The Opinion Vs. The Truth

This is just a little poem-type thing that I wrote the other day. It is not great, and I think I need to change a couple of things around, but still, I figured it is okay for a couple people to read at this point. I get a little bit frustrated by the things that people say to one another and the way that people automatically believe others with what they say. I believe high school is definitely not it. It’s definitely not where you find who you are, especially if you think that high school is all there is. I believe you are always finding out a little bit more of who God made you to be everyday. It’s a process, and we definitely have not lived long enough yet to even figure out the half of it. High school is definitely not all there is (thank goodness) and this life is not all there is. There’s so much more that God has called us to and we need to be finding that. We need to be finding the good in others, not the bad. And we need to find both the good and bad in ourselves so that we can deal with both and make ourselves better. We shouldn’t be okay with comfort and okay with being so-so. We need to be looking to better ourselves at all times so that we can be a better help to others. Alright, enough rambling, read the poem thing. :)

PS- This ridiculous blog won't let me set two columns and it doesn't look the same as it does on my edit sheet thing, but still, hopefully it makes sense. :)

The Opinion.................................Vs......................The Truth

You’re done......................................................You’re just starting
You’re not worth it..........................................You’re worth everything
You’re used.................................................I’m using you for the glory of Me
You’re dirt........................................................You’re my creation
You’re diseased................................................You’re healed
You’re unacceptable........................................You’re exceptional
You’re the same as the others.......................You’re extraordinary
You’re only special for one night....................You’re special for eternity
You’re alone......................................................You’re with me
You’re stained with sin....................................You’re stained with my blood
You’re a mistake...............................................I don’t make mistakes
You’re a regret..................................................I don’t regret anything
You’re not talented enough.............................I gave you talents
You’re not smart enough.................................I gave you wisdom
You can’t win.....................................................You can’t lose me
You can’t succeed..............................................I won’t let you fail
You can’t help....................................................You’re my light
You’re ugly.........................................................You’re so beautiful
You’re broken....................................................You’ve been made whole
You’re nothing....................................................You’re something
You’re worthless.................................................You’re MINE

I said… You’re MINE

But That's Jesus

Ok so I just found my old Bible notebook from Heritage and I found this poem that a couple of friends and I made for a project. We had to take a story from the Bible and make a poem about it. It doesn't make much sense, especially the last verse (I have no idea what I was even talking about), but it's pretty funny. Just thought you might enjoy it.

BUT THAT'S JESUS

There once was a man named Joe
He was in his tent with nowhere to go
Then he saw a man
That was very tan
Named Jesus

Jesus where are you going?
I thought you were all-knowing
Today's Sabbath day
So you can't go to play
Said Joe to Jesus

I'm going to a cave
To save the lepers from the grave
I'm going up to Galilee
Would you like to come with me?
Said Jesus

I can't go with you today
For today is the Sabbath day
I've only got five steps left, ya know
So then I just cannot go
Jesus

Okay you can stay
But I'm going away
So see you later
Alligator
Said Jesus

So Mark Peter the Zealot went too
Though Martha the scribe was blue
And to me Jesus was cool
Although he was breaking the rule
But that's Jesus

Prayer

Today was See You At The Pole for schools all over America. Last year, at my school, we had SYATP, but I was almost disappointed by how it ended up. It was led mainly by adults, and there were only about 5-10 people there from what I remember. Today, we started at 8:30 and I got there about right on time. Honestly, I was expecting a couple of kids to come, and the adults would do everything again. I wasn't expecting the next thing I saw. I stood there at the flagpole as I saw students begin pouring out of the school doors, ready for SYATP. It wasn't close to our whole school, or even half of our school, but the fact that so many kids (probably 30 or so) were willing to get up early on their late-start day (we don't start school on Wednesdays until 9:00) and pray with others in the front of our school, where everyone can see them, is awesome to me. This definitely showed me how God is using me and others at my school to shine God's light and make a serious impact. I understand that some of these kids might have just been coming for the doughnuts and drinks, but the impact was still there.

A verse came to my head then when I saw the people coming out and when I heard people unashamed to pray earnestly in front of their classmates.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20

This verse really hit me when I saw everyone there and heard their earnest prayers for our school and the people in it. There were definitely more than just two or three people there, and Christ says that even if it's just a couple of people, He is still right there in the middle of it.

