Hi guys!
This is a really random post, and I'm not quite sure what to say. Basically, I was reading the Bible, and I came across this verse, and I really don't know why (probably God), but I really liked it and had the feeling I should share it. Especially you, DJ, which is weird, but I thought of you when I read it and for the life of me I can't figure out why. So if anything has anything to share about it, please do.
Luke 21:38 "...and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Anyway, I hope you guys like it!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Encouraging.
I hadn't been on in so long before I posted that last post.
So I went through reading a lot of your posts.
It was so encouraging...
and so many things that I needed to hear were said.
You are all blessings.
So I went through reading a lot of your posts.
It was so encouraging...
and so many things that I needed to hear were said.
You are all blessings.
Love, what a powerful thing.
To have a life, the only thing that has to be relevant is the beat of your heart; the fact that you're alive. There are many living things on this earth, but right now I'm referring to humans. The most intricate, original living thing. Every single one of us are different, we may find many similarites with one another, but we are all so different.
Although every day we get out of our warm bed, climb out of our carboard box, or maybe even just open our eyes to find ourselves lying on the floor of the earth because we didn't have a place to sleep the night before; all to go through with another day of this thing called life that we live. Life can make you laugh, it can make you cry, it can be the best thing ever, and it can hurt like hell. No matter how you live it, it's an ongoing battle. We all live it different ways, because like I said we are all so different. We all have different reasons to wake up every morning, and we all have a different mindset; but one thing stands the same. We all want to be loved, accepted, and cared about.
Although every day we get out of our warm bed, climb out of our carboard box, or maybe even just open our eyes to find ourselves lying on the floor of the earth because we didn't have a place to sleep the night before; all to go through with another day of this thing called life that we live. Life can make you laugh, it can make you cry, it can be the best thing ever, and it can hurt like hell. No matter how you live it, it's an ongoing battle. We all live it different ways, because like I said we are all so different. We all have different reasons to wake up every morning, and we all have a different mindset; but one thing stands the same. We all want to be loved, accepted, and cared about.
As humans we search for love in relationships, and I'm not just saying boyfriend girlfriend relationships, but all of them. Including parents, any family, or friends. You look for it, you want it. I know I do, and sometimes you may find that love or maybe you've always been blessed to grow up having a love from family, but you just can't seem to find fulfillment. Then there is those of us who have not experienced love at all, or have gone through periods of our lives when we don't feel it. Either way when we can't find it...we do so much for it. The things we do for "love" (acceptance) are never ending. Alcohol, drugs, sex, emotionaly giving your heart away, or just being something your not. There is a never ending list, but all of these things we do for "love" can affect the rest of our lives in terrible ways. Things that aren't worth it. And then there are the things we do when we don't find love...to get rid of the pain. And there's no place to begin or end with that.
So now it comes down to why? Why can we not find that complete fulfillment in this world? Why are there people who can not find love anywhere? Because my friends this world is broken. The world has screwed up the defenition of LOVE, some people have never truly loved, or been loved. "1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." Although, there is those who love well but no one in this world can love perfectly. What is love, do we even know? People define it in so many different ways. BUT YES, we do. Love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast; it is not arrogant. It is not rude. It does not insist on it's own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things. Believes all things. Hopes all things and endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) so are we at loss in finding this love? NO. Because their is a Savior, a Rock, a Reedeemer, WHO. IS. LOVE. His name is Jesus Christ and he can fulfill us beyond what we can imagine with a love that is perfect, a love that we can not even imagine. Our heart just has to be opened to it, and when it is we can get to know his heart and learn to love the way he loves us. And THAT can change our lives and others lives and the world!!! A lot of times we have to be reminded this because we do even as people who have experienced this love fall in to finding fulfillment in this world daily.I wonder what it would be like if we could truly understand his love for us completely?
I know it would be unimaginable, but running after the Lord and growing in a relationship with him, reveals this love to us more and more. HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT! Running after this love is an ongoing battle, because we are broken people who live in a broken world, just running the race of life for a incredible purpouse. It's not easy, it's really hard - but it's well worth it.
