A cripple

Hullo.
Long time no write, eh? Sorry about that; school's been a bit busy here for the writers of OWU. Hopefully we'll be able to write more frequently in the future.

About to change gears. Get ready for an abrupt switch, because I don't feel like thinking up a nice transition at the moment. And no, this isn't a Christmas post, strictly speaking.

We all know the story of David out of the Bible. Goliath, Saul, Jonathon, Bathsheba... those are the stories that normally come to mind when his name is mentioned. I think one story that's frequently overlooked is that of Mephibosheth, and it's jam packed with grace and foreshadowing.
The story of Mephibosheth (what a name!) is found in II Samuel 9. His background is found in chapter 4 of the same book. He was the son of Jonathon, son of Saul. He was five when the news came that Jonathon had been killed in battle, and Saul had been murdered. (He actually killed himself; a man wanting some glory told David that he had killed him. See II Sam. 2) Upon hearing the news of these deaths, Mephibosheth's nurse flips out. She takes the young prince and runs, and accidentally drops him, making him lame in both his feet.
Fast forward a few years. David has been anointed and crowned king of Israel and Judah, and defeated many of the surrounding nations. He apparently in all this remembers Saul and Jonathon, because he asks whether there's anybody alive from Sauls' house. Take a look for yourself (bit of a long passage, but it's good.)

And David said, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?" Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." And the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet." The king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar." Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, "Mephibosheth!" And he answered, "Behold, I am your servant." And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." And he paid homage and said, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?" Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table." ... So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. ... And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (II Sam. 9:1-13)

Notice David's grace here. Remember that Saul tried to kill him multiple times, regardless of promises to spare David's life. Saul was a king who did not always fear God. David could well have disposed of Mephibosheth without a qualm. Why did he have pity on Mephibosheth? Why did he even ask whether any of Saul's relatives were alive? The answer is in the text: "I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan..."
This story would be pretty cool if it consisted only of a king being nice to a random crippled prince from an opposing dynasty. But there's more to it than that. This story is a huge red arrow pointing straight to Calvary.
We are spiritual cripples by nature. We're lost in our sins, separated from God. We are of a lineage that doesn't make us look so great. The human race has murdered, stolen, adulterated, lied, cheated, idolized, coveted, and that's just a start to the list. Yet the King calls us into his court, and tells us that we can sit at his table. Why? We're absolutely not worthy. We deserve death and hell, eternal condemnation. So why on earth would God let us into his family? "I will show you kindness for the sake of my son Jesus." God's favour toward us is not a result of anything we have done, but the result of the righteousness of Another which is credited to us.

Now, like I said earlier, this isn't strictly a Christmas post. That is, there's no manger, no star, no angels shouting their heads off. But this is the reason that Christmas is celebrated. There wouldn't be such a big fuss over Christmas if Jesus was just a good moral teacher. We celebrate His birth because of the love He showed us in laying down His life for wicked sinners, for cripples.
Happy Christmas everyone!

Contentment

Hey Everybody, I just wanted to address the topic of contentment. Contentment is something we all struggle with at times, and I think it would be an appropriate topic for this post. Whether it's your grades, the part you got in a play (or if you got in at all), your friends, your body- everyone struggles with contentment sometime in some area.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and hope." Jeremiah 29:11

A lot of times we have questions about why things are happening to us. Why didn't I get a good grade? Why didn't I get that part? Why don't I have a lot of friends? It's not fair!

Everything that happens, happens for a reason. God has a plan- and it will ultimately work out for the good of those who love him.

The thought of 'Why is this happening to me?' is often influenced by the thought that we deserve more. That we deserve to have everything go exactly the way we want it to.

But when you think of it, that's absolutely ridiculous. We don't deserve anything, we turned away from God. And even though we don't deserve life, God gave it to us anyway- along with so many other blessings.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing- we may be content with that." 1 Timothy 6:6-8

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

"Keep your lives free from the want of money and be content with what you have, because God has said 'Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you'. So we say with confidence 'The LORD is my helper. What can mortal man do to me?' " Hebrews 13:5-6

Such truth found in God's word. I'd advise you to talk to your parents about where you may struggle with contentment. I'd also like to ask you all if you would pray for me in this area. I would love to pray with/for any of you. :)

We have so much. Can we not be content with all the blessings?

In His Grace,

Kylie

Lean on Me

Yes, that's the title of a song (and old song, but given that I'm posting you probably knew that.) But it's something way more important, too.
Let's start from the top, shall we?
I'm taking a biology course at Frederick Community College. Bio 101. It's a college level science course and I haven't finished high school biology. So, as you can imagine, this course is not a cake-walk. The class is also after school (starts at 5) so my brain is normally pretty tired by the time I get there. So this past Tuesday I was sitting at my lab table, trying to understand a really basic chart that the prof. gave us for our lab worksheet. I sat there and stared at it for a while. I was trying to do the lab, or even to totally understand what we were doing for the lab, and my brain simply wouldn't take it all in. I was so frustrated that I could've cried (and that doesn't happen very often.) I got out of class and went down to the library to try to set up tutoring, and there was nobody at the desk. "Go figure." I met my mom outside, and she handed me the keys to the car (she had to go inside for something, and didn't want me to be stuck standing in the parking lot.) So I unlocked the car, tossed my backpack into the back seat, flopped into the front seat, slapped the keys into the ignition, and turned the radio on to 91.9. Anything to keep my brain off of biology and school.
The middle of Stephen Curtis Chapman's "Be Still" came through the radio waves.

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still ; be speechless
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know he is our Father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones, calling each of us to come
Be still.

WHAM. It was like God was looking me right in the eyes, the way you'd do to a little kid when you're explaining something. "Yes, this class is hard. And no, things aren't working out the way you'd planned. But I'm still here. I'm not going to let you go, I'm not going to leave, I'm not going to let you do this on your own. This is part of my plan, and my plans are good."

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" --Jer. 29:11

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." --Prov. 3:5

Ad majorem Dei gloriam!

Love

This isn't going to be on what you think it's going to be on. I say that because this I'm not going to observe the normal aspects of that magic word, I'm going to take a look at the side we often forget about. I mean we talk about loving each other through not insulting each other, helping each other physically and mentally through holding doors for the ladies and giving up chairs and giving our buddies some tips on their homework, praying for each other and all of these things are important aspects of loving one another. But I've been realizing that I don't always honor my friends when it comes to times when I disagree with them. I mean I try not to go around bashing them with insults on a regular basis, but when it comes to arguing about something (especially the theological); man, I really have trouble holding back my frustration. I have major trouble giving, I often feel like i must never give up because if I do my "philosophy" that i have worked so hard to stand up against theirs will crumble. But that sort of dug in mindset can really destroy my relationships. Cause if you are always on edge making sure that the other guy doesn't catch you off guard with a good argument, there is a level of mistrust that will rise. Abraham Lincoln said "A house divided against itself can not stand." This is especially true in the House of the Lord.