My prayer for our school is simple. I pray that people would realize the need for Christ in their life and would live out a life that serves Christ and only Christ. I pray for revival in our school and for a renewed sense of passion for our calling as children of God. I pray continually for wisdom for the staff and for their example to be like Christ's example. Finally, I pray that I may be continually growing in God's will for my life and for my outreach towards others.

It's pretty simple, but I believe God likes the simple. He's not going to give us tasks that are too hard for us to do. And, as I have learned lately, He's not going to give us desires that He cannot or will not fulfill. God is faithful always.

My Newest Revelation

So, my last long trip of the summer has ended. The first week of August (last week) some of our Co-Motion kids (our youth ministry team) had the chance to go to the National Fine Arts Competition and the National Youth Convention in Orlando, Florida. While we were there, we performed in a variety of different categories of ministry and had the chance to go to the youth services every night, which were amazing! During all of this time, God was speaking to me, as I think should happen every day. But during our "fun day," when we went to the beach, God revealed something really awesome to me.



I was on my way to walk into the ocean where the other youth were, when I saw that someone from our group had written JAG (our church name) in the sand. For some reason, this is what God used to show me that we are just a small part of a much bigger picture. Those letters that represented our church would be in the sand for a little while, and other people might see it, might even wonder about it and ask questions, but it would not be there forever. I'm sure it didn't even remain there for the rest of the day. And it wasn't nearly as big as the rest of the beach. There was so much more sand, and there was so much of the beach that our church name didn't cover. It wasn't even considerable when I looked at it in comparison to the rest of the beach and the seemingly unending ocean. But it was there.



Our church, as just our own building and people in Meriden, Kansas, won't always be here. People might go to JAG for Christian fellowship and worship, we might have all kinds of ministries at our church, and people might notice us and be able to see a difference. But our church will not be here forever. And our church isn't nearly as big as the world. Compared to all the people around the world, it isn't even big enough to consider. But it's here.



And although we shouldn't be a big enough part of this world to even be thought about, we have something big enough to share and big enough to be heard by everyone on this earth: we have the love of Christ, the One who has saved us from the most certain death, and the One who will save us from any danger. Although our church will perish, THE church will never end. Although our groups and ministries will end, and although our work on this earth will be finished, we will not be simply depleted value. We will be the one true God's beloved children, who will be able to worship him forever and ever.

A different way of thinking

So a few months ago, I read one of the books that Rachel Joy Scott's parents, Darrell Scott and Beth Nimmo, wrote after her death in the Columbine shootings. The book I read, Rachel's Tears, shared stories from Rachel's parents, as well as some of Rachel's journal entries from various journals and scraps of paper that she had in her room and her backpack. One part of this book really struck me as cool. This is something Rachel and her dad shared frequently apparently.

"One of Rachel’s favorite bible studies that we did together was about the difference between the seed and the sod. I had helped her to understand that we were made from dirt and our bodies will return to dirt. However, that dirt is the planting ground for an eternal seed. Farmers don’t look for clean dirt when they plant seeds. They don’t vacuum all the dirt out of the garden so the seeds won’t get dirty. They need the dirt for the seed to grow. In fact, sometimes the dirt isn’t dirty enough, so they spread cow manure over the dirt to make it dirtier! They call this rich soil.

"When we focus our eyes on “self,” we’re looking at the dirt. When we focus on the seed growing in the dirt, we produce fruit! It is so important to understand that the Christian walk is not me becoming perfect; it’s Christ growing to perfection in me. There are two verses that sound contradictory in the bible, and yet they form a complete truth: “I can of mine own self do nothing,” and “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Rachel knew the difference between the seed and the sod. She knew that once the seed began to grow, people would no longer look at the dirt, but instead focus on the emerging fruit of that seed. She knew she wasn’t perfect. But she realized that god was doing some wonderful things within her."

These are things that I never thought about when I read things like the parable of the sower and the seed. It's a very good example of looking at more than just the surface of the parables and their meanings. I am continually amazed at the depths of God in every way, and how I can always learn things and think about things in a way that I've never thought about before. I love how God gives us all different spiritual insights and ways of thinking so that we can share those with others to help them.

But enough rambling, I just thought others might enjoy that as well. :)

Finally! A New Post!

