Valentine Day

Hey,

Yesterday but the strings event we were given a Valentine's Day card and I thought since today is Valentine's Day that they recheck with all of you.

Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He makes great delight in you, he will quieten and you with his love, He rejoices over you with singing."

My daughter,

I love you with an avalanche to love,

an unshaken ball, unbreakable love.

I created your innermost being in.

I wave you together in a secret place.

My eyes saw your own formed body.

I am your heavenly Father who loves you.

I love you because you are my child.

My love is unconditional.

I have loved you since before time began

and will still love you after the end of time.

Nothing in all of creation can separate you

from my love.

You can never lose your worth to me,

my love for you never changes.

You are my creation, my work of art and

my own dear child

I will never leave you, never depart from you,

and never forsake you,

for my love for you is constant and forever.

Love, your heavenly dad.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone

Amy x

God's Love

Hey,

This evening I went to the streams event with my mother which is like a church service but for women only. I had a great time and it started with a fruity cup of tea.

1 Samuel 3:9

"Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

The talk today was on ashamed love which was spoken by Rachel Hickson. You find that God's love is captivating and you want to become a carrier of it but you feel that shame invades your life.

Romans 1:16

“For I shall not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

Some of you may feel in a situation the duck and dive response happens where you wish to hide from talking about God, but in God's love we should not be ashamed nor should we let shame infiltrate our life.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

“Of the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who will unveiled faces contemplate"

You need to remember that we were made in the image of God, but also that love in God is perfect and a perfect love destroys fear. You need to break free of shame to find out who you are. Have unashamed love of who you are and who God is. Through looking to Jesus you all figure out who you really are and who you are meant to be.

Psalm 34:5

“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."

Sometimes you need to take a step back and look to Jesus so that you can put the shadow behind you. This shadow may be many things; such as fear and shame but also for me personally I feel it is also anxiety.

Genesis 2:25

“Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."

At the beginning, we were made to have a transparent relationship with God and therefore the original idea was to have no shame.

Suicides are increasing nowadays then a few years ago, and I feel that's because we feel naked, shamed and like there is no hope.

Genesis 3:7-10

“And they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking into the garden in the call of the day, and they head from Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man 'where are you?' He answered 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

We were made to feel free and to be face-to-face with God not to be behind walls and masks, so we should break free of this shame as shame hides joy.

In this year of 2017 we should break free of our masks due the fact that 7 can mean breakthrough and breaking free will bring us closer to Jesus. However, we should remember that just because God says something doesn't mean it will be easy, but it also means just because it's hard doesn’t mean you should give up.

Ephesians 4:15-16

“Instead, speaking the truth in love we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, each part does its work."

Do not listen to the devil even when telling the truth!

When we're talking about truth we are not talking about truth of information but the truth of the spirit.

Truth with no love brings destruction, but Truth spoken in love brings liberation!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easy the angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."

God's love is a powerful and unashamed love which never fails. Look to God and let his joy come upon you through looking to Jesus and trusting him he will take you on a journey. He will take away the shadow of shame, and remember he is an accepting God that has plans for you.

Songs:

Holy Spirit

What masks do you need to take away?

For me it is lack of confidence; fear of judgement; and anxiety.

If you have any questions please use the contact box to message me,

thanks for reading,

Amy x

Sir Ken Robision

Hey,

So, I had an interview last week for the course I am hoping to start in September which is Bed Primary (Art & Design). For this interview, we had to listen to a podcast broadcasted by BBC 4 where they spoke to Sir Ken Robinson about creativity within education.

I found that I agreed with all that he said and the ideas that he expressed. He spoke about how the creative arts are just as important as literacy and numeracy but they are not viewed in the same way which I agree with Ken. An example of this is that we don’t teach dance as much if at all in schools but we teach loads of maths, think about it we will always use our bodies but some of the maths we are taught will never be used outside of education. I feel that this is a good point but also illogical as you can’t teach dance at an equal amount of mathematics as there are only a certain amount of hours and days to teach and be taught what is needed to be learnt.

