Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Introductory Speech
Hi, my name is Megan Daniel. I like to believe that there was not just one specific person or event that has affected who I am today. I am the daughter of a drug addict. I am the daughter of a loving, wonderful mother who took on the role of my dad and mom. I became more mature than my classmates when my parents divorced. I became bitter, angry and hurt when my dad left me with the sense of abandonment. I was broken hearted when my ex-boyfriend ended our relationship. All of these events, were hugely significant in my life, but my most personal and intimate event was the day I became a follower of Christ. My bitterness towards my dad faded, and I forgave him. My broken heart has been gathered. My sense of abandonment has been forgotten, and been replaced with ravishing love. I believe that God has put all the people I interact with and every occurrence that takes place to mold me, to shape me, and to grow me into the woman he wants me to be. Psalm 139:13-15 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.” I AM fearfully and wonderfully made. I am God’s hidden treasure. I am his priceless pearl. I live for him and him alone. I do everything to please him. That is the main reason for what defines me. I am not perfect because I am human and there will always be flaws. This is me…nothing more and he loves me. What more can I say?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
My Testimony (Biola Essay)
I was sixteen years old when I was saved. I went through a lot of adversities and trials that God used to bring me to him. My parents’ divorce was the main reason I was unhappy. My dad changed, and he did not treat me like his daughter. I was forced to move; leaving the familiar house I lived in for so many years. My brother was sent to live with his biological mom, while I stayed witnessing the horror by myself. My dad did not make the divorce easy. He started using drugs, being angry, threatening to commit suicide, and damaged many things. I was not happy and I was falling apart at the seams everyday. It was not until I attended a summer program in Chico called Seed Sowers, that I noticed how broken I was. I was so use to putting on a façade, and pretending everything was fine. I did not want to be known as the girl with the broken family, the girl whose dad was addicted to crystal meth, the girl whose dad left her, or the girl who could not handle her life. I was uncertain about my salvation; was I saved or was I damned to go to hell? A few weeks after Seed Sowers I was coming home from a vacation in Canada. My grandparents and I went to a gospel hall service, and that is when it happened. I was sitting through the service, and trying to hold back my tears that I bottled up for so long. The speaker was talking about false salvation. He described me perfectly, and it terrified me. How did this man, who was a guest speaker from California, happen to speak the very night I was at the meeting? I knew I needed to talk to him. He sat me down and asked what I wanted to talk about. I knew that he truly understood what I wanted to talk about. It took me awhile to tell him my dilemma because I was so choked up by my tears. He was patient and understanding of me. He had me slowly and in sections read John 3:16 aloud. “For God so loved the world…that he gave his only son…that whosoever believeth in him…should not perish…but have everlasting life.” I knew the verse and I did not understand why he had me read that verse. He asked me, “Do you believe it?” I meekly replied, “Yes, I do.” “But do you truly believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins that you will not go to hell, but have everlasting life with God in heaven?” I did not know my answer. I was speechless and tongue tied. He told me about an analogy about a race car driver and compared it to God. After he told me the whole story behind the analogy, he asked, “Do you want to call God a liar?” I shook my head, “No.” We sat there for a few seconds, as the tears were still running down my cheeks. I was saved that night, and it was one of the most amazing nights that I can remember.
It has been two years and four months since that magically night took place. There have been plenty of trials that God has placed in front of me. My trials had tears, smiles, and sometimes both. I learned to forgive my dad for all his wrongdoings. Being able to let go of every pain he had caused me was like taking a second breath of life. Every now and then I get sad because of the relationship I have with my dad, but it no longer has a hold on me. I put it in God’s hands. Knowing that God knows my plans is comforting, but sometimes knowing that I do not have any insight can be quite terrifying. Psalm 130:7 says, “Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.” I understand that I will not be happy every day. Some days I will be sad, but even in those moments I find contentment and God is always there. In the video Rain by Nooma, Rob Bell speaks about how in all of our hurts and pains God is with us, and as we cry he is there saying, “We are going to make it…Dad knows the way… I love you!” I cry every time I watch that video because it is so unbelievably true. I can not fully grasp how much God loves me; it is beyond my own understanding. He is there in my times of troubles, he is there in my pain, he is there when I am blissfully happy, he is there as my Father, and he is there as my friend. I am in love with a beautiful, merciful, loving God; what more could I ask for?
