Tagged!

Katie from "Hello Highlights" tagged me! After reading some of her tags, I thought it looked like at lot of fun, so I was thrilled that she tagged me! =) I thought this would be a fun for you as the reader to get know us (Olivia will be doing it later on...hopefully!) better! So, let's begin! =)


1. Would you rather read or watch a movie? I love reading, but good movies are certainly on my favorites list as well! It would totally depend on the book or movie, but right now, I'm going to go with the movie!

2. How would you describe yourself? Ambitious, driven, sometimes stressed....=)

3. Do you have many best friends or just one? I really have one best friend, but I have other close friends!

4. If you could choose your own name, what would it be? I really don't know. I love the names "Jordyn", "Danielle" and "Catilyn", but those names just don't suit me...I think I'll stick with Emily! :)

5. If you could have any dream job what would it be and why? I'm hoping to be a journalist....writing is what I love, so why not put my passion to good use? =)

6. What's one material item you couldn't live without? A black ink pen...I'm a writer, after all! :)

7. If you had to choose between doing your hair and doing your make up which would it be? I really don't do any make-up, and since my hair is really in need of help in the mornings, I think I'll choose to do my hair!

8. What is a trend that you never understood? I agree with Katie on Bieber fever, though I thought that the Hannah Montana craze was a little dorky! =)
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1. At what age would you want to get married? 22, 23...I want to graduate from college before I marry the love of my life (whoever that may be!:-D).

2. How many times do you eat a day? (snacks included) Hmmm....counting snacks, normal day would be 4-5 times a day....LOL! :)

3. If you could go anywhere and spend a month where would it be? I think I'd go and visit Olivia. Though if I'm there for a month, she might start to dislike me! :o That would not be a good thing!

4. Do you like your middle name? Michaela isn't my favorite name, but it does flow nicely with "Emily"

5. How many pictures do you take a month? Hmm...not a lot, really, which is crazy since I scrapbook.

6. How many times do you post on your blog a week? I post 1-2 times a week.

7. Are you happy with the amount of followers you have? Actually, no; I would love to have more followers on V.O.T.I!

8. Do you think you could write better questions? No, and I don't think I shall try! :)
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Rules:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.

2. For each question push the next button to get your answer.

3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.

4. Tag 20 Friends.

5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.

6. Have fun!

Questions:

1. If someone says "are you okay" you say?
"Joy to the World": Chris Tomlin :)

2. What would best describe your personality?
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands": Randy Travis

3. How would you describe yourself?
"Indescribable":Chris Tomlin (I PROMISE you this was not rigged!!!)

4. What do you like in a guy/ girl?
"With One Voice":Steven Curtis Chapman

5. How do you feel today?
"Forever": Chris Tomlin

6. What is your life's purpose?
"Shadow of Your Wings": Casting Crowns

7. What's your motto?
"This is What I'm Fighting For": Steven Curtis Chapman

8. What do your friends think of you?
"Exalted (Yahweh)":Chris Tomlin

9. What do your parents think of you?
"Rejoice!": Chris Tomlin

10. What do you think about very often?
"Mercy": Casting Crowns

11. What is 2 + 2?
"Let Your Mercy Rain": Chris Tomlin

12. What do you think of your best friend?
"God Almighty": Chris Tomlin

13. What do you think of the person you like?
"Overflowing": Chris Tomlin

14. What is your life story?
"Miracle of the Moment" Steven Curtis Chapman

15. What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus": Christy Norkels (on Chris Tomlin's "Glory in the Highest")

16. What do you think when you see the person you like?
"Three Wooden Crosses": Randy Travis

17. What will you do at your wedding?
"Behold the Lamb": Keith and Krysten Getty

18. What will they play at your funeral?
"At Your feet":Casting Crowns

19. What is your hobby/ interest?
"One Heartbeat at a Time": Steven Curtis Chapman

20. What is your biggest fear?
"Jesus Messiah": Chris Tomlin

21. What is your biggest secret?
"This is Our God": Chris Tomlin

22. What do you want right now?
"Always Enough": Casting Crowns

23. What do you think of your friends?
"Love Lifted Me": Randy Travis

24. What is the one thing you regret?
"With Me": Chris Tomlin

25. What makes you laugh?
"Captured": Chris Tomlin

26. What makes you cry?
"He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield": Randy Travis

27. Will you ever get married?
"Praise the Father, Praise the Son": Chris Tomlin

28. What scares you the most?
"Glorious"

29. Does anyone like you?
"Faith in You": Randy Travis

30. If you could go back in time, what would you change?
"The Wonderful Cross": Chris Tomlin (just for the record, I WOULD NOT change this!)

