God Gave Me Ketchup Packets

Last year at YFN (Youth for the Nations- a camp my youth group annually attends), many of the messages were focused on the love of God. It seemed to be a theme that He wanted to get through to us that year.
One night in particular, at the end of his message, one of the speakers told us to pray about it- to ask God to remind us of His love for Him.
The end of the service was a fantastic time of worship and Yahweh really revealed Himself to many. However, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed as I hurried alongside the multitudess of teenagers pushing their way out after service. I hadn't had any new revelation of God's love for me. Of course, I knew He loved me. I've experienced His amazing love before, but sometimes we need a reminder, you know? That's what I wanted- a reminder that I'm important to Him and that He loves me.

The next day, I was exhausted by the time lunch came around. After spending a few hours outside playing Nation Games that I didn't enjoy, I had to stand in line for around thirty minutes before I could make it into the cafeteria. Did I mention that everyone was covered in sweat and grass? My nose was ready to hightail it out of there.
When I reached the kitchen, all the good food was gone, as it always is when you're one of the last in line. There were only corndogs left (ones I'm sure were not beef and it's pretty rare that I willingly swallow pork). I grabbed a plate and moved over to the condiment section, fully intent on drowning my corndogs in ketchup to block out the taste. Only problem?: No more ketchup. There wasn't even any mustard, which I don't like, but would've settled for anyway.
The only thing left was mayonnaise. With an annoyed sigh I grabbed a few packets and dropped them onto my tray hoping I would be able to down the combination. Maybe if I held my nose? I followed my friends over to an empty table and we left our trays there with one of the girls while we went back for some drinks.
When I came back, glass filled with Mountain Dew, I was sitting down when I spotted something beside my tray that I was sure I hadn't seen there before.
I reached over and nearly had a heart attack derived from glee when I realized there were four ketchup packets right there, ready for me to indulge in. The moment I picked them up I realized I'd gotten what I'd asked for the night before- a realization of God's love. He had cared enough about my distaste for corndogs with mayonnaise that He had seen fit to give me ketchup packets. I was thrilled.
Now, to some of you, that sounds ridiculous. Ketchup packets? Why would the Creator of the Universe give me ketchup packets? Honestly, I don't know. I guess He knows me well enough to know that was what would get through to me. He knew I would recognize it as a gift from Him. I don't know how they got next to my tray. Maybe they were there when I set my tray there the first time, but I know He was the one who had the person who sat there before me have a few extra and leave them there for someone else.

God loves us far more than we can imagine- and sometimes he shows it to us in the little things, like ketchup packets. So keep your eyes peeled for how He's revealing his love for you today.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

[Dad and Lyla on the swing!]
Today I hung out with Valerie, Lyla, Kerri and Kelli.
My sister decided to take the three of us and her daughter to Ham's Orchard in Terrell. After doing that and visiting Robert's mom in the nursing home, we headed back to her house.
We turned on their bubble machine and some worship music, so Lyla began to dance and yell "Bubbles!". Then she decided that she wanted to hold the DVD, but Valerie wouldn't let her have it.
I thought, "If she would just enjoy what she had rather than try to have everything, she would be so much happier."
Then I could hear God saying, "Exactly!"
So often, we want more and more because it looks prettier or more desirable. But if we just stopped and were thankful for what God has given us, we would be so much happier and have alot more fun.
Have a blessed day!

P.S. I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, so it'll be a while before I post again. Keep me in your prayers, please! I'm pretty nervous...

God's Amazing Provision

[Image compliment of the Reader's Digest website]

We had Servolution two weeks ago, that was our missions trip to our own town and surrounding areas. We got to help out some at a ministry based in Dallas called Care Center Ministries and it was such a blessing to help them out. One day, we got to help out with The Basket, where we gave a box full of food to each family that came in.

Each box was filled to the brim with canned foods, breads, and other donated items. And each box also received a goodie on top- some got mashed potatoes, others had cake, and still more had pizza boxes.

Kerri and I were carrying out one with a pizza box on top to someone's car when we overheard a woman nearby. She was talking to a guy beside her as she said, "When I get some money, I'm gonna buy my kids a pizza- straight from the store."

I was struck by the layers of meaning that statement had. How often do we take for granted a simple box of pizza? We have so much going for us, and too often we forget to thank God for each little thing. Instead, like our consumer-driven culture, we choose to complain about all that we don't have.

Anyway, this was such a testimony to me of God's provision and just how great He was. That simple statement was what taught me the most on this missions trip. It's amazing how you hear God's voice most clearly when you're doing His will.

Have a blessed day!

Question #5: Concerning Issues

Q5: What are some hardcore issues that you have dealt with? How did you overcome them?

Well there alot of issues in each person's life that they have to struggle through. It's hard to choose just one.