It has been two years and four months since that magically night took place. There have been plenty of trials that God has placed in front of me. My trials had tears, smiles, and sometimes both. I learned to forgive my dad for all his wrongdoings. Being able to let go of every pain he had caused me was like taking a second breath of life. Every now and then I get sad because of the relationship I have with my dad, but it no longer has a hold on me. I put it in God’s hands. Knowing that God knows my plans is comforting, but sometimes knowing that I do not have any insight can be quite terrifying. Psalm 130:7 says, “Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.” I understand that I will not be happy every day. Some days I will be sad, but even in those moments I find contentment and God is always there. In the video Rain by Nooma, Rob Bell speaks about how in all of our hurts and pains God is with us, and as we cry he is there saying, “We are going to make it…Dad knows the way… I love you!” I cry every time I watch that video because it is so unbelievably true. I can not fully grasp how much God loves me; it is beyond my own understanding. He is there in my times of troubles, he is there in my pain, he is there when I am blissfully happy, he is there as my Father, and he is there as my friend. I am in love with a beautiful, merciful, loving God; what more could I ask for?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Unseen (Essay)
Slavery is the imprisonment of one or more individuals by taking away their choice and freedom to leave and make their own decisions. Slavery has been traced back to ancient times. It is mentioned in the Bible and in today’s history books. Slavery was and is an unseen issue, but children in slavery is an unfair and depressing issue that many people are blindingly looking away from because it is pressed upon children, it is an emotional issue to witness and it is extremely hard to end.
Many children are sold into slavery because of poverty, entertainment and their age. Children are not granted with the choice whether or not they are put into slavery; some times they are brought into slavery by an alternative method. Children will either work as sex slaves, workers on cocoa or coffee bean farms, etc. In many poor regions, parents will sell their children in order to pay off a debt or a general necessity. As parents sell their children, others are fooling them into the working field of sex slavery. They offer them a job that will help earn money for their family, then without any say they are sold to prostitution. For example, Thailand is one of the major regions of child prostitution. It has a higher income than Google, Nike, and Starbucks combined. In addition to poverty and entertainment, children are the main focus in sex slavery because they are easily manipulated; making it easier for the slave holder to brainwash a child.
Because of slavery, the mental stability of the children has evolved into a state of unhealthy thoughts. In the documentary Call + Response, they show how young girls and boys from the age of four through seventeen are told that having sexual relations with an adult is an everyday part of life and the more they have the better. Slave holders also tell the children that the police are bad and they will put them in jail for prostitution. A thirteen year old girl named Lucilia was brought into human trafficking in the United States. Her holder told her “‘All you got to do is go up to the car in front of us,’ said Romeo, the young black man with heavy-lidded eyes at the wheel. ‘You charge him whatever you want to charge him, you ask if he’s police or a pimp. He’s gonna give you money, and then you’re gonna just do whatever he wants you to do real quick. It’s just a one-minute thing.’ He sent her out. She went up to the other car. The man inside drove her to one of the big parking lots nearby, close to the Belt Parkway. He paid her $500, had sex with her, and then dropped her off. ‘Where the money?’ Romeo asked her when she climbed back inside his car. ‘Let me count it.’ Lucilia took the cash out of her pocket and watched him flip through the bills. ‘Can I have my money back?’ she asked. ‘You not getting your money back!’ he said. ‘You making this money for me to take care of you.’ And then he explained what he called “the Game,” how he would love her and be her “daddy,” how he would take care of her and buy her whatever she wanted, as long as she brought him money. ‘Let me tell you,’ he said. ‘I’m a pimp, and you’re a ho.’ ‘What do you mean I’m a ho?’ she asked. She knew the word only as an insult, as in, you’re nasty. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re a moneymaking ho.’ ‘Is that good?’ she asked. ‘Yeah,’ he told her. ‘That’s good.’”[1] Lucilia was thirteen years old. She should have been in middle school, and enjoying time at the movies with her friends. Instead, she was letting men use her body and being brainwashed that prostitution was good. This was her idea of love.
Slavery takes place in multiple countries including the United States. “Many people are surprised to learn that in sheer numbers, more people around the world are enslaved today ‘than were seized from Africa in 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.’”[2] When government decides to take action, deal with corruption within their own organizations and make the punishment outweigh the reward, then maybe something will be done about the issue that exists with slavery. “Industries in which child slaves are used exist in all parts of the world. Children are enslaved in the cotton fields of India, fishing industry in Ghana, charcoal production in Brazil, gold mines in Peru, brick producing kilns of Nepal, stone quarries in south Asia, as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates, and as domestic servants and sex slaves all over the world, including in the United States and other developed countries. Because they are more easily manipulated, children are typically given work in the most unhealthy and dangerous conditions.”[3]
Due to the harshness of slavery, every individual should join together to stand up and fight against children in slavery. Many people have started a movement. Call+Response gathered different artists and filmed a documentary to make slavery apparent to today’s society. In their documentary a philosopher, Cornel West, offered his wisdom and his time to put slavery into the raw and truthful perspective that the audience could not see. By judges, officers, politicians, and the public working together to make sure that true justice is served, they are showing love for the victims. “Justice is what love looks like in public!”[4] Protecting and doing right by our victims is love. If everyone pulled together and decided to stop the cycle of crime and victimization, a difference could be achieved. If more people stopped, understood and cared about justice being served, then how many less criminals would be on the street creating more victims? By removing the criminals from our society, our world would be a safer place and this action would be considered an act of love. Children should be protected from evil and the adults in their lives should be the ones to protect.