Take my ongoing debate with Andrew about video games, most of the time (thank God) we usually end by coming to the realization that we both believe that Jesus Christ saved us both from our sins and go away with a healthy relationship. But there have been times when I have been VERY frustrated with him over the issue (even though it really is a minor issue and about personal conviction). If I at those times had let my anger feed my relations with him, our friendship might have split and with it other people's relationship. our whole group of friends might have become divided, in turn even the whole ministry as the conflicts added up. And WALA!! You have a divided group in the church. We become immobilized body parts. We can't work together for God's glory because we are to busy arguing over our petty differences.

Unfortunately this is a repeted pattern in the Church, a question arrises as to a certain doctrine, sides are taken to the extreme and a split takes place over a minor doctrine. This doesn't as much apply to the split of Orthodoxy and Prodistancy since that was over Salvation. I am talking more about the split between Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Purtitan and other "dominational churches" which is often taken very seriously. The problem i see here is that we forget we are ONE CHURCH not a bunch of scattered ones. What makes us one church is the fact that, despite our differnce in oppinon on Baptism, Communion, Bible Translation, we are all God's children who believe that Jesus is our savior and have been born again in him. The same principle should be applied to any theological argument. It is good for us to debate yes. But when our debates put a wall between us and our brothers and sisters we should evaluate why we are holding on so tightly to this "truth." We are not God! We are not all knowing! We have a LOT to learn, not just from God but from each other. Let's not look at our differences but rather look at the Lord, in whom we are all the same thing: SAVED CRIMINALS WHO ARE NOW CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD!!!!

I am sorry for being stubborn and I am going to pray God makes me humbler and humbler,
~Dave

Happy Heart (thanks part 2)

So the other night I was babysitting, and Dalton who's about three was throwing a temper tantrum because he wasn't allowed to play with the Play Doh. He was screaming and crying and I told him that we have to have a happy heart even when it's hard and he replied to me through heavy heaving sobs "I don't want to have a happy heart! I just want to be sad!" I laughed but then conviction struck. Wow did that sound like me.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How many times have your parents told you to have a happy heart? My parents still tell me to have a happy heart because I constantly need that reminder. I've had so many times through tears talking to my mom about what's going wrong in my life and what's not going my way and she tells me to be thankful for what I have and to find joy in the Lord. So so SO many times I've replied in self pity, expressing that I just want to be upset. I don't like whats going on, I don't like whats not's going my way and I think that's an excuse not to be thankful for what I do have.

That's SO wrong.

Like I said in the post before, we have so many blessings and it's so easy to look over them. Especially when things don't go our way. The first thing that reminds me of this is the song JOY! From the new Sovereign Grace CD "To Be Like Jesus".

When I am lonely or feeling bad
When things don't go my way
When my heart's broken
And I am sad
And tears won't go away
That's when I turn my eyes to you Jesus!
Joy! You fill me with Joy!
You fill me with Joy
Jesus
You are always with me
You will always give me Joy!

So simple, but So incredibly true!

Another thing I think about when it comes to Happy Hearts is Madame Blueberry! Yes, that classic veggie tales character. I know this may sound silly to a whole bunch of teenagers but I think it might be a good idea to watch this episode of Veggietales. It's got such a great message, "Because a thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have, that's an easy way to start..."

And I do encourage you to make a list of the blessings in your life. And talk to your parents about where you need to improve in this area.

In His Grace,

Kylie

Thanks and Blessings

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things acording to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory, In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance unti we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-14

The passage above may be long, but it contains so many truths. We are SO blessed! David and I were talking about this last night and I felt so convicted. I can be so blind to all the blessings in my life- God is SO good.

God has truly bestowed on us every spiritual blessing! He predestined us to follow him before there was time! We've been saved through him, through faith in his son! We have been placed in loving Christian homes with amazing parents who teach us in wisdom and follow the Lord. We have amazing Christian friends who lead us back to the cross and challenge our faith. I'm so thankful for my parents, who love me no matter how stupid and foolish I am and continue to pray for me and help me grow. I also am thankful for all of the strong Christian friends I've made that challenge my faith and help me to mature and love God more. And we have an amazing church, with incredible pastors, a fantastic youth ministry. And we've been installed with a true passion for God.

We are truly surrounded by so many blessings. And I know I can be so blind to what I have. There are so many people who don't have the christian envoirment we have. David was saying last night that without all this, we'd most likely be indulged in a life of sin in love with the world. There are so many teens and children living in non christian homes with no real influence of God at all in their lives and the majority of them are pretty much encouraged to live immoral lives because of this loss. They've been lost to sin, living foolish lives based on what they want and feel. And it's so sad to think there are so many people living like that, that don't have what we have. Isn't that such a smack of reality?

We should be so unbelievable grateful for what God has blessed us with! He's so good!

My friend Amy challenged us once to write a list of all the blessings in your life. I'd encourage you to take on that challenge.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"

In His Grace,

Kylie

(ps. Just to clarify, I want to make sure that you all know that all sin is counted equal in God's eyes and I am not saying that we are in any way less sinful or better than anyone else.)

Friendship and Loving Others

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New King James Version

I have been blessed with so many amazing, godly friends. I am in no way an expert on frienship, and I have much to learn about loving others, but despite that I am going to touch on several aspects of friendship starting with choosing friends wisely.

I have been blessed with so many wise, god fearing friends who are constantly leading me back to the cross. Proverbs 22:24-25 says:

"Make no friendship with a man given to anger,nor go with a wrathful man,or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself."

Friends have such a strong influence in our lives. Hanging out with the wrong people can be very harmful to you, and it can change you. There was a time in my life where I was hanging out with the wrong kind of people and my heart grew bitter and hateful because of the influence I was getting from those 'friends'. This verse is very true in the way that it says you will learn their ways, its almost a monkey see monkey do type reaction. But if you are friends with the wise, you will become wise, and you can help eachother grow. I have been blessed with such amazing wise friends who are constantly helping me grow, I am able to speak with them openly about areas of sin in my life that I am struggling with and they are always there to pray for me and give me verses and advice. Praise the Lord! My friends have saved me from believing satans lies over and over again and I could not be more grateful.

