Reminders

I must admit, I am scared of who I am. A lot of times when I look at the girl I've grown to be, I become terrified that who I am is not who I want to be, and I can't do anything to fix it. That is the one thing that I find hardest about being a Christian:

I can't fix myself, and I know it.

All of us have to trust in God's plan and do as He wants and constantly move toward Him. It's a great thing knowing that He can heal us and take care of us perfectly, but it is also equally as painful.

I like to think of it a bit like a video game. You know those boss challenges that you just love battling through, but no matter how hard you try, you can't get past the big guy. And so your older sibling offers to help you pass it so that you can get onto the next level.

What do you do? Give the controller over to them t help you proceed, or do you selfishly, and hopelessly, try and try again without success?

Most of us are unwilling to admit defeat, just like we are unwilling to pass up our problems to God. It's more logical to give it to God, but part of all humans tells us that we've got to try to do things on our own first.

It's an amazing thing when I come across someone who is able to give themselves up to God. Usually, those are the people I respect and admire. But even then, those people tell me it's no walk in the park.

If there's anything I've learned in the past year, it would be how easy it is to fall into the lukewarm-Christian trap. God gets you out of a rut, and you say, "Okay, I'll leave it all to You, then," but as time draws on and nothing is really happening, you slowly say, "I can do this!" and you slip back into the controller seat. As a result, when trouble starts piling back onto your life, you start to bend and break under the weight, forgetting to give your life to God until it's almost too late. It is a tough and painful cycle, but we all get caught in it so easily!

Last Friday for Chapel at our school, we did a lesson on a man named Patch Adams, who wanted to be a doctor that actually cared for his patients. He had 10 Daily Actions that he would follow, and so my Co-chaplain and I challenged ourselves to follow it. For the whole week, we tried to obey his list as best as we could, and it actually makes a difference in the way your day goes!

(If you'd like to see his list, it is here: http://www.patchadams.org/Patchs_prescription_10_everyday_actions)

During the week, I tried to smile all the time in the hallways, sing out loud with my friends, and I even gave someone a shoulder rub once. For a while, I have been experiencing some back pains, that I think were actually muscle spasms. They hadn't ever been anything too bad, so I never worried about them, but on Friday, the last day of doing the list, it intensified so much that it hurt when I simply walked somewhere. But even though I was in pain, I kept smiling, because I had said I would. I was determined not to give into my own feelings so that by smiling I might give someone else a good day (smiles are contagious you know!).

It was surprisingly humbling to do that. Normally, I will give in to my emotion and just frown, simply passing by everyone in the hallways; but to put aside all of my own feelings that were natural, physical, bodily emotions and responses, and to give my all to God and others--just amazing!

I cannot promise anything, but to live by a set of guidelines like these could help improve your everyday life and keep God in your driver's seat. I suggest creating a personal list, and putting it somewhere you'll look at at least once or twice every day.

Here's my short list that I will have up in my locker:

Emily's 5 Reminders

1. Never stop smiling. Ever.

2. Make someone else's day. Ask them how they are doing, or simply say, "Hello!".

3. Give someone a hug who looks like they need it; don't say a word about it.

4. Always have a song to sing, and sing it everywhere.

5. Pick a random person and pray for them.

So create your own list. Start with something short and sweet, and then if you think of other things, add onto it. Make your list have to do with serving others, and it will help bring you to God.

Do you have a list? I'd love to hear what it is!

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 3:10)

College (Part 2)

Prayer works!

After posting about my troubles with finding the right College, things became so much clearer to me!

I am pretty dead set on Graphic Design now. I absolutely love to do it, and I am figuring out what to do with it as well as what I'll want to learn about Graphic Design in order to do the things I see God planning for me. (:

I still am not sure which college to go to, but I have more hope knowing that I will go into Graphic Design. I almost want to get started right away!

As far as colleges go, I still would love to go to a Christian college, so I opened up my options a bit. I'm re-thinking going to my sister's college, because as long as she knows it was my own choice because of the college itself, I will survive seeing her every once in a while. After two years of college, I know she'll change enough to make her survivable around, and at some point, we need to grow together, right?

I'm also keeping open the other Christian college open as an option, since a couple of my friends are going there, and I am going to look for even more colleges to possibly attend. I'm not as afraid as I was before because I know that God is in charge of the world, not me!! If I go to a college that isn't Christian, I will still be on God's side.