Many children are sold into slavery because of poverty, entertainment and their age. Children are not granted with the choice whether or not they are put into slavery; some times they are brought into slavery by an alternative method. Children will either work as sex slaves, workers on cocoa or coffee bean farms, etc. In many poor regions, parents will sell their children in order to pay off a debt or a general necessity. As parents sell their children, others are fooling them into the working field of sex slavery. They offer them a job that will help earn money for their family, then without any say they are sold to prostitution. For example, Thailand is one of the major regions of child prostitution. It has a higher income than Google, Nike, and Starbucks combined. In addition to poverty and entertainment, children are the main focus in sex slavery because they are easily manipulated; making it easier for the slave holder to brainwash a child.
Because of slavery, the mental stability of the children has evolved into a state of unhealthy thoughts. In the documentary Call + Response, they show how young girls and boys from the age of four through seventeen are told that having sexual relations with an adult is an everyday part of life and the more they have the better. Slave holders also tell the children that the police are bad and they will put them in jail for prostitution. A thirteen year old girl named Lucilia was brought into human trafficking in the United States. Her holder told her “‘All you got to do is go up to the car in front of us,’ said Romeo, the young black man with heavy-lidded eyes at the wheel. ‘You charge him whatever you want to charge him, you ask if he’s police or a pimp. He’s gonna give you money, and then you’re gonna just do whatever he wants you to do real quick. It’s just a one-minute thing.’ He sent her out. She went up to the other car. The man inside drove her to one of the big parking lots nearby, close to the Belt Parkway. He paid her $500, had sex with her, and then dropped her off. ‘Where the money?’ Romeo asked her when she climbed back inside his car. ‘Let me count it.’ Lucilia took the cash out of her pocket and watched him flip through the bills. ‘Can I have my money back?’ she asked. ‘You not getting your money back!’ he said. ‘You making this money for me to take care of you.’ And then he explained what he called “the Game,” how he would love her and be her “daddy,” how he would take care of her and buy her whatever she wanted, as long as she brought him money. ‘Let me tell you,’ he said. ‘I’m a pimp, and you’re a ho.’ ‘What do you mean I’m a ho?’ she asked. She knew the word only as an insult, as in, you’re nasty. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re a moneymaking ho.’ ‘Is that good?’ she asked. ‘Yeah,’ he told her. ‘That’s good.’”[1] Lucilia was thirteen years old. She should have been in middle school, and enjoying time at the movies with her friends. Instead, she was letting men use her body and being brainwashed that prostitution was good. This was her idea of love.
Slavery takes place in multiple countries including the United States. “Many people are surprised to learn that in sheer numbers, more people around the world are enslaved today ‘than were seized from Africa in 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.’”[2] When government decides to take action, deal with corruption within their own organizations and make the punishment outweigh the reward, then maybe something will be done about the issue that exists with slavery. “Industries in which child slaves are used exist in all parts of the world. Children are enslaved in the cotton fields of India, fishing industry in Ghana, charcoal production in Brazil, gold mines in Peru, brick producing kilns of Nepal, stone quarries in south Asia, as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates, and as domestic servants and sex slaves all over the world, including in the United States and other developed countries. Because they are more easily manipulated, children are typically given work in the most unhealthy and dangerous conditions.”[3]
Due to the harshness of slavery, every individual should join together to stand up and fight against children in slavery. Many people have started a movement. Call+Response gathered different artists and filmed a documentary to make slavery apparent to today’s society. In their documentary a philosopher, Cornel West, offered his wisdom and his time to put slavery into the raw and truthful perspective that the audience could not see. By judges, officers, politicians, and the public working together to make sure that true justice is served, they are showing love for the victims. “Justice is what love looks like in public!”[4] Protecting and doing right by our victims is love. If everyone pulled together and decided to stop the cycle of crime and victimization, a difference could be achieved. If more people stopped, understood and cared about justice being served, then how many less criminals would be on the street creating more victims? By removing the criminals from our society, our world would be a safer place and this action would be considered an act of love. Children should be protected from evil and the adults in their lives should be the ones to protect.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Becoming Who God Designed Me To Be (Essay)
Within my community there are many different types of people. People who are religious, people who are not, people who love me for me, and people who do not. My community consists of the people who affect my life; my family, friends, church, coworkers, and even those who do not know me. I am a people pleaser, and I do not like to upset people. I do not like to judge someone for their past, present or their future. Most of the time, I will put someone else’s feelings before mine. I try to love everyone. I do not offer much to my community, but I can give them the safety and the love of a friend.