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Prov 17:17

Friends are loving. Always. A person who is bitter and unfaithful to a friend, is not a true friend at all. My friends are constantly showing this to me. There have been several times where I have been unkind or lashed out on my friends, but they have loved me just the same. When I'm upset they comfort me, and when I rejoice they rejoice. Thomas Jefferson once said, "When it hurts too much to look back, and you are too afraid to look ahead; look beside you and a friend will be there." That is love, and again I must say that love in friendship is such an amazing thing.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. " John 15:12-15

This verse says it all, love one another God loves us. God's love is unconditional, it is not changed by anything we might say or do, and that is the way friendship should be.

I am so grateful for the love that is portrayed by all my friends. There have been so many long talks, confrontations, tears and joyful memories...And I know have already said this so many times before but thank you all for your amazing example of God's love. :) "If you live to be one hundred, I want to live to be one hundred minus one day so that I'd never have to live without you." :)

In His Grace,

Kylie

Stand On Your Feet

Hullo all.
So, I was reading Ezekiel yestreday and today. What was shown to me is absolutely amazing.

Ezekiel was, of course, an Old Testament prophet. He went to Babylon, during the reign of king Jehoiachin of Judah. Most of Ezekiel chapter one is a vision that Ezekiel has of the LORD. I won't give you the whole thing, because it's almost an entire chapter. But let me give you pieces of it. (I encourage you to read the whole thing, too. It'd only take a few minutes.) The verses I'm going to use are all over the passage.

"As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal....And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness...Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went.... As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning....Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them....And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around....Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. ²³And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings....And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around."

At the sight of all this, Ezekiel, probably terrified and awestruck, falls flat on his face. After all, he's looking right at God! God, surrounded by angels of a frightening sort, with shining stuff and eyes and fire all over the place. Given that no one is allowed to behold the face of God, I think anybody in their right mind would fall on their face.
Here's the awesome part. Check out, chew on, and ponder what YHWH says to Ezekiel, the lowly man amongst these heavenly creatures.
"Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you."
Holy Schamoly! Stand on his feet? He's in the presence of Jehovah, for crying out loud! Why did God tell him to stand up?

Honestly, I don't know. No idea why He'd tell Ezekiel to get up. But it's a type of sort. (In case you haven't been through my history class, a type is "A person or thing (as in the Old Testament) believed to foreshadow another (as in the New Testament.)" Think about it.
We're a pack of ungrateful, rebelious, independent, finite traitors. Beholding God, we should do more than fall on our faces. You know what He would be justified in doing? Tossing us into hell, eternal death and seperation from him. But what does He say to us instead? "Stand on your feet. I love you. I love you so much that I died for you. See the scars on my hands, my side? I took that for you. I drank the entire cup or wrath that you'd stored up for youself." What a gracious, loving King!

Ever after

Yestreday, a Metro train or two crashed. I know that, as of last night, 6 people were known to be dead. It's absolutely tragic. But, at the same time, I think it serves as a good wake-up call for us. Ever think about how short life is? You look back on your sixth grade class, and it feels almost like yestreday. (Those who are out of high school can probably relate more to how brief the years really are.) New Years rolls around time and time again, and you realise that last New Years wasn't really too long ago.
Here's the question: what if you don't live until you're 70?
Possible? Sure. Probable? Not really sure I can say. In Psalm 90, Moses asks God to "teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (vs. 12) In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool (you know, the "Eat, drink, be merry" fellow.) I'd encourage you to read through both of those if you need a refresher. (Josh Harris did a message a while back on Luke 12. covlife.org)
Essentially, we shouldn't put off important things until later. Why? Well, to be quite frank, we don't know if we're going to be alive tomorrow. That means anything important: God, your Bible, your parents, your siblings, talking about important things with your friends. That is not to say that one can never relax, but one should not put off what is necessary for what will not last beyond the moment.

Straight and to the point, I hope. This might be my record for shortest post... :-)
Oh, please pray for those hurt in the Metro accident, and the families of those who have died.

Borrowing

I found this link on the Rebelution site, and thought it was good. Check it out!
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002045.cfm#share
Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
~E.K.

There's a story which is familiar to most, if not all of us. The story of Jesus walking on water, Peter walking on water, sinking. Jesus grabs his hand, pulls him to his feet, and calms the storm. You could probably tell somebody that story in your sleep. And yet, as familiar as it is, there is more to it than just a story. Read it again.
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Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:22-33, ESV)

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O.K., so what? Look beyond the simple (or not-so-simple) events of people walking on water. (Like that's not cool enough, right?) Look at this not from your point of view, but from Peter's. Here we go.

You go out in a boat with 12 of your best friends. Bear in mind, you're all out on this boat because Jesus just fed 5,000 men, not to mention the women and kids, from five hunks of bread and two fish. So you go out in a boat, and Jesus goes up on the mountain to pray (he seems to do that a lot, eh?) So you twelve guys are chillin' out in the boat, while it gets further and further from the mountain. At 0-dark-hundred hours, one of the other 11 guys on the boat screams like mad. You're wide awake now, and you stare at him. He's pointing out on the sea. you follow his finger, and you start to freak out, too. There's a body, upright, floating. "A ghost!" somebody shouts. Half a minute, it's not floating. It's walking. Still, is there any rule that says ghosts have to hover? The ghost, or whatever it is, starts talking. "Take heart; it is I." (Trust Jesus to speak properly!) "Do not be afraid." O.K., so it sounds like Jesus, it looks sort of like him, but... well, you sort of let your imagination run away with you. It is, after all, the fourth watch. So, confident macho guy that you are, you start talking to the ghost. "Hey, out there? Yeah, this is Simon, also known as Cephas or Peter. Are you Jesus? You look sorta like him. Tell you what; if you're Jesus, tell me to walk on the water." After all, you suppose, only Jesus can actually make people walk on water right?

The ghost, or Jesus, says one word. "Come."

Your stomach starts churning. Remember, you're way out here because the wind pushed you out here. Wind plus water equals really, really big waves. You'd probably chicken out, except that the other 11 guys in the boat are now staring at you, waiting for you. You take a deep breath, and stick your foot over the edge of the boat. You hit something solid. Looking down... it's water. That's really weird. The other foot now. Hits water, and doesn't go through. You grin. You thought Jesus was pretty cool, even the Messiah, but that he could make people walk on water? Hey! You start walking to Jesus (yeah, it's he.) All of a sudden, you hear a roaring sound. You look towards the vast, open sea. Um, is that a wave? Yeah, that's a wave all right. A really, really big honkin' wave. And it's coming for you. Funny thing about waves, is they keep getting bigger. You stop walking, frozen in your tracks. Your feet get wet. Wet? Looking down, you see that your feet are now under the water. The sea is dragging you down. "Great," you think. "I'm walking across the water, now I'm sinking. Even if I manage to keep my head above water long enough to get back to the boat, that wave's coming. I'm not getting out of this one, am I?" You look back up, and see Jesus, standing on top of the water in front of you. He's watching you, and appears to be waiting for something. Nuh-uh. No way are you asking him for help; the guys are watching! Talk about humiliation. But you're still going dow, down, and the wave is getting bigger and closer. Finally, you start screaming. "Lord, save me!" Jesus, as though he was waiting for this, reaches down and pulls you up. Your feet are back on top of the water again, though your legs and tunic are completely soaked. Jesus looks you in the eye, and says, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" You walk back to the boat with him, still eyeing the massive wave. The eleven guys see it, too, and are a little too worried to poke fun at you right now. You climb into the boat, legs shaking, used to the water as you are. Jesus gets back in the boat, and the wind stops blowing. The wave rolls gently past, and the boat does little more than bob in the water.

