School School School

Senior year has now commenced! Work, volleyball, drama, and chapel - its no wonder I haven't posted since July. I saved over a grand this summer, all to go towards my senior class trip in the Spring.

This should just be a really quick post, I have a big Civics quiz tomorrow. I love Civics, and its amazing, in studying current events, how different this country is now then when it was founded. Our culture is truly dying--which takes me to Apologetics, another course I'm taking this year. Apologetics is the study of defending the Christian faith, and I love it already simply because it is so applicable everywhere I go. Yes, this school is definately preparing me for "whats out there". Whatever is "out there", no one seems to elaborate on. Something tells me its just an over-used, generic phrase, like "the real world". I'll admit, I am sort of living in a bubble right now--so I'll soak up the suds while I still can.

I love volleyball, and I love improving at it. I have a good spike, but my overhand serve could use some work. :/

Since its my senior year, I'm looking at a few colleges; and aside from NIC here in town, I'm also looking at Corban University. They only have a pre-nursing program, but we'll see, I'm still praying.



That's all for the moment!

Gerry

I'm Back! >>>

Goodness, how time has seemed to get away from me recently. So much has happened that going over it all would simply bore you to death because it would just be lists and lists of everything I've done.


The highlights:

~~Finished off my junior year strong with a 3.6 GPA -- and made it on the A-B Honor roll!

~~Loving having a car and license to go wherever I need to go. My parents basically trust me to do everything I need to do during the day and then I come home when I'm hungry. Its like being on my own, with some limitations--that I'm not really tempted to break

~~I starred in the school play "Arsenic and Old Lace" next to the lovely Dorinda Thompson; playing old ladies that poison lonely old men

~~I took up tap dancing. Six week course, no big deal.

~~wrote some new songs, and even recorded a few (which I will not post because they are not yet perfecto)

~~I now have a part time job at a restaurant as a busser and food runner, which I really enjoy

~~I am using my paycheck mulah to save up for my senior class trip to Israel, Greece, Rome, and Egypt this coming March - SO excited


Aaaaand that's pretty much my life right now. I would apologize for not posting for a loooong time, but I'm not sure if I'm really talking to anyone cuz I'm not sure anybody really reads my blog in the first place. (I shall advertise on my Facebook) :p
Today, I helped the school film a promotional video to show to more families in the area who are interested in attending. Usually I'm at my school all the time even in the summer, because I used to hang out with my mom when she used to teach there and help her set up her classroom, and also to spend time with church people (who we share campus with). Now that I'm working, i'm not there hardly at all except for sunday mornings and I came to realize how much I had missed it today. When I graduate, I can't even imagine the thought of never spending a day with everyone ever again. I praise God he brought me to Classical Christian Academy. I don't know who I'd be without it. Most seniors in high school are just dying to get out; clawing at the walls...but I love my school to death.
Haha its sort of weird to me that people are all like "FINALLY I'm done!" or "I've finished high school!" "No more school!" "I have a high school diploma!" and I kinda want to say, congradulations, so does 80% of the population... because really, all the graduates from my school have just MORE school after that. College; usually universities. So am I looking forward to being done? Sort of. But I realize that after I'm done, I'm not really done...
But hey, I have a whole year to think about that.

*stands up* "Hello, my name is Gerry. And I'm addicted to Dutch Bros." Seriously, its reached an unhealthy level. I'll spend a half hour digging through the change jar just to get my favorite drink. If they had DBA meetings (Dutch Bros Annonymous) I would be forced to attend. They even sent me a lanyard in the mail because I'm VIP, I get discounts in the form of text messages, and everyone--morning and afternoon workers--know my name and car. If you've never had Dutch Bros, try it, it'll change your life. :) If you're a coffee snob and don't like it, then go back to sipping your over-priced too-rich burnt coffee, and we can just forget you ever read this. ;)


I have some food for thought here, that I hope will bless you in some way.