I will keep praying and I hope you pray that wherever I go is where God leads me to go, and whatever I do is what God wants me to do.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside still waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23)

Music

One of the biggest questions Christians have been asking in regards to how much we are "In the world," is what types of music can we listen to?

It has split churches before (the Church of Christ doesn't believe in instrumental music), and it can create rifts in between relationships. Some get "persecuted" by their peers or even by adults because of types of music they listen to.

I would like to propose that what type of music you listen to does not matter. It does not matter whether music is A capella or screamo; music is music.

No, what truly matters is the message.

The message comes from the whole entire musical picture that the piece presents. It involves the words, the tone of the music, and how it affects your feelings. Usually, you can tell what the message is by the lyrics, but sometimes you need to make a personal judgement on how it affects you.

It can change with some people how music affects you. For example, I am really weak when it comes to "secular"(or "worldy") music, but my best friend does good enough with it that songs without a bad lyrical message, she can listen to without being drawn away from God. For her, it's a party mood, or it's just an innocent having fun mood with an interesting beat; but sometimes for me, it can bring back inappropriate thoughts, which can build up inside me and cause me to sin. So test yourself and make sure that what you are listening to isn't taking you away from Christ.

Now, if the message has nothing to do with Christ, then what is it about? Is it about you? Is it about loving a boy or a girl? Is it about partying when the sun goes down?

"Sin" is a part of our nature, not an act, and the middle of sin is "I". When the world revolves around you, your desires, what you want, and when you want it, that is when sin occurs. Adam and Eve fell because they thought they could do things better than their own Creator, not because they ate an apple that God didn't want them to eat. Be careful and always purge yourself of any sign of selfishness that puts you in God's throne; and that will be the determining factor for the music you choose to listen to.

As disciples of Christ, our biggest goal is to become more "Christ-like" every day. As we work towards that goal, all the other problems we face get solved. If you ask, "Well what about how we should worship?", the answer would be, "How Jesus worshiped." And if you ask, "but how should we treat sinners?", the answer is always, "How Jesus treated them." And so this is why we wear the W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets, because all of our questions are answered by how Jesus dealt with things and acted towards people. Keep all of this in mind when you are choosing your music too. "What would Jesus be listening to? Would he smile at me and sing along, or would he look at me with sad eyes full of love as he hangs on the cross? Would he be ashamed of me in front of the Father?" (No pressure, if he's accepting, you don't need to doubt it; but you do need to make a choice.)

Music has a big influence on how you treat people and on how others see you. I know I get made fun of for avoiding what we call secular music, but somewhere in their brains, they begin to understand that I do this for God, and not just because "it's a sin." Listening to music really isn't a sin. "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean'." (Matt. 15:10b-11) But how far are you willing to follow Jesus? Will you settle for following with only half of your life, or will you give it your all?

I strongly believe that Jesus calls us to give it our all, or he will deny that he ever knew you (Matt. 7:21-23). Even Paul (in Galatians 2:11-14) rebuked Peter, one of the Apostles, for being two-faced. It may be impossible to truly mimic what Christ does, but that can’t stop us from trying our best!!!

So if you want to be true about your faith, be careful about what you are listening to. Be sure that nothing turns you away from God even for a moment, and love Him with all of your heart(emotion), soul(decision maker), mind(thinker), and strength(body).

~♥

Addison Road - "My Story"

Recently, my preacher gave me this CD by a band named Addison Road. Unlike other CD's, in this one, I loved every single song! Usually I find one that I just don't understand or don't like, but this one has just been wonderful altogether!

As I listened to the songs, I read the lyrics they provided, and one song really stuck out to me; it's called "My Story" (the album being called Stories), and here are the lyrics to it:

My Story

This is not another song about the reasons I am stressed

This is not a melody to get the feeling off my chest

This is not a pop song written for the radio

These are just my thoughts and what I'm praying for

If this is my story, if this is my song

Then I want to be a part of something beautiful

If this is my journey, then show me your road

Wherever you lead me in this world I want to go

There's just too many times I only think of me

'Cause I get so consumed with my opportunities

When my last breath brings me to the feet of God

I want to hear him say I lived for his glory

If this is my story, if this is my song

Then I want to be a part of something beautiful

If this is my journey, then show me the road

Wherever you lead me in this world, I want to go

Colors paint the evening sky

The sun is shining, giving light

Stars light up the atmosphere

But we're the reason God came here

We are his story, we are his song

A beautiful melody that shows the world his love

When we're on this journey, when we're on this road

We are a part of the greatest story ever told

(copyright 2010 Simple Tense Songs / Inthecity Songs (ASCAP)

and Regisfunk Music (BMI) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.)