*************************************************************************************

Well, that was an interesting second-person narrative, but so what? Here's the big thing that sticks out of this passage. Look again at Jesus' response to Peter when he pulled him out of the water. It wasn't, "Yeah, that hydrogen bonding was pretty cool, wasn't it?" or "Gotta watch out for those waves, Pete." No. He said, "O you of little faith." Whoa, little faith? Half a minute! Didn't Peter just literally walk on water for Jesus, because Jesus said to walk? Yes, he did. But what happened once he got on the water? He saw the wind, and was afraid. He didn't trust Jesus to keep him abouve the water. He was more convinced of the power of nature than the power of the One who created nature.

So, what's the sea onto which God has called you? Obviously, not many of us will literally walk on water (although that would be fun....) But Christ has called us to do things that would be impossible without His grace. School, obedience, work, friendships, plays, being kind to our siblings, chores... the list goes on. But, all too often, we can be so self-reliant. "I can't get this projuect done; it's too hard!" "You know what? Forget it. My sister is just so obnoxious sometimes. No way I can be kind to her right now." "Wash the dishes? Again? I cannot keep this up!" You're right. You can't get the project done, you can't be nice to your sister, and you can't wash the dishes one more time. You weren't called to do this on your own. You were given the power of Christ for a reason. He's standing there, looking at you, waiting for you to ask Him. And when you ask, I promise (more significantly, He promises) that He will pull you to your feet, and help you to the boat.

Peace Out!

Hey Everyone! I've had alot of things on my mind lately. I'm crazy busy and even when I'm not crazy busy, I think I am and start stressing out. I've had alot of time working on the play, and I'm up to my eyeballs in some school subjects. Plus there are basic other things like serving at home and at church, and decisions that I need to make. Plus in the last week or so I've been battling against (not severe) depression. This has been causing my spiritual life to plummit. You'd think that I would want to pour myself out to God in this time of hardship, but that's not what my hearts been telling me to do. Yeah, listen to the stupid blonde listening to her heart...I was telling my friend Dave about this concern and he wisely told me that is was probably me thinking that I knew how to figure it out and not relying on God. This was true, and It's hard to battle- that inner pride thinking that I can do it by myself. And I can't.

"The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

" Whoever listens to what is taught will suceed, and whoever trusts the Lord will be happy." Proverbs 16:20

God knows exactly what's going on, and why. Have peace and know that he is in control.

In His Grace,

Kylie

God's Work and Grace in our Lives (Elizabeth and Kylie)

As I'm sure pretty much everybody who comes here knows, we just performed the show Pilgrim. Lots of people in the show, myself included, were more than a little bit nervous. The dress rehearsal just before opening night had been full of "speed bumps." We prayed before the show that we'd do the show for the glory of God, and not for our own glory. We prayed for the unbelievers and believers alike who were coming to see the show. So, here's the cool thing. The prayer didn't stay downstairs. I, and probably other people as well, were praying backstage. (This is NOT to exult myself as a godly person or anything like that. I would not have done that of my own accord, it was definitely the King helping me.)

Sometimes, when we read the words "Pray without ceasing" in our Bibles, it looks so dull. Pray all the time? Ugh! Can't we do anything fun? We get this mental image of praying on our knees, heads bowed, hands clasped together. We think of it as boring.

Well, He showed me something last night. It's not a drag. "It's just talkin' to Him." I had peace, not anxiety, and hope, not fear. I know God was working last night, and I could feel His pleasure that we were portraying Him, or at least trying to do so. We serve a God who is all too ready to answer our prayers.

Yes, and God has answered our prayers. Mrs. Mays spent SOOO much time praying for everyone in the cast and crew individualy. And praying for all the characters...Mrs. Mays did not make a single decision without asking God first. The whole show was turned over to God and it's just been revealed to us that anything is possible with God. Only by God's grace has the show come together. And God has taken away our anxiety and fear and filled us with joy and amazement. God is So GOOD!

In His Grace,

Elizabeth and Kylie

o HaPpY dAy

Happy Easter Everyone! Sorry we haven't posted in like forever...but I just wanted to reflect a bit on the meaning of easter.

How did your easter start? Did you automatically think of what Jesus did for you on the cross?

or did your day start like mine?

it was eight o'clock. my Dad yelled upstairs that we were going to second service and that we could come downstairs now. I dragged myself out of bed, put my feet on the freezing floor and grabbed my sweatshirt. I walked downstairs and greeted my family with a Happy Easter and looked on the couch where normally my easter basket was. I was instantly concerned- I picked up a slip of paper with my name on it that had a clue to find my easter basketl. I went through about four of these slips before I even thought about the cross and the meaning of the day. On about the fourth slip there was a reference to the cross- before that my mind had been only full of the thoughts of chocolate, peeps and cadburry creme eggs. And let me tell you, boy did I feel stupid.

Easter isn't about the chocolate or the bunnies or chicks...it's about Jesus. On Easter we should become freshly aware of what God's done for us. What Jesus did on the cross for us. And to think somehow, Jesus' ressurection somehow turned to chocolate. Not that chocolates or Easter candy are bad- but they are in no way what Easter's about. Ok, I'm starting to go all over the place and being me I will do that often...

Actually the easter egg is said to represent the stone that was rolled off Jesus' grave- I dont know if that's true or not but I found it interesting.

I hope you all were freshly reminded of God's Grace towards us the sinners that we are. And I hope you keep the even of Easter in your mind everyday, and I would encourage you all to read this passage of God's word often- and be filled with passion for what He's done.

Happy Easter!

In His Grace,

Kylie

The Incarnation

I know, I know, you're freaking out. Wondering if you stumbled into the December archives? Nope. You're here. Who says that the Incarnation can't be discussed when it's not Christmastide? And, granted, we probably made a post about the Incarnation around Christmas. But I don't think we can have our minds blown too many times by the love of our God. So, here it is again.