And our calling? To share this love with this broken world that does not know love! Because like I said this love is life changing and world changing!
I'm just sharing this with you guys for one because I needed to be reminded this because it is so easy to find fulfillment in this world when you're surrounded by it. And for two, because we do not share this love enough, I know I don't. This beautiful. redeeming. powerful. love. that we keep to ourselves so often. And there are open doors all around us, daily to be able too. I encourage you to do take hold of those open doors.
I pray that this is a reminder for you, or that if you have been finding your fulfillment completely in the Lord it encourages you to keep after it! I will praying as well that God opens doors around you for you to share his love, and that your words are his, and that he already begins to soften and open the hearts of the people that you will be sharing with to accept this love.
Miss you all, and hope that this year of your life is blessed through the trials and the rejoicing. Will continue to be praying for you - Love.
Monday, February 7, 2011
why?
i can't figure out why day to day living, every moment of every day, isn't spent in utter awe and amazement towards God. what keeps us from that? the world? then how can we stop it? how can we block out the world? how?
i'll keep these random thoughts of mine coming... comment what you think we can do
-Alexa
Unity and Love
Hey you guys! It's Hannah Becker..session 11. Wow! That seems like so long ago! Anyway, I really had the intention of writing something completely different in this post, but I kind of feel led to share this instead.
If you look at the title of my blog..Love and Unity.. I think they kind of go hand in hand, especially when it comes to a body of Christian believers.
Here's a verse you guys are probably familiar with..
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Okay..So obviously, we know that Christianity is focused around Christ's love for us..and because he loved us it is our job as Christian's to love other people. (1 John 4:19) But think about it..how often as Christians do we catch ourselves not loving others..Think about that one kid that sits alone at lunch..or the one who never has a partner for a school project and gets teased all the time...Do you join in with the people that make fun of the people that don't have very many friends? Maybe not. But just simply staying quiet and not taking part in making fun of someone else isn't what Jesus would do. Christ would go sit with that person, or offer to be their partner..I know I'm guilty of that. Someone might be getting teased, and a lot of times I'll find myself just feeling sorry for that person and walking away. But I encourage you guys to ask Christ to take you out of your comfort zone and completely love other people.
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3
Alright! So when I think of unity I usually think of the body of Christ..and in simpler terms, my youth group, because that's where I spend most of my time at church, and most of my activities are involved with my youth group. But as much as I love them, I still see problems in my group that I see at school. My church group has cliques, and though it's rare that we're ever downright mean to each other, there still are those one or two kids that just don't have anyone to hang out with. Guys, I can't even tell you how important I think it is to love others at school and outside life, but also at church too!! If we can't fully trust or get along with the people that share the most important thing we all have in common (CHRIST!!) then how are we supposed to love other people that aren't believers? It goes back to being a light. My favorite verse: "You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14. think about it. Your friends that don't know Christ might come and visit your youth group one day..if everyone is tense..and not unified through Christ, do you think your friend will feel comfortable there? I encourage you guys, again, to pray to be put outside your comfort zone and continue to share the g ospel with others around you..Pray for a bold attitude. I have faith in you guys!
One last thing...
My really good friend Monica has a friend who's brother was in a car accident. He had an aneurysm and ran into a tree, and has been in a coma for 41 days now. I can't tell you guys how many people are praying for him right now..but I know it's a lot. I really think that Christ is going to do something miraculous here, and show us what the power of prayer can really do! So pray for him and his family!
I love you all SOOO much! Keep safe(:
Hannah Becker.
If you look at the title of my blog..Love and Unity.. I think they kind of go hand in hand, especially when it comes to a body of Christian believers.
Here's a verse you guys are probably familiar with..
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Okay..So obviously, we know that Christianity is focused around Christ's love for us..and because he loved us it is our job as Christian's to love other people. (1 John 4:19) But think about it..how often as Christians do we catch ourselves not loving others..Think about that one kid that sits alone at lunch..or the one who never has a partner for a school project and gets teased all the time...Do you join in with the people that make fun of the people that don't have very many friends? Maybe not. But just simply staying quiet and not taking part in making fun of someone else isn't what Jesus would do. Christ would go sit with that person, or offer to be their partner..I know I'm guilty of that. Someone might be getting teased, and a lot of times I'll find myself just feeling sorry for that person and walking away. But I encourage you guys to ask Christ to take you out of your comfort zone and completely love other people.
