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."