The one I think I'll talk about here is the struggle to draw nearer to God and represent Him accurately around those who could care less.

I've gone to Christian schools my entire life, until just recently when we started homeschooling. My opinion is they're just glorified public schools. In some, the only Christianity I saw was Bible class and the word sewn into their shirts.

Many of the same things that go on in public schools go on in Christian schools, only the students are better at hiding it.

I'd always imagined God as being extremely important in my life, but when I finally got down to it and checked my priorities I found I was way off. God was nearly the least of my concerns, which is worrisome in itself.

As I got more involved at the youth group in my church and opening my heart to hear what those in authority had to say, my eyes were slowly opened to what was going on around me. I allowed God to transform me and I can hardly believe the difference.

It's those brief opportunities when God allows me to see where I came from and how much I've changed that I have to stand in awe of what He's done. I am so thankful I'm not the same person I used to be. I came from being a Junior Higher who cursed and made fun of others because people made fun of me to being a High Schooler that loves God with everything in her and seeks to bring glory to the Lord in everything.

You can always trust in Him to bring you through any circumstance. He can change you from the inside out. When you call on Him, don't expect anything less than a miracle.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

[Picture compliment of Google Images]

Have a blessed day!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Christ's death and how much He sacrificed for me.

Alot of times, I tend to overlook Good Friday. I mean, most schools and workplaces aren't even letting off today. My dad's at work and most of my friends are at their respective schools.

We tend to celebrate only Easter, or Resurrection Day, when Yeshua rose from the grave. Yes, that's the best thing about the whole holiday- but we wouldn't have a resurrection if we didn't first have a crucifixion.

So I challeng you today. Don't let this just be another Friday. Remember Jesus' sacrifice as you go throughout your day. Some of you may want to watch the Passion of the Christ, that's also a good way to remind yourself of what He went through.

Just make sure you're praising Yahweh for His glorious sacrifice today.

Mark 15:21-41

21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

I encourage you to read the entire story in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

Have a blessed day!

But, I want....

John 15:7
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Many people read this verse and think, "Okay, if I'm a Christian, whatever I ask God should happen because I asked for it."
Sorry to break it to you, but that's not necessarily going to happen.
"If you abide in Me..."
Abiding in God isn't just being a Christian. It's about being so close to Him and having a deep relationship with Him. If you abide in Christ, His desires become your desires. Your desires will align with Him and THEN it will be done for you.
It's done for you because it's His will for it to be done and you know that will of His.
Just some speculation...

[Picture compliment of Google Images]

Have a blessed day!

A Taste of Eden

Well, it looks like I've found an amazing place to have my quiet time. Behind my house!

This is a little run-off from the lake in the city. Most of this used to be a swamp, but our neighbor took care of that (Thank you, Nancy!). She hassled them enough to get them to fill most of it in. This is mainly what's left, plus a bunch of trees off to the right. To the left is the golf course, where you only have to jump across a ditch to get into from where I live. I sit to the right of this little creek and it's wonderful. My brother and I have spent a big chunk of the last two days outside. He with his boomerang and I with my Bible, journal, or camera. It's just amazing!

This place makes me feel so at peace. I can listen to the bugs and frogs chirping (which is alot prettier than it sounds). I can see the fish swimming around and I even spotted a few turtles today! There are also many dragonflies to admire and the get so close I can just sit and look at them.

It's like a little taste of Eden just for me.

Because I'm homeschooled, I can go out there when very few people are out. Though, I've yet to see many people on my side of the ditch and run-off. Only one couple and their baby yesterday at sunset. My quiet is disturbed a bit by golfers, but I'm okay with that. It's worth it.

I needed a quiet place all to myself where I could worship and talk to God without being distracted and He has given it to me. I got to just dance in His majesty today. I have a place where I can read the Word and see what God has created at the same time. It's such a blessing!Now it's your turn, find a place where you can worship God without being distracted. A place where you can dance in His splendor and glory. He longs for a relationship with you and you've got to cultivate it with Him. He longs for you to be His bride. Dance with Him!

Have a blessed day!

Also, I have finally finished rereading Captivating and will have a blog post about it up tomorrow! Be ready!

Precious Hymns

Today, I decided to get my Baptist Hymnal off the shelf and look through it. I have the book because my mom borrowed it from my old church and forgot about it when we moved, when she realized we'd never remember or get the chance to return it, she allowed me to keep it. Sometimes I get it down to have worship in my room, just me and the Lord. I love it!
Anyway, I looked through it and picked out my favorite hymns, some I didn't know but the words captured me and I had to make note of them. So I highlighted the titles of the ones I enjoyed the most.
With the ones I didn't know, I did one of two things. I either made up my own tune and sang it along with it, or I left it and decided it sounded better as a poem in my opinion anyways.
So I thought I'd show you two that were really amazing.

