Getting married is quite the chore...

So, I am getting married in 64 days. No big deal. The reality sure hasn't sunk in yet, although I do have sudden moments of mind blowing realization, but what has sunk in is WEDDINGS ARE A LOT OF WORK!

JoJo and I, no matter the time frame we had to plan, or even if we had a budget of 50 zillion dollars, always wanted a small, family centered, non-traditional outdoorsy wedding. And seeing as I am non-conventional about most aspects of my life, it shouldn't surprise you that I am non-conventional as a bride-to-be either.

When I was 14, I went on a mission trip to Chile. Great trip, had nothing to do with weddings, but had a lot to do with dysfunctional relationships of team members (many long stories, of which details don't matter). Up until that point in my life I had no intention of getting married. Most of the time I planned on living in the woods by myself and being a falconer/ raptor rehabilitator forever. But during that trip I decide that I was going to someday get married and that I was going to do things right. At that point I made all sorts of very serious decisions about how I was going to do things and what I would do in the mean time. That included praying for the guy I would someday marry (funny thing: Within months of all this occurring some 15 year old kid name JoJo randomly came to my church and got saved...fast forward 7 years and we are getting married. God is cool like that.).

Upon getting back from the trip I walked into my church sanctuary, which they had renovated in the time I was gone and put up hideous acoustic panels on the wall. At that point I raised my right hand and swore to honor God, and still get married, but not to get married in that building. I am sticking with that. I love my church, but it isn't lovely in photos. From that point on I began planning the wedding I would someday have with the one and only man that God had created for me. It being outside was of the utmost importance. (I know some Christians strongly believe in getting married in a church, particularly in their own, because they want their wedding to be "in the eyes of God." I agree very much with wanted my wedding to be in the eyes of God and that is crucially important, but I do not believe God's eyes are limited to any particular place. I believe in God's omnipresence. My wedding will certainly be within his reaches!)

So my 64 day away wedding will be taking place on my grandparent's farm. When I was 14, I also thought it might be nice to get married in the rain, but since then I have rethought that and have decided, as much as I love rain, not to subject my friends and family to it on my wedding day. JoJo proposed in the rain. That is good enough for perfect me. So please, pray for nice weather on May 26th (tents as a back up plan, though!). We will be doing the ceremony (with our wonderful youth pastor as the officiant) before our family and friends (we wanted small and then realized we had huge families, so our guest list is at 200!). The ceremony will be followed by a picnic-style reception, also at my grandparent's beautiful property.

Another part of my wedding that was set in stone from age 14 on was a "retina burnin' white wedding dress." There were a couple years were I joked about wearing my friend's red and black gothic tutu (just because I am fond of rebellion), but I always knew my dress would be *WHITE*. JoJo and I joke about people having to wear sunglasses at the wedding. Long story short, I put a lot of effort into earning a white wedding dress. Its needing to be white was a non-negotiable.

And guess what? A couple Saturday's ago my mom and I went second-hand wedding dress shopping (as we are expert thrifters!) for *7 hours* and at our last stop, Savers, we found a BEAUTIFUL dress, very close to my size, in a style that suited me, for $69.99. It was used, but in lovely condition and it was made in the USA (I refused to buy a dress from a big name bridal store because I try to avoid supporting any company that isn't fair trade and uses sweatshops in their product manufacturing.) And $70 beautiful dress? It was WHITE. God is so good.
I wish I could better describe it to you, but you will have to wait until after the wedding for pictures! No dress-info leaks allowed!

This post is getting long and overwhelming, so I will cut myself off now. There will have to be more posts telling of all the thrifting, DIY-ing and preparations that have been going on in planning this wedding.  (*more posts over HERE on my mom's blog) Originally, 3 months seemed like a horridly short amount of time to pull a wedding together, but God, as usual, is being faithful and again and again we are being surprised by His goodness in helping us to make this wedding happen.  I am trying to remain calm and not sweat the small stuff. (will the flower girls shoes, or the sauce we serve on chicken have any long term effect on my marriage? No.) No bridezilla's allowed. Big picture, the wedding doesn't matter. The marriage does.
 Between all the planning and prep, as well as full time school and part time work, I am getting more and more excited. Stay tuned for more updates!

