Living a Legacy

I went to a funeral today. Mrs. Hazel Struck was eighty-eight when she passed on, this Thursday. The farewell of her family and friends was beautiful and touching in so many ways. I sat in the crowded sanctuary, gazing on all the lives she had touched in her time on this earth and I couldn't help thinking of what a legacy she'd left herself. She'd touched so many lives.
We've all heard the saying, "Live your life so the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral." This woman did that and so much more. The two pastors that got up to speak couldn't stop singing her praises. She was a woman who lived her life in excellence, constantly radiating the love and grace that Christ offers. One would be hard-pressed to find something bad to say about her. Her heart was for her God and for her family. She prayed for her children and grandchildren constantly.
One life has such a great impact. The way she lived hers had touched so many in that room, who knows how many more it has reached, albeit inadvertantly. Daddy says I've met her before. I don't remember her, but even in death, her story has touched my heart.
I want to leave a legacy like that one day. I pray that my love for God and for people would outshine my many flaws in the end. I hope I have so many children and grandchildren, one day, whose lives have been irrepairably affected by my witness.
Pastor Heath quoted Malachi 3:16-17a when referring to Mrs. Hazel:
16Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. 17"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels.
He reminded us that a woman like her can only be described as a gem. That we can all be made gems when we let Christ changed our hearts and make us beautiful, as a jeweler makes a diamond beautiful by cutting out the impurities.
I pray that the Lord would be so gracious to me, that one day I can be described as God's gem. I want to be so devoted and close to Him that His light shines through me unto the nations. I can't do it without His help and niether could she. It's only by God's grace that we find the hope to be His jewels and leave a legacy of love for generations to come.
Have a blessed day!

Childlike vs. Childish

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.
Luke 18:16
There is a difference between being childlike and being childish; and it's pretty substantial. Both of these terms relate to children, but in different ways. In general, we call someone childish when they emulate the negative qualities in a child- throwing temper tantrums or acting immature. When we call someone childlike, it's usually uttered in a much more positive respect. We refer to someone as having a childlike joy, wonder, or faith and we are happy for them in that.
The above verse is referring to that childlike faith, but we must be sure that in our childlikeness, we have not become childish. I hope my faith is never aptly described as childish, but I would consider it a compliment to be told it's childlike.
The hearts of children are a wonder to behold and enjoy, beautiful things that we should cherish far more than we tend to on a day to day basis. They see the products of a living God around them and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there had to be an artist. They take delight in the things we've become accustomed to and take for granted. I can't tell you how many times I've heard my two year-old neice (the beautiful little girl in the picture above), utter the words "Kirssy! Pretty dress!" with a wistful sigh and a smile that melts my heart all over again.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1 Corinthians 13:11

How, then, do we keep our faith childlike, rather than childish?

I'll admit it's hard. It's hard to keep the world's persistent cynicism from infiltrating my thought process on a daily basis. It's difficult to hold to Christ's sufficiency when the world barrages you with everything it says you ought to be. And it's scary to stand, like a good friend of mine's six year old, and say "There is too a God in heaven and he's living in my heart!"

But that's exactly what we have to do: Stand!

Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

1 Corinthians 14:20

Here Paul tells us what else to do. Yes, we should be childlike, but now he clearly commands us to refrain from being childish. We have to stand up and grow in our understanding of people and of Christ. What good are we as His ambassadors if we know so little about Him?

Lord, teach me how to make my faith childlike without it being childish. Help me to grow in your wisdom while not dismissing the simpler things about you.

Have a blessed day!

C.S. Lewis on Servanthood

This quote was taken from The Quotable Lewis:

I believe that men of this age (and among them you Father, and myself) think too much about the state of nations and the situation of the world. Does not the author of The Imitation warn us against involving ourselves too much with such things?
We are not kings, we are not senators Let us beware lest, while we torture ourselves in vain about the fate of Europe, we neglect either Verona or Oxford.
In the poor man who knocks at my door, in my ailing mother, in the young man who seeks my advice, the Lord Himself is present: therefore let us wash His feet. [Ed. note: Verona is the home city of Lewis's correspondent.]

In light of the blasted and ridiculous recent Healthcare bill being passed and soon to be signed by President Obama, I thought this was a fantastic quote. No, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't pay attention to what's going on in the world and try to stop our government from promoting unconstitutional bills and such. By all means, that would make me not only wrong, but a hypocrite as well. I'm just as upset about this horrid bill as the rest of you are.
What I am reminding you through this wonderful quote is that, in the midst of all the uproar, do not leave your hometown- your primary mission field- by the wayside. Do not get so wrapped up in what's going on that you can't properly function any longer.
God has it all in his hands and we must commit ourselves to doing His will no matter how often our country tries to throw itself under the train. Yes, we get some of these jokers out of office come November (Thank the Lord, I'll be eighteen!). Yes, we do our best to follow God in politics as well as normal life. Just remember to keep things in proper prospective.
Don't forget to wash the feet of Jesus when He enters your home because you're too busy rallying against Caesar.
Have a blessed day!