We're actually going to start a long way back, as far as time, from Bethlehem. We're going to begin at the creation of the world. There was a God who spoke the words "Let there be light," and boom! there it was. Light. Ever seen a light that absolutely dazzles your eyes? God made all that light, and more of it, by speaking. After that, he made the land and the sky and the animals and the trees and the waters and the fish and everything else, and finally man. He breathed life into Adam and Eve. Then, they rebelled against Him. The pots decided to be the potter. God promised that, from them, would come a Saviour. This same God later worked through Abraham and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Joshua and Ruth and Saul and David and Elijah and Daniel... the list goes on, and I don't have the room or the time to tell all their stories. So, recount them with me in your head. Look at what God did for them and for Israel through them. Isn't that kind enough? After all, we're a pack of rebels! How often do we spit in God's face, tell Him, the King, "I'm running things my way now. Step aside, if you please, because I'm not going to submit to you. No fun, no friends, nothing in it for me. I'm doing what I think is best, and I don't care what you say." He breathed life into us, and we rebel! Isn't it amazing that he even aided Israel during the time of the kings and the exiles?
Now, with that still in your mind, think about this. The King of glory, who made the whole world, who has had people rebelling against His perfect reign for thousands of years, decides to become one of the creation. A man. With limits of space and time. With pain and suffering and temptation. Not only a man, though. It would have been amazing if He'd come in a golden chariot from the sky, surrounded by cherubim and seraphim, blasting trumpets. But no. He came as a baby, thought to be conceived out of wedlock. And he was born in a stable. Not a clean, neat stable with cute fluffy sheep, like the ones that go up as nativity sets in your living room, but a real stable. It probably smelled awful, and it was probably not the most comfortable place in the world to be. And, not only did He come as a baby, but He came with the intent of dying. And not only dying, but dying at the hands of those he created, betrayed by His friend. He came so that he could be scourged and beaten for hours, spit upon, and nailed through the feet and wrists to a Roman cross, where he slowly suffocated over the course of six hours.
Why?
Because He loves you. He loves us.
Why? That, I don't know. We certainly don't deserve it.
Marvel, though it isn't December 25th, at the amazing grace and mercy of our God.
"Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?"

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Hey all. Happy St. Patricks day! Because I lack to explain the story of St. Patrick well, please click on the link and enjoy the story of Why we celebrate St. Patricks Day!
nuff said. ~Kylie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TCB5QhHVJA

Passion

Hey All! Kylie here. This is going to be a post on Passion for God, and I can't exactly promise it will be short... :) I'm going to touch on some of the message that Mr.Kauflin gave today and some of the 10:31 message last night. So here we go!

Many of my friends have asked for prayer for Passion, I've asked for prayer for passion also. Passion is a big struggle for alot of people. When something becomes part of your life, like Christianity it can become a habit and the amazement and wonder that comes with Gods word can go away.

Passion is Being Filled with the Holy Spirit. "Do not be drunk on wine which will ruin you, but be filled with the Holy Spirit." Ephesians 5:18. Here the author (Paul) is comparing/contrasting being drunk on wine with being full of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Kauflin pointed out today that both are under the influence of something else. When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives will bear the marks of the presence of God. But when we're under the influence of alchohol...haha...lets not go there.

Here are some of the other points Mr.Kauflin gave:

1. Wise, Spirit filled Christians sing with others and to the LORD. I don't know about you, but when I sing to the Lord I just feel so refreshed and lifted. Singing praises is an amazing reminder of God's grace and love towards us.

2. Wise, Spirit filled Christians give thanks with others through the LORD. Really how often do you thank the LORD for all the blessings in your life? Its so easy to just ask God for things. My prayers often sound like this:

Dear God,
Thank you for this day. Thank you I got to spend time with my friends. Please help me to.....
....................................
Amen

Yah, not so much thanks. That is definitly one of the many areas I need to improve in. Don't we all? Here's a Challenge, write a LIST of all the blessings in your life. OK, maybe not ALL the blessings but make a list of the blessings-it will be big. Will that not refresh your passion, seeing how many times God has blessed us though we don't deserve it?

3. Humble yourself before others. Ask for prayer! "Teach and admonish each other...singing songs...with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16. Biblical friend will pray and worship with you. They will be so happy to help you in any situation (I also would encourage you to do what Mr.Brewer said last night concerning friends. Challenge yourself to encourage at least one of your friends each week. Good friends will turn your gaze to Christ and I can think of many ways I could encourage each and every one of you for blessing me in that way!)

That is my very simple understanding of Passion. If you want a more in depth talk on this I'm sure your parents would love to talk to you about it, or you could shoot a pastor an email. Or Both!!!

Please be praying for me in this area and I would be happy to pray for anyone who wants prayer.

In His Grace,

Kylie

Face the Facts

I received this email, and thought I'd share it with u all :)

The latest Cry Action project is finally being announced -- it's
called Face the Facts and it's something we'll be doing for the whole
month of March. This project will be primarily focused on Facebook,
but I invite those of you who don't have Facebook accounts to still
get involved -- post blog entries advertising the event, send out
email blasts to your friends who may own Facebook accounts, post about
it at message forums and talk about the facts involved to your friends
at school and church. The key is raising awareness -- Facebook is a
great way to do this, but there are other great and effective ways.
Any questions or suggestions for ideas, feel free to contact me -- I
value your input.

Many more projects to come!

Thanks for being a voice for the voiceless -- and God bless you!


FACE THE FACTS --

Description:

Face the Facts is a campaign to spread the truth regarding the
overriding social justice issue of our day.

Slavery still exists. Poverty exists. We have not won against AIDS.
All of these things destroy the body, stealing life and freedom, and
are seen for what they are. But one issue is not. There is one thing
that destroys millions of human beings, stealing life and freedom from
human souls, that is still seen as okay -- justifiable.

If you don't believe me when I say this is abortion, maybe it's not
your fault. Maybe you haven't heard the truth -- maybe you've even
been lied to. Maybe the facts have been hidden. Well, I say it's time
we prove them, and face them. It's time we educate ourselves, and our
world.

When people heard about the extermination camps the Nazis instigated
during World War II, most didn't believe. 'Why would one group of
people kill another group of people?' 'That just doesn't happen these
days.' 'Things like that don't happen in a civilized society.'
Research history -- those are the kind of thoughts that went through
people's heads. Yet, horribly, they learned the truth -- near the end
of the war they found out it was all true.