"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. "

Isaiah 43 is one of my all time favorite bible passages.
This is the passage I read over and over again when JoJo went off to boot camp.
This is the passage I cling to when I am overwhelmed and uncertain.
Verse five is on an orange index card hanging next to my bed. It was the first thing I saw this morning. "FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU."

I need to know it especially now, just like I need to know it always.
I am between rocks and hard places, as well as several other uncomfortable, scary locations.
But I have been bought with the highest price. I have been called and redeemed. 
I am made to know that He is I AM and who He is.
I am chosen. I will not fear.

Bit of a long passage, but...ladies and gentlemen...

Isaiah 43

The Message (MSG)

When You're Between a Rock and a Hard Place

 ^1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
   the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
   I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
   When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
   it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
   The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
   all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
   That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
   trade the creation just for you. 

  ^5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
   I'll round up all your scattered children,
   pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
   'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
   my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
   every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
   yes, personally formed and made each one.'"
 ^8-13Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
   the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
   and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
   Let's see what they have to say about this,
   how they account for what's happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
   and make their case;
   let them try to convince us what they say is true.
"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
   "You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
   understand both that I AM and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
   nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
   I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
   long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
   you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
   I've always been God
   and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
   I make; who can unmake it?"

You Didn't Even Do the Minimum

 ^14-15God, your Redeemer,
   The Holy of Israel, says:
"Just for you, I will march on Babylon.
   I'll turn the tables on the Babylonians.
Instead of whooping it up,
   they'll be wailing.
I am God, your Holy One,
   Creator of Israel, your King."  ^16-21This is what God says,
   the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
   who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
   they lie down and then can't get up;
   they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
   rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
   —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
   rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
   the people I made especially for myself,
   a people custom-made to praise me.
 ^22-24"But you didn't pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob.
   You so quickly tired of me, Israel.
You wouldn't even bring sheep for offerings in worship.
   You couldn't be bothered with sacrifices.
It wasn't that I asked that much from you.
   I didn't expect expensive presents.
But you didn't even do the minimum—
   so stingy with me, so closefisted.
Yet you haven't been stingy with your sins.
   You've been plenty generous with them—and I'm fed up.
 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.
 ^26-28"So, make your case against me. Let's have this out.
   Make your arguments. Prove you're in the right.
Your original ancestor started the sinning,
   and everyone since has joined in.
That's why I had to disqualify the Temple leaders,
   repudiate Jacob and discredit Israel."

Idolatry, Adultery and Me...

*trust me, the title WILL make sense eventually. No one panic yet.*

Oh here there blog that I don't write on anymore because of many reasons. What's up? I haven't posted in a long while, so this post will be a sort of conglomerate of things stirring inside my brain. Things that relate to the above title.

I've been thinking a lot lately.  I've been thinking about my life, my priorities, and my relationship with others as well as with God. It's a complicated situation, I tell you what. Most of this thinking was prompted by something one of my small group leaders say a few weeks ago. She was giving a workshop and said something that really hit hard with me: "YOU WILL NEVER LIVE A GODLY LIFE WITH A CLOSED BIBLE."

Wow. True, but heavy. Particularly heavy at my time of hearing it as my bible had been closed more so than it should have been. My excuse? I've been busy (...worst...excuse...ever... when talking about the God of the universe and the time I spend with him.). Too busy for God apparently. That is a scary place to be in.

After hearing that I began thinking about why I was letting busyness get in the way. What was so important? Simple conclusion: IDOLS.

No, I'm not talking about spending my free time with shiny golden figurines. I'm talking about the things that I was given my attention to instead of God. What you focus on, you worship, I've heard it said.Anything that takes you attention from God is an idol. And I realized I had quite a few of them hoggin' up my focus. Some of them bear resemblance to people in my life. One has green and gold eyes. Sometimes one looks like 52 white keys and 36 black.One is branded with the letters EOS60D. One's name is fourpointoh. One of them is called ME.

