December at Last!!

My favorite time of the year has finally come around again! Maybe it's a combination of finishing school for the year, my birthday, all the Christmas lights and Christmas music and Christmas of course, but I just love this season. :)

As 2012 ends, let us remember the reason for the season--
Sure Santa brings us presents, but he never laid down his life for us.
Christ did. Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior this year!

Change

So....

A lot has happened since my May 09, 2012 post. And for those who have read this blog, I am sorry that I haven't posted in a long time.
(I hope most of you are my friends on Facebook, if not, please add me as a friend, and let me know if you read this blog)

Let me bring you up to speed...a lot can change in 6 and a 1/2 months.

I had a summer internship at my church as their secretary. Three days a week, 4 hours per shift. I have learned a great deal about how a church functions from the inside and what it takes to keep a church going. (I am invigorated at the notion of running a church, some people get burned out. I understand how that happens, but I am blessed to know that it keeps me going when things get hectic--I love the rush) ;)

When the internship ended, it turned into a paid position. (Which helps because I had been without a paid job for 22 months).

I currently still work there as a secretary, and I am still on the worship team playing my flute.

I am in my senior of undergraduate work at NNU. I graduate May 11, 2013 :) 6 years of college should be enough, right? Nope. Gonna go for an online graduate program also at NNU for pastoral ministry so I can become a Nazarene pastor! :)

Look out Nazarene world--this unconventional Christian is gonna take over!

Many blessings friends,
Cody Marie

The Start of Summer

For the longest time, winter was my favorite season. However, since going to Northwest Nazarene, I have discovered that my favorite season is infact summer. It seems as though I really love my time off from school. I am sure than when I obtain my BA in Communication Science in a year that I will miss it and really want to go back. However, now that school is out, I can finally do the things I have really wanted to do: Blog. And not just any type of blogging. I have always thought that entertainment critics have a fanstastic job: to watch, or read, the newest entertainment books and movies and write their opinions about them. So I'm doing that. Since this is my first week of summer vacation, I think I have taken it a bit overboard.

http://codymariebolton.tumblr.com/

This is my secondary blog site. I am sure I have promoted it here before, but there is a lot more I have posted in the last few days. 17 posts (mostly movies, but I am also going to do more documentaries, book and Television shows). Would this be a great communication career to help support my ministry? Oh yeah? Will I ever get the chance to get paid for it? I guess that depends on what newspapers I could do this for.

And, that doesn't stop there. I have an internship for the summer and I am super excited to start it. :) I will be the secretary for Euclid Ave. Church of the Nazarene in Boise. This church has been such a blessings since I started attenting last September. Please keep me in your prayers, because this next year is going to be a challenging one. A lot of decisions will need to be made and a lot of hours will be spent doing job searching.

Blessings to you all!
Cody Marie

Excitement for the Future

I cannot believe how fast this last month has gone.

Many things have changed in the last month, some for the better, and others not. This has been, not only a hard month, but a very hard semester to accomplish. I might be premature in saying this, but I feel like I did good this semester even with everything that has been going wrong. (I still have final papers to finish and final exams to take), but I feel a sense of accomplishment nontheless.

And though all of this, God was with me. He gave me strength when I didn't think I had anything left to give.

Through all the struggles this semester, there were some times of great peace and enjoyment.


God is so amazing in everything that He does. I do not understand His timing, His humor, or His big picture, but I just love that I am apart of something bigger and that God can and does use me for his purposes.

Last month I gave my testimony to my church about everything that God has been doing through me.
Last weekend God shared with me a more narrow path besides Deaf Ministry: to become a Pastor, leading Deaf people to Christ. :) I told myself, Pastoring isn't my thing. I am not very graceful in front of people and I don't think I do a good job at speeches or anything.

I could lead small Bible studies, but leading a whole congregation, that is a calling I am still getting used to, but the more I think about it, the more peace I get about it. So I know this is what God calls me.

And that is not all. This afternoon I was worried about finding and having an internship over the summer, well, God provided for that too. My church has been in need of a secretary for some time, and the person who was going to do it no longer could, so it was offered to me for summer. :)

Some people find that office stuff (organization, Microsoft Word, answering phones, emails, etc.) is boring. I <3 it. And I cannot wait to start.


Let me give everyone reading a bit of encouragement. When you are faced with tough things in your life, keep close to God, even if that is only through prayer. Because believe it or not, God is especially close to you in your times of struggles and needs. Feel Him with you. God will not EVER leave you to defend for youself.

Many Blessings upon you from the Creater of the Universe!
Cody Marie

Disctinction Between Easter and Resurrection

Something I am continuing to notice is that each year the two terms Easter, and Resurrection are getting used interchangably.

