Stolen Soul is LIVE

Stolen Soul is live!

Please give it a watch it if you can spare a couple of minutes; it's such an important topic that is too often avoided in conversation.

As part of my A level in Media Studies last year we were asked to make a video. I chose to make a short film. We were also asked to write an essay answering a question that we set ourselves. I chose to answer:
How has the representation of the definition of slavery changed in the last decade and how has the media facilitated this, specifically looking at "Taken" starring Liam Neeson (2008), Channel 4's "Captive: The Sex Slave Girl" (2012), and the UK Home Office's "Modern Slavery Ad Campaign" (2014)"?
If you would like to read the 1800 word essay, let me know. It's a difficult read but has some interesting points which I started to explore.

So, yeah, please share the video with your friends!

New Beginnings

Afternoon! Some of you may know that I'll be starting an internship with a local church this year. The church is not one that I am currently a member at but one which I will be working with for a year to gain experience within a church and work on my relationship with God at the same time.  This year has been a busy one for me and a crazy journey with God. I sung true the words 'Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Saviour'. And God certainly gave me so many opportunities this year to put my trust in Him. It's been so exciting! And it's far from over.  One thing that I hope to write about soon is Fortify. An event God called myself and 3 friends to put together with the help of many for which we are so grateful. The youth and adults that attended this event have had such close experiences with God that many of their lives have been changed! Our God is an awesome God!  From now on I should be posting a little more often. As part of my intern year I will be watching podcasts and reading books. Both of which I will be reviewing. So in addition to some life-style posts I'll be writing a bit about the inspiring things I've been reading and watching. Today I went out to choose a diary and journal which mum and dad kindly bought me as a 'welcome to work' present. I was very excited to write my first few meetings into the diary and I'm looking forward to writing about my first day on Tuesday.  My first day at my internship also coincides with the day I'm planning to release my videos about Human Trafficking onto YouTube. Unfortunately I will only be able to post one of the videos because the other video has too many kids in whom I do not have permission from their parents to release to the public. However, the video I am releasing is still one to get excited about. It's a very deep video with an important message; it's addressing an issue I feel Christians and non-Christians alike should be working to reduce. That's all for now, See ya soon and God bless, Amy My new diary and journal... :)

Immigrant - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country?

The desperation is real.  They're not an "issue" to be solved  but a people to be helped.  I cannot even think  about the one that died  without realising  'Maybe I saw him/her.  Maybe I even have  a picture of them'  When I visited the migrant camp  in Calais with my mum  we were close to tears.  We could feel the fear  that swept through the camp.  Thousands and thousands of  people  sleeping in tents  and 'shelters'  made of bin bags.  It's all they have.  For a lot of people,  it's better  than where they used to be.  They want the best life,  not for themselves,  but for their families.  I'm sure not one of you  reading this  would sit there and say  you wouldn't risk  your life  saving the one(s) you love  the only way you know how. The truth is: to them  this is the only way.  They hear stories  of Europe the green grass  on the other side  and they want some of that,  who can blame them  when a lot of us want it  so bad that we  wouldn't  give  it  up. In an ideal world,  we'd realise what we have  is a lot more than  what we need.  If we cut back on  big houses  and  expensive belongings  and saw that we CAN  live on less and  still be happy  then we could help  those that need the  necessities. 
One way that I'm doing this is with a group of friends from my church. We're going out to Mexico to build a home for a family without a house. We're going to be living on the bare minimum for the week whilst we build the foundation to the roof and hand over the keys on the last day. We'll get to play with the local children and really see what pure joy they get out of acts of love.   I realised recently that many people base their happiness on the temporary - a new car, a new phone, a Starbucks on the way to school/work. In essence, this is basing your happiness on money.  These immigrants, human beings with feelings, don't base their happiness on the latest IOS update with new emojis, they are happy because they are loved and they love.  The situation I witnessed was terrible. I wanted to give so much - food, water, a fresh change of clothes. Sure, they might've loved that, but the pill of burnt clothes tells me that there are things they need more. Warmth. Shelter. Safety. Maslow's hierarchy of needs says: On a most basic level humans need food, water, sleep. 100 or so of the women and children get two meals a day. The rest of them have to fend for themselves. Having already travelled thousands of miles they don't have money to throw away on coffee and meals out. They need to source basic rations. Yes, the French have given them a clean water supply. The next level up says that they need safety and shelter. It depends what you define as a shelter as to whether this one is fulfilled. But I can tell you right now that they are not safe. Traffickers have spotted an easy prey. Every night is a gamble as to whether they wake up in the same state they were in the day before, or worse, never better.  Disease will spread like wildfire through this camp. If you can't empathise with the adults then at least know in your hearts that the children had no choice too. The child I saw stood half in the straw hut his guardian had built, showing an element of fear and of hope at the sight of our modern car and camera. Were we there to help? Were we there to take away their decency?  I couldn't help then, but I can help now.  Please, just think before you next post about how frustrating operation stack is. Every time I get caught in it. Break, clutch, break, clutch. It hurts my knees. My knees aren't strong and they certainly don't like driving through traffic. But I don't think about that. I think about the poor mother or brother or sister or son that died, risking his/her life to help the ones they loved and themselves. It's not a crime to want the best for yourself either.  Think first, you have a car and a destination. They have neither.
Written after reading this article: ITV - Immigrant dies as 1,500 try to enter channel tunnel.
Matthew 25:31-46 Luke 3:11