Idols can be sneaky little buggers. All the stuff I was letting take my attention away from God were (are) good things. Like school. School is a very good thing and doing well in school is good stuff too. But being so absorbed in school and reading assigned textbooks that I cannot open up my Bible and read that? Well...that is a problem. A stinkin huge problem.

Which brings me to my second point. ADULTERY.

Yes, I confess. I have a problem with that too.

(What whoa? Stick with me people while I explain).

God is my first love. He is supposed to be the center to all of my life. Anything else is supposed to be below him. He loves me desperately and is jealous for my attention. Which, as aforementioned, I am too busy giving to idols. In essence, I am a dirty, rotten adulterer again my God. And I'm a repeat offender. Daily I give other things the attention that should be His. Every day I find some way to tell Him He isn't important enough. At least not important enough to make time for. Over and over again I cheat on Him with stuff which is so much less important than He is-awesome stuff, great people, good grades...but all things that fall short of being the one true God. But still He loves me and is waiting for me to run back into His arms and spend time with Him. That to me is...amazing. Somehow despite my failings, my cheating, my short comings and all my mess my God loves me. Jealously. Always.

Thinking on this topic brings to mind the book of Hosea (in which God has a prophet go and marry a prostitute to prove a point about Israels relationship to their God.), the story of the Prodigal Son, and also a song by Derek Webb (the guy who used to be in Caedmon's Call, if that rings a bell...). It is called Wedding Dress.

Honestly, Webb isn't my favorite and musically the song is not that great, but LYRICALLY it is one of the most powerful songs I know. The lyrics tell of how we chase other things and in doing so, whore against God. Repeatedly. But His jealous love still never fails. The song is a bold, but true, statement. Every time I hear it I get pretty messed up. 

Listen.
Read...

If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for

and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want

(chorus)
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you

so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood

(chorus)

because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife

That chorus has been ringing through my head for weeks. I look at my Bible as I absorb myself in other things and I hear my God say, though I am a adulterous idol worshiper,  "Bella...I miss you."

My new stance of priorities? I am NOT too busy for God. Because out of all the things, places and people in my life, only God can satisfy. Then and only then everything else falls into its place.

Small Group Cultural Dinner Party...

Last week my youth group's 3 Young Adult and High School girl's CREWs (small groups) met for a potluck dinner. Each of the college aged girls brought a dish from our culture or family heritage. And then we chowed down.

 Mine. Good old Italian Garlic Bread. Yum.

 

 IT SAYS CREW!!!!

Group shots (are hard)

 Good times. Most importantly good food. :)

Creativity (part 3)- Church is boring?

As promised, here comes part 3 of my creativity rant (see part 1 here) (part 2 here).

Somehow someway there is a very unfortunate stereotype out there that Christians are boring. Hey, maybe I am wrong, but I am a Christian, and great deal of my friends are Christians, and we are for sure not boring. (Religiosity, now that is boring.) If any Christians out there wanna disagree with me and declare that they are, in fact, very boring please leave me a comment.

It is also popularly believed that Church is boring. Again, maybe yours is. But I know that my church is anything but. My church (and youth group, Merge Ahead!) is amazingly awesome. We are passionate. Our worship is vibrant. And believe it or not IT'S FUN! We're crazy about God and crazy about life. No boring to be found. (If you're church is boring it might be because well...you're boring. God is never boring. But people sometimes are...)

"Ok hold up" you're saying. "I thought we were talking about creativity and now your just endorsing church." 

Listen, just follow this rabbit and I on this trail and we'll get back to the point I am trying to make. Stay with me, people.

Why do people think church is boring? Why do people assume Christians are boring?

Because unfortunately some are. I'm not downing any type of denomination or music or anything. I love the body of Christ as displayed by His church. But sometimes we (me, you, any Christian) can be boring. Stagnant. Routine. Religious. Which doesn't really appeal to the rest of the world. When church becomes about rituals and routines instead of the presence and love of God people lose interest. That's just the truth...

