L.O.V.E.

I'm not sure why I don't read these devotionals more often but I did today and was very glad I did. Read it yourself and you'll see why.

Living By Your New Nature
This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt

But I tell you, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.".— Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)



The story has been told of a man who while hiking in a desert, stumbled upon a rattlesnake that had become hopelessly wedged between a boulder and some limbs from a fallen tree. The man decided to save the rattlesnake, but in the process the snake tried to bite him. The man tried to free the snake a second time. Again, the snake tried to bite the man. Finally, on the third attempt the man succeeded in freeing the snake. And still, the snake coiled and attempted to strike its liberator. The man’s companion, who had observed from a safe distance, asked the man why he continued to risk himself to free the snake. The man responded, “The snake was attempting to strike because that is its nature. My nature is to love. Should I cease to love because the snake attempts to strike?”

Jesus demonstrated this same concept – a commitment to living by his own nature regardless of another’s nature - when he gave his life to die on our behalf. Hebrews 12:3 instructs us to “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The call of the Christ-follower is the call to live our lives following Jesus’ example and based on our new nature as God’s children. We are called to love and serve, regardless of the opposition or persecution we face from others.


Today, will you love even when others attempt to strike?


It definetly gives you something to think about. I know I was thinking.

What am I doing?

I'm nervous about going out into our school praying for people. I wasn't at first but I keep thinking aobut it and I don't know if I"m capable of it. I think I might freeze and maybe end up barfing on someone.

It'd be pretty darn cool if you guys could pray for me...

Freak Test

Some Random for your Day.

Wow, I haven't done much blogging in the last little while so I might hit you hard with a lot of my thoughts from the last little while.

Well its February. I must say that I love february. It might even be my favourite month. Why?
Well its full of birthdays, 5 in my family alone, it holds the wondrous day of love that I like to call
Valentines day, and... its the month before my month. All of which make me smile from ear to ear.

I'm really excited about Valentines Day this year. Its a day of love and thats what I'm going to spend it
doing, just loving on everyone. Often if you're not in a relationship with anybody then Valentines Day
turns into a depressing day and I just think that contradicts the whole point of the day. Everyone in this
world is loved and I think Valentines Day is a wonderful day to celebrate that love. So I'm going to be a Valentines
Day Fairy and remind our school of this love that is reaching out to them.




AND>..
Now that I'm done talking aobut VD I can start talking and ranting about other things. Like, the last week has been a week of refocusing and switching around my priority list. My list isn't where it should be still but its something that I've been working on. Each day God is getting closer to the center of my life, He's taking away all that holds me back from him and that holds him back from me.
I went to this prayer meeting on Tuesday at lunch and I could feel the passion for God when I walked in and I didn't want to leave when lunch was over. God was in that place and it was so nice being able to pray with other believers from my school and to have the fire once again rekindled. I was reminded of Gods power on Tuesday, I was reminded that he is everywhere. It was pretty amazing.

Anyways, I've got so many things that I really want to get out and not enough time at the moment but I'm goign to attempt to blog more regularily.

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Ahh, the power of God through the wonders of the Ipod.

My Ipod is talking to me. My tummy is turning and gosh, this is definetly the wake up call that was needed. I've had so many struggles in my head lately and I just needed to tune in. Which, oh my gosh, definetly happened.

So heres the story. I was making a playlist, may I add a very good playlist, mainly because I was bored and it was the thing to do. I wasn't even thinking really about what I was putting on it, just a mix of random, random of which i really like. So I was listening to this and God was speaking through the words of the songs so clearly. It was kind of creepy in a way. But it wasn't only exactly what I needed to hear it was also a feeling that I needed to feel. I've been struggling with my faith in the last week or so and I've been praying for the fire inside me to be rekindled and it is now flaming all the way to my nose. tres wow.

christmas.

This Christmas was full of firsts for me. It was my first time ever leaving my house on Christmas. I kid you not, I have never even played outside in my backyard on Christmas. I've never had to, Christmas was always celebrated at our house, everything always came to me so I've never had to leave the comfort of my home. This year wasn't going to be any different, I thought that my mommy would make my sister and I stay home. I was actually very surprised when she allowed us to go, it was pretty amazing.

At the church, we sang of love. we sang of joy, and of hope. I got stopped on the way home by a couple of men who were at the dinner and they thanked us and passed back some of the joy that christ through us had placed in them. It was really neat.