31. What would you want to say to the person who tagged you?
"The Noise We Make": Chris Tomlin

32. What will you name this note?
"Four Walls": Randy Travis

I don't think I'll be able to tag the 20 people, but I do tag:

~Olivia

~Jennifer

~Annie

~Amanda

~Lydia

~Emili


If I didn't tag you, but you still want to answer these awesome little quizzes, feel free! Let us know if you do decide to complete them so we can stop by your blog (please leave the link so that will be possible!), or, if you don't have a blog, email us your answers at voicesoftheinnocent@gmail.com . Looking forward to hearing from you!

--Emily--

Christmas Carol Favorite #3: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

--Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile!

Joyful all ye nations rise! Join the triumph of the skies! With

Angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem! Hark!

The heral angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!--

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! God bless!

--Emily--

Another Christmas Favorite: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

--Come Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free!

From our sins and fears release us, let us find our rest in Thee!

Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art!

Dear desire of every nation! Joy of every longing heart!--

-Charles Wesley's "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" (verse 1)-

Merry Christmas!

--Emily--

Rejoice, O World!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!  

It is finally here!!  I can remember as a kid, Christmas would take sooo long to get there, and I wouldn't be able to get to sleep Christmas Eve!!  I got to sleep just fine last night, and it didn't really hit me that Christmas was today until about 6:00 this morning!!.... or at least that is when I really got excited!!  I have already written a long post on what Christmas really means, so I won't give you that speech again!!  I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas to all of you from Emily, and I!!  

Merry Christmas!!  We hope that you have a blessed Christmas filled with hope, and joy!! =) 

~Olivia~

"Rejoice, o world, your Savior has come
Through the love of a virgin's womb
Son of God, Son of man, born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life" 
 Chris Tomlin's "Born That We may Have Life"

 

Christmas Traditions.......

Hello friends,

As Christmas approaches, I have been thinking of some of the traditions that my family has!!  Every year, my brother, and sisters, and I wake up to find our stockings at the bottom of our beds, waiting to be opened!!  My dad works at the Ticonderoga International Paper Mill, and he works shift work.  For that past.... I'm not sure how many years now, he has come off of 11 P.M.-7 A.M., so we would open our gifts (as a family) after he got our of the shower!!  But this year it is going to change because he is going to be working days, or 7 A.M.-3 P.M, and so we won't be able to open them in the morning. =(  That is going to be a shift in our family tradition.  Hopefully when he gets home, he will be able to eat Christmas dinner with the family (my grandparents, Aunt, and Uncle with all the cousins, and usually we have a few elderly people from church that don't have any family around)!! =)  

Another tradition that our family has is breakfast up at my grandparents, who live right up the road!!  After we eat, my grandfather, being the pastor of our church, like to read the Luke account of Jesus' birth!!  I don't know how long how it has been since we have been doing that!! =)  It is definitely a tradition that will last a really long time!!  

Now that I have told you a little bit of what Christmas is like in our family, I would like to know what some of your traditions are.  If you have an lasting traditions that you family has had for a while, and you would like to share them, drop us a comment!! 

Merry Christmas!!  

~Olivia~

 

Christmas Carol: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

I love Christmas music! I absolutely love the carols we sing at church, and listening to different artist’s (especially Chris Tomlin’s! : >) versions of these beautiful songs! I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite carols on here. If you have favorite, please feel free to share it with us (we’re in love with comments, so you’re going to hear me talk about feedback a lot!)!