A little Disney always helps...

Of course Disney isn't my number one priority in life but helping to encourage and empower people comes high on my list. What better way to do this than with God and Disney?! Power couple right there.  The Bible tells us to become like children (see Matthew 18:3) and one sure way of doing this is with a sprinkle of Disney. So in true child-heart fashion, here are a few quotes for you. Some are not entirely Disney, but most are.

"Life doesn't give us purpose. We give life purpose." - The Flash (DC Universe) What does God say to purpose in our lives? Proverbs 16:9 hits the nail on the head with the fact that 'the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps'. The Lord gives a purpose to those steps. Recently, in a worship service, Steffany Gretzinger exclaimed "you are most yourself when you are wrapped up in your purpose and not your position". We cannot forget Jeremiah 29:11, one of my favourite verses, because God knows the plans He has for us 'plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.

"I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!" - Spongebob Squarepants. This can always be our cry in response to the next place in life that God is calling us to. We need to remember that these two words are spoken to us over 80 times in the Bible: FEAR NOT.

"Some people are worth melting for" - Olaf (Frozen). l.o.v.e. Love. To me, this is the most important thing about being a Christian. It was through love that we have received grace when Jesus died on the cross. He would certainly say you are worth melting for.

"The things that make me different are the things that make me" - Winnie the Pooh. You are unique, you are different. Through God you are not the same as anyone else, you are even different from the person you used to be before you knew God. That's a good thing. We were all made in God's image (Genesis 1:27) and we were all made to be different.

"I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then" - Alice (Alice in Wonderland).

Like in the last quote, we are reminded that we are not the same as we used to be. Because of this we can be free. The lyrics that came to my head were ones that I heard at a Christian Youth Equipping Day in Watford not that long ago. "Oh no, nothing's gonna hold me back. No, nothing's gonna hold me back. No, nothing's gonna hold me back" - sung by Tom Smith. Some other encouraging lyrics that I'm reminded of are:

"I am chosen, I am free, I am living for eternity, free now forever. You washed me sin and shame away, the slate is clean, a brand new day, I'm yours now forever." - Tim Hughes (Holding Nothing Back), and "take the shackles off my feet so I can dance, I just wanna praise you, I just wanna praise you. You broke my chains" - Mary Mary (Shackles).

Alice felt lonely and isolated in an entirely new world which she wasn't used to and didn't fit into. The glorious truth of God's world is that everyone belongs there, no matter who they are today and who they were yesterday.

These are just a few of my interpretations. Below is the entire list of the 50 quotes which I found here.

Please comment or message me if you think you have any thoughts on these or others of the quotes!

I had a lot of fun writing this post for you all, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

I do not claim rights to any graphics or quotes.