Every minute, hour, day and month, I try to treat and love people the way that I would like to be treated and loved. In the Bible, God gives us the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus states that all commandments are important, but the two very important commandments are to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbors. My co-worker, Jasmine, offended me when she said, “oh yeah, you listen to that Jesus music don’t you?” I do not think she meant any harm, but she made me mad and I was upset. Even though I felt this way, I was never crude and offensive to her. I just kept working and we have some very funny moments together. When someone is mad at me and yelling, I will hold back my anger and love them. When someone is low and sad, I will love them. When someone is completely content, I will still love them. I attempt to follow this commandment because it serves a great purpose. I could bring peace between my father and me. I could help someone see that they are truly loved. I could make a significant difference in society.
When my friends, family or even an acquaintance comes to me with something, I allow them to express themselves with me without any judgment. I have friends who do not have the same morals and beliefs as me, but that does not change how I feel about them. Many people are scared and intimidated to tell people about their lives because of past mistakes or their own personal views. Being there for someone gives me a better understanding of them and allows the relationship to grow. Haley, my best friend, broke down in front of me once. She was raped, and she felt dirty and guilty in the eyes of God. As she cried, I held her and spoke comforting words to her. I told her that God loves her so much and that no matter what, she is beautiful inside and out. The next day she thanked me and said she felt a lot better. Giving people a sense of security and belonging helps benefit both the person expressing themselves and the person listening.
After I am done with my basics in college, I would like to reach out to those outside of the country and offer them a friend who can love and help them throughout their pain and trials. I would love to go to Africa for a mission trip because I am completely and utterly compassionate about helping people in need. I want to help those who have AIDS, those who are homeless, parentless or even those who do not have a family. I watch clips from organizations about how millions die from AIDS in Africa. I want to be able to go there and love the people. I want to help them better their lives, whether it is for their children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren or even a sibling. My heart aches for them, and everyday I wake up wanting to do more.
My community is everyone around me. It is said that everyone’s actions have an effect on another person’s life. If I affect my community, then I want to affect it in a positive way. God is love; therefore, life should be filled with love.
Every minute, hour, day and month, I try to treat and love people the way that I would like to be treated and loved. In the Bible, God gives us the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus states that all commandments are important, but the two very important commandments are to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbors. My co-worker, Jasmine, offended me when she said, “oh yeah, you listen to that Jesus music don’t you?” I do not think she meant any harm, but she made me mad and I was upset. Even though I felt this way, I was never crude and offensive to her. I just kept working and we have some very funny moments together. When someone is mad at me and yelling, I will hold back my anger and love them. When someone is low and sad, I will love them. When someone is completely content, I will still love them. I attempt to follow this commandment because it serves a great purpose. I could bring peace between my father and me. I could help someone see that they are truly loved. I could make a significant difference in society.
When my friends, family or even an acquaintance comes to me with something, I allow them to express themselves with me without any judgment. I have friends who do not have the same morals and beliefs as me, but that does not change how I feel about them. Many people are scared and intimidated to tell people about their lives because of past mistakes or their own personal views. Being there for someone gives me a better understanding of them and allows the relationship to grow. Haley, my best friend, broke down in front of me once. She was raped, and she felt dirty and guilty in the eyes of God. As she cried, I held her and spoke comforting words to her. I told her that God loves her so much and that no matter what, she is beautiful inside and out. The next day she thanked me and said she felt a lot better. Giving people a sense of security and belonging helps benefit both the person expressing themselves and the person listening.
After I am done with my basics in college, I would like to reach out to those outside of the country and offer them a friend who can love and help them throughout their pain and trials. I would love to go to Africa for a mission trip because I am completely and utterly compassionate about helping people in need. I want to help those who have AIDS, those who are homeless, parentless or even those who do not have a family. I watch clips from organizations about how millions die from AIDS in Africa. I want to be able to go there and love the people. I want to help them better their lives, whether it is for their children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren or even a sibling. My heart aches for them, and everyday I wake up wanting to do more.