Judged by the Masses

The other day, I realized something.
Whenever God calls us to step out in faith on something, no matter what it is, we tend to get that slightly panicked feeling.
"Oh no, God, I can't do that. People will look at me weird!"
"Yes, Lord, I understand that you want me to tell so-and-so that, but what if he gets offended?"
"God, I am not touching that microphone! Do you see how many people are in here?!"
Whatever it is, our first reaction is to step back, like Moses, and say "God, you can't be serious." We don't like to be different. It's a scary thing for us to stand out because our culture has told us that we ought to 'go with the flow', along with other debilitating lies.
So when He comissions us to move into that new conviction of that fresh word, we're terrified.
I can remember when wearing only skirts became a conviction for me. It was roughly around a year and a half ago that I started wearing skirts full time (though I can't pin an exact date). When people began to notice that I'd stopped wearing jeans, naturally they started asking questions.
I think Bridgette was the first to really say something about it. We were at Small Groups on Sunday night and we were talking about different styles of clothing when she noticed I was wearing a skirt again.
"So is wearing a skirt, like, your thing now?" she asked.
It was an innocent question and a perfectly good one, but I remember my heart beating ninety miles an hour before I bothered answering with "Yeah, I guess."
Looking back, it seems kinda silly. I can now answer peoples' questions on the subject when they ask about it. Though, I often get myself tongue tied (apparently, my articulating skills are limited to the written word). It's not really a big deal. I've had a few try to argue with me on why jeans are just as modest as skirts, but mostly people support me on my conviction.
What was I so afraid of??
Our culture tells us it's a very bad thing to stand out. It furthers Satans' agenda to have us believe it, too, so he tries to pour it into all he can manage. He tells us that if we're not the same as everyone else, then we'll be shunned, ridiculed, and thought of as prudes and self-righteous jerks.
Don't listen to him! We don't live by the world's standards. We're called to live by Yahweh's standards and His alone. So go to His word, seek out his instruction above all else on every matter. Don't let our culture (or even the church!) continue to spoon-feed you what they think you should know and believe. Search out the Scriptures for yourself. Stand on His Word, and His Word alone.
Have a blessed day!

Fear

During Pre-Service prayer at the youth ministry I'm in, Paradigm, we were praying for the students that were about to come in- asking God to radically impact their lives. Tonight's prayer was especially focused, due to a great charge from Nathan (adult leader; head of the prayer team).
We normally have prompts on the screen as we pray for the thirty minutes before service starts that keep us focused and unified in our prayers. One of them, one they put up every week, listed things that needed to be broken off of the students. The first on the list was fear.
I felt like God dropped something on my heart then and there.
We're afraid.
I began to war for the students, and especially for we leaders, because fear so effectively holds us back. It's a fantastic tool that Satan uses to tie us down and keep us from stepping out in faith. Fear keeps us from fully pursuing God, it holds us back from reaching the promises of God. Fear tells us we need to fit into the world's mold and it tells us it's a bad idea to live counter-culturally.
But that's exactly what we need! We need Christians to rise up and live like their lives are devoted to God, not themselves. We need our leaders to step out and stand for God, even if it means we're different.
If Christianity were all about being like everyone else, what's the point? If Christ doesn't change you, why are you doing this?
We tend to cling to our fear- to hide behind it, using it as our shield. Guess what- we don't need it. God promises that we can rest under the shadow of his wing (Psalm 57). Let Him be your shield. Step out and trust Him.
Don't settle into a mediocre walk with God. It's a walk with GOD for goodness sake! Live it passionately and live it whole-heartedly. Don't let fear hold you back, because it only ends up cheating you out of enjoying the true depths of His love. When you let go of your fear, you can go to new heights and depths with your Savior.
2 Timothy 1:7(NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Have a blessed day!