We live in a modern, technology and media driven world. Our generation is so highly ENTERTAINED it is just ridiculous. Everyone needs constant stimulating input. Entertainment. This comes from music, movies, the internet, video games, technology, you name it. If it doesn't catch there attention and keep it there they move on mighty fast to something else.

"Whooooaaa Bella, are you saying the church needs to be entertaining? No. I am not. Stop arguing. Just stay with me here.

What would you say is the purpose of church? I'd say the purpose of the local/global church is to expand the Kingdom of God. Grow the body of Christ. Reach the lost.

But the lost aren't going to want to come in if it is boring. Reasonable, I'd say. So this is where we need to get creative. Not so we can entertain people and give them a good time in church, but so that something not so important can catch their attention and then they can experience the love of God, taste and see that His goodness, and they can be so captivated that God keeps their attention.

I'm going to use Merge (my youth group) as an example here. When setting up each week we try and make the building LOOK really cool. We get pretty creative when we do this (see! see!)We set up the lobby with crazy art work. We roll out rugs, put out couches and set up cafe tables. All of our first time visitors ("guests") get freshly baked cooks and a warm welcome. Music, sometimes a DJ, plays in the background. In the sanctuary we hook up all sorts of lights and lasers and blast our instruments through amps. When we worship we jump around ("mosh"), dance, and get undignified.

Why? Because rugs really help to invite the presence of God? Because cookies are very spiritual? Because the Bible says to make sure you set up a couple couches before meeting with each other and God? Because God needs a fog machine and laser lights in order for Him to show up? NO! not at all! ( Trust me, the God of the universe who created the stars in the sky is not impressed with our Scorpion Laser Beam machine.)

We do it because it gets peoples attention. Youth come in and like what they see. And then they get blown away in worship and the word, not because there is so much fog their lives are changed, but because they encounter the love of God! THAT IS WHAT IS ALL ABOUT!

If crazy lights and loud music get people saved then we wouldn't need a church. We could just go to a club and be fine. Were that the case our whole generation of youth would pretty much be saved already if it was about lights and music. But that is not the case.

We try and make it appealing on the exterior so we can catch their eyes. Then we expect that our amazing God who loves us, the lost, and the whole world so much, to catch their hearts. That is why we do what we do!

I think this concluded my creativity series. Maybe. (do you guys have any more thoughts on the subject? Comment and let me know!)  Obviously I have a lot to say about the topic. It's my passion. God created me and I love to be creative because of it. How about you? Go do, think, or make something that has never been done, thought, or made before. Go bring God glory. Go change the world.

Create.

Creativity (part 2)- or our lack there of...

"Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do."- Luke 5:31 NLT


That verse right there is what I base a lot of my life on and also my view of Christian creativity on. That is what I base my writing on. That is what I base my opinions of Christian music, literature and all else created by Christians upon. 


 There is a lot of Christian music out there. There are a lot of Christian books out there. There are even Christian movies. I fully understand that we are called to be in the world and not of it and we shouldn't be filling our heads with what the world says is ok, but is so wrong by God's standards. I get that. Really. But I also think we are called to reach the lost.


Jesus didn't come to earth to save believers. He came for the lost. He hung out with liars, cheaters, whores and theives. He hung out with filthy rotten sinners. Jesus hung out with the sick. Not just those physically sick, but those terminally sick spiritually. 


Christian resources are great stuff. I read lots of Christian books and listen to a great deal of Christian music.But I have to say, I don't know a lot of unsaved people, who are living like hell until they get to it, who wake up randomly one day and decide to walk into a Christian book/music store to make purchases.  That may happen once every so often but...not usually. That isn't an effective way of reaching the lost. That is an effective way of protecting Christians from the big bad world. Sometimes so much so that we forget that there are lost people out there literally dying to know what we know.


Again, I do listen to Christian music. I do read Christian authors. But I'm sorry, some of it is...lame.