You may argue that abortion is not murder. But let me just ask you,
What if it is? If there is even the slightest possibility, wouldn't
you want to know -- before it's too late? If I am wrong, I am a
lunatic. But if I am right, consider the possibility, the magnitude of
this crime, and don't allow history to repeat itself any longer --
don't let a holocaust continue while you turn your head.



Action:

This campaign is incredibly simple: "Attend" the event, invite your
friends, and commit to posting one fact/statistic in your status each
day for the 31 days of the month of March.

And then spread the word to every pro-life group/cause you know of --
several have already joined us and will be sending out action alerts
via their mailing lists, but we need your help spreading the word if
this will have the impact needed.

The Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56429116740
The Facebook cause: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/121747
The Facebook group (NEW!): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51667160171



The facts:

1.
If you're a teenager, you should take abortion seriously. For every
two of you, there's one person missing. -Abort73.com

2.
Statistics show that a soldier's chances of survival in the front
lines of combat are greater than an unborn child's avoiding abortion.
-Abort73.com

3.
Emotional, mental and psychological disorders are 63% more likely
after abortion than delivery. -Abort73.com

4.
Abortion has affected the Black community more than slavery itself. If
the current trend continues, by 2038 the Black vote will be
insignificant. -Abort73.com

5.
More than 50 million unborn children have died in legalized abortions
-- over thirtyfold the number of Americans lost in all our nation's
wars. -Abort73.com

6.
Over 1 million children are killed by abortion in this country every
year. Over 3,700 each day, 12 every 5 minutes, 1 every 25 seconds.
-Abort73.com

7.
Planned Parenthood receives more than $330,000,000 in taxpayer money
each year. They kill more human fetuses than anyone in America.
-Abort73.com

8.
A Black baby is almost as likely to be aborted as he is to be born. He
is 4.8 times more likely to be aborted than a White baby. -Abort73.com

9.
It's impossible for you not to know a woman who has had an abortion,
because nearly one in four women have had one. -Abort73.com

10.
Women who abort are 6 times more likely to commit suicide than women
who carry their baby to term. -Abort73.com

11.
At 10 weeks from conception, a baby can smile, frown, wince or pout.
While still in the womb a baby will learn to recognize his mother's
voice. -Abort73.com

12.
Every year, more innocent children are killed by abortion in the US
than the combined total of Americans who have died in all wars in our
history. -Abort73.com

13.
Between 1882 and 1962, 3,446 Blacks were lynched. That number is
surpassed in less than three days by abortion. -Abort73.com

14.
What should be the safest place to live in America -- a mother's womb
-- is now the most dangerous place. -Abort73.com

15.
A woman who has had an abortion is at least 50% more likely to
contract breast cancer by age 45. 182,000 American women develop it
each year. -Abort73.com

16.
40% of minors having an abortion report that neither of their parents
knew about the abortion. -Abort73.com

17.
4D scans reveal that babies have REM sleep. This could be a sign that
the fetus, not yet born, is already dreaming. -Abort73.com

18.
A baby can survive birth at 6 months. A baby can see, hear and taste
at 7 months. Abortion is legal in the US throughout all 9 months of
pregnancy. -Abort73.com

19.
"We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro
population" (Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood).
-Abort73.com

20.
It is illegal to execute a pregnant woman because the fetus living
inside her is a distinct human being who can't be executed for
another's crimes. -Abort73.com

21.
Between 1970 and 1981, the time period in which abortion was
legalized, the frequency of ectopic pregnancies increased by 300%.
-Abort73.com

22.
At 3 weeks from conception, a baby's heart begins to beat; at 6 weeks,
brainwaves are measurable -- both before most of the earliest
abortions. -Abort73.com

23.
More than 70% of abortions -- at least 800,000 each year -- take place
after 6 weeks, bringing an end to the embryo's heartbeat and
brainwaves. -Abort73.com

24.
The Jews, as well as "unfit" Germans, had a "choice" most Germans did
not. This meant that the Nazis saw abortion as a very useful weapon.
-Abort73.com

25.
There is a twofold to threefold increased risk of miscarriage for
women with a history of two or more abortions. -Abort73.com

26.
Without abortion and the strategic placement of abortion clinics in
minority areas the Black community in America would be 30% larger than
it is. -Abort73.com

27.
If it's morally reprehensible to kill a developing human being after
birth, why is it permissible to kill a developing human being before
birth? -Abort73.com

28.
Every 2 1/2 weeks, year in and year out, there is an aborted child for
each of the 58,132 names on the national Vietnam Memorial.
-Abort73.com

29.
Each year in the US, the abortion industry brings in approximately
$831,000,000 through their abortion services alone. -Abort73.com

30.
If the pro-life position is correct, abortions are human casualties
and every day number nearly 1,000 more than all lives lost in the 9/11
attacks. -Abort73.com

31.
If the 50 million legally aborted children and their children were
alive to vote abortion would be illegalized by the popular vote.
-Abort73.com

I want to encourage u all to do this... even if u don't have facebook put it in your status on gmail or IM or whatever... also, just like it said about sending emails and whatever u feel could be useful

If u would like to contact the person who sends these emails, I will probablly post it in the comments soon, i need to get permission first.

~Allie~

Houses

I will attempt to actually make this post short, I promise. :-)

I was reading Haggai, and something jumped out at me. Haggai gave this prophecy in the second year of king Darius. Now, I'm no theologian, nor a Biblical historian, but it appears to me that the Judeans had, at this point, been allowed to return home. (If I'm wrong, feel free to go ahead and correct me.) And, apparently, some of the people had been saying that "'the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.'" God responds.

"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house." (Haggai 1:4-9, emphasis mine)

Now, you're probably not being faced with the dilemma of building a temple (although I suppose it's possible....) But the issue here is the heart. The people are more interested in their own comfort and leisure than they are in glorifying God. So, here's the question: what's your house? What is it that you put before God? For me, quite often, it's my time. I wake up and, rather than having my devotions, I loaf around until I have to start school. I don't know what your house is. Whatever it is, though, confess it, repent, and, with the Cross, not a set of morals made by men in mind, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Thanks

Let's say you're a missionary in some foreign country. The natives are very hostile, and you are jailed for proclaiming the Gospel. It's quite possible that they'll even kill you, and maybe even brutally. You get the chance to write a letter to some of your Christian friends. What would you say? I know where I'd start; "Pray for me! Oh my goodness, they might kill me and I'm so scared..." But here's a quote from somebody who actually did go through this, and words about his imprisonment are far different.

"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice."

Now, this guy had his head on straight. He wasn't nuts. He was totally sincere in this letter. He is seriously rejoicing that "Christ is proclaimed." Notice that not once does he gripe about being in a cell, or his rights being tossed aside, or even moaning about the people who distort the gospel for their own purposes. He was grateful! Totally grateful that, as a result of being jailed, the gospel was going forth. He has literally cast his rights aside and is rejoicing in the glory of Christ.

