My One Question For You

Alright, people. 

So yesterday, I was drying my hair and thinking about this conversation that my friend Erica and I have been having recently. And while doing so, a thought bubble exploded in my head. So here is the one question I have for you.

If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, how would you live differently today?

I know, right? As soon as I thought it, I was like….ouch….that one stung. 

I’ve just never thought about it that way before. But it makes a whole lot of sense. 

Most of us would probably answer yes to this question. If we knew that Jesus was coming back tomorrow, we would probably be running around telling people how much we love them, fulfilling things on our bucket lists, and then sharing Jesus Christ with every person we see. 

But here’s the thing…

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back!!

He could come back in one year. 

He could come back in 5,000 years.

HE COULD COME BACK TOMORROW. YES, TOMORROW. 

And because we don’t know, shouldn’t we be living every day like it is our last?? Shouldn’t we be sharing Christ as if eternity started tomorrow?? Because it could.

I don’t remember who it was, but someone once said in a sermon, “Every single person you lay your eyes on spends eternity somewhere.” 

Every. Single. Person. 

And when we go through our everyday lives, we don’t really think about that. At least I don’t. 

If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, how would you live differently today?

Would you forgive the person you have been holding a grudge against?

Would you say “I love you” or “I appreciate you” more?

Would you work harder than you normally do?

Would you quit an addiction?

Would you go out of your way to help someone?

Would you be more respectful and understanding?

Would you smile more?

Would you evangelize more?

Would you stop stressing over the things that have no eternal significance?

Would you stop worshipping other gods?

Like I said earlier, we should be doing these things every day!! Because WE DON’T KNOW when Jesus Christ is coming back! WE DON’T KNOW when our lives or others lives are going to end!!

We need to be striving to live every day like Jesus Christ, and we also need to be striving to live every day as if Jesus Christ is coming back tomorrow! 

Yes, I’m going to mess up at this. Yes, you’re going to mess up at this. But that’s what “striving” is - putting towards great effort to achieve or obtain something, in spite of our faults. 

I know it’s a difficult, trivial thing to think about. But I really think it’s worth the thought. 

If you knew Jesus Christ was coming back tomorrow, how would you live differently today?

Am I Attractive?

Society has all these standards on outward attractiveness, perfect personalities, and “relationship goals.”

Without noticing, we often become consumed by these things…always concerned about what we look like, if the way we are acting is different than everyone else, wondering why we don’t have those “relationship goals” or whatever other “goals" there are out there.

So I’m here to tell you that these things aren’t true. 

Shocker, right?

We all have an idea of our “perfect self” and other people’s “perfect self.” 

We all have an idea of what we think makes us attractive, and what we think makes others attractive (romantically and non-romantically). 

But you see, we all have different views. We all have different ideas and different standards. 

As a 16 year old girl who is daily trying to live her life for Christ, I know when I am most unattractive in the non-physical sense. 

I also can pinpoint what I find attractive and unattractive in other people..we all can in some way or another. 

Women who respect themselves, recognize inner beauty and have humble confidence….that is the kind of woman I find attractive. That is the kind of woman I want to be. 

Men who are humble, kind, and spiritually strong are the kind of men that most godly women would find attractive. 

But remaining gender neutral, what is most attractive is someone who 

*Respects themselves and others

*Is humble and submissive

*Is sincere

*Is even tempered

*Is hard working

*Is honest

*Is pursuing purity

*Encourages others

*Speaks kind words

*Always has their arms reached out to help others

*Has a firm foundation in Christ

*Is compassionate

*Whose prayers and worship are sincere

And most importantly, someone who 

*Looks like, is in love with, and is completely consumed by Jesus

Of course, no one can be all of these things 100% of the time. But society’s sense of attractiveness and “goals” are completely messed up. 

It is not all about looks. It is not all about reputation. It is not about being perfect. It is not about having the perfect relationships. 

But what is it about?

It’s about actively pursuing Christ every day. It’s about striving to live like Him with every breath you take. It’s about loving others like Christ has called us to. 

In the end, that is what is important. The things that are important to the world have absolutely no value in the eyes of the God. 

So why are we wasting our time trying to be attractive to the world? Being attractive in the way the Lord has called us to be should be our target-each and every day. 

And by the way, 

this is what real relationship goals looks like. 

#TBT

Alright so I’m sure you have all heard of the app Timehop, and I’m also sure some of you use it like I do. 

I personally love anything that is old, anything that brings back memories…old family movies, baby pictures, and all that other fun stuff. 

Well, recently I have been noticing that so much has changed since one/two/three years ago when I was posting these things. 

Different friends, different experiences, different circumstances, different looks, etc. 

A couple days ago, a picture came up from one year ago, and I realized that I’m not friends with this person anymore. 

We don’t really realize it, but every single day, something is changing in the slightest way. 

Every single day, God is doing something in our lives, and often times we don’t notice it until a significant amount of time has gone by. 

When looking at my time hop the other day, I realized that I was being shown something. God was showing me and reminding me through timehop that 

“This is where you were. And this is where I’ve brought you. **Ta-da**.”

And it was kind of a “woah” moment. Like, look at how much God has done and changed in my life in just the past 365 days! That’s not something we notice on an everyday basis. 