Now, I am not exactly sure why this bothers me. Maybe because of the Easter bunny, but I think there should be a distinction between Easter and Resurrection. I am guilty of this too, even today as I was wishing people on Facebook a "Blessed" or "Happy" Easter.

When I think of Easter, I think of the Easter bunny, bright colored eggs and Easter Egg Hunts. And although those aren't inherantly a bad thing, I think those cloud what today REALLY means.

I think there needs to be a disctinction in the Christian and Jewish communities (who celebrate the Resurrection of the Risen King). I am not bashing the egg hunts, or the Easter bunny, but I really think that they overpower the true meaning of today.

So I encourage all of us (including me) when we are wishing our Christian brothers and sisters, and our family a Happy Holiday, I encourage all of us to say,"Happy Resurrection Day" to help us all remember the true meaning behind today and what a great honor it is for all of us who's sins were paid for by the death of the Messiah.

Many blessings today. Happy Resurrection Day! :)
Cody Marie

Holy Week

This week has been and always is a sad week.
Holy Week, the last week of Jesus' life before the resurrection.
It is just amazing to me how his own community went from Palm Sunday, where everyone was worshipping Him, to crucifying Him by Friday. Definately not your typical week.

This year I got to finally see the production of No Greater Love that is performed every year by Nampa First Church of the Nazarene. (In Nampa, Idaho).

This play makes the last week of Jesus' life so real and reminded me the importance of what had to be done for all of us to share in eternal life with Jesus and God. And without Jesus' death, resurrection and ascention, the Holy Spirit could have never come.

The reason why I am blogging about No Greater Love is that this actually ties in with Deaf Ministry. No Greater Love is a story within a story. The outer story about a Roman official and his wife who are looking for her Deaf sister and her interpreter, who made it to the crowds that were lead by Paul and Peter and James. And through this encounter, the Disciples explain to the Roman and his wife about Jesus and His life. :)
(And I really loved it because I know who played the Deaf Maiden (the deaf sister)) :)

Tomorrow is Easter, or to separate the difference between the bunny and Jesus, Resurrection Day. When Jesus arose from the dead and walked the earth for 40 days before rising to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God.

Many blessings this Resurrection day.
Cody Marie

March

Wow. I need to start remembering to post more often. I'm glad not too many people actually read this....they probably think I live under a rock >.<

My semester at NNU is already half over. I can now officially school classes end next month. >.< That's a totally scary thought considering I'm writing a research paper that had to be 20-25 pages long, with 20-30 resources. :O I just do not understand how Communication researchers do this kind of stuff (including all the data collection and analysis for free).

Crazy how fast this year has already gone by.

I hope that I will be able to continue to raise my GPA to get more scholarships and grants to help pay for school.

The Meaning of Christianity

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

However without context these pictures will be misinterpreted.

The top picture is of a group of Christian Egyptians making a protective barrier around a larger group of praying Muslims in the streets. They are protecting against the government.

The bottom picture is of a parade in Chicago for Gays and Lesbians. A Christian man has a sign "I'm sorry for how the church has treated you." He is hugged by a gay man who embraces his apology.

Jesus calls us to love.

And these pictures takes out the judgment and just loves.

Why can't we all be like this??

Swedish and Romanian Proverbs

For a homework assignment I had to find proverbs from a different culture and I wanted to share them with you guys. I found some very cool proverbs from Romania and Sweden.

Swedish and Romanian Proverbs

I was doing a homework assignment about proverbs from different cultures and I found some great proverbs from both Romania and Sweden and I wanted to share them :)

Long absent, soon forgotten.

Romanian Proverb

What the heart thinks, the tongue speaks.

Romanian Proverb

Under a ragged coat lies wisdom.

Romanian Proverb

Fear less, hope more,

eat less, chew more,

whine less, breathe more,

talk less, say more,

hate less, love more,

and all good things will be yours.

Swedish proverb

When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.

Swedish proverb

Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.

Swedish Proverb

Have a great day!!

Cody Marie Bolton

Chinese New Year

Usually I am not much into celebrating other culture's holidays because I do not understand the history in which they celebrate in. However, this year I just could not resist to celebrate the Chinese New Year because this year is the year of the Dragon. I am a Dragon according to the Chinese Calendar and I heard that this year will be good for me.

I know God will bless me this year, like He does every year, but to me there is just something so exciting to be in the year of the Dragon. It happens only once every 12 years, so its exciting lol.

As I do not want to put faith into something that is not usually connected to God, I have seen that there might actually be a bit, a bit, of truth to the Chinese Calendar. However, I know that God must have been the inspiration ;)

Anyway, this probably doesn't make much sense, but that's okay.....half the time I don't anyway.

Blessings and have a great year!!

Plus, if nothing else, if you have started a resolution that you couldn't keep so far, try it again with a new year! :)

Cody Marie