These interpretations are just my opinion, I am open to other thoughts. 

God bless,

MEXICO!!

An opportunity that I haven't posted about as of yet is that myself, and a group from my church (comprised of 4 youth and 2 other leaders), are planning to head out to Mexico next march (2016). The group will be spending 10 days in Mexico building a home for a family without a house. Have a look at a video from a youth group that have visited recently to take part in ReBuild 2015.

We've set up a blog to keep everyone updated. If you fancy finding out a bit more visit the blog here: WBC Youth go to Mexico

WiFi vs. God

I feel this type of title needs some explaining, stick with this post and you'll grasp it all I'm sure! Okay so who here is an Apple user - iPhone? And who here is an Android or other user? I'm a Samsung girl. Recently, during a break from my two-day a level art exam, I switched on the school Wifi to Google something on my phone. Much to my surprise the phone switched off and decided to update without my permission. I was mortified. I never, ever update my phone or computer operating systems, for fear that I won’t like the change. I'm sure if it came down to it though and the device wouldn't work anymore without it then I'd use it as a final resort. Since the unexpected system update on my phone I've noticed a few things that are slower, and not nearly as great. There are some plus sides but anyone with this update will tell you that the new layout was a bit of a shock to Android users. After putting up with these issues for a week or two I looked into updating some of the individual apps on my phone. I figured with the operating system update the old apps might not be able to cope. It turns out that 46 of my apps needed updating whilst 22 were up-to-date. I selected the few apps that I use frequently to see if any change took place post-update.    For these updates I used WiFi, a lot cheaper than 3G for me, but involves being at home or in a WiFi zone. Updates like this can be unwelcome, something that is different and new, something that is unknown but the makers know what they're doing. I don't know about you but with this story God seems to slot right into the role of WiFi. He's the source of all knowledge, has the power to upload, download, delete, and refresh all operating systems, also known as mobile phones. That's us. I'm not saying we're each a tiny little screen with a couple of buttons, you're a powerful computer, you have the potential to go far and change the world. But where would a mobile phone be without WiFi? Sure, it could do the essentials and call for help in an emergency or send a text asking your mum for a lift but it has the potential to do so much more. A potential that can only be unlocked by the use of WiFi. Our human bodies can do the unimaginable through Christ. As soon as we tap into His Spirit we are able to do so much more. But what exactly does a mobile phone need WiFi for? In addition to the previously mentioned system updates a mobile phone can need WiFi for a large number of things. Updating individual apps, browsing the internet, making connections via social media. As Christians we've received our system update from God. One that has been given to us by the death of Christ and one that we know is so so so so much better than an awful phone update. I promise you that. Jesus came to die for all of our sins, all of your sins, so that you could have a new life in Him. That's an amazing human system update, we've been reborn. Once this happens we can find ourselves feeling run down along the way. That's where the app updates come into play. When you pray and ask God for guidance He highlights to you various parts of your life that need an update over WiFi. Parts of your life that have been drained and need a new wave of the Holy Spirit upon them. Perhaps in your updates list are things such as relationships, school work, stress, loneliness, friends, uncertainty. God wants to update these areas of your life, first you need to ask Him to. The second thing that I mentioned that we can use WiFi for is browsing the internet. When I am making a big decision on a new purchase or the next stage in my life I turn to "trusty, old" Google as well as God. Time after time I find myself turning to Google for the answers. This feature is only enabled over WiFi. In our lives we often find ourselves searching for answers. We have access to a big God, brace yourself for the three quite-big-words coming up, who is not only benevolent but also omnipotent and omniscient. These mean that He is not only all loving but He is all powerful and ALL KNOWING. Just ask and you shall find. Sometimes we must accept that the answer is no and trust God because, unlike Google, He KNOWS what will happen tomorrow and the day after and the years after. He has a plan so suited to you that it's impossible to fathom. We can access this when we search. The last thing that I mentioned we need WiFi for is for social media connections. Facebook and messenger actually crashed on my phone moments before I got this analogy from God, leading me to start writing this. For this I have two real-life relations. The first is Christian friendship. Through God, aka WiFi for the time being, we can make connections with Christians near and far, building supportive relationships, which are essential for a happy life with a sense of security. The second is spreading God's love through whichever talent He has blessed you with. Perhaps you have a Twitter gift, that you're able to perfectly sum up God's love and tweet it out to many of your friends. Perhaps you have an Instagram gift, you use your skills in art and photography/film to reach out and make connections with people. Perhaps you have a Pinterest gift, you're great at solving problems and giving creative solutions. Perhaps you're a reverse Timehop type of guy; you're able to connect with God and receive prophetic messages, encouraging messages from God about a person or situation, often links with the future. Or even a Snapchat gift; you have the ability to radiate God's love to others by the smile on your face. You get the idea. Overall, what I'm really trying to stress is that WE NEED GOD. None of the things listed above can be done effectively without first checking that your signal strength from God is strong and that your connection isn't interrupted. There are different ways to get to this stage which you can explore: worship and prayer and the two most common ways of reaching out to God. You might have picked up on the idea that we can also use 3G for many of these updates. For me, this is the most expensive and quite often the most time consuming route. Using 3G is like taking the right route without a full connection to God – you still still end up where God planned for you to be but it took all the more effort to get there. With God, He will do all the work for you. Enough analogies for one Sunday evening, I will leave you with these words from the Bible...

