One Way Up

Hosea and Gomer

2010-06-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hosea is one of those books that most of us know from the song of the books of the Old Testament, but have never really studied. Just a minor prophet whose book comes right after Daniel. But the book is packed with amazing truth. Just the first chapter should be enough to knock you off your feet.

First thing God said to Hosea was to go marry a prostitute. He also said to have kids with this prostitute, for "...the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD." (vs. 2) Regardless of how weird and, quite frankly, confusing this analogy was to Hosea, he obeyed. Went and found Gomer, got hitched, and had a son. God spoke to Hosea and told him to name his son Jezreel. "I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." (vs. 4-5). Hosea then has a daughter, whom God says to call Lo-ruhama (which means "no mercy"), because God will cease to have mercy on Israel but will have mercy on Judah and save them, though not by horses and swords. Hosea has another son, whom he is to name Lo-ammi (meaning "not my people.") God says that Israel is not his people, nor is He their God.
The next part is so good that I'm not going to try to summarize it, but I'll give it to you raw.

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.' And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel." (vs. 10-11)

As is made perfectly clear throughout the chapter, this is not a story about divine matchmaking and christenings. The analogy, while simple enough, is absolutely mind-blowing.

Hosea represents God. Gomer, the whoring wife, is Israel (and, by extension, us.) The king of the universe (who, by the way, made us) decided to pour himself into human beings. You have to wonder why. Like Gomer, we're prostitutes by nature. Money, pleasure, other humans, materials, and any number of things seduce us with little to no trouble. We say we want to please God one moment and stab him in the back the next. Here's the fantastic, awesome, unbelievable part. God knew we would do what we do before he chose us, and took us anyway. He hasn't abandoned us since he chose us, despite the constant betrayal and slighting of divine love. And, in the passage above, he makes a promise once again of the Messiah. We, the strayed, who completely deserve to be thrown bodily from the courts of the Almighty, who had sinned so greatly that we could no longer be the people of God, got something even better. Notice that he doesn't tell them they can come back to being his people, but that he will make them his children. That should make you stagger. God loves us, the prostitutes, enough to call us back to him, to let us back in when we come crawling to the door after yet another affair with the world, to shed his blood in order to make us sons and daughters of the Most High King. What hope, what help, what love!

Plans

2010-02-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Mays has told us more than once about the piece of paper she has over her computer monitor, which reads, "Do you want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans." It's a funny little saying, but it's also packed with truth. And my weekend was a perfect example.
the prediction of over a foot of snow had rather bothered me during the week, because I definitely wanted to go to rehearsal. I figured that, if the weather man proved not to be a fink this time, I wouldn't have any rehearsal at all. Probably didn't have the best of attitudes about the prospect of missing rehearsal. But, God was king enough to let us rehearse quite a bit on Thursday night. No co-op on Friday morning because of the snow. That made me good and happy, because I hadn't managed to fully interpret the George Herbert poem, wasn't sure yet whether I had Holy Sonnet 10 down, and hadn't gotten through quite a lot of my history. But, also because of the snow, there was no rehearsal. That was manageable, because I'd rehearsed a lot the day before. Saturday came, and I realised that I hadn't gotten anybody to hook up the converter box for the TV, and the Super Bowl was a mere day away. So I chatted Kylie, in the hopes that we'd be able to hop over to the Smith's to watch the game. They graciously said yes, and I planned on another very fun Bowl with them. Then, at about 11 pm or so, I got a voicemail from Kylie. "Hey, it's me. Um... Kiera's sort of sick, so I don't know if you guys still want to come over. Let me know." Greaaatttt! That's just what I always wanted, people to get sick right before the Super Bowl. (Further complaints on my part, I'm sure.) Kylie called me on Sunday morning to tell me that Kiera was no longer sick, so we could come over. Happy as a clam, I told Mom and went to my room for something. I heard the echo of Mrs. Mays' paper in my head. "Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans." I wasn't sure whether God was laughing, but He certainly made His point. He's in charge, not I. My plans, even when they happen to be good ones, fall apart at the slightest happenings.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16, ESV)

This passage says that what I was doing, assuming that my plans would go as planned and getting mad when things didn't go my way, was arrogant. I wanted to be in charge, and how dare the universe not revolve around me? I wanted to be God. Let's be people who humbly submit to God's will, even when it isn't what we would want.