Why We Do This: Homeschool

This post has been looming over me for the past few days. I had decided I would write this sometime last week, and after reading these posts my Jocelyn Baucham ( "I realize you're just parrotting what you've been taught." and The Harsh Truth ), I was even more inspired to do so.
Yet it's a hard topic to start off on, how am I supposed to introduce this? How do I present it without getting all tongue-tied and making my words unintelligible (which I tend to do when talking, thus the beauty of writing and editing :)?
I suppose I'll start out by agreeing with the words of Jasmine in saying that I don't believe that public school is a viable option for Christians.
Everyone gasp, faint, or otherwise react negatively to what I've just announced.
Just kidding... I hope. :D
I understand that in today's culture, public schooling is quite the popular choice in raising the next generation. While Mommy and Daddy are at work, we drop the kids off at the nearest school and leave them there for 8+ hours a day, five days a week.

My question is "When did our children become wards of the government, rather than our own blessings to teach and raise up?"

We send our kids to a school that has curricula that is decided on by the state and government- teaching them whatever they believe. First of all, I think we've all become aware of the fact that America is no longer a fully Bible-believing nation. It's ridiculous to think that they're going to get a Biblical education in a secular school. I hope you're not expecting that.

Yet that's where the problem lies. We're subjecting our children and teenagers to hours of indoctrination in an institution that teaches evolution, feminism, and socialism in many different forms. How do we expect the young people of this generation to see things from a Biblical standpoint when their constantly being spoonfed the opposite by the local school system?

"If we continue to send our children to Caesar for their education, we need to stop being surprised when they come home as Romans." -Dr. Voddie Baucham

I'm not saying that Christians can't rise up out of the public school system. I happen to know some fantastic public schoolers who are strong Christians in spite of the constant opposition. But this is the exception, not the rule.

If we don't give our children strong Biblical foundations, then we are letting them slip through the cracks. By sending them to public school, parents are spending more time having to unravel the lies that their children are being taught than they are teaching them more about God's word. If they're spending all their time fixing what they've been taught, when will they have the time to build on true biblical foundations.

This is why I'm a strong advocate for homeschool. Yahweh put parents as the head of families so that they could oversee the education of their children and that's what we should be doing, not sending them off to get an indifferent education that would much rather teach them lies than Truth.

He has ordained parents for this task. It's not a monumental hardship. Yes, I'm sure it's hard to be a homeschool parent, but it's worth it in the end.

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Have a blessed day!

Less than Perfect

Guess what, guys! I'm back in Texas!! :D It's so good to be home!
Yesterday was my first day back at Paradigm Student Ministries, my fantastic youth group.
During Pre-Service prayer, I was nearly in tears. I was on my knees, telling God how sorry I was that I didn't pursue him the way I should have. I was pouring out my heart in repentance for not being the bride I should be, for not being completely motivated in my relationship and in the end, not being worthy of Him.
His response?
Were you expecting to be?
It was then I felt him speaking comfort to me. He reminded me that I'm not perfect and I'm never going to be. My pursuit of Him will never be what He truly deserves. I will never have a perfect prayer life or perfect worship time. Until He takes me up to Heaven, I will continue to be unworthy of everything that He is.
Here comes the shocker.
Even in all my sinful glory, He still loves me. Honestly, I think we need to get a good reminder of that fact every so oftenn. He finds me captivating and He pursues me. Me, Little Miss Sinful, because I will never be Little Miss Perfect.
That was exactly what I needed to hear. I needed to be reminded that I will never be perfect, but I should still try my best anyway. I will never get it all, but I should still pursue him with my all.
Have a blessed day!

2010!!!