2Ti 1:10
but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
We sing a song in church, called Mighty to Save. Its really popular and has been for the last couple years. There's a line in the song that I've always sort of sung over but never truly thought about it. That is the phrase "Jesus conquered the grave." When you think about it, what are humans (people who don't believe in the ressurection of Jesus Christ, anyway) most afraid of? Or the punishers of crime; what do they believe is the worst punishment? What is seen by this world always as a last resort? The answer to all three of these is: death. When people fight in war, they fight for their lives, to see who can kill the most. Death is viewed by this world as the worst thing. Nobody wants to die, at least people who aren't extremely old or suicidal. Now for Christians, who believe Jesus died for our sins and rose again, and believe that he is the only Son of God and our only way to Heaven, we have hope, we have a future after death. But isn't it interesting that the devil has desensitized the world into believing dying is the worst thing.
Jesus suffered everything. He suffered temptation, persecuation, pain, fear, slander, and grief even though he was completely innocent. Yet by dying on the cross he overcame every earthly hurt, every human pain, and literally conquered that which as seen as the worst: death. So if my God can overcome anything, even death, then he knows first hand what I've been through, what I'll go through, and will be by my side to help me with it all. It is because of his love that I have nothing to fear, especially death. Because as Christians, our places in heaven are secured forever.... Is yours?

1Cr 15:26
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.


Rom 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.



