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!