Yes. I said it. LAME. No worldly person would want to hear or read it, instead of what they already have. I am not going to list any band/books in particular or anything, but some of the stuff out there is so...cliche...so unoriginal, so UNCREATIVE that I feel embarrassed to associate myself with it. Pretty much a dumbed down version of the worldly stuff. Knock offs, minus things like swearing or sex, so it can be considered Christian. Lame, lame, lame, lame.


This may get controversial here, but I think sometimes people in the world do a better job of being creative than some Christians do. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I think Christians should be the most exciting, most creative people in the world because we know THE CREATOR as our Father and creativity runs in our spiritual DNA! But honestly, we're not sometimes. There are nonchristians out there who are using a gift given to them by God to glorify themselves instead of their Creator and they are doing a good job of it.



An example I use frequently to illustrate this point is the well known Lady Gaga. God gave her such a creative mind. She is so talented. She is influencing my generation in a huge way.


*and all the holy people gasp.*


Yes. You're reading correctly. The creativity that Lady Gaga uses blows me away. 


I'm not saying I like her and I don't actually listen to her music (once I hear any song more than twice I memorize most of the lyrics. I have to be careful about my input) or call myself a fan. The stuff Gaga sings about is dirty, perverted, pornographic, liberal and all together everything I am against. The way she dresses (or...doesn't...) is also awful and totally inappropriate and beyond. But she is, no doubt, creative. She thinks of stuff no one else does. She preforms in a way that is totally unique. While the way she dresses is not okay at all, she does create most of the stuff herself. And she gets people's attentions.


One of her most popular songs right now is one called Born This Way. The first time I heard it I was really, really confused. And really, really caught off guard. She is so, so, so, so lost and confused. The song is about being whoever you are and making no apologizes. A lot of it has to do with sexual orientation and equal rights, but one part of the song (pre chorus, chorus) goes like this:

There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are
she said, cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far
listen to me when I say

I’m beautiful in my way
’cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way

She says God. She acknowledges Him as the Creator. Lady Gaga, like everyone, was in fact created by my God. God gives everyone gifts and talents. She is definitely gifted in creativity in relation to music and preforming. She is just using the gifts in a self-glorifying way. What God created in her to bring him glory, she is using in a negative way to bring herself glory. Which always leads me to thinking "What if Lady Gaga got saved? What amazing stuff could she come up with? She could change the world!"


People sometimes tell me that is a really weird way to think. Lady Gaga is filth, according to them. But my Jesus hung out with people like her. And he LOVED them.


Lady Gaga is gifted. What could have been a huge asset to the Kingdom is instead being used to influence my generation in a negative way. But she is at least using her gift.


In the first post I talked about the creative potential inside of us all, given to us by God, just waiting to be used. Why does it seem that she is more creative than Christians? THAT IS NOT RIGHT! Where are the Christian Gagas? No, I don't mean we need some Christian musicians to get on a stage half naked, to wear a dress made of meat to make a statement, or sing about things that clearly do not please God. I mean where are the people in the church using their God-given creativity to influence my generation? Where are the creative people who are using their talents to change a lost and dying world!? For the good, not the bad!?


We don't need more Christian music or Christian books. We need some radical Christians who will step outside the church and reach the lost! Being in the world and not of it implies we have to...be in the world! That is why I want to write books. Not Christian ones, published by Christians publishing houses and sold to Christian book stores for Christians to buy and read. No, those are the healthy people. I want to write amazingly creative books (that glorify God and do not compromise what I believe!), get 'em published by a secular publisher and have them sold in big name book stores right next to the big name secular authors who are perverting my generation! I wanna reach the sick.


I could list off amazingly creative worldy people all day long. They are out there and they are changing the world. For the bad. What are we, those called to change the world and extend the kingdom of God, doing? Lady Gaga is not more creative than me. Or you. Stephanie Meyer isn't more creative than me either. Because I know where my creativity comes from and I know to whom the glory goes. You should to.


Start thinking big, people. Start thinking bigger than the four walls of our (safe) churches. Start thinking broader. And once you do, think bigger. Think up stuff so big, so wild, so crazy that there is no way you can get it done without God. And then think some more. Because God is able to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine.