Wow! It's 2010 already? It's funny how each year seems to go by faster than the last.
I feel like I've been waiting for this year since I was in second grade! Why? Because this is the year I graduate from high school. :D I can't wait to see what all God has in store for me in the years to come!
For my first blog post of the New Year, I thought I'd show you a few of my New Year's Resolutions. It seems no one in my family wanted to make any this year, but I love making them and seeing if I carry them out.
I'd tell you about last year, but seeing as I'm still in Paris, France, I don't exactly have access to the journal I was using at the time. So I can only tell you about this year.
Here are a few of my resolutions for the year 2010!:
1.Get closer to God.
-I know, I make this resolution every year- but every year it's true! And every year I can safely say that I followed through with it. I'm not at the same place in my growth as a Christian that I was last year at this time. Thank goodness! I don't want to be a stagnant Christian who's all too comfortable sticking with the things that are familiar to me. Through all the ups and downs, all the times I feel like I've got a static-free connection with God and the times I have trouble hearing him, I know that those have been used to make me into the woman I am today and pray that He will continue to mold me into the righteous woman He created me to be.
2. Learn to sew relatively well. Should be able to make a dress.
-I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas LAST year and still can barely use it. It sits on the desk in my room and taunts me half the time. Kerri got a sewing machine during the summer and has already made a cute little dress for my assistant youth pastor's wife's baby! (Yes, I know that's a mouthful!) She tends to understand the instructions better than I do and can usually orally tell me how to do it and I'll get it. Weird how things work with us that way. I think the main reason I have so much trouble with it though is because I don't really try with it that hard, so that's what I plan on doing this year- trying hard and getting somewhere with my sewing skills.
3. Sell at least 15 items on Etsy.
-I joined Etsy like forever ago. Actually it was in May, but it feels like forever ago. I still haven't had anyone buy my stuff. *tear* This is the part where you feel sorry for me and buy it all! Lol! Just kidding! Well, the Living Water Shoppe has been on hiatus for the past three months while I've been in France, but it'll be back in business on January 5th most likely. I have a couple more items to add on and a brain full of new projects that I can start once I get back to getting some money from nursery work and such. Anyway, this 15 item goal will hopefully spur me on to better and greater products in the future.
4. Read at least 30 books.
-I keep a notebook where I record each book that I read, the day I finished it, the number of pages it had, and if I own it or not. When I looked back at it yesterday, I found out that I had read 29 books in 2009! How awesome is that? So my goal for this year is to at least read 30 books, but hopefully I'll get to more than that!
5. Gain more self-control/ patience.
-I tend to get mad easily, particularly with my family, and I want to change that. Patience, in particular, is a hard lesson to learn, I know. But I'd rather learn such an important lesson now than at a later date when it'll likely be even harder for me. Both of these character traits- self control and patience- tend to go hand in hand and are particularly important when people look at us as Christians to be examples of what the gospel teaches. I don't want to wait until I've managed to hurt everyone I love in some way or another before I learn this. I want to learn now.

Those are just five of my lovely New Year's Resolutions. So here's my question: What are yours? How are you seeking to better serve the Lord this year? What are you seeking to accomplish with your time? How are you seeking to better yourself as this new year represents another new start?
Have a blessed day!

A Few Good Reads

Here are some links to a few posts that I've read in the past week or so that stood out to me. I just thought I ought to share them with y'all!

Why Fantasy? by Bryan Davis. "Fantasy is not a lie, because it doesn’t pretend to be true. It is a vision, the mind’s dramatic sketch of what we were meant to be. Good fantasy is a blend of survival and worship. It demonstrates faith, hope, and love--the three abiding gifts--wielded in integrity and nobility, and illustrated in ways that readers will never forget."

A Charge for Young Women  by Bryan Davis. "She is born with a passion to uplift, empower, and support. She is the mainstay and sail for the captain’s ship. She is the heat in the warrior’s resolve and the salve that heals his wounds. She is the heart that pumps vitality to every joint and sinew. Yes, she is a woman."

Birth Control Makes Me Mad by Kim C. "Our friends and family may not agree with us on whether to use birth control, but they need to know that certain methods do far more than simply prevent pregnancy. If our friends and family believe that life begins at conception, then they need to know that nearly all of the most popular, most effective methods have a Plan B: murder any unborn child that gets past Plan A. It's right there in the fine print that they'll find in the package."

No Detours to the Aisle! by Christa Taylor. "'Don’t you ever want to get married and be a mom?' Her face fell, and she seemed to shrink in size, 'yes…yes, that’s what I really want. But I don’t want my boyfriend to feel like I’m pushing him', she confessed, lip trembling."

The 12 Days of a Large Family Christmas by L. Hutchinson. "She asked me how many children I had already. I told her 3. So, she tried her best to talk some sense into me again saying, 'Okay, well let that be it!' So, in honor of her and all of the other concerned people at the grocery store, the mall, etc, I thought this song would be appropriate."

How Twilight is Re-Vamping Romance by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. "Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight may be fiction, but this story is real. Edward Cullen is no more than an idea, but ideas have consequences, and Edward-obsession is creeping into real history."

Advent Poem: Joseph's Choice by Bryan Davis.
"Then Joseph looks upon his bride

Lamenting, sobbing at his side;
A stone in hand, the judge prepares;
Decide for wrath or grace to spare?"

Have a blessed day!