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3
Alright! So when I think of unity I usually think of the body of Christ..and in simpler terms, my youth group, because that's where I spend most of my time at church, and most of my activities are involved with my youth group. But as much as I love them, I still see problems in my group that I see at school. My church group has cliques, and though it's rare that we're ever downright mean to each other, there still are those one or two kids that just don't have anyone to hang out with. Guys, I can't even tell you how important I think it is to love others at school and outside life, but also at church too!! If we can't fully trust or get along with the people that share the most important thing we all have in common (CHRIST!!) then how are we supposed to love other people that aren't believers? It goes back to being a light. My favorite verse: "You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14. think about it. Your friends that don't know Christ might come and visit your youth group one day..if everyone is tense..and not unified through Christ, do you think your friend will feel comfortable there? I encourage you guys, again, to pray to be put outside your comfort zone and continue to share the g ospel with others around you..Pray for a bold attitude. I have faith in you guys!
One last thing...
My really good friend Monica has a friend who's brother was in a car accident. He had an aneurysm and ran into a tree, and has been in a coma for 41 days now. I can't tell you guys how many people are praying for him right now..but I know it's a lot. I really think that Christ is going to do something miraculous here, and show us what the power of prayer can really do! So pray for him and his family!
I love you all SOOO much! Keep safe(:
Hannah Becker.
focusing on the cross
hi friends. I miss you all so much. It brings me so much joy we have this blog where we get to share with one another.
I have recently had my mind focused on one major idea.
Focusing on the Cross instead of focusing on our sin.
It seems like the best thing to do when we are struggling would be to ask the Lord for help and guidance. But when we start constantly praying for help with our sin we begin to focus only on the sin and not on the power of the cross. Jesus has already died to save us from our sin and if we are only thinking about that sin then we forget what he has done for us.
This verse was in my devotional this morning.... what do you guys think it means?
"And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:3-5
Love you guys. Let me know what you think.
Always,
Lindsey
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A darker stain
This is a follow-up to "A Crimson Stain."
I talked to my friend today and things aren't well.
I kinda see faith as a step-ladder or a staircase and if we aren't careful we lose our footing and fall. It's when we seek out God again that we're caught by His safety net and put back on the ladder. I use this example to say that my friend has been caught by the net yet, and that she is falling even faster than before. (If any of that didn't make sense, I'm saying that my friend's cutting issue is getting worse.)
She was talking about all her viscious mind cycles and frustration at herself and shame that drives her to do this. I used Jeremiah 29:11, but the next thing she said was this word for word: "Oh, did I mention I'm kinda leaning towards deism as regards His activity in my life. I believe he is there. And does wonderful things in other people's lives. But not mine."
I'm clueless. i looked up deism and it says that they believe that a supreme being created the world and the answer is only found and explained in nature and no supernatural revelation (or something like that).
Things are getting worse and I'm losing hope for my friend. I need help trying to minister Christ to her.
-DJ
I talked to my friend today and things aren't well.
I kinda see faith as a step-ladder or a staircase and if we aren't careful we lose our footing and fall. It's when we seek out God again that we're caught by His safety net and put back on the ladder. I use this example to say that my friend has been caught by the net yet, and that she is falling even faster than before. (If any of that didn't make sense, I'm saying that my friend's cutting issue is getting worse.)
She was talking about all her viscious mind cycles and frustration at herself and shame that drives her to do this. I used Jeremiah 29:11, but the next thing she said was this word for word: "Oh, did I mention I'm kinda leaning towards deism as regards His activity in my life. I believe he is there. And does wonderful things in other people's lives. But not mine."
I'm clueless. i looked up deism and it says that they believe that a supreme being created the world and the answer is only found and explained in nature and no supernatural revelation (or something like that).