You were created to do something. Now get creative in whatever way you do and do it. The world is waiting.


*part 3 of the creativity post is coming on Wednesday. Stay tuned to hear about creativity and church.

Once again, we're AWAKENING.

Or we will be at AWAKENING, actually. Awakening is a youth conference in the New England area which my youth group, MERGE AHEAD, goes to each spring. *SEE PROMO HERE.

This year not only will my amazing youth pastor "Rev" Eric Peoples be speaking, but our worship band (of which I am a part-vocals and keys!) will be doing a couple of worship sets. SO EXCITED! We were privileged to do it last year as well and it was an amazing experience.

For those of you who can't come to the conference (the last weekend in April) I will be posting up links later on that you will be able to watch the conference streaming live on the internet or on GodTV. It is great stuff. Really check it out.

Anyway, last night our band practiced. Unfortunately we decided to practice after our Wednesday night church service which meant we didn't even get started until after 9:30. And we went until after 11. Normally we have a rough time not goofing off during practice but get us all together late at night and the experience becomes very...special. For a good while our 2 electric guitarists were working on intro parts so I grabbed my camera and decided to take pictures instead of sitting there silently holding my mic. Here's what that all looked like...

More pictures to come!
Go explore the Awakening site and get ready to tune into the conference April 28th-30th!

*sorry about the grainy pictures. we only had some of the lights on and it is an already tough to take pictures in room. But you get the idea...

There is some thing(s) you should know about me...

My name is Isabella Kiss and there are some things you should know about me...

First off, When I tell you my name is Isabella Kiss I am not kidding. It is. Really truly. Says so right on my certification of birth.

Also: When I tell you my name don't say "like in twilight!" and do not inquire about "my relationship with vampires." I get that enough. NO. NOT LIKE IN TWILIGHT! Not at all. Don't make my life worse but adding to the onslaught of Twilight jokes thrown at me upon every introducing of myself.
 
When I say I am a Christian that doesn't mean I am announcing that I boring and uptight, and/or that I hate anyone/anything non Christian. Quite the opposite. I am mad fun, super not boring. I just choose to have the kind of fun I can remember the next day. And strongly believe that God so loved the world and therefore so should I.

When asked for my "religion" I hesitate to answer. Why? Sound contradictory? Well, I am not into religion. I am into relationship. Like the relationship I have with my heavenly Father who saved me with the blood of His Son Jesus. That is what Christianity really is.

When I say I am a writer that doesn't mean you should say to me "well, have fun starving" or "I hope you marry well." Thanks for your concerns but feel free to keep them in your head.

When I talk of being a "dust assassin" that basically mean I make money by cleaning houses.  I just like to apply the concept of assassination to my occupation. Looks good on forms and in profiles...or not.

When I state that I am a "pescetarian" I am not telling you of my religion or occultic involvement. No, no, no! It simply means that I eat fish and not meat. Don't be confused.

When you say I am sarcastic I will disagree with you and say I am sardonic. There is a difference. Look it up!

When I mention knitting/crocheting/sewing/anything of the like please do not compare me to your grandmother. Creative, awesome, and just all together artistic I am. Granny I am not.

When I talk of that ^^ and things like cooking don't use the word "domestic" to describe me. I am not something that has been house broken and tamed. I do not walk nicely on a leash and I am much feistier than your lapdog and/or Ma Ingalls/Martha Stewart/or whatever female you think of as being domesticated. I am simply well-rounded. Don't hate cause you ain't.

When I mention I am home-schooled in grades 1- 12 that doesn't mean I was a homeschoolER.It involved no long skirts, no tucked in shirts, no life of solitude, and no awkward hair cuts. There are some serious differences such as those that you should just be aware of. And look, I turned out as a functional (and smart) member of society. Points to me (and my mom).

When I say that ^^ do not ask me if I have friends. Really now. Cease with the ridiculousity. Yes, I do. Of course.