Some of those changes were hard. Some of them I didn’t even notice. Some of them were happy.

But looking back now, I can see that all of them were for the better. Every single one. 

God does so much in our lives and we hardly ever give him credit for it. 

These past two Wednesdays at youth group, Marla has been talking about how Jesus is our “And”. 

The first week was about before the birth of Christ, and the next week talked about after. 

But how true is that?!

Jesus IS our And!

He connects…

Our past AND our future.

The promised AND the fulfilled. 

The before AND the after. 

What an amazing God we have, people!! 

Let us praise Him for all he has done, is doing, and will do in our lives, because it is more than we could ever imagine.

And now, for your entertainment, here are a couple #tbt

It's Really Pretty Simple

I recently posted something on Facebook that said something like,

“Our problem isn’t only that our world has a presence of darkness, but also that our loves contain an absence of light.”

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells me to do something, but then they don’t give me instructions on how to do it…they just expect me to know. This mostly goes for teachers or school. 

But you see, we hear our pastors say all the time to go out and be lights and spread the word, and for many people, we have heard that message time and time again, so it just seems to go in one ear and out the other. We know that we need to be spreading the gospel, but we aren’t exactly sure where to start. 

The good news is, that the Bible is like a giant manual that tells you have to handle pretty much every event you will ever go through in your life. It instructs you HOW to be the light, HOW to live a godly life, HOW to….

It is our choice whether or not we will do what the Bible says, but when it comes to sharing the case for Christ, we can never use the excuse that we don’t know how. 

This week, I have been reading James, and it gives some pretty simple, clear instructions and insights.

1. Be happy when trials come, because they test your faith and produce perseverance. 
1. I know it’s pretty hard to be joyful, grateful, or even happy when you are facing trials, because you want to do the exact opposite. But try to think about it from the “big picture” perspective and see how this trial is going to positively effect you in the long run. 
2. You can only blame temptation on the devil, or yourself. 
1. Temptations drag people away by their own evil desires and entices them, which then gives birth to sin, which ultimately gives birth to death. When you stand by God, He will help you to resist temptation. 
3. Listen more, and be less angry.
1. Anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 
4. It is not enough to just listen to the word. You must do what it says. 
5. Those who follow Christ but do not control their mouth are deceiving themselves, and their religion is worthless. 
1. If your words are speaking things that the Lord would not approve of, you are doing no good for the Kingdom of God. 
6. If you break one part of the law, you have broken all of it. 
1. You’re either a sinner, or you’re not. (PS..we all are….sorry to burst your bubble)
7. Faith without deeds is useless.
1. Faith and actions work together. Sure, having a strong faith is great, but if you aren’t acting on it, then what good is it doing?
8. The tongue has great power and corrupts the whole body. 
1. We praise and curse with the same tongue. Brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? No. 
9. Those who bring peace will obtain righteousness. 
10. Wisdom leads to peace, love, a considerate heart, submissiveness, mercy, and good fruit. 
11. You cannot be friends with the world and a follower of God. 
1. James 4:4 merely states, “You adulterous people, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God."
12. Submit yourselves to God and resist the devil. 
1. Wash your hands and purify your hearts. Humble yourselves. 
13. Stop being judgmental. 
1. James 4:12 There is only one law maker, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you? Who are you to judge your neighbor? 
14. Only rely on God’s plan. 
1. James 4:14 You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
15. Be patient, like Job, and God will bring you greater things. 
16. Confess your sins to others so that you may be healed. 
17. Prayer is powerful and effective.
1. If one of you should wander from the truth, someone should bring that person back. This will save them from death and cover a multitude of sins. 

I'm Thankful for You

Wellllll Thanksgiving is coming up. #Food

(I really love Thanksgiving)

But you see, in this world we live in, we often take many things for granted. 

If you’re having some trouble with coming up with non-generic things to be thankful for, well here you go!

I am thankful for hot coffee. With lots and lots of creamer. 

I’m thankful for cardigans, which take up 75% of my closet.

I’m thankful for really fuzzy socks, and really warm blankets. 

I’m thankful for Netflix. He is the best boyfriend a girl could ask for.

I’m thankful for amazing pens, and hand lettering. :))

I’m thankful for my Eno hammock which is so comfy.

I’m thankful for watercolors. Lots and lots of pretty watercolors.

I’m thankful for pumpkin everything, pumpkin anything.

I’m thankful for Google. It saves my life daily.

I’m thankful for mint ice cream. and Dr. Pepper. They are my favorites things ever. 

I’m thankful for sweatpants. 

I’m thankful for gorgeous leaves all over the Earth during fall. 

I am thankful for delicious smelling candles. Yum. 

I am thankful for photos. I love being able to capture a memory in still time. 

I’m thankful for handwritten notes, and my drawer full of them. 

I am thankful for home videos. They are my favorite entertainment. 

I’m thankful for pretty lights. And sunsets. I love sunsets. 

I’m thankful for BBQ. And Italian. And Mexican. And Chinese. And American. I love food. 

Which is why I love thanksgiving. 

Okay so those are some everyday things I am thankful for, very casual things. 

And now, here some more meaningful things that I am grateful for. 

I am thankful for my insane and crazy family. They are really annoying, but I guess I love them anyway. 