Today is a beautiful Fall day; seeing it makes me wonder how we are more special and beautiful than all of the world God created.

Remember that our lives are a part of a wonderful plan that he's got for us; live it for our LORD!

I hope this made your day like it made mine. :)

(You can listen to the song here too!)

College

Being a Junior means one thing:

Planning for College.

Everything you do is focused on your future:

Preparing for SAT's, deciding what to major in, which college to go to, toughing through school to get the grades you need to get into your college of choice, etc...

It also includes some life-changing decisions too. Deciding what plans God has for your life, figuring out what you would like in a guy (for future marriage, if thinking about it), developing the skills you'll need in the business world--things such as leadership, working together, listening, debating, getting things done, persuading, etc.

All of this can easily pile up into a lot of stress on one person, and can be very hard to figure out! Some never do, some do and become extremely successful, where as most get through most of it and maybe miss a couple of things, but get out good.

Well, all of this weight has finally fallen on my shoulders, and so now I am trying to sort through it all.

It pains me to realize that I am not ready yet to move out and be on my own, but that is what these last years are for. (: Taking the time to figure out how things work and how to do things before you leave!

(I can't give advice yet on how to get through it; I can only talk about things that I'm going through, so I will not even attempt to go there.)

But for the past year or two, I have been thinking a lot about this question:

What do I want to go to college for?

Wow. Tough question when you haven't ever thought about it, right?

For some people it's obvious. Take my sister for example:

She has always loved arts & crafts. She loves working with kids. Her dream for life has always been to go to the college my mom went to. What is she doing now? Art education major at that same University.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy.

But for someone like me? Not as easy.

I have sooo many different dreams, and so many different interests! There are things that I am good at (Math) and things that I don't believe I will ever be (History). Then there are the things that I do for fun (Art & Singing), but they are weighed against the things that make a good salary (Not art & singing). Of course you have my spiritual interests (Missionary, Start a Church, etc.), but they slightly rely on getting a job first, and getting married too (I want to start a church with a good husband, one or two kids, and a few other close families in the same spot).

So there are many different things for me to think about.

Finally, I came to a conclusion that I wanted to major in Graphic Design.

(Problem is, now I don't know if I really should.)

:/

It's so funny how one day you are so sure and set on what you are going to do, and the next you are back at the drawing board, trying to work things through again!

So now I've been debating again what I want to go to college for. Still looking. No news yet.

Maybe I'll come back and comment what I decide on after I go...

But now, the next step in the process?:

Where do you want to go?

Ahhhhh!!! Hardest question ever!

Why?? Well....

Raised as a Church of Christ Christian, I have only 'known the existence' of 3 colleges to choose from. Three's a good number right? Well, not really, but better than none, right?

Okay, so now that I'm looking through them, I marked off one, because it doesn't have Graphic Design (which now I'm unsure of), and I marked off (for the most part) the other, because my sister went there, and who wants to go to college with their sister? (I do love her, but we have our differences... (; )

So it came down to one college.

Great.

Then I looked around a little wider. I found two more colleges I might like; Christian, and had good Graphic Design programs... but then people told me the school had more of a title of "Christian", when it really wasn't any better than a State College.

Great.

So then there was one... or none, to be honest.

I honestly don't have any heartfelt choices in my list of colleges! Somewhere along the way, all the places I was encouraged to go to, have been turned off by someone who warned me not to go there, and so I really don't have a favorite choice! I fear that every college will seem great, then seem horrible, all based on individual experiences; yet the more negative comments I get, the less interested I am in those places!

Now I have about five places that "should" be my top choices, yet don't inspire or encourage me to go there at all, one place that I've heard of, but again, haven't been greatly encouraged to go there, and nothing else to do.

Here is when I turn to God and just say:

Help?

