New

In my last post, I wrote about how I would like us to start taking our blogs and living them out.  But today, I was thinking back about what good blogging did for me.  You know how sometimes, you get those thoughts that really are interesting to you, but may not spark other people's interests?  It happens to me a lot because I really enjoy Math and Science, and understanding how the world works in very general (but accurately based) theories.  I have decided to begin dedicating a new blog to exactly that train of thought. It is going to be mainly Christian based, but the entire purpose will be to explore new ideas about our world, why things work the way they do, and why we do the things we do.  It may not be updated frequently, but I hope you enjoy the things I will begin to share there.

Thanks, and may God be with you always. (:

~♥
(http://debunktheuniverse.blogspot.com/)

Taking Out

So for anyone who has followed me, you may notice I no longer post on a regular basis.  It may seem as though I have slacked off from a project that I started, but dear bloggers, I must say it is a better reason than that.  I am using my thoughts and my words at school, both in everyday conversation and situations, and in Friday's Student-lead Chapel program.  As one of our two school Chaplains, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share my thoughts with my entire High School and Middle School, and hopefully leave a bigger impact on my world.  Writing these blogs has helped shape how I view the world and how I approach different situations in my life, and now I am taking what I am learning and putting it out in the real world.

I really would like to encourage you, if you write a blog of your own or if you have been considering doing one, to try to move your thoughts into actions out in the world. Keep writing if it helps, like it did me, but in the mean time pray and watch for ways to take what you write and make it happen in your world.  You never know, I have received "thank you"s from people whom I would have never expected to be impacted by my God's words that I have spoken for Him.  When an opportunity arises, take a risk; maybe this is God's will for your life, and he is just waiting for you to take the step!

Don't be afraid, for God is with us, his children, and he will give you the words to speak, like Moses, as long as you listen to his voice.  Pray and stay in his Word, and may you be a blessing to all who meet you.
  ~♥


"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
 - 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Important Things

Today I saw a post on Facebook that read, "Put prayer back in schools!"  The person was claiming that if people were only allowed to pray as a part of school that our schools would be better. First of all, you can pray in school.  You can pray anywhere really; saying it out loud makes no difference to whether God hears you or not.  I have many Christian friends who pray for tests and friends and troubles throughout their school days and don't get in trouble at public school.

Secondly, I don't believe that adding prayer will change anything in school.  The most it may do is allow some teachers to preach to students, but it will not guarantee that the students will suddenly become great, amazing, rule-following people.  We have to face it: we live in a fallen world.  It will never be perfect; there is no 'one-step solution' to this page.

Before you ask how could I not want prayer in schools, I want you to see the bigger picture.  Parents are no longer forcing their kids to come with them to church.  That was a big thing in freshman year; all of these modern worldviews talking about how cruel it is to force a religion on some kid before they are old enough to decide what they want to follow.  I found it convincing at first, but I realized that the reason why parents do push their kids out of bed every Sunday is because they are learning a religion either way.  If you don't take them, you are teaching them that it isn't as important as sleep, or not even real.  I don't know too many people who had gone to church service every Sunday up 'till graduation and turned away completely in college.  Even if that person couldn't make it to worship services on Sundays, they probably would still at least pray before an exam.

It is also true though that a person whose parents never went to church or forced them to go with them would be far less likely to pray in school either.  I attend a Christian school and we pray every morning after the pledge.  Even though everyone gets quiet, not everyone prays.  The people who say the prayer on the announcements don't always care either.  I heard a prayer once said in a very dejected voice, "Dear God, thank you for this day, amen."  Everyone in the room laughed, the teachers were upset that he didn't put more into it, and you probably would have been too.

So how are we going to get kids who have never even heard of God to pray in public schools to him?  To them it will be like the pledge: "We do this because the government makes us. I hate America."

What makes my school different than public schools then?  The real Christians who are working there.

I have to say, we have so many teachers who care about their kids.  They don't even talk to us about Jesus all the time or pray over us everyday in class; not many of us actually care about that stuff.  No, we have teachers who are honest with us, share with our conversations more than the topics in the plan; and then we have talks with them about problems in our lives.  They sit down and work out problems between two students, judging the truth from the lies.  We learn to trust our authorities because they are reliable, knowledgeable  and don't fall for 'teacher's pets'.  Their opportunity to speak about Christ is during chapel, but their opportunity to show Christ is in the classroom, and they do it well here!

We need to stop losing sight of the important things in life.  Small stuff will get you no where; we all know that.  So why focus on praying in school? Why not focus on being the example you want kids to see and respect?  Even if it's hard, that's what Jesus calls "loving our enemies" and "praying for those who persecute you".  We have to do the action even if we ain't feelin' it.

I realize this is a lot longer than I had planned, and I applaud you for reading this far, but I have one last thing to share: not too long ago, I watched this video which got me thinking.  It talks about focusing on the bigger picture rather than the little things.  It is inspiring and thought-provoking, and I encourage you to watch it.

In fact, do more than watch it; share it with your friends, your church, your local school.  Maybe if we Christians change like Christ asks us to, then others will see his light where it wasn't before.

The "Unforgivable" Sin

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
 - Matthew 22:36-40

Confessions

Me: "God, I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry for ever leaving... I love you."
God: "I love you too."

I haven't been myself lately, mostly because I've lost my Bible, (I think I left it at church; the other one is at school. Internet Bibles just aren't the same) and with Thanksgiving, I've been indulging a lot in me.

I've been so excited to eat food, and sleep, and play with my cousins, and relax.  That's all good, and perfectly healthy, but I forgot about God.  Yeah, I thanked him and everything, but then I got to eat a ton of food, and I took a nap, and I spent a lot of time on the computer... I just forgot what this break was all about.