Go With the Flow

Yesterday, I was passed by multitudes of cars on Highway 30. I went the speed limit, but it seemed like most of my fellow drivers just weren't satisfied with 65mph- they wanted to go 80!
It reminded me of my driver's ed classes. Our teacher would always tell us that if we were being passed by a majority of the cars, we needed to speed up. It didn't matter if we were going the speed limit. It was altogether safer to speed up to where we were going the same speed as the vast majority of cars on the road.
It got me to thinking- How many times have we been told that for more than just driving? How deep has the 'Go with the flow' mentality driven itself into our culture?
Too often, we're told "Just do what everyone else is doing!" Why? Because it's safer that way. You're less likely to get trampled on, laughed at, or bumped off the road.
As Christians, though, we're supposed to be different. We're called to step out of our comfort zones and go against the flow. We're called to follow God's laws and not the anarchy that ensues when everyone decides that they can choose what's right and what speed is best for the current road.
We've been set apart. We have been called to a divine ministry where, yes, sometimes we have to put our lives on the line- but it's altogether worth it in the end.
Acts 20: 24
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life as dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
God has not given us a spirit of fear.
He gave us the divine ability to stand on the rock. He's our foundation, we cannot be moved.
So don't be afraid of the trials this world throws at you, because God's going to handle them. You're God's tool, He needs you to be willing- He'll do the rest.
[Picture compliment of Google Images]
Have a blessed day!

My Hero, My Protector

Psalm 56:3-4
3Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

As most who went on the LA Trip with me know, especially Kelli, I'm one of those people who freezes when put in a potentially dangerous situation. My heart rate starts going ninety miles an hour, my eyes go wide, and my brain goes blank. Suddenly, all common sense goes out the window and I'm left with my deer-in-the-headlights look.

I wish I were one of those quick-thinkers, like Anthony, who can talk himself probably out of any situation. Or A.Will, who no one would want to mess with because he's big, black, and brawny. :D Or Jordan, who'll go back up to the person who was hitting on us, just so they know that we're not in any way interested. Or Kelli, who seems to keep her wits about her enough to relocate the two of us to the closest male on our team when we're placed in these scary situations.
But I'm not, I'm one of those who freezes up and my brain stops functioning somewhat.
I've been thinking about all of this today and laughingly thinking that my future husband will one day have to be working overtime if we're ever in dangerous places. :P
As I was pondering all of this, I felt like the Lord reminded me of something. He is always protecting me. He is the only one that can truly keep me safe. In each of those situations in LA where I felt unsafe, he put someone with me or nearby that would lead me to protection. He put Kelli beside me because she knew to push us over to Jordan. He put Kelli and I near A.Will, because He knew that A.Will would see that we needed a little help and would come over to us.
Psalm 57:1-3
1Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. 2I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. 3He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
I don't have to be afraid in any situation. Like the first verse says- What can flesh do to me?
The Lord is the only one under whose covering I'll be in complete safety. There's more than the occasional creepy guy that I need protection from. There's also a horde of Satan's demons that would also love to see me fail. The Lord is my Protector and he's always watching out for me.
Satan ain't got nothin' on that!
Psalm 61:2-4
2From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Have a blessed day!

Bon Voyage, Y'all! the blog

I've been hinting at this post for the past couple of blog posts. This is the post where I explain all this talk of France on here and on Twitter.
Those who know me have already heard that I'm moving to Paris. Not Paris, Texas- the real Paris, Eiffel Tower and all. Don't worry, I it's not permanent. We'll only be there for three months and we leave in October.
Crazy, huh?
This is all happening because of my dad. Here's the story:
My dad is a computer engineer who loves being a computer geek (my own term for him, not his own admission). He's pretty good at it, too. Apparently, one of his bosses switched jobs and went to a company whose base is in France.
When he made the switch, he wanted to take my dad with him, but told him he'd have to move to France to do so. My dad immediately turned it down. He wasn't about to make us all relocate to France. That's a bit too far away and we have family, friends, and commitments here.
Well, a month or two ago, that same boss approached him with another job offer. With this one, we would have to move to France for around three months and he would have to travel more often (up to two out of four weeks each month). However, he would then get to work at home and likely enjoy his job alot more. He wasn't really enjoying his current one as much anymore.
When he told the rest of us, we were excited at first but then quite worried. We weren't sure we wanted to leave everyone for that long. We weren't sure we were okay with Dad travelling more, it was hard enough on us when he travelled normally. We were excited about Paris, Dad being home, and an all around better job.
He told us to be in prayer about it as he took steps to find out more about the job and figure out how it would all play out. And we did.
It wasn't long before Mom and I were pretty sure it was a done deal. After much prayer, we both felt like this was the direction that God had planned for our family. Now we directed our prayers toward everything working out the way God intended and for Daddy to continue to make wise decisions.
Now my dad has signed the contract and given his notice to his current employers that he will be leaving. He starts the new job on the twenty-first of September. We leave for France in the beginning of October.
As we prayed for the Lord's guidance in our lives and concerning this job, we watched every door fly open. We now have a quite amazing family that will be house-sitting our home while they search for one of their own. And they are being blessed in not having to pay rent on their apartment for three months. Isn't God just too good??
As we've looked up information about this new country that God is giving us the opportunity to be a light in, we know we will be under alot of attack. France is apparently one of the least evangelized nations in the world and is neck-deep in the occult. According to some statistics I found, the people spend more money on 'spiritual healers' than on actual doctors. We're ready to shine our light, though, and can't wait to make an impact on this spiritually hungry nation.