When I talk of my family of 10 people, 8 of which are kids that doesn't mean you ought to say "LIKE THE DUGGARS!" Uhmmmm...just no. Inaccurate comparison in so many ways.


When you notice those kiddos who are my siblings and note that we have a broad range on the melanin spectrum (aka there are some serious skin tone differences) don't ask me if I am sure they are my sisters/brothers. Yes, I am sure and no explanation is owed to you if you want to be a racist. Also, no, it is not "weird" that they are adopted and I am not. You're weird and also narrow minded.

on the topic of racism...
When I say I don't really agree with/like the choices and character of our current president don't dare tell me I am a racist. Don't bother. I am anything but and I do respect our president in that he is the President and God put him into his position of authority. I simply agree with some famous guy by the name of King who said "I have a dream that {my four little children will one day live in a nation where} they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." I don't care what color he is. I simply have a problem with his character and a lot of the decisions he makes.


When I don't seem to take a like stance with the activism of groups like PETA or Americans attempting to save polar bears or any other type of wild life it doesn't mean I hate animals, I am just far more concerned the saving of human life and the great injustice of our nations tolerance of abortion. I do however really, really like animals. Love them actually! People just win. If I had to choose I'd rather save babies than furry things. Do don't talk to me about saving whales until we stop this homicide of human life.

When you are sitting there gasping as you read all this thinking that I am much too straight forward, very difficult, or maybe just highly opinionated, please know that perhaps you are right. 

I, Isabella Kiss, am very clear on what I stand for, and by stand I actually mean I take one. 

I refuse to live mediocre. 

I refuse to sugar coat. 

I refuse to be who society tells me that I am. 

I refuse to back off or shut up.

I know who I am and no one is going to change me. 
I will not be labeled, stereotyped or boxed in.

I'm passionate, ardent and ever-so-feisty.

I know what I believe and Whom I believe in and you will not be able to tell me otherwise. I was made by the God of the universe who loves me and saved me so I could live for eternity with Him and live life in abundance here on earth in a way that brings Him glory.

I live on purpose for a purpose.

Thanks for getting to know me. If you found this experience of becoming better acquainted with my person to be less than enjoyable feel free to close your eyes.

I am who I am. I like it that way. And there will be no changing it.

*this post was in my drafts. I wrote it a couple months ago during a blog venting session and am pulling it out as I am too busy studying for midterms to post this week. I hope I didn't scare y'all. If I did I'm not sorry.

QUOTEABLES to honor my man MLK...

*brace yourself for a word/quote/passion heavy post. If you like looking at pictures and ignoring what I say, then I suggest you skip right along here and wait for something cuter and more artsy on another day.. I am a writer, so I cannot be crafts and photos all the time. Sometimes I have to WRITE. But, fair warning, this post may be unpleasant to you.*

I don't know if you have noticed (see here, here, and here), but I am quite the fan of Martin Luther King Jr.

I mean, look up a couple inches at that blog header. King? Yeah, as in the Reverend Martin Luther.

A familiar name, yes? He gets a holiday for his stand against racism and his fight towards racial equality (which by the way is something I believe in), but there is a lot more to the Rev. King than that. People often take this day, "Martin Luther King Day," as just another reason to get out of school/work, and maybe just maybe they think for a moment about his famous "I have a dream" speech and are briefly grateful for one of the men who changed our country's history. (But most of the time people don't have a clue about anything  and just want a day off...)

Though it is what he is most remembered for, during his life King didn't only stand for racial equality. His faith in God made him see the great wrong that was going on in his world and he did something to fix it. He stood for things that challenged what was seen as normal. He took a bold stand against many things, including but not limited to racism, which were not only socially tolerated in his time, but socially and morally accepted.

I don't know if you have look around your world lately, but he didn't entirely eliminate racism, or create a world in which everyone loves each other and gets along. Those problems still exist today. But he was bold enough to see the problem and do SOMETHING, and that is why I like him so much.