So it's been a while since I've posted! :) I've been finishing up my junior year of high school, and summer has been a busy one! I just got back from four weeks of our Kansas camps, both staffing and camping. And this coming Monday I will be leaving the country for Colombia on a short term missions trip! Yay! :) After that, we will have our church VBX, and then Fine Arts Nationals in Orlando, Florida. So the posts will probably still be seldom for a couple of weeks, but hopefully they will still be somewhat meaningful. :)

Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:10

I absolutely love this verse! God's will for us is active every second of every day. I know from multiple experiences that God's will is always much better than my own, or anyone else's, plan. We might think that our idea of something or plan for something is better than what is happening, but it never is. Never. For some reason, we think that we know everything that there is to know and that we are in control. Well, no matter how hard and continuously we may try, we will not be able to make the right decisions on our own. We can see in our own lives that God does not disappoint us, so why would we go back to thinking our way is better? I'm not really sure.

We need to make our faith in God and His plan for our lives stronger every day. How do we do that? Well, we need to start by following Him in our everyday lives, with the little responsibilities that He gives us. We need to do what He tells us to, even if we think it will be harmful to us. Because God does not harm us. Some of the things we think are harmful really don't hurt us at all. I am not saying that we become impenetrable, but those things are not from God. And when we do get "hurt" doing something that God has asked us to do, we should praise God. Because when we suffer for the name of Christ, that becomes a witness to others about our faith and His truth.

So do not go around thinking that your plan for your life is better than what God has for your life. God will take care of you far better than you can ever imagine. I dare you to give it all up to Him, and see what he will do with your life.

Laminin

Ok so others might not think this is as cool, but I think this is another one of those awesome ways that God shows his control over everything and his power to help us. It's just one of those little reminders that God is always there and that He will always be keeping us from completely falling apart.

It's a little cheesy, but the point comes across quite well. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Jealous much?

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth... When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Psalm 73: 2-5, 12, 16-17

Sometimes we, as humans, just get tired of seeing the wicked prosper. It's angering sometimes to see others gain health and money and other things (literally) when they do not deserve any of it and are selfish with what they gain. It's hard to keep from being angry when you are trying to do everything right, and someone else is gaining material posessions or glory, when they are only using what they are getting for themselves. But we must remember that, no matter what we have or don't have in regards to earthly things, we will always have something that the wicked do not have- Jesus Christ and our salvation. That alone should make us realize that we are so much wealthier than any rich person on this earth.

This does not mean, however, that we should brag to others about having something that others cannot have, because they can have it. And we should be overjoyed to share our undeserved gift with others. We should not boast about what God will give us when we get to heaven, or even what He has given us on earth (possessions, talents, etc). We should boast only in and about Jesus Christ and what He has done, is doing, and will do in and for us and others. Knowing that we have this gift of salvation, we should be more compassionate about helping others gain this gift for themselves. We should be more willing to share our testimony with others and help them to receive this gift of eternal life and blessing that God has so graciously given to us.

The longest blog yet!

"Do not be afraid or discouraged" "Do not be afraid or terrified"

Do you know how many times this is said in the Bible?! So far, I've found sixteen times and I wasn't even looking hard. :) I think that means there might be a little bit of importance to it. It probably also means that this is something the people in the Bible struggled with. And since not much has changed since then (concerning our emotions and struggles with trusting God at least) this probably means this is something we struggle with now as well. At least I know I do.

In Deuteronomy 1:21, Moses is telling the people about how they lost the promised land. He had said to the people that they should not be afraid to go into the land that God promised them. The people however, don't listen and get scared. So they send in spies to look over the land, which makes them even more afraid. So Moses reminds the people again that they should not be afraid because God promised them the land they were afraid to take. But, once again, the people will not listen. Because they would not trust God, they never got to enter into their promised land.

When Joshua becomes leader of Israel, these words are spoken again, three times. Obviously, the people have learned their lesson from when they did not listen to God's command, and they want those who have a chance to go into the promise land to not make the same mistake.

After Moses dies, these words are repeated to Joshua by God. Right off the bat, he tells Joshua to "be strong and courageous.... be strong and very courageous... be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; Do not be discouraged..." You think God wanted Him to be strong and courageous and unafraid, maybe?

Once again, in Joshua 8, the Lord commands Joshua to go into battle. The first thing He says to Joshua is... I'll give you one guess... "Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged."

I think by this time Joshua understands what the Lord is trying to say to Him because in chapter ten, He tells his people "do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous." He then proceeds to strike and kill five kings and hang them from five trees to show what God will do with their enemies (I know gross!).