A cripple

2009-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-07-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-06-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-30T17:10:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-05-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

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.
*************************************************************************************
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)

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

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!

2009-04-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-04-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-12T16:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-03-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-01-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-19T19:12:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

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

~New Year~

2008-12-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

Kylie: Oh Boy. I can't believe you still put up with me.
Elizabeth: Are you kidding?
Kylie: You're such a good friend :) I'm such a PAIN!

That's a recent conversation I had with my friend Elizabeth. I was SO grumpy and Elizabeth was just being wonderful and sweet. I'm so lucky to have friends like her :) It's true I'm a real pain sometimes and my friends aren't grumpy back to me. They remind me of what's really important and they make me smile.

I've been looking back on a lot of conversations I've had with my friends this past as I've been thinking about the New Year. I'm so grateful I have made such wonderful friends this year, and I look foward to growing in all of my friendships in the coming year. Thank you all!

I've also thought about my family. The fun moments we had together, the not-so-fun moments. When Dad would burst into singing 'Dentist' from Little Shop of Horrors when we were shopping together...all that stuff. And I laugh at the good times and frown at the times when I let them down.

But mostly, I think about God's consist grace and love toward me. All through the year (and ALWAYS) he's forgiven me and loved me, and I don't deserve any of it. I think it's safe to say that you all feel the same way!

"I am the way, follow me and take my hand. I am the truth, embrace me and you'll understand. And I am the light, and for me you'll live again. For I am Love. I am Love." (Deathbed by Relient K)

Hallelujah!

We have been so blessed with such a wonderful, gracious God. Not just when we're good. God's with us forever and always.

I've also been thinking about things that I can change in the coming year. Some people would call these New Years Resolutions :) And I decided that my resolutions won't be as crazy as last years. Last years were like, 'Go to Europe', 'Meet the Jonas Brothers', 'Don't Sin' (okay so maybe 'Don't Sin' wasn't one of my resolutions, but do really think those were reasonable resolutions? No.)

These are my Resolutions:

1. Try my hardest to spend time with God every day.
2. Be a better friend.
3. Obey and Respect my parents.

I think those are a little more reasonable. I'm not saying that I will always succeed, but they are a couple of the many areas I need to improve in. I'd just urge you that your New Years Resolutions aren't something crazy like 'Don't Sin' or 'Meet Switchfoot'. There's no way we're not going to sin, and it's not wrong to want to meet Switchfoot but I wouldn't put it on the list of things you want to get done by the end of the year.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and are constantly reminded of God's grace.

Incredibly Blessed,
~Kylie

Saint Stephen's Day

2008-12-26T11:04:00.001-08:00

It's not a very widely celebrated holiday here in the USA, probably because Christmas is so huge in our culture. After all, we're tearing around like mad even before Thanksgiving, buying presents and swarming malls, and we do that for about a month. So perhaps, the day after Christmas, we're all just plain tired out. We want a break... we've been running non-stop since Halloween, for crying out loud!

But, whether or not it's widely celebrated, today, December 26, 2008, is St. Stephen's Day. When I tried to research this holiday, I found out that it's widely European, and traditions vary all over. Ireland has a long rhyme, the Welsh used to bleed animals (and apparently people do... thankfully they stopped that a good while back,) and so on.

