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."

Trust

So there’s this one word that has been on my mind a lot lately.

It’s a word that some of us have a really hard time doing.

And for others, it is really quite simple. 

The word is Trust. 

Someone has probably said it to you before.

“Just trust me.” “I trust you.” “You are very trustworthy.” “I just can’t trust her.”

But my question lately has been, 

I say that I trust you, but do I really? 

You see, I’m going to be a junior this year. (fun, fun)

A lot of people, by junior year, know exactly where they want to go to college, know exactly what they want to study, etc. But for me? I just have no idea! I just want to....live, ya know? Like not worry about the next five years, and just live. 

But in our culture that isn’t exactly possible. 

Your HS counselors are constantly nagging you to tell them what you are interested in, your parents are constantly asking you what schools you want to go tour, your grandparents are constantly asking you what you want your career to be, and it can all just be a little much.

I just turned sixteen, and I’m expected to have a semi-clear view of what I want to do with my life? Goodness.

I think a lot about the future. I think a lot of people do. I think about me, being the social butterfly that I’m not, not being able to make friends when I go away to school. I think about hating my major and changing it a thousand times. I think about all the expenses I am going to have to pay on my own. I think about how scary it’s going to be being so far away from my loved ones. And in a matter of time, I just end up thinking to much. 

But you know, God calls us to trust Him. And that’s not something that is always easy to do. You have to be okay with the fact that what you want for yourself may not be what God knows is best for you. Sometimes it’s harder to trust God because our lack of physical connection to Him...which is what makes Him so great and powerful! 

So recently I’ve just been learning that I just have to breathe. I have to trust that God is going to guide me in the right direction and lead me down the correct path. I have to trust that wherever God leads me, He is going to provide. I have to trust God, even if it’s terrifying, and even if it’s hard. 

Here are some songs about trust:

In Christ Alone by Kristian Stanfill

I Give You My Heart by Hillsong Live

Cornerstone by Hillsong Live

Only King Forever by 7eventh Time Down

Trust in Jesus by Third Day

Steady Heart by Steffany Gretzinger

Multipled by Needtobreathe

Strong God by Merideth Andrews

Walk by Faith by Jeremy Camp

You Lead by Jamie Grace

Give Me Faith by Elevation Worship

Through All of It by Colton Dixon

Sovereign by Chris Tomlin

We Won’t be Shaken by Building 429

Let Faith Arise by BridgeCity

Anchor by Bethel Music

Tonight by All Sons & Daughters

Summerfest 2015

This week I went to the most amazing camp of my life, my favorite week of the summer every year. I realize many people are not able to attend, so this blog is strictly about what I learned and took away from camp this week. 

Many of these words are from Jason Curry. Christ puts amazing words in his mouth!

PARADOX:

Our theme this week was paradox. 

A paradox is something that should be the opposite of what it actually is. 

Here are the paradoxes we focused on:

1. If you want to get life, you must lose it
2. If you want to be filled, you must empty yourself

Some other great things we learned were:

1. You can’t invite someone unless you’re going somewhere

2 You can only live like Christ by living through Christ

3. A heart filled with Christ, breaks like the heart of Christ

RECOGNIZE:

Sometimes we flee from Christ because we think how could God ever love a wretch like me? But God says, “There’s no need to cover what I already saved. I loved you before you knew what love was. I saw it all and still I chose the cross. So rid of your shackles. My victory is yours.” -Steffany Gretzinger. 

God says, “I knew what you were going to do every single day of your life, and still I sent my son, and still he chose the cross.” And if you look over at Jesus he says, “And it was worth it.” We are worth it, even though we don’t deserve it. 