Things are getting worse and I'm losing hope for my friend. I need help trying to minister Christ to her.
-DJ
Beautiful
You're beautiful.
You were made for so much more than all of this.
You are sacred.
You are treasured.
You are His.
These are the lyrics to Beautiful by MercyMe, this is such a great song. There is so much truth in this. I often find myself confused because i know that we are sinners and we are nothing more than dust and i know that we are unworthy of God's love and thats why its hard for me to remember that I have worth to him. Despite the fact that we are unclean sinners he still loves us. We are SACRED AND TREASURED! that is so powerful. I think this song really speaks for it's self so please look it up. Yall are great. How can we live our lives for His glory today?
"The LORD apperaed to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'"
Jeremiah 31:3
You were made for so much more than all of this.
You are sacred.
You are treasured.
You are His.
These are the lyrics to Beautiful by MercyMe, this is such a great song. There is so much truth in this. I often find myself confused because i know that we are sinners and we are nothing more than dust and i know that we are unworthy of God's love and thats why its hard for me to remember that I have worth to him. Despite the fact that we are unclean sinners he still loves us. We are SACRED AND TREASURED! that is so powerful. I think this song really speaks for it's self so please look it up. Yall are great. How can we live our lives for His glory today?
"The LORD apperaed to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'"
Jeremiah 31:3
Fading Treasures
This is just a quick little reminder to all of us that things of this world, material things, don't matter in the long run.
1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
James 4:4 "Don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God."
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other."
No matter how much we enjoy material things everyday, we can't let them get a hold in our lives. We must make it to a point where we can honestly say that we will be fine without them.
Just a reminder to keep on loving God and serving the world with his love and forgiveness that we have been given ourselves.
keep on keepin on sweet friends,
Alexa
...hopefully more to come soon...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Listen in the silence
Some people have posted before about just listening to what God has to say to you. I had never really done that before, so I tried it a few nights ago! It was awesome. Think about it, when we pray and cast all our worries and anxieties on God, that's great, but He always know everything we're about to say before we say it. So try just blocking off all distractions and listening to His voice in the silence. It's kind of frustrating at first because you'll want to start praying or you'll get distracted by something, but try just being in His presence alone.
"[I] give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...for [I] have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones....and your love in the Spirit." Colossians 1:3-4, 8. I'm so thankful for all of you! You encourage me everyday. You're awesome - don't ever forget it!
-Haley
"[I] give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...for [I] have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones....and your love in the Spirit." Colossians 1:3-4, 8. I'm so thankful for all of you! You encourage me everyday. You're awesome - don't ever forget it!
-Haley
Friday, February 4, 2011
hi my sweet friends.
i hope this finds you in a sweet sweet time and that the lord is showing you new things each and every day. i know that it is about this time of the year where we start slacking and find "more important" things to do besides pursuing christ, but i want to encourage you. i pray that you are seeking him and seeking him hard because im realizing more and more, by the grace of god, that there is nothing sweeter than knowing him and pursuing him.
please dont give up this fight. dont let the enemy lie to you and convince you that growing in him can wait. cover yourself in scripture. bathe in prayer. meditate on the word.
keep running hard my friends.
amber
i hope this finds you in a sweet sweet time and that the lord is showing you new things each and every day. i know that it is about this time of the year where we start slacking and find "more important" things to do besides pursuing christ, but i want to encourage you. i pray that you are seeking him and seeking him hard because im realizing more and more, by the grace of god, that there is nothing sweeter than knowing him and pursuing him.
please dont give up this fight. dont let the enemy lie to you and convince you that growing in him can wait. cover yourself in scripture. bathe in prayer. meditate on the word.
keep running hard my friends.
amber
Monday, January 31, 2011
A Crimson Stain
Help.
My friend is in a dark place right now and i wanna help. We all have our issues and personal distractions that take us away from the Lord, well my friends issue is self-injury (cutting). One of her friends was texting her and telling her to throw her "tools" in the trash or something, and she responded "NO!" and then we tried calling her, but she turned her phone off.
Some one please tell how to minister to her cuz I haven't dealt with this issue before.