I am thankful for my amazing friends. They make me laugh so hard that I cry, and they are always there for me. 

I am thankful for school. I like school. Stop judging me. 

I am thankful for my church. I love my church. Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, y’all. My youth pastors and adult “teachers” are some of my favorite people and I am so lucky to have such amazing people to look up to and learn from. 

I am thankful for music. There is a song for just about anything. 

I am thankful for nature, our everyday evidence that God is near. 

I am thankful for God’s amazing grace and love. He gives me undeserving grace and love, yet I fail Him everyday. We have an amazing God, folks. 

And last but not least, I am thankful for you!

Yes, you.

I may not even know you, but I am so thankful for you! 

Your life has so much purpose and worth and potential, and don’t ever forget that. You are beautiful and smart and talented and loved, more than you could every know. I am thankful for your life and I am thankful for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

"I Will Trust You"

Speaker: Marla Crisman

When we get stuff on sale, we get more than what we paid for. Right?

Well we need to stop giving God less than what He paid for. We can do this by being faithful to God.

How do we live a life of faithfulness? Trust God.

But who keeps us from trusting God? Ourselves. 

If we look at our lives, we can all pinpoint a few things that aren’t going quite right, and those are the areas where we are not trusting God. 

Trusting God is quite simple, but it isn’t always easy. 

We have no reason to trust God, because He is always faithful! 

God’s power is much bigger and better than our own! We will never be perfectly faithful, but God always is. 

And even when we aren’t faithful, God always provides. 

When we don't trust God, are we telling Him that He is not worthy of our trust? 

So how exactly do we trust God?

1. Seek Him
1. In order to seek God, we must be in His Word, and we must live up to what we know and learn from it
2. When you fail, repent
1. Do not just repent with your words. You must truly change your actions in order to completely repent from your wrongdoings. 
3. Put your love, energy, passion, and care into your relationship with God
1. If you do not, your relationship with God will not nurture and it will not grow, and neither will any other relationship. 
4. Focus
1. When we are solely focused on God, we can better trust Him. 

Trusting God can be really scary, because it means letting go of the control-something that we love to have. We must look at our lives and ask, “Where am I not trusting God?”

Here are some great songs about Trust:

1. Steady Heart by Steffany Gretzinger
1. I can’t see what’s in front of me, still I will trust you
2. Trust in You by Lauren Daigle
1. When you don’t move the mountains I’m needing you to move, When you don’t part the water I wish I could walk through, When you don’t give the answers as I cry out to you, I will trust in you
3. Loyal by Lauren Daigle
1. Your love is loyal
4. Once and for All by Lauren Daigle
1. Be lifted high as my kingdom falls, once and for all
5. I surrender by Hillsong
1. Lord have your way in me
6. Anchor by Hillsong
1. The anchor for my soul, Father, you will never change
7. It is well by bethel
1. So let go my soul and trust in Him
8. Tonight by All Sons and Daughters
1. Through your strength, all my fears will fade away, as you lead me in your ways, I will trust in you
9. Sovereign by Chris Tomlin
1. In your everlasting arms, all the pieces of my life, from beginning to the end, I will trust you
10. Through all of It by Colton Dixon
1. I have won, I have lost, i’ve got it right sometimes but sometimes I did not. life’s been a journey, I’ve seen joy, I’ve seen regret, and you have been my God through all of it. 
11. Give me faith by Elevation Worship
1. Give me faith to trust what you say
12. Oceans by Hillsong
1. Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
13. Trust in jesus by Third day
1. I’ll trust in Jesus, my great deliverer
14. Christ alone by Phillips Craig and Dean
1. In christ alone, I place my trust, and find my glory in the power of the cross\

We can trust God with everything! Our lives, our futures, our hearts, and everything else. He will never fail us. He is always faithful. Therefore, we must trust Him with every inch of our being. 

Keep Looking Forward

Matthew 14:22-33

The disciples were together in the boat, and Jesus met them by walking on the water. At first they were very frightened, because they thought he was a ghost, but Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid!” 

Peter doubted him and said, “Lord if it is you, tell me to come out onto the water,” and Jesus said, “Come.”

Peter then got out of the boat and he walked on the water to Jesus. Peter became distracted by the wind and the waves surrounding him, and he then began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Christ replied, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt me?” Christ took his hand and led him back into the boat, and the winds ceased. 

I’m sure we have all heard this story before. I know I have. But two years ago, I heard a fellow student give a sermon on it, and it has been one of my favorites ever since. 

Imagine this analogy. We are Peter, and the water is our lives. 

Jesus has called us out to come and follow him in faith, and so we do. We step out of the boat and into the water. 

All of a sudden, we realize that we are surrounded by a raging storm. The winds are howling, the waves are crashing over us, and we become sidetracked. We take our eyes off of Christ, and we immediately begin to sink.

Sounds about right to me. 

We have faith in Christ until things become rough, and then we become scared, distracted, and we begin to doubt that Christ is enough for us. And when this happen, we become overwhelmed and life drowns us. 

But if we keep our eyes on Christ through the storm, we will not sink! We will prosper!

Is it easy? Of course not! But Christ doesn’t call us to live an easy life! He calls us out of our comfort zones, into places where we are scared and uncomfortable, and to remain having faith in Him through all of it!