There is a verse in the Old Testament of the Bible, found in Micah chapter 6, verse 8 that every time I read it I think of Martin Luther King Jr. I don't know if he considered that a life verse of his or what, but he very clearly lived it out. 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

Now, as you keep all of what I just said, particularly that verse, in mind, I want to share some of my favorite King quotes (outside of "I have a dream...") with you.  I love quotes, you know that, and King is in the top two people that I quote most (Winston Churchill, another history changer, would be the other).  

**And I want you to know, all the quotes I am about to put in aren't just some nice words I pulled up in google just today so I could have a fitting post for this holiday. They are quotes which I have written in notebooks and scribbled on sticky notes and stuck in various places in my room.**

Here now, on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, are some of the amazing things he both said and lived for;

He had great, PASSIONATE faith in God;

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

He had great, PASSIONATE love for others;

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

"There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love."

He had great PASSION for justice

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."

"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

 And because he so strongly believed in those things, he had a great PASSION for living his life to its greatest potential and to the glory of His God;

"The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important."

"Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better."

"The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be... The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."

King was a man who was strong in what he believed. Not only did he believe in it, or dream about it, he stood for it. He stood for it so boldly that he got killed for it. He wouldn't be ignored, or shut up. He wouldn't back down. King was a radical. An passionate extremist. He knew why he was put on this earth, and nothing/no one, even assassination wouldn't stop him from standing for it.

My all time favorite quote by him is THIS...

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."-MLK (1963)

 The best part about the above quote is that he meant it. He said that some 5 years before he was assassinated. He wasn't just some face in the public eye, saying pretty things to win favor, smooth talking people into liking him, but living a life contrary to his words. He said that and then he LIVED IT! And not only did he live it, but then he DIED FOR IT!

King knew what he was made for. He had a dream, a big dream, and they assassinated him for it.  He died for that dream, because dreaming always cost you something.  

I challenge you, on this day we remember the revolutionary dreamer MLK, to think about what your dreams are.  I've often been told  (by my 3rd most quoted person, my youth pastor "Rev" Eric Peoples) that "the thing that bothers you most is probably the thing you were put on this earth to fix." Maybe you aren't going to get assassinated for it, but what would you be willing to give *everything* thing for? What are you passionate about? God put you on this earth; what for? If you still wake up every morning with breath in your lungs, there is most assuredly a reason. If you are alive, you have a purpose! You were not created to just get by living a life of mediocrity. What were you made for? What are you dreams? And what are you willing to give for them?

I have a dream. Do you?

TWENTY TEN RECAPPED

And yes, I am still alive! No! I haven't died! I'm here! I'm here!

So sorry I haven't posted in a long while. The holidays were busy with friends, family and fun and as soon as Christmas pasted my internet crashed. FOR A WHOLE WEEK! But finally I am back to post again. I am not even sure I can recap all of my year, or even the last 2 weeks. So I think I will just pull some of my favorite pictures/moments from 2010 and post those...

New (converted attic) bedroom!

19th birthday with flaming pineapple

my youth group's (Merge Ahead) worship team leading worship at the Rhode Island Awakening Conference

My sassy, fabulous Ethiopian sister coming home

My hair losing its "virginity"

Seriously good thrifting

 Projects. Creativity. Making stuff.

 Cheering on my team (England) in the world cup

/ watching them lose and the personal agony that followed.

 An amazing mission trip to San Jose, Costa Rica

Finishing off said trip with rain forest zip-lining.

Seriously silly 22nd birthday parties for cool girls

Family vacation to Westerly, Rhode Island

Rebellion.

Bettering myself at photography (more posts on that coming soon!!!!)

Shooting guns.

 Trying to better myself at cooking
(I'm am working my way to up being a crazily well-rounded, multi-skilled individual)

Making this.

 Scrabble-ing at an epic level

Recieving these
(ohhhh yes friends, those ARE red, skull, size boys XL footie pajamas.)

these people. my people.

A lot happened in 2010. Looking back even to my recap of 2009 I am amazed at how far I've come. And I am looking forward to how much further I'll go in 2011. Happy New Year, everyone!