This "motto" definitely passes on through the people of Israel. In 1 Chronicles, David tells his son Solomon, whom God has chosen to be the king who begins the building of the temple, to be strong and courageous and not afraid or discouraged. After David has described to Solomon how he is to build the temple, he once again reminds him to "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Figure that one out, huh? :)

More time goes by, and now Jehoshaphat is king. Once again, a nation is planning on attacking them (although you'd think they'd get the clue by now that they weren't gonna win) and all the people of Judah prayed to God. What do you think he said? "Do not be afraid or discouraged... Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged." Surprising? I hope not by now.

Once more, the Bible talks about fearlessness with God. When Hezekiah is king, another country comes to invade Jerusalem. What does Hezekiah tell them? "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged..."

Even in the New Testament, people are becoming discouraged and afraid. In Ephesians, Paul tells the Ephesians to not be discouraged because of his sufferings.

Okay, so have you gotten the point yet? :) I'm pretty sure I don't need to sum this up for you, especially since that will probably make you fall asleep if this blog hasn't already. :) But obviously this is important to remember. So.... Oh, you know it already!

Warning: Drama!

Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

God wants us to stay away from drama. Interesting. :) He says right here in the Bible that He wants us to have nothing to do with arguments, especially when they do not concern us. And drama is everywhere we turn. It is in our schools, our workplaces, even our churches. But God deliberately says to not have anything to do with it. Stay away from it. Avoid it at all cost. Why would He say that?

Drama is vacuum. It creates a barrier between us and God as it sucks the joy out of everyone that is involved in it. When someone's life is constantly filled with drama, they are not usually very joyful. Their life is an emotional roller coaster, which is not what God wants for us (Ecclesiastes 3:12). God wants us to be happy and joyful and grateful for the things He has given us. He wants us to enjoy life and to not give in to the problems that the world face. We know that through God, nothing in this physical world can truly harm us. Though we may have hardships and though we may have to deal with issues that involve other people, we do not have to and definitely should not be involved with petty differences and ridiculous dramatizations. We should stay clear of such things, because it is the will of God. And as at least I have found in my life, the will of God always has the best answers.

Freewill offering

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 54:6

How many times do we offer a "freewill offering" to God? Something that we give to Him because we want to, not just because we have to. Do we give ourselves to God because we want Him to mold us into something better for him or because we know that we are "supposed to" and people might think badly of us if we don't? How many times do we give up things that aren't necessarily bad or harmful so that God can do more than he already is in our lives.

When we give everything to God, that means EVERYTHING. It doesn't just mean the bad parts of us. It means the "good" parts too. If we have talents, we should give them to God, so that He can use them for His purpose. That's what ministry is composed of: the talents that God gave us combined with the working of the Spirit in us. If we don't allow the Spirit to work in our ministries, our friendships, our time, and our skills, we can't do what God really intends for us to do. These things might not be ungodly or harmful, but they can always use work and improvement. If we give God only the bad things, He does not have all of us, and He cannot fully work through us. He needs EVERYTHING. He deserves EVERYTHING. So give Him EVERYTHING. And not just because you have to, but because it is a freewill offering to Him because He has done so much for us.

Commitment

Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act

Psalm 37:5-7a

Commit EVERYTHING you do to the Lord. Trust HIM and HE will help you.

Have you ever felt like you needed to have help from someone, anyone, or you would fail miserably? That's why we need to trust in the Lord completely. If we give everything we have to Christ, we have nothing to worry about. He will renew our strength and help us through even our toughest situations. All we have to do is be patient for God to answer our prayers. That might be difficult to do, but it is much easier than taking life into our own hands and trying to fix everything ourselves. So don't stress out about the things that you can't handle anyway, because it won't add anything to your life (Matthew 6:25-34).

Hopefully that made sense to someone. I'm not sure it even made sense to me! :)

Hope

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Hope. It's a great thing to have. It's what gets us through the day. It's what gives us motivation and keeps us going. You can have hope in just about anything, but all but one hope will fail you.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.

Job 8:13

There's only one hope that will never fail you.