Now, as a part of our 'journey' in France, I had the idea to start a blog for my family as we go through our three months there. I named it Bon Voyage, Y'all! and my whole family will be writing on it (even if I have to force them). I still haven't finished setting it all up, but I have written an opening post that tells the point of it and will be adding the above story to it as well.
And don't worry, I'll still be posting on this blog throughout our stay.
I can't wait to see everything that the Lord has in store for myself and my family.
Have a blessed day!

Super Aspirations

[The following is taken from a story I posted on my FanFiction Account yesterday. My fanfiction account can be found here, for any of you who would like to see it.]

Super Aspirations
by Kirsten Erin

When we watch Justice League cartoons, or countless other action-y movies, why do we long to be apart of them? When we read about Flash saving Central City, watch Batman save Gotham, or sit with our eyes glued to the screen as Superman sacrifices himself for the people of Earth, why do we wish we could take their place? Why is it that we wish to stand side-by-side with the Justice League as they save the Earth one more time, sacrificing all to keep the people safe?

What is it that rises up within us when we watch Narnia? What is that longing that creeps upon us as we read those books written by C.S. Lewis? What is it that makes us want to draw our swords and charge into battle alongside the Pevensies as they fight once more to save Narnia? What is it that makes our adrenaline rush when we read each new story and cause us to long for more?

Let me tell you, because I believe I have it quite figured out.

The desire is one that runs through each of us. It's indwelt quite deep in every bit of God's creation as even the grass sings it's praise unto the most High God. I can hardly comprehend it myself.

Each of us were meant to take part in a great battle. Each of us currently do, however most hardly recognize it's prescence. It's sad how in the end, we help the enemy because of our own ignorance.

The Lord has called us to a great battle that He will ultimately win.

Like Aslan and Superman, He sacrificed himself for your love.
Like Aslan and Batman, He'll give everything for 'the mission'.
Like Aslan and Shayera, He knows what it's like to be persecuted because their loyalties didn't line up with what others thought they should've.
Like Aslan and Flash, He loves far deeper than we'll ever understand.
Like Aslan and J'onn, He knows what it's like to lose everything.
Like Aslan and Wonder Woman, He's strong enough to help you through any challenge.

Open up your heart. He wants to know you so much more than you're letting him now.

"Enemy-occupied territory- that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going." - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis; pg 46.

John 19:28-30
28After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30So when Jesus had received the wour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
John 20:24-29
24Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
26And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.
28And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Growth Spurt

I won't write much today, because I'm super tired and it's 1:39. I'm going to attempt to make this short and sweet.
I just wanted to let y'all know that I feel like God is really moving in Paradigm right now. I can see it nearly plain as day. It's pretty hard to miss. He's raising up leaders and moving us closer to him.
I feel like the prophetic words of Christ in John 4 are beginning to come to pass, where He says that a time will come when the true worshippers will come forth. I believe He's currently molding us and that goal is just on the horizon.
Right now, God is cleaning out the ears of His children. He's always speaking, the problem is that we're usually too distracted to hear it. He's cleaning out our ears and we're beginning to hear Him more than ever before and we're able to recognize His voice like the sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd. I know that's truly happening in my life.
I believe that right now, He's calling His children in the Youth Ministry to rally toward Him, to crawl into His lap and get in His face. He's ready to pour out blessings on us. He's showing many His plan and is beginning to set things in motion that will be like the small pebbles that begin an avalanche.
We're going to be able to look back in a few years at this time in God's movement in our lives and pinpoint it saying, "That's where it all started!"
God's moving. Keep your expectations high and your heart open- God's about to show up and show out!
Have a blessed day!

Coins, coins, everywhere!!!

[Image compliment of Photobucket]

Today I used a Coinstar machine for the very first time.

Result: Happiness!

Last night I gathered all of my change that I'd saved up for a while and separated it into separate bags according to whether it was a dime, nickel, etc. Mom also let me have some coins we'd been saving for a while, but no one really contributed to anymore. And while I was running errands this morning, I did so. Guess how much I had altogether....

$59!!!!

Isn't that awesome?! I used $10 of it for gas money, but the rest I'm saving for LA. I'm not turning it in until Wednesday though, because I want to try to work for my money (which PNick is allowing us to do at the church for the next week and a half :) and use the extra for spending money or whatever.

I'm super excited! LA is going to be spectacular and I know God is really going to show up.