What Can I Give Him by Christina G. Rossetti
What can I give Him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
Yet what can I give Him?
Give Him my heart.

Holy Bible, Book Divine by John Burton, Sr.
Holy Bible, Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine:
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.

Mine to chide me when I rove,
Mine to show a Savior's love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward.

Mine to comfort in distress,
Suff'ring in this wilderness;
Mine to show, by living faith,
We can triumph over death.

Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner's doom:
O thou holy Book divine
Precious treasure, thou art mine.

So those are two of the ones that I really liked as just poems. I really enjoyed them and hope you do as well. Perhaps I will put some more in here sometime soon!
Have a blessed day!

Waves of Mercy. Waves of Grace.

On our missions trip to LA, the first two days were sight-seeing days. On our second day there, we decided to go check out Santa Monica and Malibu beaches. We visited Santa Monica for the first half of the day and after lunch we hit Malibu. The waves at Malibu were crazy! My brother and I, along with many others from our group were all body surfing on those amazing waves. As we "surfed" the power of the waves would pull us underneath the water and make us do flips and skid across the bottom. Most of us came out with whelps and scrapes... though most of my whelps were gone by the next morning. It was crazy. And quite a few times we would think the wave was over, only to be swept away by another and begin to panic because we couldn't breathe.

During a short break in doing this, I was talking to some friends who were standing on the shore and my friend Cassie started singing under her breath, "Waves of Mercy, waves of Grace. Everywhere I look, I see your face!" And someone else laughed saying that that song was stuck in their head too.

It really made me think! It made me see the waves of mercy and grace in a different light.

When God pours our His Mercy and Grace in waves- you'd better brace yourself. You will be so drowned in these waves that you will be pulled under and swept away by the current. It will come in so deeply that you yourself begin to be filled with it.And drowning in Mercy or Grace is much different from just plain water because the latter would kill you while the first would only kill your flesh but let your Spirit take over.

So be ready. God is about to pour out some Mercy and Grace on your life.

Better get your swimsuit on!

Have a blessed day!

Count your Blessings

So today I was in one of those moods.... actually, I'm recovering from one of those moods. You know what I'm talking about- the one where you feel sorry for yourself all day because of all the things you can't have or can't do that everyone else can.
Thats right. I was having a pity party.
What a lovely attitude to have coming back from a missions trip!
So I was writing down all my feelings and stuff in my journal and I felt the Lord talking to me.
He just reminded me that I have alot of things to be thankful for that other people don't necessarily have and I should be thankful for that. So instead of continuing on my little rampage of self-pity, I made a list of five blessings I have. Though I only did five, that alone reminded me of how lucky I am to be me and not someone else.
So I encourage you- if you're feeling the way I've been, sit down and make a list of the things God has blessed you with. It can be anything- having a good family, being able to sing, owning a car, or even having a home to live in.
God has blessed you with so much, take some time to thank Him for the things on that list.
Have a blessed day!

Being a Blessing

Recently, my mom revised mine and my brother's chore list. This week I have to unload the dishes, while my brother loads them. Then, next Monday, we switch jobs. This is applicable to many of our chores.

Today, I was fulfilling my duty of unloading the dishes, when I felt like God was telling me to load them too. What? I thought, That's his job, not mine! I'm supposed to load next week! But I still felt like he was telling me to do it, and it made me start to want to do it- to bless my little brother. So I did it. I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it back up, and started it. My mom saw me doing this and started to laugh, thinking that I didn't realize that I was doing Mitchell's job. When she realized I knew, it made her really happy and blessed her as well.

So my encouragement today? Be a blessing and do something around the house that you weren't asked to do. Something that your sibling or parent would otherwise have to do- even if they don't realize that you did it. My brother probably won't even realize that I did the dishes for him, but that's okay with me. I just did what God wanted me to do, I blessed someone else.

Now don't do it and expect your sibling to pay you back for it. I don't expect my mom to pay me part of my brother's allowance and I'm not going to hold this over my brother's head saying, "I loaded the dishwasher for you, so you have to do _______ for me." That's not how it works. To be a blessing, you have to do something for someone else, without expecting anything back from them.

Need some ideas?

1. Do one of your sibling's chores for them

2. Fold a family member's clothes or towels

3. If you find something of their's somewhere in the house, take it to their room so they won't have to get it themself.

4. Play a game with them, even if you don't want to.

5. Make their lunch or meal for them.

These are just a few ideas, try to think of some other ways to be a blessing today and utilize them!

Have a blessed day!

1 Thessalonians 3:12

We also pray that the Lord will greatly increase your love for each other and for everyone else, just as we love you.