Who was this guy? Who could possibly be happy about being chucked into a cell? Take a guess. If you know the passage, you already know that this was the letter from the apostle Paul to the church in Phillipi.
Does his identity make his attitude any less amazing? It's so easy to say, "Oh, sure. But that was Paul. You know, blinding light on the way to Damascus, went blind, is one of the most famous people in history? A spiritual elite. Of course he'd be grateful in any circumstances." But Paul wasn't superhuman. He was a man. No halo floating around his head, no shiny silhouettes... just a guy, saved by the grace of God. This same man, in another letter, wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess. 5:18)

So, what's the point?

Well, like Paul says, we are to give thanks in all circumstances. All. That means the good, the bad, the ugly, and the downright brutal. I'm convicted when I read this passage. Here's a man who exemplifies what it means to glorify Christ in all situations. He's praising God that the Gospel goes forth, when it's possible he could be executed. And I gripe that people didn't put their plates in the dishwasher, someone moved my math book, and oh great, the dog just escaped the house again. How selfish! I'm making myself God in that moment. I think that the world revolves around one single axis: me.

So, as Paul says in Ephesians, let us put off the old self, and put on the new self. Leaning on God's strength, and not our own, let us strive to have the same sort of mindset that Paul had. No matter how bad our circumstances appear to be, God can still be glorified through them.

Faith

Hi all, I'm posting with an encouragement, a warning, and a prayer request. My encouragement concerns the faith I see evident in you all. There are not many places (even in churches) where there are teens who are passionate for God. There are even less places where those teens get together and talk about God and discuss him together. It's great that we are encouraging each other to fight temptation and follow God. I am so grateful for the example you all set for me and all your peers, for those younger than you, and even to some older than you. Thank you and keep loving God. My warning concerns temptation. A year ago I was going through a serious time of doubt about my faith. I was questioning God's existence and I was NOT a happy man. God met me at the youth retreat however, and renewed my faith in him. He made me passionate for him, and I went into the school year with love and passion for God. I thought my times of doubt where over. recently, they have started to come back. I times, I start to think about death and I wonder "what if there is no God?" and "is this a waste of time?" I try and comfort myself with evidences of God in this world and in my life, but we can't rely on just things we see; we need God's strength. My warning is that if you are fighting a temptation, that you would NEVER let your guard down. Keep praying that God would protect you from it, even if you don't seem to struggle with ti at the time. My prayer request is for my faith. I'd like to ask you to pray for me hard that God would draw me closer to him and that he would calm my fears and doubts. Thanks!

~Dave

Verse: "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Co 10:13)"

Carry Your Candle....

There is a candle, In every soul.
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold.
And there is a spirit, who brings the fire
Ignites a candle and makes his home.

So Carry your candle.
Run to the darkness
Seek out helpless, the confused and torn
And hold out your candle
For all to see it
Take your candle and go light your world.
Take your candle, and go light your world.

~Go Light Your World by Chris Rice

I love this song, and I love the message behind it. This song is a reminder to us to be witnesses for Christ and to shine on those who are lost.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand so it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. " Matthew 5: 14-16

Im sure many of you are familiar with that verse from summer celebration :). This verse is something we should live by. We should be lights for Christ and spread the news about his wonderful love and grace, to non believers and believers alike. There are so many people who have been wonderful lights in my life, who have shown me God's love and compassion. I'm so thankful to all of my friends and my parents and teachers (the list goes on and on!) who have constantly brought me back to the cross. Thank you all!

Sharing the gospel is not easy. It's really hard. I'm in a situation a lot of you probably don't have to deal with. I have a job, surrounded by non believers and whenever I'm with them I have to think to myself "How can I show them God's love?" Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. I've told my boss' children Bible stories and whenever they see me they want to hear another. Praise the Lord! Also, I have a younger brother who was adopted from the Philipines. He's a few months younger than me and he's not nessacarily a non Christian. He's growing up in a great Christian enviorment, but he's not getting everything out of it as a normal kid his age could. It's a tough thing to understand, but he's on his way. So even when I'm at home, I have to think about it.

This doesn't just go for people in situations like mine! We should be good examples even when we're in our homes. Most of you have younger siblings or nephews and nieces, maybe even both. Our younger siblings and younger kids we know look up to us to be a good example. We have to let our lights shine so it fills up the entire room, not just the darkest corner. And we need to prevent there from being a dark corner in the room by putting a light there before it can get dark.

I would encourage you all to go over and memorize what you can of 2 Ways to live, which most of us recieved at church a couple weeks ago. Think of people in your neighborhood, your school or job that you can reach out to. Be praying for those people. Be praying that God would help you to be a good example and a light for all of those around you.

Now, Go Light Your World. :)

In His Grace,

~Kye~

Quick note for girls

Hey. Sorry guys (and by guys I mean you boys!! This post isn't for you.

I just wanted to talk to the girls about the chapter "God, My Heart and Clothes" In CJ's worldliness book. It's such a great chapter that adresses modesty and what's going on inside our hearts that makes us dress the way we do.

I am sure several of you are constantly aware of how you dress. I have to think about it a lot so I can bless my two brothers and my brothers in Christ. This chapter was such a blessing to me in this area, and I'm sure it will help you too. Also, Carolyn Mahaney has a Modest Heart Checklist I think it's called and that is located in the back of the Worldliness book also.

I just wanted to encourage you girls to read that chapter if you haven't already!

A Blessed Girl,

~Kye~

Inauguration

As you hopefully know, tomorrow, January 20, 2009, is the day of the Inauguration of the President Elect, Barak Obama. It's a day of people being smashed on the mall as they watch, braving the cold, driving around VA and through MD to get to D.C.
But it's more than that. Whether or not you agree with Mr. Obama's perspective and potential policies, God has given us a command through Paul in his first letter to Timothy: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (I Tim. 2:1-2, ESV) We're not in a monarchy, but I'm sure that Presidents fall into this category.
So, let's do more than toss a party or stare at the TV and watch Mr. Obama take the oath or what-have-you. Let's be active in praying for this man who has the enormous task of leading our nation. Here are a few ideas... pray that:

-Mr. Obama would have wisdom in what to do with the wars in the middle east, even the ones not our own (specifically Israel and Gaza, even though they currently have a cease-fire)
-Mr. Obama would have wisdom in what to do with the current economic problems
-Mr. Obama would be totally and completely safe tomorrow during the ceremonies and throughout his presidency

Don't feel confined to that list!
God bless!

But I dont FEEL like it

How many of you have had this come out of your mouth, "But I don't FEEL like it."