It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old! While angels bending near the earth did touch their hearts of gold! Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heaven’s all gracious King! The world in silent stillness lay to hear the angels sing

       --It Came Upon a Midnight Clear--

Merry Christmas!

--Emily--

The Power of Prayer!!!

Hello,


I wanted to give y'all another update on where our readers are coming from, because we have gotten so many more, and from different locations!!

~United States - 670

~New Zealand - 46

~ Russia - 12

~Canada - 9

~France - 7

~Malaysia - 4

~Slovenia - 3

~Australia - 2

~Brazil - 2

~Philippines - 2

~Croatia - 1

~South Korea - 1

~Taiwan - 1


We have 760 views in all!! =)

I was soooooo excited when I saw that we had so many new readers in countries so far away from me (up-state NY).... It is hard to fathom that we have readers coming from countries across the world!! That is amazing!! I have been praying that the Lord would bring readers to V. of the I., and in his timing, He did!! At the beginning, Emily, and I were pretty discouraged about the results that had received. But by the power of prayer, we began to see results over time, and we continue to get more, and more readers across the WHOLE world!! I know that many of you are praying for V. of the I., and I would like to ask that you continue to pray that God would this in a mighty way for His glory!! =)

To God be the glory!!

~Olivia~

Update.... by: Olivia!! =)

Hello everyone,

I am sorry that you haven't heard from me in a while!!  I miss being on the computer!!  I have just gotten back from a basketball tournament near Binghamtom, NY (I live two hours away north from Albany, so Binghamton is about three in a half to four hours away from me)!  We (the boys, and the girls teams) had a great time even though we, boy and girls, lost all of our games. =(  But our main goal was to bring honor, and glory to our God through our attitudes on the court, and toward the other teams after the games as we interacted with them a bit, and I think that we did that!!  Now I don't have practice until after Christmas.... I am going to be a LONG 2 weeks. =(  I normally have practice 4 times a week from 3:30-6:00, or 3:30-4:30, so that really take up a lot of my day, and time, not counting the time it takes to get there which is about a half an hour.  So you get the picture..... I'm doing a whole of basketball right now, and I don't have much time for anything else.  But I'm not complaining!!.... I love having a full day, and being on the go.... I hate having nothing going on during the day!! =) 

Anyway, enough about basketball.  Guess what!!  Last nigh we just got our first snow fall!!  I personally don't like that snow.... but for some of you that live in parts of the world, or U.S. that don't get snow, it might seem really cool to get snow.  I'm telling you - you are NOT missing much!!  All you have to do is come to the Adirondacks up in New York, spend a winter shoveling snow, and being cold, and you will change your mind about that snow!! =)  

But there is a good side to the snow!!  It blankets the ugly, gray earth with a beautiful, pure blanket of white, glistening powder!!  It is soooo.... beautiful really isn't the word for it!!  It is a really good example, or picture of what Christ did for us on the cross.  The world was ugly, dirty, sinful, and dark.  But God sent his Son, who gave up everything for us, who went through so muck humiliation for us, an extremely sinful, prideful, and arrogant people, and took God's wrath on His shoulders to be a ransom for all who believe!!  
As the business of the Christmas season approaches, I see, a lot of the time, even Christians get caught up in the business, too.  And I know that many of us do, and I'm not pointing fingers, but this Christmas I want to really, really reflect on why Christ came to be born in a humble stable.  Even I get caught up in the presents, and making sure that I get what I wanted this year, and if I am going to have enough money to get my parents, and grandparents something, that I lose sight of that true meaning of Christmas, and don't take it seriously.  I hope that you will do the same!! =)

Well, I hope that you have a great Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from Voices of the Innocent!!  

~Olivia~       


"Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God incarnate here to dwell
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
Praise His name Emmanuel!
The son of God, here, born to bleed
a crown of thorns would pierce His brow
And we beheld this offering, exalted now, the King of kings
Praise God for the hallowed manger ground"
"Hallowed Manger Ground" by Chris Tomlin 

An Update....by Emily! :)

Hi Everyone!