The Best University

For those of you that are searching or have searched in the past for the right uni, what is/was on your 'checklist'? You probably have a checklist of things which would make the perfect university for you. Perhaps accommodation with an en suite bathroom, or just accommodation which you can afford. Maybe the uni needs to be near a town centre. While I am searching for the right university for me, and praying about where I end up, I am also checking things off from a mental list: 1- Offer courses in the subjects that I am interested in (sort of essential) 2 - Sizeable room in accommodation for studying 3 - Have a Christian Union 4 - Job opportunities nearby 5 - Location 6 - Course content and vocational opportunities 7 - Close to home That last thing on my list can be taken two ways. The first is as it first appears: no more than a couple of hours away from my childhood home. The second is a little deeper, and perhaps even more important, it is that I am close to God. He is my home, I will be with Him in Heaven for eternity and I would love to be with Him on earth, at university, and for the rest of my earthly existence. Universities in the UK often have great Christian Unions available to their students, and nearby churches run amazing student programs but is this enough? For students who want to study Theology they can find a Christian College, such as Moorlands or Spurgeons, and settle in with other like-minded Christians. For those who wish to study music, art, maths, english, or science they have it a little more difficult. They will be in an environment everyday surrounded by young adults who want to live life and have fun, regardless of what God has planned. Young Christian's faith will be pushed to the limit at University, and without the support that nearby churches and Christian Unions offer they could lose their relationship with God by drifting far away and building a wall between Him and themselves.  I was talking to a friend about this recently and a thought came to mind about a university which offers a range of courses and subjects whilst being a Christian organisation full of Christian students. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, such institution does not exist in the UK. In the US there a number of universities/colleges which are set up primarily for Christians such as Wheaton College, US. The courses that it runs are so extensive which makes it open to almost every Christian out there searching for a university to attend which does their course subject. Would a Christian University be the answer? To some extent I think that a similar institution would go down really well in the UK. There are so many Christians today looking for a university to study at which won't harm their faith too much whilst challenging it just enough. However, there are also stories of Atheists who met Christians at university and their lives were changed for the better. Would an exclusively Christian University damage the potential to spread God's love? Perhaps so. Or maybe not if the institution was to be linked with a secular college. I can't see these ramblings reaching a conclusion for the time being. I am just mulling over some thoughts which have taken over my revision this morning. I think my new 'checklist' will be: 1 - Offer courses that I believe God is leading me to 2 - Accommodation which will enable me to mix with other Christians and non-Christians day in, day out 3 - An established Christian Union 4 - Job opportunities and charity opportunities to 'give back to God' 5 - Location - near to a supporting church with established Christian student facilities 6 - Course content and vocational opportunities - a schedule which doesn't clash with church involvement 7 - Close to home - a place where I am free to believe in God and express that to my heart's content

What are your thoughts?