But today is, supposedly, the day that the first martyr was stoned. Stephen is one of those people whom I would love to meet in heaven. He was arrested for speaking "blasphemous words against Moses and God" (Acts 6:11.) He then, after his arrest, knew full well that these authorities had the power to get him killed, yet he proclaimed the truth anyway. He went on a great length about Moses and Joseph and the Israelites. He calls these Jewish authorities "stiff-necked people" (Acts 7:51.) He tells them that they have killed the Righteous One, who is Jesus. For this, he is taken out of the city and beaten to death with rocks.
Now, here's the even more amazing bit... he cries out these words to the Messiah: "Lord Jesus, receive my sprit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them." (Acts 7:59, 60) Sound familiar? It echoes the cry on Calvary: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!"(Luke 23:46)

The even greater thing is that this type, this Christ, was the one who gave Stephen the strength to be killed for the sake of his Lord. Stephen looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He could die without a terror because he knew that Jesus had died before him, and that this Messiah had taken the punishment for his sins. He would not burn eternally, he would not be subject to the wrath of God. (If you want more on Stephen, go ahead and read Acts 6-7. I do not ahve room here to put in everything.)

So, Happy Saint Stephen's Day! Have fun cleaning up wrapping paper, eating even more food that you ate yestreday, and messing with your presents. Remember also the martyrs, and the reason that they can still die without a worry, even today. Pray for them, too. People are still persecuted in the 21st century.
God bless!

Word = flesh

2008-12-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

So begins the book of John. It is, if you think about it, a very cool glimpse of Christ. He is eternal (both past and future), and he was with God. Whoa... so what, he's some sort of supernatural power? An angel or a spirit or something? Not quite... he is God. He was there when God made the world, and in eternity before that. He was involved in the process of making everything, from the Himalayas to the amoebas. He's the source of life, and is a light to us. So, that there should be enough to make anyone stop and stand in awe. But John doesn't stop there...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.... And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

And that should make your jaw drop, and the word "wow" should slowly come out of your mouth. That Word about which we were talking, the Word who is equal to, and even is, God Himself, became flesh. Flesh! Skin, bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels. With that flesh came weariness, hunger, thirst, sorrow, and pain. Why should the Maker be so subjected to this? It gets even lower; He was born as a child, in a stable. He didn't even come down in what we would consider wealth. Something like coming as the Emperor of Rome would have suited Him better. But no. A child, with parents who were oppressed by the strongest of Empires, born among the cows and the sheep in the hay.
What sort of love is this? The Son of God humbled Himself to the point of incarnation as a baby. Further down the road, He would die for our sins on a Cross, as the only innocent man. If the incarnation made you say "wow," this should leave you speechless. There aren't words for this. The English language falls far short of being able to portray this love. All we can do is worship this Saviour of ours, who was crucified on our behalf, and who pleads for us before the Father.

*I know, this is very similar to what Mr. Purswell said a few weeks ago. But I don't think we can have our minds blown by God enough, so it's here too.

Not only at Christmas Time- The Whole ShaBang!

2008-12-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

You are all invited to a birthday celebration!

For whom: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour
Date: Everyday of the year (traditionally December 25th)
When: Whenever you're ready, but don't be too late, you'll miss all the fun!
Where: In your heart. You'll hear God knocking. :)

Hey everyone! Kylie here and I'm so in the Christmas spirit! Can you believe that there are only four days until Christmas? It's so exciting! Well, this is probably going to be the last post before Christmas and it should cover a lot of ground.

Didn't you all love that invitation? My grandmother sent that to me, and thought it would be cool to share with all of you. I love how it says that Jesus' birthday is to be celebrated everyday of the year, not just Christmas. Here is something that makes you think...when was Jesus' birthday? December 25th wasn't Jesus' birthday. Neither was January 6th. We don't know when exactly Jesus was born. In 320 AD Pope Julius chose December 25th as the day to celebrate Jesus' birthday. December 25th is when we celebrate Jesus' birth. But Jesus' birthday shouldn't bound our praise. Let the wonder of his birth stay with us throughout the year.

Here's another one. How many wise men were there? Most people would answer "three". But really how many Magi were there? We don't know! The Bible says that Jesus received three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh from Wise Men that came from the East. It never says, "And then came three wise men from the East each bearing a gift for their king." That will remain a mystery for time to come. Another thought about the Magi is them coming to Jesus. They travel far and wide to find him, most likely by night so they could see the star to guide them. They didn't have map quest!!! They didn't have directions that said, "Go Northeast for 400 miles until you come to a dead camel..." It didn't work that way. They believed that there was a Messiah, a coming King and that the star would lead them to him. So they traveled many months, maybe even more to find this Messiah by following a star with faith and hope.