My community is everyone around me. It is said that everyone’s actions have an effect on another person’s life. If I affect my community, then I want to affect it in a positive way. God is love; therefore, life should be filled with love.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Serenity Prayer (Essay)
My parents’ divorce ruined my relationship with my dad and I have grown so much because of it. I was in seventh grade when it started; my brother was sent to his biological mother’s house and my mom asked my dad for a divorce. As a thirteen year old girl, I never expected such a traumatic event to take place. My mom changed, my dad changed and everything seemed to be falling apart and I had no way of stopping it. I did not know what to do or what was going to happen and I was scared of the outcome.
My dad did everything in his power to make the divorce terrible. I was fourteen when he decided that taking sides with him or my mom was a necessity. In order to win me over, he lied by telling me that my mom thought I was a mistake when she had me. I was close with my mom and I questioned her about what he had told me. She confirmed what I had thought and said my dad was wrong. My dad did not like how close my mom and I were and he wanted more time with me. A few months later, it was Christmas and my mom and I decided to spend the morning at home then leave for my grandparent’s house in Chico. Of course, my dad hated the idea because he was not going to have the whole day with me and he wanted to make that very clear. He locked himself in the bedroom for an hour and when he came out he was wrathful. He started yelling at my mom and threw my favorite mug across the room and into the wall. My dad then took my mom’s favorite figurine and went to the backyard to shatter it into many pieces on the cement. We had enough of his rampage and left for the police station to file a report on my own dad. He made me angry and I pitied myself for having a father who made everyday a struggle. I felt like no one understood me.
It took over three years for the divorce to be finalized. My dad went from living with us to living in his truck to living in a townhouse then finally living at his parents’ second house in Norwalk, CA. He barely called and if I was lucky I got one visit every year. I blamed it on the drugs, since the beginning of the divorce they were always his way of escaping reality, but instead they were the reason my relationship with him was destroyed. He tried really hard to make things right with me while I was in high school. Even though he would give me jewelry or he would promise to visit me, he always had a way of getting my hopes up then crushing them for the whole world to see. It is really sad to see a broken relationship between a dad and his daughter, but it was even worse being the daughter with the broken dad.
Five years has come and gone since the beginning of my parents’ divorce and I have realized the significance of it all. Thanks to all the adversities I had to overcome, I have found a love of a heavenly Father, I learned from my dad’s mistakes and I learned how to forgive him for all his wrongdoings. I may not have the greatest dad, but I have accepted him and I gave him the opportunity to have a second chance whenever he makes a mistake. God has always granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
My dad did everything in his power to make the divorce terrible. I was fourteen when he decided that taking sides with him or my mom was a necessity. In order to win me over, he lied by telling me that my mom thought I was a mistake when she had me. I was close with my mom and I questioned her about what he had told me. She confirmed what I had thought and said my dad was wrong. My dad did not like how close my mom and I were and he wanted more time with me. A few months later, it was Christmas and my mom and I decided to spend the morning at home then leave for my grandparent’s house in Chico. Of course, my dad hated the idea because he was not going to have the whole day with me and he wanted to make that very clear. He locked himself in the bedroom for an hour and when he came out he was wrathful. He started yelling at my mom and threw my favorite mug across the room and into the wall. My dad then took my mom’s favorite figurine and went to the backyard to shatter it into many pieces on the cement. We had enough of his rampage and left for the police station to file a report on my own dad. He made me angry and I pitied myself for having a father who made everyday a struggle. I felt like no one understood me.
It took over three years for the divorce to be finalized. My dad went from living with us to living in his truck to living in a townhouse then finally living at his parents’ second house in Norwalk, CA. He barely called and if I was lucky I got one visit every year. I blamed it on the drugs, since the beginning of the divorce they were always his way of escaping reality, but instead they were the reason my relationship with him was destroyed. He tried really hard to make things right with me while I was in high school. Even though he would give me jewelry or he would promise to visit me, he always had a way of getting my hopes up then crushing them for the whole world to see. It is really sad to see a broken relationship between a dad and his daughter, but it was even worse being the daughter with the broken dad.
Five years has come and gone since the beginning of my parents’ divorce and I have realized the significance of it all. Thanks to all the adversities I had to overcome, I have found a love of a heavenly Father, I learned from my dad’s mistakes and I learned how to forgive him for all his wrongdoings. I may not have the greatest dad, but I have accepted him and I gave him the opportunity to have a second chance whenever he makes a mistake. God has always granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
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