Saturday, November 29, 2008

Oh Christmas Tree....OH BROTHER...

Hola

So Christmas is coming. The time of year where everything is supposed to be happy and joyful....

Well sometimes, that doesn't always happen. I hate it when I'm grumpy during the holidays, but it happens.

Last night when my family was setting up the Christmas Tree, my siblings and I were all picking fights. There's always the issue of who's ornament is who's, He can't put on more ornaments than me...etc...Things also got pretty loud and nasty when my dog Cassie ran under the Christmas tree and it started spinning.

But Christmas time is supposed to be a time of joy and laughter. We should take time to appreciate the little things in life, not fight over them! Christmas is when we were given the greatest gift of all. And to prepare for Christmas, we must prepare our hearts.

Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus 1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

And I, I celebrate the day
That you were born to die
So one day I might pray for you to save my life
(I Celebrate the Day, Relient K)

Just a reminder of God's glorious love for us. And how we should appreciate the little things God has given us, and not fight over them. And to REALLY appreciate the best present of all, Jesus.

Not only at Christmas Time, But everyday.

~Kylie

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving- Giving Thanks

Yo.

So Tommorow is Turkey Day (gobble gobble!) ! I hope that you have a great one! At my house, we're having about twenty people over (It's normally more than that) and we're going to eat, drink, be merry and watch some football.

But it's not the food that I'm going to make a point out of . It's Thanksgiving, Giving Thanks.

So I'm sure you are all familiar with the Thanksgiving story. The Pilgrims came to America, Squanto taught them how to plant corn and vegetables and the Pilgrims hunted for Turkey. Then they all had a big feast to celebrate their success in the New World and their friendship with the Indians. And that feast, we still celebrate.

We have a great country, and that's the original reason Thanksgiving was celebrated. But don't we have so many things to be thankful for????

Our families, our friends, pets, homes, food, health... but most importantly........

We have a Savior. Give Thanks to Lord for saving us from our sins!!!

Give thanks to the Lord, For He is good.
His Love endures forever!
With a mighty hand and outstreched arm,
His Love endures forever!
Sing praise! Sing Praise!
(Forever)

I just wanted to remind everybody of what to truly be thankful for. We are so blessed here on earth, but the best blessing of all is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Blessings ---> And the Big Plan

Last night, I did something I haven't done in a LONG time.

I cried myself to sleep.

Yah. Just about a year ago, my pet rabbit Muffin died. He died in my arms, and it was the worst feeling I ever experienced. Last night, I was really reminded of it and I guess I just needed a good cry. It's hard to let go of things that bring us such joy.

God gives us many gifts (Muffin being one), and sometimes we don't think about how blessed we are to have such wonderful things. Our families, friends, pets, homes, food everything big and small we have are gifts from God.

"If your worried and you can't sleep.
Just count your blessings instead of sheep.
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.
When my bankroll is feeling small,
I think of when I had none at all.
And I fall asleep
Counting my Blessings." ~Blessings, Bing Crosby

Another point to bring out of this is : Everything happens for a reason. God is in control.

Muffin's death was all part of God's plan. God knows how much I loved Muffin, and Muffin's death will work out for the good. I don't know how, but it all fits into his wondrous plan somehow. God has his reasons for trials in our lives. He uses them to strengthen our faith, and to do good in our lives. Even when it's hard, we have to know that God is in control. He loves us, and we must put our trust in him.

I hope that made sense.

In His Grace,

~Kylie

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Correction- I Love You

Hey Everybody! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was kind of busy. That's highschool for you!

So this post I just wanted to speak out about parents.

I love my parents :D

My parents have to put up with me a lot! And I'm so glad they do. My Parents are such great examples to me and they lead me and my siblings in the ways of Christ. They truly care about my soul, and I love them very much.

Genesis 18:19
19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.

First I think we should think about how blessed we are to have such great parents. Some kids parents don't even know God, some parents are abusive to their children. We are so blessed to live in homes where our parents care about us and our souls. Also, let's keep these abused kids in our thoughts and prayers.

Parent-Teen relationships are in a lot of trouble right now. Rebellion against parents is so common, that some teens don't learn what they should from their parents because they are so concerned about what they want to do. Here's an imaginary scene to illustrate:

Teen:"Josh is having a party on Friday night from 9pm-2am can I go?"
Parent:"Will there be parents there?"
Teen: "Well...no but Uh..."
Parent:"Well I don't think you should be at a party that late without parents."
Teen: "You don't trust me!"
Parent:"No, that's not it. I just don't want..."
Teen:" You don't care about what I want!"
Parent"Correction- I Love You. I don't want to get into any trouble with those kids or their parents, or God."
Teen: " Well FINE!"

Isn't that awful??? Truth is, we all do it at times, though maybe not so serious. Our parents really care about us, and when they say 'no' to something they have a good reason for it.

This past week my parents have been saying no to things because I haven't finished homework. And inside (and outside sometimes :S) I'm going: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure you know that feeling. Yesterday, Mom told me that I still had more school to do so I should go on the blog so I said, "Yes Mom." Then I went up in my room and screamed in my pillow. Then I looked at my bookshelf where my Bible was sitting and thought, 'No Kylie, Mom is right. Go finish, get on the blog when you're absolutley done. Get your priorities straight.' After that I walked downstairs and sat down quietly at the kitchen table and did more homework. My mom walked up to me and told me that she loved me. She went to the grocery store and bought me a chocolate bar. A CHOCOLATE BAR! It's like...HELLO...I didn't deserve that.

God placed our parents on this earth to guide us in light and to love us. And they are doing such an awesome job! Cyber Scream for the parents: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Next time you see your parents, give them a hug!!!!!

In God's Grace,

~Kylie

Saturday, November 15, 2008

~Nite~

This is an update from Kylie and Allie!  

We've added some new things to the site, our contact info if you have any questions, a poll, Bible Verses everyday and some fun stuff about us! 

So tonight we were getting ready to serve on Worship Team for Children's Ministry at Church. A lot of our friends from youth group serve with us which is making the experience all the better. We're lead by Mr. B, the leader of Children's ministry at church, and he's such a great example for us! Way to go Mr. B! WOOOO! 

Besides that, we're still organizing things for filming and such, so if you have any ideas of things we should do on the show please comment or email!!! 

God Bless!!! 

~ Allie and Kylie

Friday, November 14, 2008

Welcome to One Way Up!

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the new One Way Up Webcast and Blog! Before I say anything else, I've got to thank my friend Chris Porter for designing the site! Thanks Chris! (round of applause)

Well anyway... I'm Kylie speaking for all of the One Way Up cast, and I just wanted to thank you in advance for participating on the blog!

So as you can see, this is a webcast. We haven't started the webcast yet, but episodes of One Way Up and The Not-So Reality Show will be coming soon to the site. One Way up will cover things that we cover on the site in video form, and The Not-So Reality Show is our random part :D

So who are we? We are a group of Christian Teens that want to glorify God in everything we do, and through this webshow and blog spread the word about God's love. We've given our lives to the Lord and wish to be lights shining for him.

What are we doing? Why One Way Up? We decided on the name One Way Up because there is only one way to get to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. What we're doing is living for God as youths (as we will when we are adults!) and trying to reach out to people through this blog. We will cover many topics on the blog, and in One Way Up episodes. Each episode will have a theme such as Shine, Heroes, Family, Friends, Wisdom etc...Each episode we hope to have an interview with a pastor or author that we know to have them speak out on a topic.

Please comment on this post and tell us what you would like to see on the show or on the blog! If you have any prayer requests, we would be more than happy to pray for you.

God Bless!

~Kylie + the Cast