This year was a big eye opener. I've never grown so much in my life. I've changed, even though sometimes it doesn't seem like it. I'm on a journey and this year I definetly took the scenic route.

There was so many firsts this year, like it was the first christmas I've ever wore jeans, the first christmas I've ever had a boyfriend, the first Christmas where I actually had seconds of turkey, the first christmas I've ever eaten dinner in the living room, the first christmas that I didn't get changed into my pajamas before everyone had gone home. It was really the greatest christmas ever. It was the first Christmas I've spent in love with Jesus.

important

This poem is a good reminder of what's really important in life.

I had always been taughtto ask God for what I needed
and that he would give me
whatever I ask for in his name.
So, I asked God forprosperity, power, popularity,
good grades, safety, success,
good friends, health, and wealth.
In all these things,I asked God for more of what I wanted,
but he gave me more of what I needed:
Himself.

mediocre

I've been praying a lot lately about settling for mediocre work. I've been in this area where I will be okay with something as long as it is better than most other people. Like, in my biology class, I'm getting 79%, which is absolutely horrible compared to what my science marks are usually like, yet because it is the highest mark in the class, i'm content with it. Now, I know I can do better, I know I should be doing better, yet the extra time and effort that I'd be putting into it just doesn't seem very appealing. I often feel like that in my christian walk as well. I often want to step out of my comfort zone and do something but a lot of the time I find myself talking myself out of it before I even try. I get telling myself that nothings going to work, that it wouldn't make any difference, and other words of destruction. I've been praying a lot for help sticking with things. For help to continue doing what I know I should be doing even when things get the way, help getting through these obstacles that I usually trip and fall over. Help getting up even if I do fall. Help to continue, to perservere.

reverendfun.com

Weekly Wisdom - Christ Notes

I got my weekly wisdom for this week and I thought I would share part of it:)

The same way you're saved is how you ought to live.

Colossians 2:6 says, So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him.

This is such an awesome scripture for it says that the way we were saved is the way we must live. You didn't get saved by trying and struggling; likewise, you can't live your life on your own strength.

Every believer is saved simply by believing (and receiving) God's love, grace, and mercy. Therefore, live each day of your life by receiving God's strength and walking in His grace and mercy. Remember, the same way you're saved is how you ought to live.

Funny stuff.

A Sunday school teacher was giving her class the assignment for the next week.

"Next Sunday," she said, "we are going to talk about liars, and in preparation for our lesson I want you all to read the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark."

The following week, at the beginning of the class meeting, the teacher said, "Now then, all of you who have prepared for the lesson by reading the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark, please step to the front of the room."

About half the class rose and came forward.

"The rest of you may leave," said the teacher, "these students are the ones I want to talk to. There is no Seventeenth Chapter in the Book of Mark."



I thought it was pretty entertaining:)

Breaking Point

I've tried writing this blog twice already and I haven't been able to do it. Sometimes I find it really hard exposing my weaknesses, my shortcomings. I often only confide these kind of things with those whom I'm really close with and then usually later in my life I'm able to open up about trials I've been through and weaknesses I've experienced. Today I'm going to put myself out there and hopefully this will be another step towards overcoming this fear of mine. The fear of being inadequate often catches me and I won't let it anymore. I've now realized it and now am taking the step to catch it and throw it away.

Today, I felt like my patience was being tested. I'm usually very patient but today I found where my patience ended. I definetly feel like I failed this test. I got so frustrated I felt like ripping out my hair. I had no idea how to deal with this frustration, so I bottled it. I didn't want people to see the troubles I was having. I knew having all this emotion bottled up wasn't very healthy so I turned to a few of my best friends. They're the ones that I always can talk to, it's nice having them around. I told my story a few times and after that I was still very confused and just plain unhappy. Frustrated and pulled to my breaking point I went to God. I asked Him to help me, I told Him that I knew I couldn't do this on my own. In my weakness I found His strength.

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Change inside of me.