Is it just me, or is a blank document intimidating? I mean, I think it's inviting, but at the same time, kind of scary! :)  I don't know...is that just me, or are there any other bloggers out there who feel the same?  I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts-on this seemingly silly matter! :)

Well, Christmas season 2010 is here.  I find it hard to believe how quickly the months pass by anymore.  I guess time does go by faster as you grow older.  I have a December birthday, so the year always seemed to drag on especially slow when I was little...but not anymore, that's for sure! :)  We have yet to get out our decorations (we have some remodeling going on that's hindering us a bit!), but we're hoping to soon!  I have to go do some Christmas shopping-which should be fun! One of my favorite parts of Christmas is buying gifts for my family, espeically for my siblings.  It's always heart-warming to see my sisters and brother open their present and find something that they're (hopefully!) going to love.

On top of gift giving, I also enjoy marveling over the fact that almighty God, Creator of the Earth, left His throne in heaven to came down to earth.  He gave up His position as the King to become a man and actually died for ungrateful, sinful mankind.  Amazing when you think about it....

 I know that some people, around the holidays, enjoy donating money to charity.  If you are looking for an organazation to make a donation to, I highly reccomend CareNet (We list their website on our favorites list.).  They are a Christian group who are dedicated to ministering to pregnant women who are considering abortion.  Our family has made a few donations to this group, and I feel wonderful knowing that our money is being used to help save lives!  If you'd like more information on this group, check out their website!

I want to remind y'all that we would be glad to post any prayer requests y'all may have on our prayer request page.  If you have a need in your life, please feel free to share it with us!

Also, I'd like to mention the fact that V.O.T.I. loves hearing feedback from our readers!  Please leave a comment and let us know your opinion on a particular post, V.O.T.I. in general, or you could ask a question! :) 

Enjoy your Christmas season!

--Emily--

May This Be the Desire of our Hearts...

Shine, Jesus, shine! Fill our hearts with the Father’s glory!

Blaze, Spirit, blaze! Set our hearts on fire!

Flow, River, flow! Flood the nations with grace and mercy!

Send forth Your Word, and Lord, let there be light!

--Author Unknown--

May the words and message of this song forever be the desire of our souls!



--Emily--

New Page

Hi Y'all!

You may have noticed our new "prayer request" page...you may have also noticed that there is nothing there yet! :)  That is your page!  If you have a prayer request, please let us know about it!  Email us at voicesoftheinnocent@gmail.com or leave a comment on here to let us know about it.  Great things happen when God's people pray, so if you have a need that you would like others to pray for, let us know!

Thanks everyone!

--Emily--

"No Chains on Me"

I LOVE this song!!  From the first time that I heard it, it became one of my favorites by Chris Tomlin (I have MANY!!)!! =)  We should be singing this song at the top of our lungs!!  "No chains on me!" I hope that you never get sick of praising out Lord, Jesus Christ for taking upon Himself our chains to make us free!!  He left His glory above to become a ransom for many!!  

~Olivia~ 

"Like a rolling stone, like a runaway train
No turning back, no more yesterdays
My heart is free, no chains on me
God, You raise me up, up from the grave
The cross before, I'm on my way
My heart is free, no chains on me"
~Chris Tomlin's "No Chains on Me"
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/chris-tomlin-lyrics/no-chains-on-me-lyrics.html]

Current Volunteers

God is really working in Voices of the Innocent!  We are now up to 16 volunteers, and I am simply thrilled about this!  I thought I'd share the list with y'all...if you'd like to see your name on here (which we would too!:), just drop us a comment or email us! Those with the "Rebelution" beside it in parentheses responded to me off of the Rebelution forum!

-Emily G.

-Olivia B.

-Debbie L.

-Marta L. (Rebelution)

-Jennifer G. (Rebelution)

-Olivia C. (Rebelution)

-Mary R. (Rebelution)

-River B. (Rebelution)

-Jordan H. (Rebelution)

-Michael S. (Rebelution)

-Annabel Z. (Rebelution)

-Riley S. (Rebelution)

-Kim Z.

-Brad (Rebelution)

-Tabitha H. (Rebelution)

-Abigal M.

As always, we're excited about the numbers we're seeing, but we're really interested in seeing this list grow!  Please continue to spread the word!

--Emily--