I could write a book on Christmas along with Dave, Elizabeth and Allie but I can't do that right now :D. Like Dave said in his earlier post Christmas isn't about the gifts or the IOU feeling gifts might bring (if you haven't read Dave's post you should!!! It's really good). And like I said in my other post, Reflect on the Miracle of Christmas year round. Sing for joy that you have a Saviour year round! And always remember that the birth of Jesus led to his death for our sins.

Now for some Christmas traditions...Do you have any Holiday traditions? Tell us about it. Leave a comment on this post and let us know what you do at Christmas time.

At my house, we normally set up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. On Christmas Eve my family used to go to my Nana's house, but she past away earlier this year so now we're singing in the Christmas choir! On Christmas morning, we open stockings while listening to Charlie Brown Christmas music. Then we open presents (each child gets three gifts because Jesus got three gifts from the Wise Men) and make brunch. We go to my Grandmother's house for Christmas dinner and more Christmas fun.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and you get to spend lots of time with your family and people you care about. And remember the real reason for the season, Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

~Kylie

Gifts, gifts, gifts.

2008-12-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, how are you enjoying Christmas? I know for me I've been so busy with school I haven't had much time to enjoy the season. But as it's been slowing down, I've been catching up with being in the Christmas spirit. One of the things that really gets me into the CS is...... well CS! Christmas Shopping! I love going out in the cold and smelling the winter air and then plunging into some warm shop, surrounded by lights and the smell of nearby restaurants. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Being a guy, my taste for this is sometimes ridiculed, but I don't care. I love it. But every now and then I've encountered something that causes me concern. Gift giving can turn into peer pressure. This year a few of my friends have told me that they where getting me a present. In the past I have told those I know that I was getting them a present. In some cases it caused the opposite party to think "Oh, now I should get them a present." In others it has made him or her fell bad because they did not give a present to the one who gave a present to them. Or it can cause the reciever to fell bad because they did get a gift but not as nice as the one they recieved.While it's nice to get each other presents, we don't want it to be a contest or be about fairness. I'm not sure how to solve this problem. Not get gifts for one another? Well we could, but in some cases it can be very building up to get a present from a friend. Make sure to all get presents for everyone? Well then we'd all be broke, at least those who go to CLC. In the end the best thing we can do is, in the case of recieving a present pray and ask God to help us be gracious and turn our eyes away from ourselves and think about what we should've done, and instead turn them on others and thank God for those who gave us gifts. In the case of giving gifts, we pray that God help us to give from the heart and not be offended if someone does not get us something in return. We are not doing it for our glory, but for Gods. Wether you eat, sleep, or give presents do it ALL for the glory of God. That's the best answer I could come up with, anyone think they can improve.

Not only at Christmas Time: Reflect on the Miracle of Christmas

2008-12-13T13:34:00.001-08:00

Teenage girl, much too young.
Unprepared for what’s to come,A baby changes everything.
Not a ring On her hand, All her dreams and all her plans...
A baby changes everything

The man she loves she’s never touched
How will she Keep his trust?
A baby changes everything
And she cries

She has to leave, go far away.
Heaven knows she can’t stay.
A baby changes everything.

She can feel it’s coming soon...
There’s no place, there’s no room.
A baby changes everything
And she cries and she cries

Shepherds all gather round
Up Above, a Star shines down

Choir of Angels sing
"Glory to the newborn king!"
A baby changes everything, every day! Hallelujah!

My whole life is turned around.
I was lost and now I’m found
A baby changes everything

~Faith Hill (A Baby Changes everything)

Hey all. Kylie here.

Think about this...Mary, the virgin girl God chose to bear his only son was probably no older than me. A lot of times we think about Christmas and a beautiful scene from a nativity set. The choir of angels singing, Jesus had a halo above his head etc...but it wasn't like that. The stable probably wasn't a nice little stable outside a Bed and Breakfast. It was most likely a cave that smelled like animals, dirty and crowded. Jesus probably looked like any ordinary baby. But imagine the story before that....