When your family is separated, when your heart is breaking, when you’re in an uncomfortable atmosphere, when life is defeating you, Christ says, “Child! You of little faith! Look to me! Look into my eyes! Reach out to me! I will not let you drown in the storms of life! Look to me and HAVE FAITH!”

Does that mean that Christ won’t let us fall? Of course not. But it does mean that if we look to Christ, he will help us back up again. 

Life is difficult. This world is broken. We are imperfect. 

But Christ is big enough. Christ is enough. We must have faith and look to him in all circumstances, even when it’s hard. He will help you through. He will guide you. 

So when Christ calls you to step out of the boat and into the storm, do not be overwhelmed or distracted by the trials and tribulations! Don’t take your eyes off of Christ! Follow him with all of your being, do not lose your faith in times that you need it most! I have done it. You have done it. 

So here’s the gist.

Christ calls each and every one of us out of our comfort zones. But he doesn’t tell us that we have to do it alone. He calls us out and then commands us to look at him and follow him despite the storms going on around us. He calls us to have faith in Him in all circumstances. And if we do, He will help us to overcome our winds and waves. 

Psalms 121: 1 I lift my eyes up to the mountains. Where does my help come from? 

The Cold Hard Truth

Life Hack: Wisdom

Speaker: Brad Daniel

Most people don’t plan on screwing up their lives, but they don’t plan on NOT doing it either.

Something that lacks in our world today is wisdom.

When we think of wisdom, we think of an owl, or a really old person who has learned a lot about life. 

But wisdom is knowledge and judgement that comes from perspective, obedience, and discernment in order to do the right thing at the right time for the glory of God. 

Your direction determines your destination, and most people don’t consider that when they are making decisions in their daily lives. But ask yourself-In light of where I want to go in the future, what has happened to me in the past, and where am I right now- what is the wisest thing for me to do? 

When people are making decisions in their daily life, they think-Oh i will just cuss this one time, I will just go to this one party, I will just tell this one little lie, I will only smoke this one time, I will only drink this little bit, I will only go this far-BUT EVERY LITTLE DECISION YOU MAKE ONLY LEADS TO MORE AND MORE. And I think people know that, but choose to avoid it. Everyone always thinks that they will be the one exception!! But that could not be farther from the truth! we HAVE to be intentional with our decisions! Proverbs 7 talks about the woman that seduced the man, and he went away with her. Proverbs 7:23 says that he went with her like a snake into a snare, “Little knowing it will cost him his life”. 

We often have the mindset of, “It’s okay! I’m young! I’m a teenager! I’m supposed to have some ‘fun’!!” But--The direction you are going now determines your destination for the future, whether you want it to or not. And the direction you are going will ALWAYS trump your intentions. 

For example, you may have the intention to have a great potential influence on people-But then you make a decision or turn in the wrong direction. And when that happens, you are pushing your wisdom aside. 

Having wisdom is hard, but it will be fulfilling and your life will look so different to those around you!!

How can we do this? Be in God’s Word! Ask for wisdom and direction! Surround yourself with people who not only follow Christ, but who also make wise decisions-because those two things are often very skewed though they should be aligned. 

You can NOT live your life like Christ if you aren’t in His word! 

James 1:5 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

If you are seeking a promising future, you must realize that your choices now affect your life! The things you choose to do now can affect your marriage in 10 years! The things you do now can affect your health in 50 years! And most importantly, the things you do now can either strengthen or kill your witness to others. 

When we are wise with our decisions and when we live a wise life, we are giving glory to God so that others can see it! 

Your direction, your words, and your relationships RIGHT NOW-THIS VERY SECOND- are determining the destination of your future. 

We must be choosing the WISE thing! Not the “fun” thing! Not the “popular” thing! The wise and God-glorifying thing!  What people think about you does NOT matter! But what God thinks about you does! 

It doesn’t matter if what you are doing is a sin or not! Even though it’s not clearly defined as a sin doesn’t mean that it’s glorifying to God. What we should be asking ourselves is, “Are we causing other people to stumble? Are we showing people the difference between living for Christ and living like everyone else in the world?” It doesn’t matter if you are with your Christian friends or you non-Christian friends! When we are with our Christian friends, we are supposed to be representing Christ, not kicking back because “we all love Jesus so whatever we do is okay”. No. No No No. 

The beauty of wisdom is that you can’t get there on your own. God will meet you where you are and enable you to live this life! And all of your friends that are making dumb choices? You’re going to escape that junk and you are going to glorify God with your life and your decisions! So start being wise, and start being intentional with your decisions right now!!

Authenticity vs Holiness

First I must say, that these words are not all my own, but they are from this wonderful article that I read the other day. 

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/has-authenticity-trumped-holiness-2

By Christian Living/ Brett McCracken

Authenticity: the state of being “real” with people. Not holding anything back. Sharing ourselves.

Holiness: being set apart from the world. 

We have come to value authenticity over holiness. This shows that in our world, we have a very skewed view of sin. 

Sin is NOT something we should be patting each other on the back for! Sin is something we should all be grieving, not celebrating!

We have grown to be comfortable with our sin, making it a way to relate with each others. But shouldn’t we be relating to one another in our connection with Christ rather than our depravity?