Well, I think that's all for now. I'm going to try and be better about posting... Comment if you have anything else you want to share.



~~~Gerry~~~

Thoughts for the Moment

Midterms are OVER! Praise the Lord. Its a new semester, a new year, and a new age. I'm 17, finally. I was thinking about this the other day; that all the Disney princesses I looked up to my entire life are always 16, and I don't want to be older than them! Just a thought...not overly devistating. My favorite princess was always Aurora :) But then I also can't sing "I Am Sixteen" from the Sound of Music without lying!
...Again, not that pressing....

But with the age of 17 also comes certain, well, needs; I applied for like 3 different jobs today, just running around the mall with my cousin. I want to be able to drive soon, in which case I'll need money. If God permits I can start working soon, then I can actually do stuff and go places this summer. Looking outside and seeing the melting snow and the sunshine starting to peek through makes my heart long for spring...but enough rambling.

Recently certain things have been on my heart. I've been thinking lately, and I believe I have gotten to a point where I honestly can't think of anyone else I love more than Jesus. And when I doubt that, my heart just goes to the cross, and I think of his love, sacrifice, grace and mercy and I realize... How could I love anything more than this man? How could anyone who is truly born again?
Emily also pointed out something to me... she said, "I would rather be hated on this earth, known as a Christian, than be loved on this earth, then getting to heaven and have God not know me." and its so true. Because when I die, and I see my Father for the first time, if he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Any suffering I've ever had on this earth will be so beyond worth it. There are times, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, where I just don't feel worthy. The things I think, say, don't bring glory to God, more than they do. There's this song though, that they play on Christian stations though. I love this band. Skillet...they sing a song called Forgiven. It amazing...take a listen if you haven't heard it. This song reminds me of two wonderful truths: there is nothing so bad you can do to make God love you any less. He will forgive you anytime, anywhere, without hesitation. The other is that, when God looks at us, and Jesus is in our hearts, he looks at us through his son and we are holy and blameless. For this, I am eternally grateful. No words can express my gratitude.

Well, that's pretty much all for now. If you have any thoughts on what I've said, comment, or if you have prayer requests. God's good! Byes:)

Holiday Cheer

I honestly think that being overwhelmingly tired can just be a lifestyle after awhile. Whenever I'm tired it seems I'm nowhere near my bed (like at school) and then when I get home and in my room I don't sleep, I just feel like wasting time (like being on Facebook, or Blogging about my 16 year old life).

Well my first major announcement is that I am now a licensed driver! On Thursday after school I took my test (and studied my 2 year old homework I still had from driving school all day...sad, I know) and it was surprisingly easier than I remember. Nerves have a lot to do with it... I tend to do really stupid things when I'm nervous, like forget what a stop sign looks like.

That evening, after I had gotten my license I was in a Christmas Play. My choir teacher had written and composed the whole thing. But what was cool about it, is the music, script, everything, is literally word for word out of the Bible. Just in musical form. This is the first year we have a music program at my school, so of course I was all over it. The class is only offered to eighth grade and below, however, so my headmaster signed me up to be the teacher's assistant, so I could still do the class. So Kindergarten through eighth grade was up on stage (which surprisingly didn't take up that much room) and because I'm the oldest girl, my choir teacher gave me the role of... yes... Mary.
I believe this is my third time as Mary in the Christmas Story, at various times in my life...Funny. Today in church we talked all about Mary; her faith, her purity, and her love for God. So in that way of imitating her on stage, I also want to imitate her in life :)
And so the very next day was my best friend and cousin, Emily's, 17th birthday. Emily came and got me after I got home from school. Now Emily and I (shes been my best friend my whole life), we spent basically our entire summer this year in her bright red, 1994 Geo Trackker--christened "Shelby Shablam". When it came time for us to head out, she gave me the keys to her car and reluctantly let me drive her precious Shelby. Okay, now this is officially my first time driving with a license, and without an adult in the passengers seat. So of course, things like the following occur. We do a test run around the block, and I make a gentle right turn--suddenly the car spun out and swerved slightly into the middle of the road on some ice. Emily froze, I held my breath and took my foot off the gas. As soon as it had happened, I regained control of the car a second later and continued down the road. Emily was astonished and said, "Wow, good job. The first time I ever did that I screamed and my passenger had to grab the wheel." We laughed and I drove to Dutch Bros, still in dumb awe of the fact that I was driving all by myself, without my mom or dad next to me. Grinning awkwardly, we pulled up to Dutch Bros. Okay, I think its a national law that if you work there, you have to be extremely cool. And attractive. So we told them it was Emily's birthday, and that I was taking her to get coffee because I just got my license (with her car haha). The employees congradulated us, and gave us free coffee! Blaring some Jason Derulo, we drove to her house and had an awesome rest of the weekend.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year because its a time where I feel like a little kid again. Where nothing mattered and everything was beautiful and innocent. A time where Santa Claus was real, when snow was actually fun to play in, and when the gifts I made for my parents where all paper mache. Now, whenever I hear a Christmas song, I get those warm tinglies all over again. And even though it will never be the same as it was when I was younger, the memories I hold on to will never change.