ME.

To be quite frank, Im sick. And by sick I mean, I'm running a fever and throwing up sick. As as result of this, I have been cranky and unkind. And Im sure you all can relate. When we don't feel good or when we aren't freshly aware of God's blessings- we tend to snap at innocent people and slack off our responsibilities.

I was reading about moodiness in my devotions this week, and I thought I'd share it with you all. I don't know how this relates to you right now, but you might relate to it in the future. This is what the devotion said:

" 'On the broom' is a term I use when referring to my mood. I have days when, for no apparent reaso at all, I feel like calling that broom out of the corner and jumping on for a frenzied ride, terrozing anyone or anything that gets in my path. Including my co-worker, my family, my friends...even unsuspecting strangers. What causes me to get so hurried that I lose control? It's called being empty- poured out with nothing left, not a single drop. We can keep going on nothing but fumes, then at the worst time possible one of those fumes can spark and it rages into a fire...When we're empty and on the broom, we wind up hurting the people we love most. Then comes the conviction and humility of making things right...Here's the point: Stop and get filled up! Don't keep passing by the Word on your nightstand. Dust it off and fill your heart and soul with the spiritual fuel you so desperatly need."

Here are some questions that go along with this:

How often do you fill up your well?
What are your greatest struggles when the negative attitudes of your heart manifest in your actions?

1 Peter 3:8-11 says
" Finally, all of you should be in agreement, understanding one another, loving each other as family, being kind and humble. Do not do wrong to repay wrong, and do not insult to repay an insult. But repay with a blessing, be3cause you yourselves were called to do this so that you might recieve a blessing. The Scripture says, 'A person must do these things to enjoy life and have many happy days. He must not say evil things and he must not tell lies. He must stop doing evil and do good. He must look for peace and work for it.'"

This post on moods can also be related to Dave's post about quiet times. When we're moody, it's because we're not focusing on the cross, we're focusing on ourselves. When I have my quiet time, I'm in a much better mood than when I don't, even if Im sick and throwing up. I'm freshly aware of all the blessings in my life, and that makes me feel peaceful not quarrelsome. So I would encourage you if you haven't read Dave's previous post, read it! You'll probably learn far more from that than you would from me. If you learn anything from me, it's only by God's hand!


In His Grace,

~Kye~

Quiet Times

Hey all!
How is everyone doing with their quiet times? If your like me, you aren't doing too well. I'm sure a lot of you are having them nice and consistent, but I thought I'd put this up so that those who are struggling know that they're not alone. If you are like me, school is really heavy on your shoulders, and trying to get up early in the morning to go to class is hard enough, without a half hour or more added for a quiet time. If you are like me, you are passionate about God, but on school days, school tends to take priority. Well we could do the ol' "oh man, we stink. we need to get back into doing that" thing, and go to bed all passionate and ready. But when the alarm clock starts to ring, and you feel you could sleep another century, that passion starts to wear a wee bit thin.

So what can we do? Well we can pray. I know that's what everyone says about everything, but that's because it works. We can ask others for prayer, and we can just stop worrying about school and just do our quiet times. Not in a rushed way, but really trying to concentrate on God. It says in Mathew 6:33 "Seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." This means if we do what God wants, then he will provide for what we need. We just need to trust in God. Remember, I'm talking to myself as well, so I'd like to get some of the prayer I hope this will stimulate. :) Thanks for listening!
~Dave

Pick A Little Talk A Lot

So we were taking a car drive home from Coop and we were on our way to a Chinese Restaurant not far from my house. I was telling my Mom and siblings about something seemingly hilarious to me in excruciating detail. I was going on and on, when my mom finally said:

"Okay! Kylie, haven't you said enough?" She asked looking at me from the front seat.

"But I'm not done yet! Then Daniel said..."

The car stopped. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get the Chinese food." So Mom got out of the car with my little sister Kiera. Leaving me with my two brothers. I continued on talking.

Then Mom came back with Kiera and a bag of Chinese food.

"Fortune Cookie anyone?" Kiera asked with a handful of chinese fortune cookies. I took one from her hand and continued on with my story.

I broke open the fortune cookie and stopped talking. I read outloud my fortune. " Your words are meaningless."

Instantly everyone in the car started laughing. My mom was laughing for several minutes after we drove away.

I was kidding of course. That's not what my fortune really said. Everyone was basically ignoring everything I said and when I said my words are meaningless, they found that hysterical. There's a lesson to be learned from this story.

I talk way too much. Haha. Most of friends can tell you I love talking.

Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

I'd say that's the main point of this post. Talking too much can be very bad. There have been many times when a friend would say, "Umm Kylie are you sure you should say what you're about to say?" or "Remember to think before you speak."

Thinking before I speak is the biggest thing. Will what I'm about to say benefit those I'm around? Could this hurt someone's feelings? Could this shed bad light on me or others?

is it Thoughful?
is it Helpful?
is it Important?
is it Nessacary?
is it Kind?

When I don't have a reason for speaking, I'm normally speaking to get peoples attention or to turn the conversation around so I can be the main focus. That's just selfish, prideful and just wrong! All conversation that we have should be GOD glorifying not Kylie glorifying.

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

I want to have a tongue of the wise, not a person who speaks reckless words. I was convicted of this sin in the past, and by God's grace I have been doing better in this area. Please keep me in your prayers. And I'm sorry if I've ever said any sort of reckless speech around you or to you. I'm sorry for doing it period, and I'm glad I have a Loving God whose already forgiven me, and I'm thankful for my loving friends that forgive without reservations. :)

And also, I would like to encourage you, that if one of your friends or equaintences says something questionable in any way; don't be afraid to confront them about it. Our job as friends is to help our friends grow in wisdom.

An extremely blessed girl,

~Kylie

Friends

The word friend is a very important word. It means someone who cares about you. It means someone who makes you laugh, and laughs at your stupidest joke (sometimes, haha). It means someone who cares about your problems, who comforts and prays for you when your problems are too much. It means someone to share times with, good and bad. It means someone who encourages you and builds you up, even if it means bringing correction and incite to you. This word has become especially important to me this year. I have so many Godly, wonderful, patient friends, a lot more than I deserve, and i have been taking them for granted. I am a proud, ignorant, stupid, self righteous person. And I am surrounded by so many cool people. And when I say cool, I mean Godly, friendly people. And I just want to say thanks to all of you. And I want to promise and ask for your prayer, cause I know you guys give it willingly, that I will grow in those areas I mentioned and that I would be a better friend. And I encourage you to go to a friend and share how they've blessed you this year. Thanks for rocking.
Jesus is awesome,
~Dave