I'll be praying a lot for guidance on this topic. I'm even considering a non-Christian school that has maybe a Christian group thing in it, rather than Christian schools, just so that I can get more options...

Pray with me, please, that God shows me where to go, and what to do. I already see him working on me, so I know for sure that he has a plan for me, but I want to know His plan! I have to trust that he will provide for me, though. It's another struggle, and a good lesson to learn for later in life--but, again, a struggle.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.' "

-Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NIV)

~♥

My Story

This is a speech I wrote for Rhetoric class this year about how I've come to believe in Christ. I wish to share it with you, and I hope it inspires someone.

(I removed some names for online use.)

I was raised in a great Christian family. I attended a Church of Christ every Sunday for years. I've been at a Christian School all of my life; and I went to a Christian Camp in the summer every year since first grade. Christianity surrounded my life from day one. If you saw me in school, I was the quiet girl. Being a Christian, at that time, was nothing more than being good, singing pretty songs about God in Church, and learning about the Bible stories.

It wasn't until High School that any drama even affected my life. Some of the issues I met, I had already faced a little in Middle School with friends outside of school; but the only way I knew how to handle them was to ignore it. In High School, even though I was at a Christian school, there were people openly lying to parents and teachers. There were groups together cheating on homework. I heard someone curse almost every day. For the quiet girl who was coming out of her shell, this was a huge change from what I had been used to seeing. I honestly did not know what to do, and I made a lot of mistakes that year.

At the end of February of my Freshman year, I took a trip to Tennessee with my youth group for a huge Christian youth rally called Winterfest. I had been there the year before, and so that year, I convinced my whole family to come with me. It was here that I met real Christianity.

I heard people sing as though God was right before them and listening to their words. I learned new songs with words that were clear about their message, and not hidden behind fancy Bible language. I listened as the speakers explained how there had been a Veil that kept us away from God, and that when Jesus died, that Veil was torn from top to bottom, so that we could be with God again. I spent the last night crying and praying with my friend Alicia. The last day I was there, the speaker announced, "If you feel you need to give your life to Christ right now, please, come forward." I turned to Alicia, and I asked her, "Alicia, will you walk up there with me?" She said, "Of course!" and I was baptized that very day back in the hotel's hot tub. I cried through the whole thing.

For the next year and a half, I have gone up and down through struggles, making mistakes and learning from them. I've been learning how to trust God with my life, how to resist temptations, and how to lead others. I will openly admit: I am not perfect. Being a Christian means always growing, so I know I will never be done struggling with life; but I can say that I am a better person now than I ever was because of Christ.

What About Now?

As a young Christian, I tend to set a lot of goals in my life for the future, for things that I hope and wish to do and make differences in when I'm older. All of us should make goals like this and persevere to accomplish them in our life.

But in the meantime, I find myself doing nothing. I'm constantly setting goals and getting nothing accomplished at the moment. Times like that make me question where God is in my life right now. They make me wonder what I'm doing wrong and why I'm getting tempted so easily to disobey God. As I was asking myself about this, I came across this quote:

"Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next." ~Elisabeth Elliot

Too often in our lives, we promise and pray to God that we will be better Christians, but too little do we put it into practice today in our lives! If you're anything like me, it's like that essay you're supposed to write: you get so caught up in saying that you absolutely, positively will do it on this day that when that day comes around, you've been so used to procrastinating it that you never get it finished!

As is said in a familiar song by Daughtry: "What about now? What about today?" You've got an open opportunity to simply obey God right now, so "before it's to late, what about now?"

Let's make our focus being what can we do for God today. Let's pray together and ask God, "How can we obey you and serve you today? Help us live how you want us to live, right here, right now." Be willing to work for God, and he will use us to do great things! Don't put it off any longer, for the time is now, and the day is today!