Authenticity should not be patting each other on the back as we share about our struggles. Authenticity should be where we push one another, by grace, towards Christ-likedness! 

“Grace covers. And it covers again and again.

Thanks be to God. But if we stop there, We are only telling half of the story. . . . Receiving grace for my failures also includes Christ's help to turn from sin and embrace obedience.”

In simpler terms, God’s grace covers our sin. BUT THAT IS ONLY HALF OF THE STORY. When we receive God’s grace, that means we should be seeking Christ to help us turn away from our sin and turn towards obedience and holiness!

“Could it be that the most authentic thing any of us can do is

faithfully pursue holiness and obediently follow after Christ?”

We have all sinned before. We all sin everyday. We will all sin for the rest of our lives.

That can’t be ignored. 

But we can not sit around and wallow in it!

We can not sin around and take our sin lightly for the sake of being authentic! 

Rather than focusing on how terribly broken we are, we should look to model Christ by grace and through the Holy Spirit. 

We must stop seeing ourselves as scum! In Christ, CAN BE MORE THAN SCUM!

And that is a message the world needs to hear! 

Instead of focusing on the bad, we must attempt to reclaim the hope that Jesus represents-redeeming our world by showing the sacrifice, service, grace, hope, joy, and love of Christ!

We think that sharing our sin causes us to be more relatable to those around us-after all, it is something we all have in common. What we don’t realize is that when we celebrate our sins, or communicate to others that their sinning is okay, and we are communicating disappointment, disillusionment, and discontentment! We are thriving solely on negativity and we are killing the hope of other people!

Sure, sharing your sins is great! BUT STOP CELEBRATING THEM. STOP TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEIR SINNING IS OKAY. 

That is a lie!!! Yes, God’s grace covers your sin…BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE SINNING OKAY! 

We can NOT have the mindset of “It’s okay if I sin…God will forgive it anyway.” 

We must stop this! And we must start walking towards Christ-likedness, repentance, obedience, love, joy, peace, and purity! 

Running the Race

As most of you know, on Saturday I ran a half marathon.

That is 13.1 miles people.

13.1 miles. 

I repeat.

13.1 miles.

5 months ago, I couldn’t even run 1 full mile, and that is not an exaggeration. 

And here I am, 5 months later, running 13. 

It’s insane. 

Most of you know that I am not an athletic person. Like at all. I don’t do physical activity unless I am forced, but running this race was my choice, and I was determined to do it from the start.  I heard about World Vision in May, and for some reason decided it was something that I wanted to do. (Don’t ask me why because I honestly don’t know)

I started following the running schedule, exercising multiple days a week, and I hated it, but I kept on going. 

It was a lot easier training in the summer because I could run whenever I wanted, but it got hard when school started because of homework and all the various other activities that come about. But somehow I still found the time to keep running. 

About one month ago, my mom decided she was going to run the race with me, because I did not want to run it by myself. My mom is like a mad exercise ninja, so it was no big deal for her. 

The race was hard. it was freezing outside, my body was aching, I was tired, and I literally had to go to the bathroom like every two miles, but I was determined to reach my goal of finishing in under 3 hours. And that’s exactly what we did!

It was exhilarating—having random strangers yelling for you, holding up really funny signs, giving you high fives, handing you water, etc. It was awesome seeing so many people running at the same time, and it was even cooler seeing so many people that you know running with you for the same cause. 

If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be running a half marathon in October, I would have laughed in your face. I would have laughed so hard. But here I am. 

Our World Vision Team raised $200,000 just for this one race. I’m not sure if that’s a lot to them, but I still think it’s pretty cool! We raised enough money to give 4,000 children clean water for the rest of their lives—that’s huge!! 

It was so cool seeing so many people that I know and love come together to exceed their personal roadblocks and run for the Lord! And I am so glad I got to be a part of it.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Rescue

Speaker: Merle Mees

 Hmm..What is wrong with the world?

A lot. A whole lot. 

Is it the devil? Is it us? Is it others? What is it?

Let’s take a step back. 

If we are the problem, is it a heart issue? A mind issue? Or is it just the nature of our being? 

"The heart is the spring where life flows from.”

If our hearts are no good, then we are no good, because our heart is what makes us..us. 

Do we have pure hearts? Of course, we aren’t perfect,but a pure heart is what we should ultimately be striving for. 

A pure heart has one God and no idols. A pure heart does not speak poorly. 

But without God, our hearts are not pure at all. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked when we do not have God. 

So you see, there’s a lot of things wrong with the world. Our hearts, our minds, the devil, sin, crime, brokenness, deceit…and the list goes on and on and on. If we view humans as the problem with the world, then how do we fix ourselves?

But there’s good news…Great news!

…Are you ready??

JESUS IS THE RESCUE. 

Yes, that’s right. 

Jesus rescued us when he gave his life for us on the cross, and Jesus continues to rescue us every single day of our lives if we seek him through our troubles and problems. 

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world-your mind and heart-put right. Then you see God in the outside world.” Matthew 5:8

And when we live knowing that Jesus is our rescue, our constant, and our everything, then we are able to live completely for him, striving after a godly life, and having the heart and eyes of Christ. 

So how can we show the world that Jesus is the rescue? We are the body! We, living with Christ through us, are the rescue team!!