Today was definetly different. I like different, don't get me wrong. Today I was focusing a lot in my head about changes I've seen in me. It was kind of cool looking back and seeing who I was and then looking at who I've become. What really excites me are the changes that are yet to come. I'm growing spiritually and every day is another step towards Jesus. It's kind of cool, now I can truthfully answer yes to the question, "has getting older brought me closer to Christ" Yeah it has for me, I've gone from not knowing him, to somewhat knowing him, to now, striving to be like him and to live out my purpose on this earth. I think it's really exciting and it feels like I'm finally living my life, before I was just existing. I pray that I'll never go back, I will never turn away from this path that I happened to stumble apon. I also pray that as I continue to grow older that my worship won't become stale, I pray that it won't just become a routine that I do for the sake of doing, I pray that it will be fresh and genuine everyday of my life.
God is super amazing, and I definetly adore him:)

So I was reading my emails and I ended up reading an email from christianitytoday.com which I don't usually do because... I never seem to have time and a lot of the time they just aren't all that informing. Anyways, I was reading it and it hit something in me so I thought I would post it. I think the implications of putting the label "Christian" on yourself has been coming up a lot for me lately. Just like, once you call yourself a Christian you are immediately getting half a billion more eyes on you just waiting for you to screw up. Thats a lot of pressure to be under! I guess you just have to remember that God knows that you aren't perfect and thats why he sent us Jesus, there is forgiveness!! wooh, good to know.. well, heres the article for incase you wanted to read it:


They'll know we are Christians by our fish?


I was driving in downtown Chicago last week, where traffic seems to be our No. 1 pastime—even ahead of baseball (go Sox!). In my mind-numbed auto stupor, I noticed that the car ahead of me had that little fish on the back (you know, the ichthus?) Really, I couldn't help but notice, not because I'm automatically drawn to Christian symbolism, but because the driver rudely cut me off in traffic without using a turn signal.Don't get me wrong. I'm sure my driving habits have offended others at some point too. None of us are perfect. But the car fish is one of those everyday cultural items that stir mixed feelings in me. At time I'm filled with good cheer when I see it—"Ah, there goes a brother or sister in Christ. God bless!" And admit it: When a driver with a fish on his car is courteous in traffic, you conclude that they were nice because they were a Christian, as "proven" by the fish, right?If that's true, then we need to accept the downside of the fish. It brands us as a Christian, and that means when we pull a fast one in traffic, another driver may think, There goes another rude and arrogant Christian. There's great responsibility in wearing the fish, and from my driving experiences, not enough Christians take it seriously.Should that be any different from wearing the name "Christian" in our everyday living? This directly relates to the whole secular vs. sacred debate. I think some Christian artists are reluctant to be called "Christian artists" because they're afraid that in the spotlight, they will occasionally slip up and misrepresent Christ. It's easy to think, Yes, but we're all family in Christian music—we show grace to each other when we make mistakes—whether in traffic or in the mainstream. Right? Tell that to artists like Amy Grant, P.O.D., Sixpence None the Richer, and Switchfoot.It's something to consider, the responsibility of being labeled for Christ. As it pertains to music, I can see it either way. Whether or not artists are publicly identified as "Christian artists," I can't stress enough that the emphasis be on their conduct, and not on their label. Personally, I'm not the type who calls much attention to myself with symbols and such. I'd rather be labeled a Christian by my words and actions—that people know me as a Christian by my love, not my shortcomings or my advertising.

Brent

So Brent, I bet you think this blog will be all about you. Well, if that is what you're thinking then you're definetly right. So now I bet you're wondering what I'm going to write about you? To tell you the truth, I don't even know what I'm going to write about you yet.


Well, anyways, here I go. So there once was this guy named Brent and He was what most would call a Jesus Freak, I know I definetly would. So yeah, Brent went to school at a big place called New Westminster Secondary School where he started this pretty rad lunch group that this cool girl Ashley happens to attend. At this lunch group he's pretty much one of the coolest leaders ever and actually, speaking of leaders, did I mention that he leads Bible study on sunday morning? Yeah, thats right, is this kid talented or what!? So while I'm on the subject of talented, lets talk about another one of his amazing talents. He is a super drum player, and when I say super, I definetly mean super. Brent is pretty amazing, what can I say... . So really, I could go on for hours about Brent but I don't have hours so I won't.

But before I go, I'd like to do some thanking. Thank you Brent for always being there, Thank you for always being so nice and so easy to talk to, thanks for answering all of my silly out of place questions and for putting up with all of my power trips, you are truly amazing. Thanks for being you:)