~♥~

Trust

Read Luke 21:1-4. You've probably heard this passage read often at Church services for the offering, but what is this really about?
"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others."
At this point in the short story, the disciples (twelve people who are constantly watching and learning all that they can from Jesus) are probably thinking, "What are you talking about, Jesus?! They gave so much! And she gave next to nothing! You can't use that to make repairs on the temple or to pay taxes!!!" But Jesus points them to a higher place.
(verse 4:) "All of these people gave their gifts out of wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."
Back then, if you were a widow, you were poor. You might have a family member or a friend taking care of you if you were lucky. But this lady wasn't just a widow; she was a poor widow. So most likely, she didn't have anyone to take care of her. All she even has to care for herself is two tiny copper coins that were hardly worth enough to get food! To give up this was to give up everything she had to live on.
Now there are only two ways a person would do such a thing:
1. She is crazy. or, 2. She has complete trust that God will provide for her.
Jesus was pointing out that by putting both of those coins, her only way to survive on her own, she was placing her complete trust in God, and he was proud of her for it. He was not just saying that the amount given in was more in compared to what she had than the others; he was telling his disciples to have the kind of faith that she had.

Matthew 6:31-33 "So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well."

God's Wonderful Deeds

Alright. Let's do this. It's time to serve.

This Sunday evening is the first of two nights of our church's VBS (Vacation Bible School).

It's an exciting time for me! About 5 months ago, I would have never dreamed this day would come! Let me explain...

I am one of the few at my church who literally grew up in the same church my whole life. I still have baby pictures of me in front of the old puppet booth in the upstairs "A" room. When I was a little kid, I remember having VBS every year at my church. We did some Veggie Tales theme one year, another we had a jungle theme, another bible brain, and yet another Jerusalem Marketplace; then that was it. By then, I was actually a helper rather than a participant, and so all the parents of the kids my age were stepping out of helping and some even moving to different churches.

So then, they transferred the responsibility to the youth group for us to form VBS, but we didn't have any real youth leaders then--just parent volunteers. What happened? Nothing. Why? They didn't want to do all of the work, and we couldn't. We didn't know how.

Finally, I got tired of it. I was helping out during our Children's Worship, and I saw a ton of tired, bored kids who didn't care about what was going on, and clearly saw nothing exciting about the word of God because of the boring routine of the Church.

I couldn't stand that. That pierced me to the heart and made me realize that someone needed to do something about this.

Some Wednesday night in March, when we have an hour long time at the church for us to meet and have more lessons, our youth group was gathered together in the room discussing plans for this summer. As they discussed all kinds of trips and get-together ideas and when to do them, I spoke up and asked, "What about VBS?"

Immediately, a girl across the room said to me, "Forget about it, we're not getting that done." And our two 'Parent Volunteers' both said to me, "Yeah, sorry, but there's no way we could get that done this year."

I was dumbfounded. This youth group honestly did not trust that God could help us do this? No one was willing enough to take action and actually do something for these kids? If I'm correct in my memory, I got very quiet for the rest of the night.

The following Sunday, I still wasn't completely giving up inside. I talked to a strong Christian friend of mine and asked him what he thought about giving VBS a try this year. Despite what had been said that Wednesday, he told me that if I want to do this, then I should. It just so happens(thanks to God), that the ones who had disagreed with me were not present on Sunday. I attempted to bring up the subject again, at first with little success. Then, a college student who had been sitting in on our class(because he still acts like a kid), spoke up and got everyone's attention. He said something like,

"Hey! Guys! Emily's trying to get something started here! Pay attention! (Then he directed the conversation to me as well) If you guys want to actually do this, you need to plan for a date, right now."

Thanks to him and to the other teen, we came up with dates, times, and a theme for everything. Ever since then, a friend of mine, Sarah, and I have been planning out all the details, creating a schedule, writing skits, planning crafts, forming lessons, coming up with activities, and slowly delegating details down to other close friends(and relatives).

Today, we have a well brought together staff (which includes her mother, both of my parents, and both of my sisters), and we have figured out everything that is going to happen during the night. We are expecting every kid in our church to come(about 15-20 I believe), as well as some neighbors, and possibly some kids from another church we know.

I could go on and list the ways that God has blessed us, but just having VBS this year is such a blessing. Nothing that is VBS now would have ever existed without God. What happened on that one day has changed my summer, and my whole life.

VBS is happening. I'm learning what it means to be a leader, and now am being called into service in my school as one. Our church is changing and seeing true growth compared to the stillness beforehand. We are preparing to touch people's lives next Sunday(A couple new families are being encouraged to bring their kids to VBS, and I am excited to see what happens!).

So much good has come out of this that will lead to more good, and it is ALL thanks to the Lord, Jesus Christ. I cannot express enough in words how blessed we are because of this! Let God be blessed 77x over and over for what he has done for me, and for my church and family!