Ken Robinson also spoke about how creativity is being crushed in education but that it is not the teacher's fault but the government as they decided the curriculum. Education has become more strategic because in the past not many people cared about what happens in other countries but now it seems to be like a competition and the children seems to be at the end of the chain when education is meant to be about them. The Law of unintentional circumstances can be applied here as creativity is being pushed out of education altogether but it is not happening on purpose. We have become obsessed with education instead of how children learn and what can be done better to help them.

An example of this is that most likely if you paint like Pablo Picasso you will not get a Ph.D. but if you write about his works as well as other artists, write about what they have done, the effects it has had, how the work makes you feel, you are likely to get a Ph.D.

He also says that it is cultures fault which I feel is true as different cultures teach in different ways and I believe that focusing mainly on numeracy and literacy can make people think they are not smart enough when really they just learn in a different way, a more creative way. I know this to be true in my personal experience as I am dyslexic and found that I learn through being creative and when it came to the more literacy based subjects I always felt like I wasn’t smart enough.

Michael Gove said, “you have to learn the basics in literacy and numeracy to be creative”. I feel this is a load of rubbish, I mean if you have to learn the basics in order to be creative then explain how you are being creative at a young age before you have learnt to count, read or write, maybe even before you have learnt how to speak. Ken Robinson disagreed with Michael’s statement saying it is just not true and then he went on to give an example of the Beatles and how when they first started they only knew 3 chords and grew in learning as they continued in their career, but it wasn’t knowing the basics that made them being creative but that they had a passion for what they were doing as well as their enthusiasm for music. We need to teach in a way that will make the children have enthusiasm and a passion for the subjects being taught as they will learn better.

Please use the contact box on the side to give your opinion or ask questions,

Thanks for reading

Amy x

University break

Hey,

This post is long behind when I was meant to write it, but oh well I am writing it now.

Last month I interrupted my studies so I will be taking a break before starting again in September and I am hoping to study a different course. Through going this I have found that many people change their course after the first year, but I have a feeling that some people are like me and worry about the problems it would cause with education, finances, and living, so I thought I would write a blog post regarding my experience.

Actually, it’s not as difficult as everyone thinks. When it came to interrupting my studies all I had to do was fill in a form and hand it into the office which in my case was the Arts & Humanities office due to my course being Media Arts. I left it with them to be filed.

Once it has been filed they would pass this information on to Student Finance England and they would stop your loans and if you had just received your loans they would want some money back. You would be sent letters regarding all of this information. In my case, I had just received my loans so I needed to pay some money back. I am also hoping to transfer to another course which is 3 years and therefore would need money for another year but if you explain what is going on SFE may give you the money depending on the circumstances. I am receiving money up until my last term because they paid fully for my first term and about 25% of this term.

As I am hoping to transfer from the Media Arts course to the Bed Primary (Art & Design) course I had to go through the interview process again. This meant getting references, creating a portfolio and going into an interview. If I am accepted onto this course they will simply transfer me to the course in August so I will pick up where I started in September with my studies but on another course.

I hope this has helped anyone who is in a similar position or thinking about transferring courses. If you have any questions please use the contact box. Thanks for reading whether it was for information or you just wanted to know what I have been up to.

Hope you enjoyed

Amy x

Plymouth in a Day

Hey,

So last weekend my cousin came down for a visit and we explore Plymouth, but we didn't have much time so we mainly walked around town and towards 'The Hoe' and then down by the sea before walking back home through 'The Barbarian' and it just had to rain so that was a fun experience.

Anyway there isn't much to say about this weekend except I had a great time, so I am am using this blog post to share some of my and my cousin photography.

Thanks for reading



Amy x

Our Hearts

Hey,

I didn't make it into church this week as caught a cold which left me with no voice that is no fun, especially when having to sing. However, I didn't want to stop the tradition I am trying to hold of writing a post each week so I looked at my religious journal that I got as a gift a while ago. I will discuss a Bible quote in this journal.

Sorry for being like a week late but here you go;


1 Samuel 16:7


"The lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the lord looks on the heart."




It doesn't matter what you look like as you were made in the 'image of God'. It doesn't matter what mistakes you make in your life as God is a forgiving God and the important thing is to try to make your best out of life as God has a plan for you, even if it isn't what you expect or think it is or will be.

God looks into your heart and not just your actions.



Psalm 46:1

"God is our refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble."






When things are rough in your life you need to trust in God to 'rise you up like eagles' with his strength and remember that he has a plan for everyone of us.

