School. Just at that word, many of you have probably conjured images of bulging backpacks, clogged-artery hallways, dry classes that drag on like stale milk, and mountains of homework that aren't even relevant to daily life. Well, I've just recently gone back to school, and yes, those things are all very true and appropriate. But, for some people, school is more than that. Some people put so much pressure on themselves to succeed that they're drowning. They think that without that A, they'll be worthless. They're not happy  when they get good grades, they're relieved.  One of the many shortcomings of the American standardized public school system is that it puts so much emphasis on one standard idea of smart. If you fit, you're constantly trying to be the best because you think you have to. If you don't, you're left behind. But now, I'm here to talk about the valedictorian and salutatorian. People don't realize how hard it is to do sch

(The title is a Relient K song. They're awesome.) Recently, I went to an amazing youth conference called Districts. I learned and grew a whole lot. The speaker there was talking about heaven on the last day, and how many people imagine it so wrongly. For example: when I was little, I was afraid of dying simply because I thought heaven would be boring. Some days I still feel that way. But let me remind you, heaven is not white robes and sitting on clouds.  It's not playing a harp or becoming an angel. (You don't become an angel when you die, they're a whole separate thing.) And, as the antithesis, hell is also pictured as flat and one-dimensional. Sometimes even fun. Do you honestly think eternal pain, suffering, and "crying and gnashing of teeth" will be fun?  Hell was made specifically for Satan, and he's not gonna go down without dragging as many poor souls as he can with him. But, it's  your  choice where you go. God loves everyone . He d