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men."

~Psalm 107:21(or 31)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."

~Romans 8:28

Dear Girls...

Dear Girls,

Gossip hurts.

Be smart;

Just don't do it!

Sincerely

~Emily

Strength in God

This is what makes Christianity so much more real and better than anything else.

Excerpt from How Should We Then Live? by Francis A. Schaeffer:

"It is important to realize what a difference a people's worldview makes in their strength as they are exposed to the pressure of life. That it was the Christians who were able to resist religious mixtures, syncretism, and the effects of the weaknesses of Roman culture speaks of the strength of the Christian worldview. This strength rested on God's being an infinite-personal God and his speaking in the Old Testament, in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, and in the gradually growing New Testament. He had spoken in ways people could understand. Thus the Christians not only had the knowledge about the universe and mankind that people themselves cannot find out by themselves, but they had absolute, universal values by which to live and by which to judge the society and the political state in which they lived. And they had the grounds for the basic dignity and value of the individual as unique in being made in the image of God."

(Schaeffer, Francis A. How Should We Then Live? Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1976.)

It's true how Christians are able to battle through life much stronger than other people are. And why is that? Jesus.

There's something about this religion that sets it apart from any other religion or theory out there today. From the outside, it looks crazy to believe that some guy fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, that he made blind people see by rubbing mud in their eyes, and that he was raised from the dead after dying on a cross; but we understand that there is an all-powerful, loving God with a deeper plan working behind all of life. He gives us this hope that Paul talks about; hope in something unseen, something we are still waiting for. What other people do not have that Christians have is that hope for a future with God, in a place where there is no more evil.

How is all of this possible?

Well, here's the run through:

Jesus is God. He came to earth as a man, born to a virgin woman. As he grew up, he lived as a Jew, learning the Old Testament, and living a perfect life for God. He became a teacher and choose everyday Jews to be the ones to learn all about God and his plan for them. He healed people who showed faith in him, taught them about heaven using everyday language, and fulfilled all of the prophesies made about him in the ancient scriptures. Then, Jesus-although he was perfect-let guards arrest him for claiming to be the Son of God, King of the Jews, was beaten and then crucified on a cross with robbers on either side of him. He died in the same day, was buried in a tomb before the Sabbath started, but then when Sabbath was over, was missing from the grave. The large stone that had been rolled by men to seal his tomb shut was rolled away, and his linen cloth was left inside-Jesus was ALIVE. He was witnessed by thousands of people after his death, and then was watched as he ascended into heaven, leaving the task of spreading the word to his twelve apostles, whom he had taught everything he knew.

The important part that Jesus explained about this is that when Jesus died, since he was perfect as a man and as God, he himself became a "guilt offering" for everyone. You could think of it as he was the newly-bought, perfectly-clean dishrag that wiped off every single dirty plate so that they shone spotless and could be used again. Just like that, Jesus took all of our dirty nasty wrong-doings away forever, so that we could be used by God for good. If you're a dirty plate, you're not going to get used again unless you're clean, right? And if you're a plate, you can't exactly clean yourself; nor, once you're clean, should you just sit on a shelf, not being used?

So what does this have to do with strength? Well, Paul seems to have explained it better than I could, so here's what he has to say. Hebrews 12:1-3 (after a long passage about men who had Faith):

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

To pull it altogether, Jesus lived and died for you, to give you strength, so that God could use you, all because God loves you. Our strength is in Jesus; take heart, my friend.

♥

(P.S. If you actually read all of this, I applaud you!)

Baptizo

Baptism was made for people,
so that they could be sure of God's people.
It holds you accountable;
It proves to the world
that you're trying;
And it reassures you
that you are saved.
Is it necessary?
Absolutely!
For the sake of Unity
and Peace among God's people,
It is necessary.
Is it everything?
No,
It's only a commitment;
You must be the one to obey it.
Can it ever be broken?
Only God knows.
But will he ever stop loving you?
Not even once. ♥

Good Enough

For every girl who has ever judged herself for how she looks.♥:

Late one night, a young girl laid out on her bed one night, crying. She had a magazine in one hand and a camera in the other.

"I'm just not good enough," she cried.

Her father knocked on the door. Wiping at her tears, she hid the camera and threw the magazine under her bed. "Come in," she called quietly, while she crawled underneath her covers.