Girls in Bible times were married when they were about my age (that's fourteen!!!) and they would get married to men who were probably twice their age. God saw that Mary was a virtous girl living a wise life and chose her to bear the son of God. So he sent an angel to her to tell her what God had planned. He explained that this baby would be the Saviour of mankind. Mary humbly took the task God had given her. You must remeber at this time, Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a very good man, but she was a virgin and God knew that and created the Christ child in her womb.

That you were probably familiar with...but think about this. She was pregnant. Imagine trying to make your husband and friends to believe what God has planned, especially something as serious as being the mother of the promised seed. The punishment for impurity was to be stoned...killed even. Joseph was in much doubt of this and considered breaking off the engagement. He had a reputation to keep up! But an angel came to him in a dream and told him that what Mary had said was true and to not be afraid to take her as his wife. So Joseph, with much faith, he claimed the baby as his own, and was to take Mary as his wife.

What do you think happened during the next couple months of Mary's pregnancy? They were just one big happy family right??? WRONG. Mary and Joseph were probably the most hated people in their village. Those people still thought Mary and Joseph had commited a major sin. Mary and Joseph did not expect them to understand, and with faith went through the next few months.

Then Caesar Augustus decreed that each man should go to his family's home town to be accounted for. So Joseph and Mary(who was extremly pregnant) went on a long trip to Bethlehem. During the long and weary trip Mary started having contractions. They were nearing Bethlehem and finally got there when it was just about time to give birth. Mary was in much pain and Joseph scrambled to find a hotel room. But there was no room anywhere. Joseph was stressed out when an Innkeeper told him that Joseph and Mary were welcome to stay in his stable. A dirty cave where his animals slept. Mary was about to give birth and it is very probable that she had no midwives from the hotel to help her and that Joseph had to help with the birth.
He was probably extremly freaked out.

But the promise of God was fulfilled. The Christ child was born, and wise men from the east brought gifts and followed the beautiful star the God provided for them to see and to guide them. And angels went to shepards and told them of the Christ child, born in Bethlehem and to follow the brightest star in the heavens to find him. And they did.

Christmas isn't just a beautiful story. It's a miracle. That a baby changed everything. That baby was to grow up to be perfect in every way. And he taught about God's ways and his love, and he was killed. He died on a cross for the sins of the world.

Reflect on the Miracle of Christmas, but not just at Christmas time.

Merry Christmas.

~Kylie

The show must go on!

2008-12-08T11:24:00.001-08:00

Hi all, Dave here. I wanted to share a thought and concern I have for myself and anyone else auditioning for the high school play this year at CLC. Mrs. Mays has said that due to the amount of roles that are in the play this year, it is not a given that anyone with a mediocre voice or small amount of acting talent will make it in; in contrast to previous years where they did. This being so, it is possible and probable that someone we know, perhaps very well, will get in and we won't. I am concerned cause i know this can cause hard feelings between friends. I have sadly expirienced this. I was once in a play, and the role I wanted was given to another actor. I was upset, not only at losing the part, but because (sadly) I felt I was a better choice. It was hard for me to be nice to this person for a while. I know that, without God's help, I will be subject to this type of pride when the cast list comes out for the play this year. Any prayer any of you could raise for me would be GREATLY appreciated. That's all for now! Thanks for being friends who will listen and support.
You all rock,
~Dave

Oh brother... and sister

2008-12-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hey all, this is Allie

I'm just here wanting to talk about siblings and how they can be a joy, and yet at the same time, a bit irritating (sometimes ;))5 siblings, one older than me, and 4 younger! I feel like the oldest though, because my older sister, Bethany is severely handicap and can't do much, keep her in your prayers :) Anyways... siblings can sometimes be annoying, or we can be annoying to our siblings. :P But really that's not how God wants us to act towards them, neither be annoying or be annoyed... God wants us to LOVE our siblings by caring for them and also caring about their souls! "We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." 2 Thessalonian 1:3 (esv) We not only need to love our brothers and sisters and care for them, but thanking God for them too! Sometimes, it seems hard to do, but that's probably the time we need to be thankful for them the most! If you're ever upset with your siblings, I would suggest just writing down everything you're thankful for about them and why you love them :) I'm sure that you'll be able to do this :) I want to share a story from a good friend of ours here at One Way Up, Jenna C, she has a good example of how God showed her how much she really does love her sister:

...so i used to get mad at my little sister all the time. she would do things (that if you really stop to think are actually pretty reasonable) that angered me so much that one time i even prayed that somehow my parents would give her up for adoption. i really dont like to admit this, but at times she made me so mad that i would sit in my room afterward grinding my teeth thinking "i hate her". yes, that took a lot for me to admit, but its true.

one night i had a dream that she was going to die. but this wasnt just a normal dream - it seemed so real, more real than any other dream ive had before. it was a dream that she was dying. but only a few hours before the doctors said she was supposed to die, i got to tell her how much i loved her. it felt like i was digging so deep into my heart. but deep down there, i found so much love for her. love that i hadnt known until the hour she was going to die.

when i woke up (it was like 4:00 in the morning) i was in a cold sweat and had tears running down my face. at that moment i prayed with all my heart that it wasnt a real dream. i was so happy i couldnt believe it the next morning! she was alive!

since then, God has taught me so much patience. but God didnt just teach me patience with my little sister; everything that made me mad beforehand the LORD has helped me to deal with it. its like i cant even get mad any more! praise the LORD!

two verses i think associate with this subject are:

1 John 2:7-11 -

Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

2 Timothy 2:24 -

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil...

Jenna, thanks so much for sharing this! I believe that this is a great example of finding why you love your siblings and how God helps us do this! I encourage you all to find good reasons why you love your siblings and I also encourage you to, as God helped Jenna, pray to God for help to deal with the things that bother you and pray for your siblings, and pray for God to work in them and that the'll become closer to God! And also, encourage your siblings!! See what God is doing in their life and tell them how it pleases God, even if they aren't believers you can still encouarge them and try to show how God is working through them even though they don't believe. Anyways.... Sorry this is such a long post!! Thanks for reading all the way to the end :D

P.s. If you have any stories that you think we might be able to use on the blog don't hesitate to email us at onewayupcast@gmail.com, and we'll see if we can use it here :)

P.s.s if i'm correct, our first episode will be the christmas special! :)

God is our battery!

2008-12-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah so this is Dave here. From the post title you probably are like, "Uh.... buddy you have some serious theology problems." Please don't think I mean any disrespect to God or think that I think of him as a battery. What I'm saying is, without God, we are like electronics without batteries. Utterly useless and lifeless. I sometimes realize that i have been trusting my own strength and not God's in hard situations. I am frustrated, because things are not going the way they should, despite all my hard work. In those times I need to remember that it is God who gives us strength. We must depend on God's strength, and give him the glory for our accomplishments. He created us after all. I remind myself of this from something that happened to me this summer. I was in a play, and I had quite a few lines to memorized. God has blessed me with a pretty good head for memorizing lines, but despite all my efforts, the dress rehearsal was terrible for me. I stuttered and stammered and was REALLY nervous. Sitting back stage before the performance, I reflected on the rehearsal. I came to realize that I had been depending on my strength and thinking I could do everything. I realized that without God, we are helpless. I prayed and asked God's forgiveness for my behavior, and asked for his help. Well, God answered me. The performance went really well. I didn't get the lines perfect, but God helped me cover my mistakes and I didn't stammer nearly as much. This is just one of the many example's of how much we need God.
anyway,
just a thought,
P.S. Oh and this right here is a evidence of our need for God. If you get anything out of this post from a foolish, pridefull, 14 year old boy, it's only by God's grace.

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

2008-11-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

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

Thanksgiving- Giving Thanks

2008-11-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

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!

Blessings ---> And the Big Plan

2008-11-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

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

Correction- I Love You

2008-11-20T15:54:00.001-08:00

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

~Nite~

2008-11-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

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

Welcome to One Way Up!

2008-11-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

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