As a finishing note, Jordan Wood did offering this week- Great job, Jordan! It was really awesome how he pointed out what Banning Leibscher sp? (one of our YFN speakers) pointed out that he thinks it's funny when people get all upset because God wants 10% of our money, because He doesn't want it. He wants more than that- He wants 100%. He made a few other points that really spoke to me.

Back to what I was saying- Timmy (Pastor Tim) is letting Kerri do it next week. She had told me that earlier today, but I decided during offering that I wanted to speak at offering the week after we got back from LA, because I think God's really giving me alot of insight on things lately and I'd like to share. Really, there are multiple reasons that I'd like to do it- but they'd take up too much room to write here. I won't bore you with the details. ;p

So I told Timmy to sign me up! Hopefully I'll get the chance. I'll be praying about it.

One last thing- For any SL's reading this (or if you're just nosy), Danae and I have figured out what we're doing for Student Leader fasting. It's something God has really been laying on both of our hearts (we didn't even know He was telling it to us both until tonight!!) and we're super excited about it.

Anyway, we'll be revealing what we're doing at the Student Leader Retreat this weekend. So be prepared and get your hearts ready because God is really about to start rockin' Paradigm. And as PC would say, "He's gonna mess your face up!"

Have a blessed day!

Rainy Days

With all this rain that's been sporadically blessing (and/or inconveniencing) all of us in the Dallas area- I can't help but think about something God told me while I was at YFN.
I was laying in my bed on the last night, my body laying down and my mind sitting up as usual, when I saw a flash on the wall. I was confused for a moment, then figured a storm must be coming in.
I almost fell off the top bunk trying to peek out the window and catch sight of some of the lightning strikes. I love thunderstorms. There is just something soothing about the sound of the rain mixed with the rumbling thunder and beautiful bolts of lightning. It just brings a smile to my face.
So as I leaned halfway off of the CFNI bunk bed and watched the storm roll in, I continued to pray about the service we'd just been released from a few hours earlier and about Paradigm.
I asked God what this coming storm meant, if anything. God's always speaking through little things- the struggle is grasping what that is.
Then some of the lyrics from Curvine's song Revival popped into my head

"I'm not talking about just a couple of drops of rain
But what I'm saying is similar to a tital wave
Open up the gates, let it rain
Open up the gates, let it rain"

I just felt like God was telling me that was what He has in store for Paradigm and all of His people. He's going to move through us like a ripple of water moves through the whole body of water. We just have to be willing and ready to move.
I can't wait to see the ripple effects in Paradigm in the coming weeks!
Have a blessed day!

It's Not A Game

[Image compliment of Google Images]

I woke up this morning with God speaking to my heart.

I think I'd fallen asleep last night praying for a friend of mine who I'd been talking to. This person doesn't know the Lord and the hope He brings. They don't want to be a part of Christianity or serving God.

This morning, I woke up with that person still fresh on my mind and was wondering what would happen if I never reached them. What would happen if that person never accepted the love of God? What if they died and went to Hell, still not knowing how much God loved them?

Immediately, I heard God say "It's not a game."

And it isn't.

The point He was making in telling me this was that we can't keep going through life acting as if the salvation of others is just a game. We can't keep pretending that it doesn't have eternal consequences and treating it as a game where we try to get the most converts.

That's not what it's about.

Christ told us to make disciples of all nations because He longs for His children to return to Him, not so we can get bonus points. He doesn't want to spend eternity away from the countless mass of people that reject Him, but He won't force them to spend enternity with Him if they don't want to.

Christians, we have to move. We can't keep putting off His call. This is serious. We really don't know how long we have to reach those around us. At any moment, someone close to us could die and spend eternity separated from all things good, pure, and pleasing to God- including God himself. We need to be on the offensive. This isn't time to sit back and 'enjoy' life.

It's a war and we need to get suited up.

Put down the board game and grab your sword. It's time to move.

Have a blessed day!

Ignorance is Negligence

[Image compliment of Photobucket]



One thing that God has been laying on my heart alot recently is the fact that we need to stop being ignorant in our faith.
Too many times we setttle on the back of the theology we hear spouted all around us, rather than standing up and finding out what we believe and why we believe it. We answer questions with recited answers. We go along with what all the other Christians are doing because we figure they know what's going on better than we do.
This is our faith. Take hold of it!
God doesn't need a bunch of mindless followers wandering idly in His general direction. He calls us to stand up and take hold of the purpose He's given us. He wants children who will sacrifice life and limb to call Him Lord.
How often do we really look in to each aspect of our Christianity? How much of what we believe is based upon actual Scriptural examples rather than our perception of what we think God will be pleased with?
We don't have to go through life guessing at what God thinks and says and does. It's all right there in His Word.
The challenge now is to seek it out.
Find out what God expects of you and dare to go against the mindset of those who'd rather stay in their comfort zones. How much of what you do is actually Biblical or just what you want to do?
Search it out. Know the Truth.
Because ignorance isn't bliss, it only hurts you in the long run.
Have a blessed day!