Opening the door, he said, "I just wanted to say goodnight." When he heard her sniffling, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Goodnight, dad," she replied, turning away from him. He walked in, sat on her bed, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing.. I'm fine," she insisted, avoiding his eyes. After a few moments though, he asked again, softer, "Tell me, what is it?"

She sighed. "Dad... do you think I'm pretty? All my friends say how beautiful those girls are in magazines, but when I try taking pictures like that, I don't look like them at all."...she began crying.

"Sweetheart," he hugged her, "No picture could ever compare to the way you look. No camera could ever capture your beauty! It's not what is on the outside that makes you look so beautiful; it is what is on the inside that shines out! Your wonderful spirit radiates through your smiling face, making your image so captivating that no one would even think to call you ugly!" He looked her in the eye; "not for a second could they dare say it."

The girl stopped crying.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, my princess. Don't ever forget that."

~♥~

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

(1 John 3:1a)

Holy King

Lord, my heart cries out to you now!
I hear your voice whisper to me;
It tells me who I am.
You say to me, "You are mine;
The princess of the Holy King,
The daughter of the One who saves the World!"
I fall down before you and praise Your name!

As I worship You,
I hear the serpent slither by;
He spits out lies,
Bribing me with fruit,
Telling me I'll never die.
But as I turn to fall away,
I catch a glimpse of your face.
My hand reaches out for just one bite,
But then I see your eyes, full of love and sorrow
While on the cross you die.
I shout "No!" but it's too late,
You give up one last sigh;
Then you fall forward and hang there,
And I begin to cry.
"No! Take me instead;
He is innocent!
I deserve to be killed
And hung in pain,
For he was crucified
When he was without sin."
But then three days later
He rose again:

After a day of rest,
I looked in
On an empty tomb where
I thought I would find Him.
I came to say goodbyes,
But now he is gone again!
And I cried more and more,
Until a man walked in.
"Why are you crying?"
He asked me then;
But I thought it was the gardener,
Not the one who died for my sin.
"He's gone! He's gone!
I think they took him!"
Then the man opened my eyes,
And I saw his face, alive again.

Hallelujah, praise the Lord!
Jesus Christ has arisen!
He's alive and here today;
For he could not be kept in death's prison!
Let us sing and dance for years and years
To celebrate His grace;
And when we die, we'll just sing some more,
Because we shall see His face!

Truth

The dream hasn't left me
Vividly, I can still see
Its bright marks across my eyes
No longer in disguise

The dark blue veil was torn away
In the bright truth of the coming day
No more far-off hopes twinkling above
Sprinkling down their star-dust "love"

The truth came slowly at first
Scratching through until the sky burst
Leaving pink scars stretched across the sky
Bleeding through with blinding light

Finally, sin put up its last fight
Then finally fled at the death of the night
While the sun rose again from his deathly grave
His purest love shone on my face

Drying my tears and setting me free
He reveals what the night hid from me
So that I can see who he wanted me to be
To live with him for eternity

Whispers

Sitting among the Pharisees
Whispers flow all around me
Speaking of this child's heart
Her never ending suffering

Her life displayed so all could see
Her hopeless heart beats wildly
Sitting very quietly
She wonders, "Who would help me?"

"Now listen very carefully,"
They all try to say to me.
"She'll trick you into obeying;
And on top of that, she's unclean.

"Look at her sin, hear what she's done,
Her life by Satan has been won;
She could never be saved by the death of His Son.
Go try a different one."

I heard what they said
I see her life hanging by a thread
The darkest gloom looms over her head
But her spirit is not simply dead.

She doesn't know what to do because she isn't seeing
Any love or care at all for her being;
Her heart for love is constantly beating
Still searching everywhere for some meaning.

She is lost and doesn't know how to be found
Looking for love when no love is around
Falling in sin and hitting the ground
Crying out for help, while to sin she is bound

How can you stand while she's falling apart?
Life is not all about trying to make it on the chart
This fallen child is God's own work of art
Reach out to her with the fullness of your heart!

It's never too late to start again
To change your life and live without sin
There is one way for you to begin
And it leads to a place where love always wins

His arms are open wider than mine
His love is deeper than the ocean is wide
He wants to love you and be your guide
Don't be afraid, let him lead your life