You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

Job 11:18

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 6:19-20a

We, as Christians, need to hold on to the hope that is Christ. Without that hope, there is nothing to live for. But with Christ, we have hope that exceeds all other hopes. It can never be destroyed and will never be brought down. And with this hope we can:

"...say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and [...] live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

Titus 2:12-14

Wait

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:13-14

These verses are just amazing to me. They are exactly what I have been thinking about lately. Even when things aren't going well, we can lean on the assurance that God will be good to us. We will see God's goodness in "the land of the living," in the place that we are right now. This verse just reminds us that, though we may not always pay attention to it, God's goodness is all around us. Look outside and you will automatically see beautiful creations that God has created for us to enjoy. Look at the people that are around us, the people that you love and admire, and you will see God's goodness. Look at His Word and you will see how God has been good to us. Everywhere you look, God will be showing His goodness to us. If you cannot find God's goodness where you are looking, you are either hanging out in places where you shouldn't be, or you are not looking at the right things and maybe even not looking at all. Even if something seems hard and maybe even a little stressful, do not give up. Instead, wait for God and He will help you through anything that you may face. Don't do something because you "feel like that is what you are supposed to do." Do not do something because YOU think it is the right thing to do. Do things because God says that is what you need to do, and you will never lose. You will never be disappointed that you followed God's instructions.

Giving Up

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

When I read this verse the other day, I just felt refreshed. God's law is perfect. Stick to it, and you will succeed. It might not always be easy, in fact, it might even get worse, but you will always have something that can get you through ANYTHING. It's not just the Bible either. When God tells you specifically that you are supposed to do something, or if you feel like God has lead you to do something, then you should do it, because God will keep you safe. He might bring you through things that you definitely did not want to go through, or didn't want other people to go through, but God knows what He is doing. You can trust him with everything you have: your family, your friends, your future, everything. And you will be happy that you followed Him. He's not going to lead you to do something that, in the end, your not happy about. Yes, you might not be happy about having to do something at that particular moment, but you will be happy in the end. Keep doing what God has told you to do, even if you think it isn't making a difference, and God will open your eyes. He will help you through everything and show you His will, even though it might just be a little at a time. God knows what He is doing. He isn't blinded to what's going on. He probably knows more than you know yourself. So let Him work through you. Let His plan happen, because it will bring better things than you could ever imagine. He will bring more blessings upon you than you could ever imagine. He is more than anyone could ever imagine. He saved you. Don't you think the least you could do is let Him take control?

Don't worry

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9-10

God will always be there. Period. That's all you have to know. Call on God and He will be there. In fact, He's there even when you don't ask Him to be. He's always with you ready to take you and your pain and transform you. You will not fail if you are doing God' will. It may not go exactly how you had planned, but honestly, who cares? God's plan will always be better than ours. So why do we worry about whether things are going our way or not?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12:25-26

Everyone knows that adding stress to your life when you know it will not benefit anyone is pointless. Hello, common sense. But we do it all the time. We worry about doing things exactly right and everything going "exactly as planned", when we can't control most of it. I understand that things do need to kind of be planned, but we need to understand also that God has everything under control. So we shouldn't worry about what might happen. We shouldn't worry about the what-if's. We should try our hardest to do what we can and listen to God. Because God will show us through everything and all things.

See how I ramble and end up on a completely different subject? :)

Crazy stuff!

My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.

God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.

Psalm 7:10-11

Wow. That is just so powerful. Just think of the hard times you have had. Haven't you ever wanted someone to shield you and take all the pain of something for you? That is what this verse is talking about. Now, He won't necessarily take all the pain away, but He can and will help you to deal with the "messes" of life. He can (and once again will) give you peace and help you to be able to use the things you are going through for the glory of Him. He will save you from everything. Just being in God's presence can give you the courage and peace that you may need.

Another thing to think about: God saves the upright in heart. It doesn't say "God saves the upright in outward appearance" or "God saves those who look upright." It says "God saves the upright in heart." That means that we need to keep pure not only in our outward appearance towards others (which has its place), but also in our hearts and our minds. God knows what is in your heart and He also knows that what you dwell on will eventually come out. He can't help us if we are not willing to fully give ourselves to Him so that He can transform us and our pain and "the sin that so easily entangles us" (Hebrews 12:1).

The second verse on there is surprising to some people.

God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.


Psalm 7:11

God will punish us. God will punish others. Just like a parent, He will discipline us when He needs to. God isn't just a "lovey-dovey" sap. He wants us to be happy and free of sin, and sometimes we are just to stubborn to realize that His plan is the best plan, and the only plan for any success. He sometimes has to show us that He is God because we get off track.

So let Him be your shield, be pure in mind, and remember that God will discipline us. His plan is the right plan. Always.