Are You Sitting or Kneeling?

Paradigm was last night. It was filled with great worship and a great word from Pastor Nick. We even started a new series entitled Red Letters.
I knelt down during one of the songs that was really hitting me and when I stood I thought, "Next time, I'm just gonna sit on the chair. I can't feel my legs!"
So then I felt like God was saying, "How many times do you sit before me instead of kneeling?"
I kinda stored it away and kept it on my mind for the night, pondering what all God was saying through it.
I didn't even realize until I got home that it went right along with Pastor Nick's message.
He spoke about cohabitation and how many couples are choosing it instead of marriage. Why? They're afraid of commitment. They want all the perks of marriage without having to give anything. They have their own money, their own stuff, and their freedom. Whereas in marriage, the two become one- as it was meant to be.
He went on to say that often times we do the same thing. We want all the perks of Christianity, like getting our prayers answered and getting to hang out with all the cool people at church, listen to the rockin' music, and sometimes even get free stuff! But when it comes to getting devoted, when God tells you to give up something for Him, or persecution comes- we say, "Hey, that's not what I signed up for!"
So he said that many in our generation are cohabitating with God instead of getting married to Him?
God told me that we're also sitting in front of Him instead of kneeling before Him.
Kneeling is that position of surrender. The one that says, "God, I'm giving this to you. It's not mine anymore, because my life is yours."
When we kneel before the Lord we are showing Him the respect we deserve. Oftentimes, people downplay God as their best friend. And while it's great to call Him that and understand that that's one aspect of Him, that's not the whole of who He is. He's our Lover, our Savior, our King. And those titles demand respect, not a slap on the back. (This is also similar to what Kerri said in Pre-service Prayer)
Sitting is saying that we're comfortable with what's going on. God's presence is no big deal and not worth any more effort than lounging back.
So my question to you is, are you sitting are kneeling? Is God worth your time or is Christianity just another accessory that makes you look cooler? Are you willing to get down on your knees for your Savior?
Have a blessed day!

He's Crying Out

Isaiah 65:1-5

1"I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;

I was found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, 'Here I am, here I am,'

To a nation that was not called by My name.

2I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,

Who walk in a way that is not good,

According to their own thoughts;

3A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;

Who sacrifice in gardens,

And burn incense on altars of brick;

4Who sit among the graves,

And spend the night in the tombs;

Who eat swine's flesh,

And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

5Who say, 'Keep to yourself,

Do not come near me,

For I am holier than you!'

These are smoke in My nostrils,

A fire that burns all day.

For some reason this passage of Scripture has always stuck out to me. Perhaps it's because I can almost hear the desperation in God's voice as He cries 'Here I am!' to tHis rebellious children. Maybe it's because I know that we're those rebellious children. Whatever it is, these five verses speak a relevant and very real truth that needs to be heard.

God has been reaching out to His children for hundreds and thousands of years. Lovingly, He wants to draw us in and restore us to our former glory- to make us into the beautiful creations He intended for us to be.

But with each loving touch He pours out on us, mankind shows in a new and more utterly vile way just how far we've fallen, just how enslaved we are to Satan and his schemes.

How dare we spit in our Creator's face?

How dare we stir Him to anger?

And yet He still weeps in longing for our love?

Hosea 2:19

19"I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In loving kindness and mercy;

20I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

Many claim the name of God while sitting back and muddying the glory of His name by being apathetic hypocrites. It almost makes me sick! And a substantial amount of that disgust can be accredited to the fact taht I've been guilty of these very things.

This is a time to become prostrate before the Lord. We must seek to do His will and redeem all those times we've made it about ourselves rather than his love.

Examine your heart today, every day. I'll do the same with mine. Hear His desperate cry for your love- will you answer Him and fall to your knees, overwhelmed by a passion and desire to love Him? Or will you continue to sit on your butt and spit in his face?

If it's the latter, do Him a favore and be real with yourself and everyone else- if you're going to continuously act like that, you're not truly a Christian.

Cry out to Him today and put a smile on the face of the man who died to raise you from the ashes. Now that's what Love is.

A sixteen year-old girl in Asia laid down her life rather than neglect God's Word. Are you willing to lay down your magazine? -Alex & Brett Harris

Have a blessed day!