But how do we rescue? We must make a difference, and here’s some ways how:

1. Get right with your faith.
2. Stop judging, and accept people-sins are like skyscrapers. From the ground where we stand, all sins look different. But from the sky where God stands, they all look the same. 
3. LOVE EVERYONE-everyone burns differently. Everyone has different convictions. 
4. Representing Christ in your actions and words- If you don’t represent Christ, then how are you any different than the next person?
5. Being open to other people’s opinions
6. being kind
7. not being forceful or argumentative
8. Taking the heart and eyes of Christ- Faith not accompanied by actions is dead. 
9. having a good attitude
10. Being respectful
11. Being fruitful
12. Obeying rules
13. Making godly choices-You know something is bad when you are sinning and don’t feel guilty about it. Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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."
14. Having a pure heart by 1. acknowledging the nature of your heart 2.Asking God to search your heart 3.Allowing God to change your heart, and 4.Actively guarding your heart.  Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
15. Be aware of yourself and your surrounds-Your heart has the capacity to do more evil than we care to admit
16. Having faith-Our whole faith is based on faith, not knowing. If our faith was based on knowing, then it wouldn’t be called faith. 

Thank you, Jesus, for your rescue!

Dude, Calm Down

Speaker: Brad Daniel

No matter how strong, devoted, or spiritually mature you are, you can’t grow fruit on your own-whether you think you can, or not. 

If we are living our lives with Christ, our lives should be fruity and phenomenal.

Our world today is a rush. Lots of school, lots of activities, lots of places to go and people to see. We hardly have any down time at all. We hardly get any rest because we are always going, going, going. 

And often times, when we find a break, we just want “peace and quiet”, and that peace and quiet is usually really nice. 

But peace isn’t just being quiet. Peace isn’t just being relaxed. 

When we have true peace from God, it allows us to engage with the turbulence we face because we know that God is with us. Peace is believing that all is well, even when the world says, “Hurry up and fix it.” But we must remember that we need peace. Peace is a fruit we need to grow. And the process of growing fruit is slow. 

Romans 12:18

If it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Last night, week 3 of our Peeled series, we talked about peace and how peace relates to self control. Because no peace usually means no self control. 

But like peace, we often have a skewed view of self control. 

Self control is not just doing good things. It is learning to master our good AND bad personal desires and passions. 

Self control is surrendering your control over your life, and giving it to God.

Self control is the freedom to do what is right when you are under pressure and stress. 

We were asked, “What is your bigger better yes?”

When you are with your friends, tempted to do something that they are doing, stop and think:

What is my bigger better yes? 

Your bigger better yes is saying no to things that are not life-giving or fruitful or godly.

Maybe your bigger better yes is watching your language, controlling your temper, turning off your electronic device, or changing what you allow yourself to consume….whatever it is…say yes to what is bigger and better, even when it is hard. 

That is self control. 

When we are growing in Christ, our fruit should reach a point where it becomes good enough that those around us who are struggling can come and see and taste that God is good. All the time. 

1 Peter 1:5-7

5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

morethanapastor.com

Patience, Young Grasshopper

Speaker: Jared Mellema

Week one of our Peeled series, we discussed the fruit of patience. 

Fruit of the Spirit Quote:

“The moon gets its light from the Sun. So God, if you are the Sun, then make me the moon.”

Patience is something our world today lacks. Why? Because we have everything at the tip of our fingertips! We don’t have to wait for hardly anything!

We can have a new song in 20 seconds. 

We can have a new pair of shoes within two days. 

We can complete our homework on the Internet without waiting for the teacher to give the lesson…and we can even google all the answers to get them right! 

It’s kind of ridiculous. 

It has gotten to the point where patience has become counter-cultural. Patience is not normal anymore. Patience is rarely even expected. 

When we are able to get so many things at the touch of a button, we get the mindset that we don’t have to be patient for anything at all. 

But that is so wrong. Even when the world tells us that patience is not necessary, we still must remain patient.

For example:

We must be patient in our waiting for God to do His work in someone else’s life. 

We must be patient in waiting for God to work in our own lives. 

We must be patient in the waiting of God’s perfect timing for the plan He has for our lives. 

We must remain faithful in our waiting. 

Patience is waiting without worrying.

We also must be patient with others.Being patient in a world where patience is no longer attained can spark great conversation.

God is perfectly patient with us, therefore we should be patient with others. We must allow margins, allowances of grace, for other peoples failures. Just as Christ did for us. 

Patience towards others is giving grace when someone does you wrong, just as Christ did for you.

Exodus 14:14 I will fight for you, you must only be still.

thesweetestfragrance.com

The Vegetables of Evil

I'm Okay, so I have literally been promising myself every day for the past two weeks that I am going to do a blog post, and I just keep pushing it off. So I am now finally here!

We started this new series at church called “Peeled”, and it is about the fruits of the spirit. I am really loving it so far, so I figured it would be great to share! 

I remember in 7th grade, we talked about the Fruits of the Spirit. Our leader asked us what the opposite of the fruits of the spirit were, and I remember someone saying “The Vegetables of Evil…?” 

Not how I would have thought to put it…but basically they were right!

If we are spiritually alive, we should be living the fruits of the spirit every single day! Gentleness, kindness, goodness, love, peace, joy, faithfulness, patience, and self control. When you are spiritually alive, you have the power to resist temptation, because all desires of the flesh are against the holy spirit. 

