful; soft and beautiful; prolonged.

曼

dá = eminent; distinguished.

达

So, Amanda (阿曼达）is a beautiful and distinguished woman. We laughed because, yup, that's her!! Ok, well maybe not quite "distinguished", but...close. She carries herself in a dignified and distinguished manner. ;D Now I feel British or something.

Next was Melanie's, which we had the funnest time ever with. :D

Méi = a surname; plum/plum flower/Japanese apricot. LOL. No, the "lol" was not part of the definition.

梅

lè = to rein in; to compel; to force; to carve; to engrave; (literary) to command; to lead; lux (unit of illumination); (literary) bridle. Even MORE LOL because.....she kinda forced me around when me was littles...maybe just a tiny bit...

勒

ní = girl; phonetic "ni" in girl's name. So that's boring.

妮

Anyways. So Melanie （梅勒妮） is a bossy Japanese apricot. Or plum. Or maybe she's a compelling plum flower...umm....or a carved plum! ....

And then mine's boring. 

Bèi = surname; shellfish; currency.

贝

sà = surname; Bodhisattva, which means a person motivated by pure compassion and love to achieve the highest level of being, and who will undergo any type of suffering to help another sentient being. In Buddhism, it is a person who strives to be like Buddha. For me, it's striving to be like Christ.  

萨

nī = girl; phonetic "ni" in girl's name.

妮

So, this is rather weird. When we sisters had been looking at these together, I thought mine was boring, or at least a tiny bit funny (a shellfish ^_^) because I saw that "sà" meant "Bodhisattva" and I had no idea what on earth that meant, and I didn't take time to look it up, thinking it would be just something boring because it had a long name. But just now, I decided to look it up finally, and I'm shocked. I want to live up to my name! You all know I'm DEFINITELY not Buddhist, but I think it can apply to Christians instead - going through anything to become more like Christ, and to help others. Wow, I'm very humbled now...

Well, that post turned out completely different than I thought it would. Honestly, I had no idea what my Chinese name meant until I wrote it down here just now. Wow.

Anyways, have a great rest of the evening everybody! God bless! Remember that every Christian's destiny is to be like Christ, so strive towards it.~

Destiny - Mìngyùn

To infinity and beyond!

~Bethany

贝萨妮 ：）