I watch all of these Christmas shows on tv and as cute and classic they are, I wish they had the true meaning of Christmas in them. These days all the Christmas specials worship Santa and shopping and giant light-clad evergreens. Really the only moral message in them is "the spirit of giving." Oh how I wish there were more Christmas Specials like Charlie Brown...the ones that tell the actually true meaning of the season. In the movie, much like everybody else today, Charlie Brown is searching for the meaning of Christmas, and gets discouraged when no one seems to know. Finally, my favorite part comes when Linus stands center stage and recites directly out of Luke chapter 2. I praise God that that program still airs, because sometimes Christmas time is the only time people hear the name of Jesus. We all need a Savior...and what more a reason to celebrate than the fact that one was born, for us all.

On that note, I'll finish out my week at school (without getting too distracted by shopping and other pre-holiday traditions) and to make the time go faster, whistle a couple bars of "Sleigh Ride" whenever things get too quiet in the classroom. But ultimately, remember that the Lord is good for sending his son to this earth, in a humble stable in the form of an innocent, helpless, baby boy. Lord.... how I wish more people knew.

Junior Year, Music, and other tid-bits.

Not sure if anyone really reads my blog, but if you do, I thank you. I set up a Twitter account recently and am still at a loss why it is useful. (Follow me @gerryberry4 --that is, if I don't delete it within the next few days :p)
This being my junior year, I have fewer classes, more freedom, but also more responsiblity. I'm working on getting my drivers license (I also recently failed the written test; luckily it only cost 3$...But in my defense, its pretty hard. They like try to trip you up...'What of the following happens when you get a DUI?'...I don't know. I'm 16.)

I'm leading worship for chapel at my school which I am blessed to be able to do, every Wednesday morning at 8:30. I learn more and more about the guitar every time I pick it up. I love its versatility, sound, and the fact that its relatively easy to learn. I think thats why so many people can play.
Now me, one of my loves (and vices, if you will) is just good, solid music. Sure, there's some mindless hip-hop you can rock out to just cruising down I90, but I do believe that there is some seriously decent secular music out there that isn't all about sex and profanity. This is the type of music I prefer (obviously), and have taken a habit of listening to ever since...well, I was raised on it. Stuff like Third Eye Blind, and Toad the Wet Sprocket... music like Creed, Matchbox 20, Spin Doctors, the Beatles (okay, I admit, the Beatles were total druggies) and Queen. But lately, I've been almost... I don't want to use the word "forcing"... but having myself listen to Christian music as much as possible. Those are the kinds of lyrics and messages I want in my heart. So if I catch myself humming a couple bars of Ke$ha's latest song, I change it to a Christian station instead and sing along. Its like I'm able to worship whenever I want. It also helps my choose what songs I want to do for chapel (So I'll say things like "Note to self: I like this...only I'll change the key to G... Chris Tomlin sings too high for me"). If I'm supposed to worship God with my life and my thoughts, I should be putting that into my heart, life, and acting on it.
Its hard to believe the holidays are rolling around again. I see commericals on TV with families in Santa Hats with Christmas music in the background, and I warily say to myself, "didn't we JUST do this?" Summer felt like vapor in the wind this year. I'll be working next summer hopefully and staying busy... I hate being bored over the summer. Still hasn't snowed yet... Not that I'm complaining.
With it being that time of year, I'm also forced to watch more football than I would like. (I have that dumb pre-game Faith Hill song memorized--complete with choreography). But at the Koep house, its just tradition. I am looking forward to all of the school time off, however.
Schoolwork is not overly time consuming this year, as I only have five classes. My two favorite classes would have to be either Rhetoric or Eschatology. (For those of you who don't attend a classical school, I'll define those for you: Rhetoric is the study of persuasive speech and composition, and Eschatology is the study of end times.) I'm currently pulling a GPA of 3.5...but only by the grace of God. To Him be the glory... I could not have done it without Him. Don't ask me how Im able to go top-notch private school, cuz it wasn't me that did it.

So besides playing guitar between long study sessions with my radio and I, these days you'll usually just find me on Facebook, Yahoo!, working on my next theater oppurtunity, painting...or perhaps at the DMV. I need to retake my drivers test. And pass...when God sees fit I'm ready, that is.

Love: The More Excellent Way

So I know this book has been out for a while now, and if you've been inside a Christian book store recently, or you attend a Calvary Chapel church, you've probably heard about it (or read it). I myself aquired it a few weeks ago, and it assisted me greatly in my speech final(ask what my speech was about. No, go ahead, really, guess!)about Love.

This book has seriously changed my life, and I haven't even finished it yet. I know it can change the lives of many as well. Chuck Smith (Pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa)covers several different kinds of love, and goes into detail about God's love for us, our love for God, and love for others. He takes passages from literally everywhere in the Bible,commentating on God's perfect, infathomable, beautiful love,a and that love demonstrated through Jesus Christ. Its not only a great witnessing tool, but an inspiration to go deeper into your walk with God; and to deepen your love for God.
Just want to encourage all of you, if you've had questions about God's great love, this is a very good read. Relatively short, but so rich with scripture and inspiration. Check it ooouuuut. :)

~~~Gerry

shout out

Hey followers, Merry Christmas :)

So recently I just started this blog, and if your here you probably know me already. I plan to post a lot more stuff soon, like commentaries, reviews, or just randomness.


Keep comin back, theres more to come :) God bless you all.