“Do not  use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desire of the flesh. Those who are with Christ have crucified the desires of the flesh. Live by the spirit and keep in step with it.” Galatians 5:13-21

Everyone has their “strong fruits” and their “weak fruits”, but we must always continue to grow stronger in all of them. We may always have some fruits that we are a little better that than others, but if we are striving towards Christ, we should strive towards living out the fruits of the Spirit everyday, even if some of them are hard. 

It sounds so cliche, doesn’t it? But it’s so true!

If we do not bear fruit, how is anyone supposed to come to know Christ through us? If they don’t see the difference of Christ in us, they will never have the opportunity to ask questions! If we are following Christ, but we are not bearing fruit then how are we any different from the next person? 

If you love the Lord, you desire to live like Him. Jesus is a perfect example of how we should bear fruit every day. And if we desire to live like Him, that is exactly what we should be doing-in our actions, our choices, our words, and our every breath. 

Desire to live a life honorable to the Lord, living and loving as He loves us, seeing through His eyes, speaking His words of wisdom and compassion, and bearing the fruits of the spirit to a world full of the vegetables of evil. 

http://www.homedecoratingdiy.com/fruit-of-the-spirit-digital-diy-wall-art-graphics-of-galatians-522-scripture-quote-for-home-decoration-10-00-via-etsy

Mission Trip!

This past week, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Ramah/ Pinehill/ Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. If you donated financially or through prayers and are reading this, thank you so much for helping me to have this opportunity!
This was my very first mission trip and I absolutely loved it!
I got to go with an amazing group of people. We shared so many laughs and prayers and great devotionals and a heart for Jesus! It was an amazing experience!

We flew to Albuquerque on Wednesday, and drove to Pinehill that night. We stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner and saw a couple of deer on the way there. It involved lots of long, twisty roads. We arrived at the staff houses and got settled and some sleep for the next day.

Thursday we helped get ready for their annual rodeo. We organized, cleaned, hung things up, painted, put up tents, moved chairs and tables, all kinds of exciting stuff! We also went to visit Pinehill High school, where we donated a lot of art supplies and got to meet some of the teachers and eat lunch with some of the students.

Friday was the first day of the rodeo/ carnival. The youth band played at the Gospel Fest where we got to worship with some amazing people! On Friday, I tried my first ever Navajo taco and some really really really amazing potato fries (carnival food is the bomb). On Friday night, we watched the bull riding and roping, which was really cool!  There was also a Miss Ramah Navajo pageant which I really enjoyed watching!

Saturday morning, we got to be a part of the annual parade, where we played worship music on the float for hundreds of people to see! It was AWESOME! Although, my throat hurt afterwards, it was totally worth it! We also had a booth set up at the carnival where kids and parents could come and play a dart game for free, and register for some awesome prizes we were going to give out. That night, I got to watch some traditional dancing which was pretty neat.

Throughout the weekend, I got toe meet a lot of cool people, pray with a lot of cool people, and serve with a lot of cool people.

Sunday morning before we left for the airport, we did a church service open to anyone. We worshipped and then whoever wanted to come up and speak got the chance. We discussed what love does, some shared testimonies, and some people from the reservation even came up and talked. It was definitely one of my favorite things that we did.

We left with lots of hugs, some tears, and a lot of new friends. This was one of the best experiences of my life. All I have to say is, if you haven't been on a mission trip? Do it.

God Bless!

Carlie

School: Day Uno

There is something I have to tell you!! Unfortunately, school is upon us. Run, hide, do whatever you can to get away. But since I haven't been an avid blogger this summer, here is a blog dedicated to going back to school. (heaves a sigh)

1.We, or at least I, usually set goals for myself at the beginning of the year. But don't worry if you don't meet your goals. Just do your best, and work hard! That's all that matters!

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

2. As school starts, you are reintroduced to the culture and environment that comes along with being surrounded by 2,000 teenagers. Don't fall under any traps! Stay on your wall!!!! Don't let your guard down and don't lower your standards! 

Psalm 62:6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

3. Meet new people! Get involved in new things! Try new activities! Get uncomfortable and branch out! Don't allow yourself to be a part of a secluded group. Be someone who is friendly with everyone, but always have your Christ following friends for support! 

4. Live your life in such a way that people ask, "why?" Let your difference be known! Show the love of Christ and live your life like Christ. This will make a huge difference! 

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:15-16

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Trust me, I'm not so great at these things, but I must work on them too! I'm excited and nervous about all this school year has in store. Keep on the lookout for more blogs as school begins! Have an awesome school year! 

The 7 Faith Killers

Back in March, I attended a conference with my youth group called Ignite. I was thinking about that conference today and how much I loved it, so I figured why not share it with all of you wonderful people?

My favorite session that I attended that weekend was called "The 7 Faith Killers".
He started out with saying that most Christians in our society are the definition of "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." Big words, I know! This means that we 1. think as long as we're nice that 2. God will give us good things because 3. God isn't scary or big, He just takes care of us.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: No passion.

1. Family of Origin. Your family's beliefs, church attendance, and relationships are all vital to your faith. Of course, your faith is all your own, but letting the ones you love get in the way of that can either be very harmful or very helpful.