Maybe at the moment life just seems impossible and you need a break, so remember that God is your refuge and strength so he will look after you and build you up to face the problems in Life again.


Thanks for reading, please get in touch by commenting below



Amy x

La La Land

Hey,

Last week I visited the 'Vue' cinema in Paignton with both my grandma and cousin as she was down for a long weekend. We decided to watch'La La Land' and as I used to study Media and still have an interest in it I chose to write a blog post about it.

Don't worry if you haven't seen it, I am not going to spoil the movie by telling you the storyline or the ending, However I do recommend that you watch the film before reading this post. All I am going to say about the storyline is that it is very different to other movies and shows the duration through seasons and then surprising years later. It's a bit like having an epilogue at the end of a bit which is set years after.

This film I find is a film for everyone. It as comedy in it so you can have a laugh. However, I feel that it is an adventure of romance told through music but is also about going on adventures and following your dreams. When talking about these genres you get a picture of what would happen in this film, but you would be wrong as it is the opposite to what you expect and challenges stereotypes successfully,

When looking at stereotypes for music there are a few that are found but also challenging a musical stereotype by not including what you would expect.

The opening scene of this movie is very iconic for a Musical as it includes a lot of moving around and dancing everywhere which is very stereotypical for this genre. However, not only is it stereotypical but when looking at openings; this scene not only sets the scene via the type of cars, time period it is set in, and manages to introduce the main characters in this 5-minute sequence which is what the opening scene is stereotypically meant to do. When looking at the opening you can see how

successfully the directors have managed to set the scene and the time period of the movie; They have done this through the use of style in both the cars, as I said before, but also the actor's clothes. The period of time has also been set at the very beginning of the movie even before the opening sequence through style yet again but this time style of the writing.

In this movie, there is also a very stereotypical iconic scene for a musical which I feel has got its influence from 'Sandra Dee' in Greece as the see is of a group of girl hanging out but it is not the same as they are getting ready for a party and trying to get one of the main characters to come along. The song 'Someone in the crowd' also has a very different meaning. Thinking about this scene I would probably relate to the main character 'Mia' who doesn't really like going out to parties and doesn't see the point in them.

The scene of the song 'A lovely night' has many stereotypical moments in it which demonstrate the musical genre. There is a moment were Sebastian dances around a lamp post while singing which leads to a bench moment where both Sebastian and Mia are singing and dancing around each other. These moments are both very stereotypical to the musical genre as well as a view of looking over the city and a sunset which demonstrates the romance.

The song 'City of Stars' was playing throughout the movie and during these scenes there are many stereotypical moments to both the musical and romance genre. While this song is performed, there is a scene where Sebastian dancing along a beach pier with a hat which suggests the musical genre however it also challenges it as the hat is given away and there is not a cane like would have predicted there to be. Another scene of this song is them both sitting by a piano which obviously shows music but they are together and singing a song that has continued through their journey which clearly demonstrates romance in a stereotypical way.

The storyline is stereotypical to romance but it has a twist at the end to something you would expect however I will not discuss this to spare those who haven't seen the movie yet. This movie is different to what you would think and I guess no one knows what will happen as it feels like the film came out of nowhere and an amazing film it is. Anyway, back to my point, this film has two main characters and it shows the story from each character’s perspective before they meet one another and this is shown one after the other and then continues through to the stereotypical romance storyline which I will be talking about;

The first moment they actually see each other it is demonstrated through a spotlight moment which doesn't last long, but then they keep meeting each other like they are fated to be together. There is a funny scene where Sebastian goes out of his way for her and then asks her to the movies because obviously a first date has to be the movies, so stereotypical. However, she already has plans, that she forgot about which leads to the dramatic which guy to I choose. Then later on after time passes you have the struggle in the relationship because it wouldn't be a romantic story without it, But how it all ends you will just have to watch it to find out...

This film is very inspirational with a powerful ending which you will not expect. It challenges the stereotypical ending you think would happen even though stereotypes are used throughout the movie. What I feel the moral of this film is, is inspirational but also powerful and that is that you should follow your dreams no matter what and don't give it up for anything.

Thanks for reading,

Hope you enjoyed it,

Please comment

Amy x