But I'm turning around, right now, and maybe that's why God let me leave my Bible at school.
A lot of the time, I forget how crucial reading the Bible is to life.  This was kind of a wake-up call for me to start spending more time with God.

So, I'm sorry God for not caring, for ignoring you, and for being selfish..
Please help me love you more! I'm not that great at reading, but I am going to do my best now.
Help me want to read; please, Lord, be with me.
I love you.
~♥

"Come near to God, and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
- James 4:8

Young Promises

When you make a promise to someone, a promise that you probably shouldn't have made, it makes it harder to let go... especially when you made the promise before you were old enough to know what you were saying.

It's hard for me to see little kids run after each other, having 'boyfriends" and "girlfriends" and telling each other they "love them".  It's got to be important to us to teach our kids and our younger peers in school that things like this aren't important--that it's more important to become a better person for God.  I don't like young relationships, mostly because I was in one that's been affecting the rest of my life, and I don't want some of their innocence to be ruined by a pitiful, easily avoided mistake.

But to keep this brief, I will admit, maybe it's good for them to learn young.  Not that they should have relationships in elementary, but that when they are a teen, they can learn somehow what is truly important to them and to life, somehow, someway, by God's plans.

I guess I wouldn't be writing this blog if it weren't for those times when I found myself crying out to God for help because of what I'd done.. but I still can't help but wish I hadn't said some of the things I had, like "I promise to always love you" when I was only fourteen years old.  But I do believe in God's promises--that he will use everything for our good (Rom. 8:28)--and so I just hope that he turns this into a good thing.

But what do you think?  What part should we play in young people's lives?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
- Romans 12:2

My Lover

I find myself often longing for a lover.

I sit here and think,

"If only there was someone 

who would be there for me all the time, 

and listen to all my problems, 

and help me get through them.

Someone who already knows what I've done,

and understands my heart, 

yet continues to love me all the time.

Someone who I can actually rely on for help, 

and trust with my secrets."

Then I look up and realize, 

  I have him already.

He knows everything I've done, but still loves me

 and he can help me in every situation.

I realize that he's been here all along, 

and I've loved him already too;

and then I realize that he's been waiting to hear me speak:

So I turn to my Lord, and say,

"Thank You."

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

- Jeremiah 31:3

Continued Post 9/30/12 

At the end of his talk today in church, my preacher talking about how the Holy Spirit worked, brought up how at a young age, a man told him to pray for his future, especially for who he would marry.  He dated a lot of good girls, and they all could have been fine, but he said one day in High School, he was asked to lead a devotional for a group of college kids.  He did it, and was completely scared, and even says he still does not remember what he said, but at the end of it, when everyone was leaving, this really thin girl came up to him, bright eyed, and said, "Wow! I liked what you said! What's your name?"  Even though she was in college, and he was in High School, they began a friendship, and he knew that there was something special about her.  Now they have been married for years, with four great kids, two of them married with kids of their own.

This reminded me of how often I've prayed the same thing, that God would work on me so that I would be a good wife, and work on whoever "he" is so that he would be a good husband, and that together we could serve God more fully.  It gives me a great amount of hope to know that he (someone I truly respect and admire for their relationship and walk with Christ) prayed what I am praying, and that God did answer that prayer fully.
I want to encourage you then to do the same if you are looking for love; but also I want you to remember that God loved you first, and that his love is better than any man's.
Be strong, pray, have faith.
~♥

Spiritual Truths

I have a creepy feeling inside of me.  Some part of God's spirit in me is predicting things and preparing my heart for things I do not know will happen.  How do I know this stuff??  Nothing in my body can tell me what I've known before it happened, and yet, somehow I knew it?
The night before Mrs. Hoffman died, I read Isaiah 57:1-2, and I prayed to God, "If you take her, keep her in heaven, because she is a wonderful woman and has done many things for You that no other woman I know has done."
A couple of hours ago, I read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, "There is a time for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die..." ...and as I read that, I knew somehow deep inside that this, in this moment, was talking about sweet little Julia... and now.. I hear that she has passed away... How can this happen?
The words of one of my new favorite songs screams out to me at this moment, because it's message is lining perfectly with my life, every second God is in control of me.

Alive Again - Matt Maher

Yes, I can see the light before I see the sunrise, and I can feel the wind before it hits my skin... it's so weird!
If anyone tries to tell you that the Spirit does not do things inside of a person that makes them know, say, or even understand things that cannot be understood by your body's senses, they do not know God!
God works amazing wonders.
I found it hard to believe such things even when my Bible teacher tried showing us it last year.  Honestly, he spoke in "tongues"--and it was weird! No idea what he said, and walking out of that class, all of my friends were like "Wow, do you believe that stuff? I think it's kinda crazy. Well, I don't really know, but yeah it was weird. I'm not sure."
But in that class, when he spoke whatever he did, it gave me some weird calmness.. and when he translated what he said... it spoke directly to me, into my life, and what I was going through at that time. He wasn't directing it toward anyone himself, but he faced me when he spoke it too. Interesting, huh..

Ever since then, I've looked for the Spirit, and I've found it here and there, in my life, and in others.
People find it hard to believe such a thing is true. Dying on the cross and being raised to life is a little less hard to believe than this, because this is something present.

Am I making any of this up? No; I wouldn't dare make a claim this big anywhere if I was not being truthful.
Does it line up with scripture? That someone can know things beyond herself because of the Spirit?
See for yourself:

    We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
    no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
   what God has prepared for those who love him" —
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
    The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgement:
“For who has known the mind of the Lord
    that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-16