2. Lack of Positive Peer Support. If you want to grow, you must surround yourself with people who are growing. An example that this speaker used was college. You must fuel your faith in transitional times by surrounding yourself with Christ followers. He stated that the first two weeks of someone's college career can set their faith for the rest of their lifetime. You can't expect yourself to grow without the help of other growing people.

3. Lack of Biblical Knowledge. You must come to grips with the Word that will shape you.

4. No Early Leadership Experience. You are never to young to take charge and be a leader. Lead others by living a live worthy of the God who has made you and called you.

5. Denying Sacred Memory. Those times when God shows up and you can't deny it.

6. No Safe Place to Search. If you are not involved in a church that allows you to search safely, ask questions, doubt, be confused, or not be judged then you can't expect your faith to prosper.

7. No Mentors. If you have no adults in your life giving you advice, praying for you, or doing life with you, you aren't going to be poured into. When you pour out, but aren't being poured into, you eventually become empty and have no one to look up to.

Here are some other things I took away from that weekend:
*If someone lived your faith for 24 hours, would they be disappointed with God?
*The difference between a relationship and a religion is grace.
*Vagueness is killing the church. You can't just tell someone to go and be the light. You must show them what that looks like.
*You know God's voice if it aligns with His word, aligns with His finished work, and your godly counsel confirms it.
*The desert is a growing place.
*God won't push you over, but He will allow you to fall.
*It doesn't matter if they know you. It only matters if they know Christ through you.

Boundlessly Constant

Last night at church, our sermon was on, “If you bail, you fail.”

It made me think about all the people we will meet in life that will fail us, and bail on us. It’s kind of sad when you think about how many there are. But we fail people, and sometimes we bail on them, too. After all, we are only human. 

But there is someone who will never ever fail you, and never ever bail on you. He is Jesus Christ. He is love. 

His love is so constant, it amazes me. Despite all of our sins, flaws, and failures, Christ didn’t bail on us. Still, He chose the cross. Still he forgave us. Still he loved us. 

That is love. 

The idea of love is misconstrued in our world. Someone tell us they love us, but then they leave us, they break our heart, they lie to us, they bail. Sadly, giving up when things get rough is the new “norm” in our world today. We are taught that when things get too hard, it’s easier to just give up. 

Of course it’s easier to just give up! That’s why it’s called giving up!

But if you bail in a hard situation, then you fail at allowing God to work in that aspect of your life. 

We just have to remember that no matter who leaves us, hurts us, or does us wrong-that there is a constant source of love. 

No matter where life takes you, He is still there. His love is still there. 

Even when you get left behind, even when your whole world is turned upside down, even when you’re lost, even when you feel alone. He is still there, and His love is still there. 

You will get caught up in the worry of this life and of this world. Things will be tough. Things will hurt. Things may never be the same. But knowing that God’s love for me is boundlessly constant gives me newfound hope, overflowing reassurance, preparing me for the journey ahead. 

L.O.V.E.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8Love: patient, kind, humble, honors, selfless, slow to anger, forgiving, truthful, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, never fails.

Love. We underestimate it. We don't take it as serious as we should. And a lot of times, we simply just don't do it. 

They say that over time, love fades away. But in my opinion, we just kill it. We let it get sick, and then we don't bother to nurture it back to wellness. Why? We give reasons like, we're busy, we're tired, we're incompatible. But when it all comes down to it, it's because we're selfish. 

In any relationship, friendship, marriage, etc., the problem is that, usually,  in one way or another, either one person gets selfish, or they both do. 

But when you get down to it, loving people isn't that hard to do. It's our own pride that keeps us from doing it. Love is telling someone what you love about them. Love is forgiving someone. Love is being honest. Love is trusting. Love is being patient. Love is being protective. Love is being selfless. Love is being understanding. Love is giving a gift. Love is giving a hug. Love is listening. Love is doing the dishes. 

Love is a lot of things. Love is often a lot of simple things. 

So then why are we so quick to set love aside? Are we afraid? Are we conceited? Are we too busy? Do we just not think about it? 

We earn our friend's trust, but then we talk about them behind their backs. 

We say "'Til death do us part", but then we get bored, selfish, or tired. 

We constantly have people pouring into us, but we continue to live for ourselves. 

Love is the answer. 

Love turns tears into smiles. Love turns fear into breathing. Love turns anger into forgiveness. Love turns selfishness to selflessness. Love turns tired eyes to vibrant life. Love can change everything. 

We must stop brushing off love. We must start thinking about it. We must start loving. 

1 John 4:19 We love because he loved us first. 

We didn't deserve God's love, yet he so graciously loved us anyway. 

There are always people that are harder to love than others. But taking a step away from my life, and looking at how God loves me, I have to say, I could be considered "hard to love" just the same. 

But God loved me anyway. 

If God's love is in us, God's love should be shining through us to others. God's selfless, patient, humble, kind, forgiving love should be the same love we model in our own lives. 

God says, "I love you. I promise I always will. I chose you. Forever I'll choose you still."

So we must take a look at our own lives, and the love we have with other people.
 "Before we burn down all our bridges, let's look awhile at what we've built. We'll take turns asking for forgiveness, and watch our love grow deeper still."