-DJ
My friend is in a dark place right now and i wanna help. We all have our issues and personal distractions that take us away from the Lord, well my friends issue is self-injury (cutting). One of her friends was texting her and telling her to throw her "tools" in the trash or something, and she responded "NO!" and then we tried calling her, but she turned her phone off.
Some one please tell how to minister to her cuz I haven't dealt with this issue before.
-DJ
Friday, January 28, 2011
Retreat Continued!
I'm posting a little bit more about what I got out of the Sky Ranch retreat I was at a few weekends ago. The theme here: God is SO HUGELY present in nature it's unfathomable, and we miss out on it more often than we know! This sort of lines up with something I discussed in the last post: taking things, blessings, for granted. To start, check out the lyrics of Phil Wickham's "Beautiful"
I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful
I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who you are
You're beautiful
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful
I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who you are
You're beautiful
While I was at Sky, it rained nearly the entire weekend. Now, at first thought, that sounds like a major bummer. Well guys, it was more of a blessing to me. I can't even really put into words how the Lord worked in my life simply through RAIN (this sounds super crazy, i know), but He DID. it's almost as if i could feel the rain washing away my failures and faults, just leaving me and God and time to share between us. it was AWESOME. one night i even took a walk, alone with God, in the rain. i was soaked and it was dark outside. i walked in pure joy that night, and i talked to the Lord about what i needed to give up to him and confess to him and trust him with. i told him my doubts, uncertainties, and failures. i literally walked and talked with God, in the pouring rain, drenched all the way down to my socks. it was such a blessing that i never even knew existed until i left the crowd of people who were warm inside, and went to the cold, windy rain. sound insane? for sure. but whatever happened strolling in the downpour that night, my heart was renewed, changed, set ON FIRE. i will never forget it. in that moment i felt as close to God as i ever have. that story didn't really do the night justice, so i'm challenging you to find God in nature on your own and meditate on it. let it marinate within you. one of my favorite ways to experience God (other than the rain) is the sky. find something personal this week. something that you can worship God in the presence of his creation. i dare you!
-Alexa
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Keep this going!
Hey Quest,
I don't know why but I always like to randomly look at the older posts on here from this summer and even from the summer before that. I just looked at the January posts from 2010 and the last post was on January 27th (today!). Let's keep this blog going! I hope that it keeps going all the way up to this coming summer. I look forward to checking the blog all the time and every post encourages me so much, so please don't stop!
So to anyone reading this, keep posting! And if you're reading this and you haven't posted anything yet, post away!
I hope everything's going well for you guys :)
-Haley
"...whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
I don't know why but I always like to randomly look at the older posts on here from this summer and even from the summer before that. I just looked at the January posts from 2010 and the last post was on January 27th (today!). Let's keep this blog going! I hope that it keeps going all the way up to this coming summer. I look forward to checking the blog all the time and every post encourages me so much, so please don't stop!
So to anyone reading this, keep posting! And if you're reading this and you haven't posted anything yet, post away!
I hope everything's going well for you guys :)
-Haley
"...whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What He Saved Us From
Hey guys!
This is a kinda random post, but this has been on my mind a lot lately.
How many times do you think, "Man, I wish I'd never been in this situation, or met this person" or something. I do that a lot. Why did I have to have a pop quiz? Why did I have to have the meanest teacher?
But I was thinking, what if I didn't? I would never know that God saved me from that. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God didn't save us from some of those people or instances? Our lives would be absolutely horrible, but God probably saves us about 1,000 times a day.
So, guys, thank God for all those things he saved you from that you don't know about. I hope this all made sense, it's kinda confusing. Basically, the Lord is good! :)
Hope you're all having a great second semester!
God bless!
This is a kinda random post, but this has been on my mind a lot lately.
How many times do you think, "Man, I wish I'd never been in this situation, or met this person" or something. I do that a lot. Why did I have to have a pop quiz? Why did I have to have the meanest teacher?
But I was thinking, what if I didn't? I would never know that God saved me from that. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God didn't save us from some of those people or instances? Our lives would be absolutely horrible, but God probably saves us about 1,000 times a day.