HOW TO GROW YOUR FAITH:

God calls us to grow our faith. Here are some things to remember when doing so:

1. God doesn’t always answer our requests the way we want. Like a good Father, He answers in the way that is best for us, even when we don’t understand it. 
2. Things won’t always be easy, but God will always be there
3. Temporary pleasure<eternal treasure
4. John 16:33 In this world, you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world! --God promises to give you more than you can handle. 
5. Your most painful moments are the most influential to other people, because it gives them a chance to see you living by faith in hard times. 
6. You get through pain by God’s love. When you look around and ask if God cares, you must hurry to the cross and see Him there.(-Martin Luther) There is no pain that you face that Christ did not suffer. 
7. You get through pain with God’s people. We can’t do it alone. 
8. A student ministry is students who minister to students. Don’t attend, Lead. 
9. You get through pain with God’s Word. Psalms 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
10. Matthew 7:24 He who roots his life in the Word and lives by it has built their house on the Rock, and the storm will not cause the house to fall. Everyone gets the storm, but everyone gets the choice of building their shelter on the sand, or the Rock.
11. The most important part of your faith is the part where you don’t give up, give in, or take the easy way out. 
12. The first step to intentionally growing your faith is to identify what stands in the way of it. 
13. Stop letting distractions cause you to live for yourself.
14. Live a life of action and growth, worthy of the Lord. 
15. 15. You can talk yourself in and out of anything. NEVER TRUST YOUR HEART, only trust the word of God.
16. Follow Jesus in all areas of your life, giving yourself to others to make the world a better place in Christ’s name. 
17. To live the life God desires for us, we must be committed to growing our faith. 
18. Stop embracing your baggage. 
19. Sometimes the best thing that can happen in your life is to get caught in your sin. 
20. Remember that Jesus never said, “You must earn.” He only says, “I will give.” 
21. We are stiff in our faith because we believe our plan is better than God's
22. The area that keeps you from God is the area that is least surrendered to Him. 
23. A yoke is a wooden plank that two animals carry on their necks. The animals must be in sync to keep the plank level. Nothing can grow where yokes are unequal. 
24. If you face opposition, you’re probably going the right way
25. Living for God isn’t easy, but it’s worth it
26. There is a wall in everyone’s life. The wall is Christ, whom we stand on. The wall keeps our city safe from the enemy’s destruction. Don’t come off the wall. Don’t give in to your sin. STAY ON THE WALL. Because if you come off the wall, it will fall down. 
27. God uses our pain to lead others to Christ
28. Take your painful situations and stop asking why! Start asking how you are going to use it to the glory of God
29. People who do not follow Christ are not enemies. They are brothers. Show them love. Show them the same love that Christ has shown us. 
30. If you went to heaven today and got to look down on Earth at all the people who grew closer to Christ because of you, would there be anyone to look at?

SCRIPTURE:

Here are some scriptures to read to help you take the next step in growing your faith and owning your faith. 

*1 Thess 2:13-14 In the beginning God chose you. He called you through the gospel, that you may share glory in Christ. 

*1 Thess 3:5 May God direct your heart to His love and perserverance

*1 Tim 1:15 Christ came to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. I was shown mercy so that in me, Christ might display his unlimited patients as an example to non believers around me. 

NOW TAKE THE GOSPEL AND GO

It’s your life. It’s your faith. Take charge. Move forward. Take ownership of your relationship with Jesus. You’re ready.

Touch The Sky

So if any of you listen to Air1, they've been playing this new song (a little too frequently), but this morning I actually listened to the words and realized how great the lyrics are. The song is "Touch the Sky" by Hillsong.
Here are my favorite lyrics from the song.

My heart beating, my soul breathing

I found my life when I laid it down

Upward falling, spirit soaring

I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground

                             -When we give our lives to God, we find ourselves. When we fall on our knees, surrendering to God, we can touch the sky. We can do anything when we give our lives to God!

What treasure waits within Your scars

This gift of freedom gold can't buy

I bought the world and sold my heart

You traded heaven to have me again

                             -Our scars will bring us treasure in the end, as God gives us his ultimate freedom from death. No matter what we do, God will still do anything to get us back. 

Find me here at Your feet again

Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender

Come sweep me up in Your love again

And my soul will dance

On the wings of forever