So, guys, thank God for all those things he saved you from that you don't know about. I hope this all made sense, it's kinda confusing. Basically, the Lord is good! :)
Hope you're all having a great second semester!
God bless!
More from the retreat
Hey guys I'm back, just wanted to share a little bit more from the retreat i went to at Sky a couple weekends ago. I'll sum up what I'm gonna talk about with this quote I made up during a moment of being thrilled with the Lord and his power.
"I've discovered that I love and even at times desire the feeling of brokenness. It reminds me of who God is, everything I'm not, yet all I hope to be."
Have any of you felt that way? Have you ever wanted to be broken for the sake of Christ? Ever considered it a blessing to suffer, to share in the sufferings of Christ? it's an odd feeling. but great at the same time. At the retreat (and a long while before that) my heart was, and is, broken. Broken for people who don't know Christ, who don't love Christ, or who just don't want a part of him. several times during worship we sang a song called "Beautiful Jesus" by Kristian Stanfill. Y'all heard it? well, i never had until the retreat. anyway, when they sang that song, we sang the chorus over and over and over again:
Beautiful Jesus,
Beautiful Savior,
nothing is greater,
Brilliant Creator,
Friend of mine.
Perfect in power,
matchless in glory,
nothing is greater,
Brilliant creator,
Friend of mine.
I just kept thinking in my head about people who don't have what I have, but they CAN! my heart broke more and more with each word i sang. it brought me to tears and in fact, before the song was over, i was weeping out of a broken heart and hurting soul...for others. now, i am a sinful human just like everyone else, so that love and brokenness was not of me, it was of the LORD. he allowed me to experience it to move me to action for his glory, even though a lot of times i take it for myself.
on a related note, think about how much we take for granted EVERY DAY. i bet every one of us could make a list of the things we don't think to be thankful for and it would be as long as, well, i don't know something long! sorry guys my analogies are lacking, i'm dead tired here...anyways, things like waking up every morning. God is perfectly capable of bringing you home whenever and however he wants to! we don't think about that all the time! every morning you wake up is another chance to serve him, serve others, love him, and love others. it's something i know i take for granted, but i'm working on it.
So, for my challenge to y'all (i feel like i always challenge you with something, so i'm gonna keep it up), every day you wake up, make GOD the very first thing you think of. Wake up and think or even say, "God, THANK YOU for waking me up this morning, for giving me another day to live here. I'm making this day about you and your glory. Help me do that today." Focus on him. just try it. make him the joy you have in waking up early, just because you know the fact that HE woke you up for a PURPOSE. so live like you know it!
-Alexa
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Between A and B
Hey guys, I just wanted to give yall some encouragement. I've been kind of distressed lately because a lot of my friends already have their heads in college (we're juniors!). They set their sights soley on their grades and become obsessed with doing whatever it takes to get into the right school. Although acceptance to a good school is very important and rewarding we need to stop living from point A to point B. By that i mean that its important to live in the moment, we are here, in high school so we might as well make the best of it. God has given us simple joys and it is important that we learn to appreciate them. Take a break from studying, go hang out with your friends on the weekends, play sports while you still can. If you live your life putting everything you have into what comes next, you will never be satisfied. What kind of life would it be if we were putting everything we had into the next best thing while we put friendships, family or even our relationship with Christ on the back-burner? Our perspective: Once i get to college i can relax, and that leads to- once im in grad school i can relax, once i have the perfect career i can relax, once i get that promotion i can relax, as soon as i get that raise i can relax... In a competitive world its easy to get caught up in that but its important to realize that life happens between point A and point B. I know that a lot of yall are caught up in all this college stuff (myself included) and you are already mentally checked out of high school but i challenge you to question yourself and figure out what you are really living for. By no means am i saying that we should slack off and disregard our grades but instead i hope that we can take some time to truly be at peace with our current situation.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Side note- Take some time to be quiet in front of The Lord, get down on your knees and listen. We often try so hard to fill our prayers with words but God knows our heart and there is nothing we could say that he doesnt already know. Be still and listen.
Help? :)
Hey Quest! I need your help!
My class and I are going on a retreat in February and I'm giving a witness talk about freedom, what it means to be set free in Chirst, and how that is different from the world's view of freedom. The theme of the retreat is "set free." If anyone has any Bible verses or stories or anything at all about freedom that I could use for my witness talk that would be great! Comment on this post and let me know!
Thank you!
P.S. Pleaseeeeee keep this blog going! The last post from last year's Quest group was right around this time...don't stop posting, keep it going! :)
-Haley
My class and I are going on a retreat in February and I'm giving a witness talk about freedom, what it means to be set free in Chirst, and how that is different from the world's view of freedom. The theme of the retreat is "set free." If anyone has any Bible verses or stories or anything at all about freedom that I could use for my witness talk that would be great! Comment on this post and let me know!
Thank you!
P.S. Pleaseeeeee keep this blog going! The last post from last year's Quest group was right around this time...don't stop posting, keep it going! :)
-Haley
Sunday, January 23, 2011
the most important book out there
Hey guys! it's been a little bit since i last posted...life is craaaazy! anyways, i've got a quick story and challenge for you guys. i think y'all will like it.
so last weekend my church went to a retreat at sky ranch. it was sweet! one of the messages the speaker challenged us with was about reading the Bible. this one probably hit me the hardest. he asked us, "How many of you have read the Bible?" people began to raise their hands. he continued, "I mean, the whole Bible.."
13 people out of 180 had read the entire Bible--every word. i haven't. he shared with us that as Christians, we have a HUGE credibility problem. how can we claim to believe the Bible if we don't even know entirely what it says? if we haven't even given our best attempt to read it all? so, i challenge you all, every one of you, to read the whole Bible. i am. and even if you've read most of it, start over and read the whole thing. if you have read the entire thing, AWESOME. do it again. you can never read too much of the Bible.
hopefully i can keep posting little things i learned and encountered from the sky ranch retreat last weekend. keep me accountable, PLEASE! text me, comment on here, facebook me, whatever. i'm working on priorities so i need y'all's help with this! love you guys so much
-Alexa :]
Off the top of my Head
hey everbody.
So last night was my school's talent show, and if you guys saw my last post "Help me find our reason to live instead," i asked for verses that said Christ is our reason for living because He died on the cross. I want to share with you guys my speech before we started our performance.
"'Hebrews 12:2-3: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of faith, for the joy set before Him he 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 sinners, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.'"
"This verse is one that brings me joy, but the part that gets to me is the first part, 'Fixing our eyes on Jesus.' There's so much distraction in our world today that we don't remember Jesus nearing at all. So, at this time, PUT ASIDE EVERYTHING. put aside your cellphones, your side conversations, all your stressors. EVERYTHING in your life that is bringing you pain, put it aside for three minutes, and lets remember what our reason to live is."
I didn't rehearse that speech at all. The words literally came to me as I was up on the stage. I felt so good after we performed and so at peace with God.
As soon as you are done reading this last sentence, write down everything in your life that is hurting you on a piece of paper, and throw it in the trash. Give it to God.
So last night was my school's talent show, and if you guys saw my last post "Help me find our reason to live instead," i asked for verses that said Christ is our reason for living because He died on the cross. I want to share with you guys my speech before we started our performance.
"'Hebrews 12:2-3: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of faith, for the joy set before Him he 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 sinners, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.'"
"This verse is one that brings me joy, but the part that gets to me is the first part, 'Fixing our eyes on Jesus.' There's so much distraction in our world today that we don't remember Jesus nearing at all. So, at this time, PUT ASIDE EVERYTHING. put aside your cellphones, your side conversations, all your stressors. EVERYTHING in your life that is bringing you pain, put it aside for three minutes, and lets remember what our reason to live is."
I didn't rehearse that speech at all. The words literally came to me as I was up on the stage. I felt so good after we performed and so at peace with God.
As soon as you are done reading this last sentence, write down everything in your life that is hurting you on a piece of paper, and throw it in the trash. Give it to God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
